Two months ago, that is, November 21, 2021, we were a month before the Solstice. It was only going to get darker. Now, January 21, 2022, we are a month after the solstice. It is only going to get lighter.

I think that here in Alaska, this knowledge is energizing to all but those who hang out under their beds and keep the dust mites company. I did this as a kid, and soon realized that there was no future in it.

There is not that much light, just enough for us to be saying to one another at 4 p.m. “Hey, it’s still light out.”

The first Book Project load to NAC

The only cause for concern now is the rapidly fluctuating temperatures, which are of course related to climate change. Few are even giving any thought to how the things they do, like keeping burn barrels going, or burning brush, are contributing to climate change.

So now, temperatures are in the 40s. And we are all braced for what’s to come, more rain. It will freeze and turn to ice, and then getting around is going to be difficult. We prepared for this by having our farrier put ice shoes on our horses.

A warm day today, sunny skies – Pete and I did book project administrativa. We first went to Colony High School and put a sign on the bookcase, then went to Wasilla and attempted to get bookcases installed in Kaladi Brothers, Carrs supermarket, and The Clock Tower mall. In all of these places, someone said that they’d pass the word on about our truly great project to their managers. This is the way it is – we usually get the company line. I did have information to pass out, but I suspect that we won’t hear back from these corporate entities.

I did give them information packets with our website information.

Next, we went to Anchorage (a rare event indeed) and met up with Milena Sevigny at TOTE. There, she was boxing up books to send to Shishmaref Island, out in the Bering Sea. We further assisted her in preparing to take some Mat-Su School District warehouse books and the First Wave books to Northern Air Cargo, where they’d then be flown to their pre-determined destination.

Pete drove our vehicle and Milena drove the TOTE van to Northern Air Cargo.

I went with Milena. As has become common, Milena and I had a quasi-business meeting on the drive to NAC. This is fitting in with the more peripatetic nature of our two book projects.

Milena spoke of the sense of satisfaction that comes in seeing the freight workers move the boxes, via the forklift, into the warehouse area. I then thought about how we repacked the school district books at the warehouse, unpacked them in the U-Haul storage area, repacked them for shipment to the TOTE bay, unpacked them there, then repacked them for shipping. Envisioning it, books, in the hands of parents, teachers, kids – this is our reward.

We next went to Habitat for Humanity and picked up a big and small bookcase. These are staying local. I will paint both.

Yes, my overall feeling is that we are on the flip side of the solstice.

Next: 22. 1/22/22: Living Under a Cloud Cover