So this morning, before the sun was up, I got an email from Angela at the Mat-Su School District Warehouse saying that she had a pallet of books for us that she forgot to pass on to us last Tuesday, plus some boxes of books.

I announced this to Pete during breakfast. The sun still wasn’t up. He immediately looked weary, and it was as if this was the last thing he wanted to hear. Well, this was the last thing that I wanted to tell him.

U-Haul 1-2-25

It went without saying – we could not pass on taking these books because otherwise, they would be sent to VCRS, the local recycling center, and shredded. This is a given. The recycling center does not have the space for all the books that come their way. We, thus far, have had space for all the books that have come our way. Our placement rate is high.

So after breakfast, I first did distributing, then stopped at the Palmer Senior Center and passed books on to the volunteers who set them out on a table so the seniors could come and pick them out.

Then at 11:30 a.m., I arrived at the Mat-Su School District Warehouse, went inside, and talked for a bit with Angela about of all things, horses. She’s a horse lover who has never had the opportunity to ride, so I suggested that we get together in the spring and she can then spend time with my horses.

Then it was business as usual. Pete arrived and we examined the pallet full of books that was in the middle of the Mat-Su School District Warehouse floor. I said to Angela that she’d done an amazing job, moving out and moving up boxes that previously were on the floor. In speaking about the latter, I pointed to the upmost cross piece on the three-story high orange scaffolding. There was a single pallet of Saxon Math books on this, the topmost scaffold. Pete asked, and was told by Angela, that she’d gotten it up there, with the forklift, by herself, that morning.

We glanced around and Angela explained that the curriculum books, that is the books that had been returned by various schools, were in a manner of speaking, in storage. I noticed that each pallet of books had been neatly labeled, i.e., math, history, science, etc. She pointed out that right now the social studies curriculum was being revamped, so these books were also on hold.

Pete wheeled out the pallet jack (complete with books) over to the truck. We decided that I’d take the boxes that didn’t fit in the truck in my car. I ended up taking ten boxes of books over to the hotel. It was a quick trip because the warehouse is located close to the hotel.

Pete unloaded and I quickly unpacked the books. That I work fast is an understatement.

Next: 3. 1/3/25: No Mo Ho Ho