Overcast today and just a tad chilly. It seemed like it was going to rain and it never did. I planned ahead, and before it was supposedly to rain, I got Hrimmi and Ryder out and Tyra and Shadow out. I am having to double up on the animals. I did not get Raudi and visitor dog out. I thought I’d do this when I got home, but I got home late.

I went to the Mountain Rose retirement community gathering at midday. The single-story homes are on (I think) half-acre lots. They all look alike. They all have identical front lawns. What I really liked though, was the fact that the retirement community was so quiet. It was like here.

Shadow's and Raudi's b-day 4-14-24

I was to be the guest speaker. I did have my say, but this was after considerable talk about the Palmer Public Library situation. The city council wants to reduce the size of the proposed facility, and thus far, the Palmer voters are opposed. The architect that drew up the original plans has two weeks to come up with other plans and will get paid $11,000 for two week’s work.

The city council’s reasoning for turning down the citizen’s 10 million bond measure is (supposedly) that they will have to raise the sales tax. Some have speculated that the city council is stalling because some of those who are advocating that books be banned are objecting to their being a library of any kind. And the city council is bothered by the fact that the library won’t have a revenue stream.

The time to build the library would be now. If the council dilly dallies, well then, the building won’t commence until next year because the weather is not going to cooperate.

I had wondered why the city hasn’t proposed fixing up the old library. I suspect that they have taken into account the fact that some feel that the old library, the one with the collapsed roof, was too small.

So, with all the above being talked about, it was some time before I was called upon to speak. I began by talking about the history of the Wayback machine. I pulled my note card out of the wayback machine, and went back to 2000, holding my card against my forehead and making Wayback machine hours. I babbled about my life since then, oh yes I did babble, I should have had an outline. Gosh darn, I saw some of the listeners eyes glaze over and some nod off and others walk off to talk with one another.

I saved the day, if the day was saved, by giving the listeners notecards and having them write down the year that was momentous to them, then after, write down a few things about that year. I then had them talk with one another about what they’d written.

I felt like I was again teaching a writing class. And what I realized was this is what I want to do – find imaginative ways of teaching writing. Perhaps I am on my way.

Next: 107. 4/18/24: Waiting