I am back from Anchorage, after spending three days at the Science of Reading Symposium. I am upstairs and I can smell tonight’s dinner, potato leek soup. Pete is making additional soup so that we have it on hand after he has hand surgery on Tuesday. My previously saying that I could see the light at the end of the carpal tunnel was premature because he now needs to have his right hand operated on. His right hand is his dominant hand. I, who am left-handed am going to have to be his right hand for a while, perhaps up to six weeks.

And how do I feel about this? I have a lot to do, but of course I will do what needs to be done, the gardening included. Complaining takes up time that should be spent on being more productive.

It’s been said that there’s no money in free books – this sounds redundant. I am thinking that there is no money in nonprofit books. Maybe being in the book business is a losing proposition, when you are a for profit or non-profit entity.

I am getting discouraged, not because I’m not making a salary, but because the grant funds are not rolling in. Keeping volunteers motivated – this is hard work and does sometimes feel to me as if I am like Sisyphus, attempting to roll a large rock uphill with my nose and my hands tied behind my back.

I did work some over the weekend on Shelf Life. It does feel like it is coming together. Thank dog that I did do as much work as I did, when I did it because the specificity of detail is there.

Next: 123. 5/5/25: Robins: The Harbinger of Spring