And so, the cold and rain and overcast skies are again upon us. When it’s this way I vow that if it is ever nice again, I will take full advantage of it and get outside and stay outside. Don’t get me wrong, I had things to do, but I think of all the time on nice days this spring I spent inside when I could have been outside and I feel intense regret.

The only thing that regret is good for is keeping from fucking up the next time. Ideally, we should draw upon our past experiences in creating new ones. And so I started out this morning working in my cabin. I do have a woodstove in there, but I instead opted to save time and work in our upper cabin.

Rain water tank on Alys's cabin

I sorted through MORE reject letters. When you’re in the literal file management business, things tend to surface in large amounts. I turned around and blump, there was another stack of files. Blump, blump, blump, blump. I think that I got them all now -- it’s distant but I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The stacks are no longer knee high.

It is looking like the next two weeks are going to be very intense. The downside of the Alaska State Fair’s being cancelled is that Becky, the Head gardener, has to figure out fast what to do with 67,000 plants because she’s being laid off in two weeks. Gulp.

So it appears as though I will be putting what I learned in working on the Bright Lights Book Project to practice in the days ahead. This since I volunteered to spearhead the Save the Alaska Plants Project, commonly referred to as Sapp. I will assist Becky in coming up with a plan and then assist her in carrying it out. Either the plants will be planted on the ASF property or they will be sold at a plant sale.

I am at a bit of a disadvantage this time around because I know so little about plants. I wish that I knew more, but sad to say, this would be sensory overload. Also, what I learn never sticks. I wish I was like my friend Fran, in Fairbanks. She’s a trained field biologist. She not only knows the English names for plants, but she also knows the Latin names. They just roll off her tongue. I have a great deal of respect for Fran and all who are familiar with flora and fauna.

I know more about books than I do about plants. Well, my role in this project will be simply to direct traffic.

What a shame, that so many world-wide are being affected so adversely by the virus. And it is looking like it is going to be a continued health threat for a long, long time. I have been wondering if having to wear a mask is going to be the norm. There are going to be those who will remember a time when we didn’t have to wear masks when going out in public.

Tough times, for sure.

Next: 146. 5/26/20: No Fair