As Pete said, the wind has a bite to it. We are also now feeling the heat in the sun. Together, my face feels (as they say) like I got some sun.

An up and down day, inside and out. For a few years now, I’ve been fretting about what might be done with my father’s remaining book collection, and in particular, his children’s books. Too bad he could not have taken it all with him when he died. This is life’s greatest unfairness.

The books brought him great joy – I just wish that I’d asked him more questions about the contents of those books. I did enjoy hanging out next to his bookcase and looking at the illustrations in the children’s books.

A few years back, a friend, Deb Smith, who I met in Alaska and then met up with again in New Hampshire, told me that there was a children’s museum in Amherst, MA. I forgot all about this. Then a few days ago it came back to mind. That alone is amazing.

I looked it up and saw that it’s a nice place with 6,000 holdings of children’s books and an extensive scholarly collection. It then occurred to me that my dad’s books

A book that was headed for the pulp mill

ought to go there since it’s an actual library. I called, didn’t get a hold of anyone. I then decided to take a few steps backwards.

I called Carol, my father’s wife, and told her about this place. I also said that his additional books could be sent to me, media rate. She thought this was an excellent idea. Recall that a few year’s back she suggested that I attempt to sell them and we’d split the profits. Since the books were going nowhere, I decided to wait.

I next called Karen, one of Carol’s neighbors. Karen has been Carol’s advocate now for over a year and was instrumental in getting her into an assisted living home. Karen is now orchestrating the house sale. Right now, it’s buy as is, but if it doesn’t sell it will go into the hands of a realtor.

I told Karen about my wish, that the books get into the hands of the right person, and she said that she agreed with me, and in fact that she’d been careful about who she allowed in the house because she didn’t want them to go through the books.

Karen agreed to mail me, media rate, my father’s books, and to make contact with the Amherst museum. I said they probably would want an overview of the collection and what’s in it, and that I could not do that from here. This, I foresaw, as being the major stumbling block.

Karen obviously has a very strong get er done attitude. She is going to add this to her list of things to do. This, her taking on the book project, goes hand-in-hand with everything else she’s been doing.

I am relieved to have had her take on this project; hence, the up part of the day. I am also saddened by the fact that I can’t go to NH and look at the collection and a few other things my father owned, as is. The books, they were a priority and they have been taken care of, thank dog.

Next: 82. 3/23/21: Burning Daylight