It’s warmed up some, this is a good thing. I thought that I’d be okay with the cold temperatures indefinitely, but last night I realized that I was wrong in this regard. The change in thinking came about at about 8 p.m. I went to check in on Stormy and Ranger and saw that Ranger’s head and face were frosted and that he was shivering.

I had earlier put fleece blankets on the two, but they had come off and the felt legs wraps were tangled around Ranger’s neck and the pair’s legs. So I got the blankets and wraps off of the two, put a fleece blanket back on Ranger, and again, attempted to tie it in place. Ranger wasn’t too keen on this idea; he kept attempting to get away from me.

This box has been around

I knelt on the ground in order to grab the felt wrap, which I’d draped over his back. As I did this, he moved to the left, quickly. I was kneeling, so I couldn’t jump backwards. His body connected with my nose, hard. I fell backwards, and for a moment sat on the ground, stunned.

I’ve had accidents like this before. It’s like time lurches to a stop and then continues, going in a more self-aware direction. Right then it occurred to me that our routine became more all encompassing when the cold set in. We had to be more vigilant in providing animals with food, water, and blanketing. The horses have been very cooperative, the goats less so. Necessity is the Mother of Invention, and so we dealt, for example, by putting a bucket of warm water in the chicken roost. We found they liked to stand on it

Not only had our routine become more all-encompassing but at the same time it had become more stressful. Yeah, a friend in Fairbanks wrote an email to me and indicated that it was not as cold here as there. However, I had decided it is all relative. Stress can’t be quantified when it drops to -10˚F or lower.

This is what I was thinking as I sat there. I then put my mitten to the area that I’d injured, and then saw that my nose was bleeding. My nose felt like it was broken. The pain went up behind my eyeballs and around my entire head. I considered going to the hospital emergency room, but I realized that there was nothing they could do.

I sat quietly for a bit, and then realized that it might only be cracked. Today I had the symptoms that go hand-in-hand with a concussion. I felt like my head was filled with wool. And at the same time, my thoughts came piecemeal. When outside, it hurt even more.

I got through the day – I was inside, sorting books. I also lead a meeting that centered on book distribution. I am going to persist at this job because there are people out there who want books. And this is making it all worth it. I keep telling myself that writers need readers, and in this way, I’m doing my part.

Next: 10. 1/10/20: The Bright Lights Shine On