I did not sleep well last night. My leg/back was bothering me. I’d start to doze, feel pain, then have to change my position. And awake, I fretted about the book project. I did wonder how all the work would get done if I wasn’t able to do the bulk of it myself.

This morning, when I got up, I discovered that I could walk. Last night I could not. I walked gingerly all day. Pete took care of all the animals, making sure to swap out their water buckets. He also scraped the ice off my car window. An aside – it would be nice to have a heated garage – this would increase the life span

Getting boxes from Bishop's Attic

of my vehicle. And it would be nice to have a heated horse barn – this would increase the life span of my mares. If we had this, most likely Tinni would still be around.

I was in a bad mood this morning, and my friend Bill bore the brunt of it. We went together to check out the Turn a Leaf Thrift Store and were told that the manager isn’t there on the weekends. We checked out the books – Bill purchased a 25 cent kids’ book, Kids’ Stories – and gave the cashier $5.00. Good karma for sure.

We next went to Thriftier’s Rock Thrift Store where the manager was working. Vicki reminded me of Maryann who owns Fireside Books – a kind person who values books. She said, yes, they often have books on hand and we can have them just so long as we come and get them promptly.

My thinking is that we’ll be set if we go with getting books from Thriftier’s Rock and Title Wave Books we’ll be set.

Bill and I returned to the hotel, and he put up shades that Pete purchased yesterday at Lowe’s Hardware. He was very fast and very efficient. All I could think was that it must be fun to do things you’ve done before, and in a proficient manner.

As he worked a man came in and set down some books. He noticed that I’d put a copy of Mike Mulligan’s Steam Shovel in the window – he picked it up, and I said he could have it. He then began to cry because, obviously, this book meant so much to him. I was, as he wiped away his tears, reminded that this is why I do this.

Bill finished up and left, and then Bea, Robert, Lanisha, and Pete showed up all at once. Lanisha is our new board member. She brought her boyfriend along and he cleaned books while we talked.

I never know if after these meeting we’ve gotten anything done. We do need to get a box truck, and I am lobbying hard for a Conex. We’ll see.

After, Robert and Pete began working on the shelves for the new room, I sorted through and categorized books, and Pam cleaned and stamped them. It was a mellow afternoon – we were all happy.

Next: 290. 10/22, 2023: Unraveled