Pete was off fishing last night, so I didn’t sleep well. Then the phone rang at 4 a.m. or so, and it kept on ringing. That was it. I was awake and did not get back to sleep. So now I am struggling to keep my eyes open as I write this dispatch.

I have been tired all day. This is not the first time this has happened. I have learned that the best thing to do in such instances is to keep moving. If I slow down, I run the danger of crawling into the nearest chair and dozing off. I definitely cannot read when I’m this tired.

Alys and Hrimmi

Nevertheless, it was a good day. I went to town early because I was (I thought) to ride with Pete and my friend Judy this afternoon. I got the writing books and rare books sorted and in matching boxes. I also distributed books at the Borough and the Department of Motor Vehicles buildings. And I went and got gas, which is one of my least favorite things to do. I go to the Tesoro Station on the edge of town – there is seldom anyone there when I’m there, which makes pulling in and out, and filling the tank much easier. The way I look at it, many, many things can go wrong when you go to get gasoline.

I kept checking my watch, so as to make sure I was on time for our 2 p.m. ride. When I checked for messages when I got home, there was one from Judy, wondering where we were at 11 a.m. Oh oh. I called and explained to her that we failed to write the correct time on the calendar. She said she’ll be busy for the next three weeks and won’t be able to ride. I thought, I blew it, I should have written the ride time on our living room calendar.

I hung up, and Pete appeared in the doorway. He returned with 14 more salmon in his cooler. Tomorrow, he will process them. We now have had fresh fish for 4 days in a row. And the dogs have gotten salmon skins for four days in a row.

Pete and I then went riding – I rode Tyra and he rode Raudi. It was a good outing. I got back and returned to town, distributing this time, at the Valley Hotel, Vagabond Blues, and Turkey Red. I had no books left when I was done. This week, more books are going out than coming in, a good thing, for sure.

I got home and took Hrimmi on an outing. The best part was when we rode on the loop road. It was the best because Hrimmi found foraging to be near impossible. We checked out our neighbor’s new garage – there is more space there than in our entire house. I suspect that they’ll use the shed for storage as they are building their new place.

Sleep is going to feel good tonight. I kept going, and a solid night’s sleep is going to be my reward.

Next: 209. 8/1/23: Fummer