I don’t think most are celebrating a holiday-related independence. I think they are just celebrating. Any excuse for a party. Just a few revelers, blowing off fireworks and flying by on their all-terrain vehicles. The weather may be slowing them down – again, overcast and cold and threatening to rain.

We are waiting on getting our hay until we get back from our trek. We are taking our few remaining bales with us. And we purchased some double compressed hay that cost, gulp, $30.00 a bale. My Uncle Bob’s $10,000 that he left to me – it’s all been spent on hay.

Hrimmi in the obstical

Had he left me $100,000 like he did my sister, I would not be as anxious as I am, about the rising cost of hay. Ironically, money that I’d spend on moving is going towards hay costs.

Overcast and cold, overcast and cold, this is the sort of summer we’re having here. But the wild geraniums and the wild roses have been in full bloom and are everywhere. And our lilac bushes, we have two next to my cabin, are blooming.

The abundance of flowers bodes well for the bees. Pete purchased one hive, and the other one wintered over in a heated barn. Both hives are doing well. The garden is doing well – we are also harvesting record amounts of strawberries. Pete’s even frozen some for those long, cold winter mornings.

Today I went to town and passed books off to Robert who will be taking them to the Mat-Su Health Foundation in the next few days. I came into the work area and found a gift. Bill, who co-founded the project and built the bookcases and salvages books at the recycling center, made a sandwich board for the project. It’s made of wood panels. I am going to varnish it and then fasten a large tablet to both sides. This way, I will be able to change the signage. When the sandwich board is outside, I can have the BLBP logo showing. When I’m at Friday Fling (across the street from the Historic Eagle Hotel), I can advertise our having a story hour.

It is getting easier, this volunteer job. I worked for two hours today, sorting nonfiction. I did not have to move books hither and yon, or yon and hither. (This, I just decided, would be great names for baby goats). I need the guys to set up one more bookcase – this will ensure that I have enough shelf space for the boxes containing nonfiction books.

On the home front – Pete’s been the one preparing for our upcoming trip. Me, I did mundane things, like clean water and feed buckets and sort of straightened up around the house. I also got Hrimmi out for a ride – she’s doing very well. The trick seems to be to ride her on the road, this way she can’t get at the grass.

So today, I plead guilty because I also did not think about the reason for this splendid holiday.

Next: 184. 7/5/23: First day on the trail