May is one of the most dramatic months of all. We started out this year with bare trees, snow on the ground, very cold nights, the beginning of breakup. And we are ending with leafy green trees, dandelions in bloom, and now, very hot days.

Temperatures were in the ‘80s today. I feel like I got slightly sunburned, and I wasn’t outdoors all that much. I am nervous about continued high and higher temperatures and fire danger. And I think, if it’s like this here, in very late May, what’s it like elsewhere? I could not handle 100˚F plus temperatures. The animals could not be able to handle it either.

Raudi on bench

All the animals do seem to be enjoying the cooler mornings and evenings.

I’ve been getting up early, so as to enjoy the cooler mornings. Staying up late and enjoying the cooler evenings is just a given. We are night owls.

It was another day of dealing with BLBP stuff. Had a really good time at the senior center – it does my heart good to see the seniors go quietly up to the table, pick up a book, go back to their tables, and start reading. I also really enjoy getting the right book into the hands of the right reader. I’d like to think that I’m good at it.

The volunteers showed up and cleaned and sorted – this included Bruce, a new volunteer. I like his understated sense of humor. I went to the shelf and pulled forth a cookbook that had the word Ribs and a picture underneath of cooked ribs. His eyes lit up when he saw this book – he said that he was going to have ribs tonight. Ribs and brats. Being the vegetarian that I am, I next pulled forth a healthy eating book – a look of mock horror crossed his face and he backed off. What I didn’t say is that some, perhaps like himself, throw health related caution to the wind, thinking that, well, life is very short. Must be the same of those smoke and drink to excess. And yes, they do have a point.

From there I went with Nan, another volunteer, and distributed books on what I call a secondary route. We stopped at the Mat-Su Borough Building and Nikki, the bookcase guardian, suggested that I talk with Dani, the surplus person, about the building that we may soon acquire.

The acquisition of property and land – I keep coming back to the movie Field of Dreams and the book, Shoeless Joe. I keep making a comparison to the narrator’s high degree of obsessiveness, in getting his project going. Me, yes, I am very obsessive about acquiring property and a building. If this is to come to be, I have to be.

What we got here is a feel-good project, one that no one in their right mind can say anything bad about. This is what I keep telling myself. If only I would listen to me.

Next: 150. 6/1/22: Heat Wave