It’s easy to figure. What keeps me motivated with this book project is affirmation. Right, left, and sideways, most say it’s a wonderful idea, and then continue to express their gratitude. I’ve only had to deal with one nay sayer, and I’ve only had to deal with one refusal; the owner of a very popular and well respected hair salon simply said “no interested” when I attempted to talk with him about having a distribution bookcase in his shop.

I have the very thick skin of a writer. I have gotten more than my share of reject notices over the years, some of them in response to what I considered to be a sure thing. This fellow I once knew, Marvin Pollard, the then husband of my mentor Wendy Bishop, once said, “the closer you get to getting something accepted, the more rejection hurts.” I’ve often thought of what he said because it is a truism. I think this must be because hope comes riding in on a beautiful Palomino horse, then passes by and dashes off into the sunset.

Alys and Raudi

The affirmation has taken many forms. For example, I am now a regular at the Palmer Senior Center, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I eat lunch with a handful of people, three, sometimes four kind and gracious individuals who are constantly telling me how great the book project is. They all have also taken numerous books. And I gave one woman horse training books to give to her granddaughter.

Today there was talk about a community garden being planted on the center grounds. I suddenly had this idea, which is that I could supply compost. I got so excited about the prospect that I hit my glass of goat milk with the back of my hand and spilled the contents of the pint jar. The jar didn’t break. A fellow rushed over and put up two yellow cleaning signs and mopped up what I had not yet wiped off the floor with paper towels. I was rather embarrassed. It was much like being in high school and being the table dweeb. And no one paid this blunder any mind – in fact they all just kept on talking about the Amish, the Hutterites, and the Mennonites.

I next dropped off books at the Alaska Bible College. The fellow who came to the door put me at ease by saying he too was driving a SAAB. Noelle, the librarian, got a handful of guys and they took the books. I’m going back there and checking out their library.

I also talked with readers at the Vagabond Blues distribution site – one woman lives in the Butte in the summer and works doing restoration work on houses in the Virgin Islands. I later found out that it costs $85.00 to send 10 boxes of books to this place. I’m going to keep working on this.

On to Sutton where I claimed a bag of paperbacks and then talked for a long while to Carol McNamara. I distributed these books in the Sutton post office and there met up with Bill Schmidtkunz. We too talked for a while. He says I should get paid for the work I do.

For now, affirmation is payment. Like chocolate, this must be something that I need.

Next: 243. 9/3/21: Home on the Range