This would be a good title for a book. The cover would have the end part of the horse and the rear legs showing. Just a thought.

The heat wave continues. Temps in the low ‘80s, just hot enough to take notice, not so hot that it puts a damper on one’s energy level. Need the rain though, need it badly. Thunder clouds at the distance, but they did materialize into a full blown thunderstorm.

Nevertheless, a busy day around here. I did seize the day and got all four horses out on the trail. They (I think) all enjoyed moving out where it was cool and brushy. I started out, on Hrimmi, at 9:30 am and was done by 3:00 pm when it was by then really hot.

Pete and our mutual friend Bill went to the recycling center and salvaged books. We are now at the tipping point. Fingers crossed that this week we’ll make progress on getting a building. Sad to say, we are going to have to put book donors on a waiting list. We are also going to have to

Jim at VCRS

start sending books back to VCRS for shredding. I feel pretty shitty about this, but we don’t have the room and may not have additional room for books for some time.

I need to get going on finding places that will again take books, maybe places that before have taken them, like the prisons. I’ll start making calls in a few days. This is the least favorite part of my job.

In the meantime, there was an early evening distraction. Our neighbor Jim died a few months ago – his three sisters and brothers were in town, for a memorial service at the recycling center, where Jim did volunteer work. After, we had the sisters over here for an evening outside dinner. Neighbors came – it was like the old days when we used to have parties here, only Jim was missing.

I actually felt a sense of loss, talking with the three sisters about their brother. Always, when something like this happens, one wishes that they’d interacted more with the deceased when the deceased was alive. This was the situation here.

In the next few days, the three sisters will open Jim’s place out and begin cleaning it up. They estimate that this is going to take a month. I’m supposed to get the Subaru, but it’s in probate. I understand probate to be that liminal space between heaven and hell – I think it’s called purgatory.

I never did understand the ins and outs of purgatory, and I am doubtful that I ever will. You go to limbo if you haven’t been baptized. I don’t know why one goes to purgatory, or how one gets out. The question is, will purgatory become passe? Then again, will hell become passe? Heaven will never become passe – it’s the only remaining good option.

Hope is foundational to Catholicism, but I think less so to Buddhism, which is a more intellectual pursuit.

Next: 154. 6/5/22: In Dreams Begin Responsibility