For the past few days, I have felt like I have been attempting to run in water that is, depth wise, well over my head. In other words, I have been getting nowhere, fast. In part, this is because I have been feeling physically and mentally under the weather.

We did have a bit of a weather-related respite today. The temperatures were in the 20s, and it was snowing lightly. It was a good day for getting horses out. I took the mares for a trail walk and Tinni for a road walk. I also cleaned the upper quadrant animal pens, which is an onerous job. Maybe this is why I feel so good when I’m done with it. The bedding was not frozen to the mats in the pens, nor was it frozen to the tarps in Sassy’s enclosure. This is because it has not been all that cold.

I also changed the chicken’s bedding. They are again giving eggs. And Swampy is still giving milk.

This is mindless work; that is, the work is mindless. It gives me time to think. And, of course, I thought a great deal about the book project. The house of cards is still standing, but it could come toppling down at any time. Maybe it will always be this way. If so, I will, afterward, say what Paul McCartney said about playing with the Beatles, which was “that it was the best band I ever played with.” So yeah, I might say that the Bright Lights Book Project was the best literacy project that I was ever involved with. One can only hope.

I did make a fair number of calls this morning. Next week, I’m taking children’s religious books to Palmer Connect, and Heather who works for the Knik tribe, is going to come and get some books out of the U-Haul storage unit, nonfiction books that would otherwise be hard to find a place for.

Another call, maybe the best news of the day – The Kiita Learning Center in Barrow is getting a library going and would gladly take the National Geographics that were shipped, via the TOTE barge lines, from Washington state to Alaska. Arranging this was a major accomplishment – the magazines sat in the Meeting House for some time, and of course I had no idea where they would go. I honored the wishes of the woman who said that she wanted the collection kept together.

The worst news of the day was in response to Pete’s query. We’d hoped that nearby Spring Creek Farm would provide us with land for a portable building. We were told in a phone message that this was not to be. Now we are grasping at straws so to speak. I wish grasping at straw was something that I only did when I swapped out animal bedding. I guess not.

This, and no word on our nonprofit status. This is an excellent opportunity for me, what I am to learn is to remain in the present.

Next: 36. 2/5/22: The Flip Side of the Writing/Interviewing Coin