I’ll bet there are many people out there who, if they knew about our holiday, wish that there’s was like it. Then there are those who would prefer anything but. Those who wish that there’s was like ours but don’t have the wherewithal to carry it out, are being pushed by a strong wind, which is not of their making. I don’t feel sorry for them. I have only so much compassion to dole out each year and have little left. I’m going to save it just in case it’s needed by someone who is really on the edge.

We arose and I looked out the window to see if it had snowed much since last night. We got an additional six inches. Pete tended to the animals because my hip was hurting, and I didn’t want to make it worse. Shoveling manure will do this to you.

Pete came in and made what I call the grand slam breakfast: left over fried potatoes, meatless sausage, toast and eggs. The eggs are not ours; rather, they are from the store because our hens are not laying right now.

Tyra on the road

After, we both worked on our respective manuscripts. Pete’s resumed working on Chainsaws and Common Sense and I’ve resumed working on Shelf Life: A Book about an Overabundance of Books. Three days ago I encouraged Pete to carve out an hour a day of time to work on his book. He’s worked on it on and off now for a decade. He seems to have heard me – so far, so good.

As for me, I shelved Shelf Life and am now back at it. I’m 55 pages into the first revision. I think that the problem that I wrote about yesterday may have resolved itself. Some are going to expect a book full of facts and figures about overabundance. They are going to be disappointed because this book is going to be a memoir. I hypothesize that dealing with overabundance is as stressful as dealing with underabundance, using the examples related to the Bright Lights Book Project to support my claim.

Both Pete and I are taking advantage of a project lull in working on our respective drafts. Right now, volunteers are scarce, and people are more focused on holiday activities than they are on boxing up and giving us books.

My attention span began to waver at 1:00 p.m., so I got outside and took all three horses for a walk. The plow has not been by since early yesterday, so for me, the walking was a bit of a slog. It may also have been a slog for the horses who seemed to want easier footing, which was why they all repeatedly pushed me out of the tire track on the right hand side of the road.

It was good to reconnect with the three mares. Again, I wished I had a horse friend who was up for going for a ride. It is all I am lacking in life.

Pete made a pumpkin pie and mopped the floor when I was with the horses. Tonight, he’s going to make a halibut dinner. Yep, for us both, today was a day just like any other.

Next: 354. 12/26/23: Sunshine