If I didn’t have horses, dogs, goats, chickens, and a job, I would hop on a plane and go somewhere. My first thought was Hawaii, because it’s warm there. My second thought was Iceland, Scotland, or Norway because these are places I’ve always wanted to check out. The places on my wish list are of course weather-related extremes.

I am, in the first instance, wanting to be someplace warm. I am, in the second instance, wanting to be someplace that’s like the place that I currently live. Iceland, it has the horses and horse

trekking. I probably couldn’t find another place so alike climate and horse-wise.

I never thought that I’d get tied down and I did everything I could to prevent it, even keeping my possessions to a minimum until we moved here. Then I got rooted pretty quick, by the horses.

I feel restless sometimes, less so on days like today, when I’m with the horses. I didn’t ride them, but I did walk with them. I was glad to be in their presence and I think vice-versa.

It wasn’t an ideas day, but one of the things I got to thinking about as I walked all three around the loop was about having a celebration of life get together, in the spring, for Tinni. I’d ask those to attend to come and share their good memories of him. A ride and potluck will follow. And if no one shows up, I will read a eulogy that Pete and I will enjoy. Tinni will like this. And this would assure that his soul would feel free to leave. I have the sense that he hasn’t left yet because I have unresolved issues about his death.

Yes, this is something I’d like to do when the cottonwoods are in bloom. Sure wish I could resurrect Tinni. Sure wish I could resurrect Ranger.

I also thought some about the book; the working title is Shelf Life. The first half is about what happened after I began literary dumpster diving. I have always had the sense in talking with people about what happened, that I only tell a condensed version of a longer story. I’m being careful in that I am not disparaging any of the characters in this book, nor am I in any way generating negative publicity for VCRS or the Meeting House. Rather, I’m writing about a common problem, abundance (of, in this case books) and how I (and the central characters in this book) dealt with it. I also make it clear that over and under abundance both have their own drawbacks.

I’m going to write about the sheer difficulty inherent to finding a place to store the books – here I also allude to another common problem, which is that space for cast off items is hard to find. Palmer, Alaska thus becomes a representative town.

I am less sure, as I finish up Part I, what I’ll write about in Part II, for there are several settings and many characters. I’ll figure it out. I have to.

Next: 16. 1/16/23: You Can Do It