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October 31, 2017: Before Me. . .

On my left is my first complete draft of “If you Come to a Fork in the Road, Pick it Up.” This document is 64 pages. It has a history of the Alaska State Fair and a history of Recycling at the Alaska State Fair. I have included my stories about working as an Alaska State Fair Recycling Supervisor, and stories about others who have done the same. So far, it’s been a fun project. I am not sure if it is going to be a regular book in addition to being an eBook. I have to see what interest I can generate in it.

If it’s a book – I’d like to get on Big Cabbage Radio (no kidding, 89.7) and promote it there. And I’d like to do a signing/give a reading at Fireside Books.



It’s a great subject, and it should be of interest to those in our local community, and perhaps other communities where they are working at getting recycling going at the state fair level. The history should be of interest to the latter group.

This will have photos – I took a good number of them. And it will have a few drawings.

Probably a good thing, for a while, to write about something other than horses. Too much obsession is not a good thing, or so I am told. I don’t know if I fully believe this.

It seems to work, to get the writing done on the inclement days and the horseback riding done on the clement days. Is there such a thing as a clement day? Today the sun was shining in the morning and in the afternoon it was foggy. I rode Tyra and Pete rode Hrimmi this morning, on our trails and part way to Grizzly Camp. Then in the afternoon, I rode Raudi on Pat and Ray’s trails. We did some serious bushwacking. Then afterwards, I rode Tinni.

As I rode, I couldn’t help but work on a story that’s been going through my head. It’s about a woman who ends up getting a baby at a silent auction. She names the baby, Baby Y. As in, Y has this happened to me? I deliberated for some time as to whether Baby Y was a boy or a girl. At first, Baby Y was a boy because this seemed to create some dissonance. The main character didn’t want to have to raise a boy – she pictured monster children in supermarkets throwing tantrums. But then I decided that Baby Y should be a girl because a girl would be harder for her to part with.

Parting with the child is going to be surprisingly difficult for her – and she will end up going great lengths to keep her. I would have to figure out how to deal with logical things that arise – a kid can’t go around forever without a Social Security number. If I end up writing this, the imagination will have to prevail. Writing is a slow, laborious activity – that’s why writers don’t get as much done as they wish.

Next: 302. 11/1/17: The Holy Day of Obligation

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