Not so many dispatch titles went through my head today. I finally went with that which was most obvious.

I sometimes feel like a North Slope worker, specifically those who work for two weeks then come home for two weeks then go back to the slope for two weeks. Meaning, being at home now, even for a day, seems like a novelty.

I didn’t go anywhere today. I just stayed home and enjoyed the quietude and the prelude to winter. The leaves are now off the trees, and we again have a view of the distant Knik River fog.

I spent the morning taking care of administrative BLBP stuff; sent out a lot of emails and took care of correspondences. Oddly enough, yesterday, when I left the former banquet room of the historic Eagle Hotel, I thought that I would not have anything to do.

I did what I always do after an event, which is, I thanked a lot of people. I also provided Pete with a list for Lawrence, our new volunteer coordinator. These headers are going to be on computer and provide the data for our volunteers and programs. Tomorrow, I am going to show him around and talk about how I’ve been doing things. Then Pete and I will get down to the nitty gritty of data design.

The less I have to do on the computer, the happier I am going to be. I will have to do some, but I definitely am not going to be running the show.

After lunch, we got the horses out. I rode Hrimmi and Pete rode Tyra. Both horses are out of shape and were moving slow. I do think that they enjoyed being out on our trails.

I next got Raudi out – she had small bursts of enthusiasm, but like the other two, she is also out of shape.

Tyra does seem a little cranky these days. I don’t think she’s at all happy about being in the small enclosure (Tinni’s former stall) where she’s fed alone. How to explain to a horse that this is what we must do, otherwise she eats the others’ hay and gets the splats. I must spend more time with her because I think that this is what she’s most put out about.

I’m not going to have the time to ride this week, and the darkness is now closing in in the evenings. So I will at least walk the horses in the mornings and maybe in the afternoons.

I cleaned the goat pen today. And I let all three chickens out of their enclosure. They must like their coop because they went out for a bit and then returned to it.

No, I have not yet found a balance between my two separate lives – it’s going to be either one or the other. Writing this sentence filled me with angst.

However, it is going to be an easy week at the hotel. I have a lot to do, and the trick or street event at the end of the week. No problem with numbers – the children know where we are and will come and get books.

Next: 283. 10/20/25: Keep Going, Keep Going