This morning I rode Raudi and Pete rode Tyra out on our trails. It was a wonderful ride – the horses are so bomber. Raudi cantered nicely, from a walk, this is called a canter departure. We did our ride, on our trails, before it got too hot. Yep, we are experiencing an Alaska heatwave. Temperatures are in the high 70s, and consistently. It does get a bit cooler at night, enough so that all of us here are able to get a good night’s sleep.

Right now, they are experiencing a real heatwave on the east coast, with temperatures going into the triple, yes, triple digits. I feel for those who don’t have air conditioning, and in cities live in small, very warm apartments.

Cow parsnip and fireweed

There is no escaping the heat for some. I remember as a kid, growing up in Rochester, NY, going to the movies. The air conditioning was such that it was really cold inside. Also, going to the John Marshall High School pool, and waiting in line, on the hot sidewalk, to get into the pool area. The water was cold, and I was out in just a few minutes.

Pete is now putting a new screen on the bedroom window, or actually working on a frame fit. I have been opening the screenless window so as to let air in, and he has been telling me to shut it, that the mosquitoes are pouring in. The truth of the matter is that the mosquitoes lay low when it gets colder. A new screen, a good idea, I can live with it. Right now, it is warm, and a few mosquitoes have crossed my computer line of vision. They don’t have mosquitoes in cities. I wonder what the cockroaches do when they’re hot.

It is looking like a good hay year – in the next few days we’ll get hay and fill up the barn. As I’ve said before, many times in dispatches, our hay supply is our weak link. Looks like we’ll be okay for another year. Then, who knows?

Who knows what the world political situation will be like in a year. We are all sitting on pins and needles, wondering what’s going to happen next.

Speaking of which, today I went to the hotel – it’s the day when most of the volunteers show up. A lot of work got done, mainly because I worked over the weekend, putting the books in order so that they could be easily cleaned, stamped, and categorized. I must have done a good job, because the half-dozen volunteers got a lot done in a short amount of time. Sad to say, no one noticed what I’d done over the weekend.

I later discovered, at a meeting, that no one really has had a clue as to what I’ve been doing, so I have decided to take some time off from book shlepping so that they all will be more appreciative of my efforts.

There is no down side to this. The up side is that I’ll get to spend more time writing and more time with my horses. This is a very good thing.

Next: 173. 6/26/24: All Animals are now Situated on the Homefront