Here I am, sitting by the woodstove, which I stoked about 15 minutes ago. I am now reminded by the fact that it is giving off heat – that it’s really winter. It’s cold, in the mid-teens. The ground –there is a light coating of snow.

Winter really did creep up on me. It may have come slowly before it hit me over the head, but I wasn’t looking.

Here’s what really brought it all home. Tonight we went to an Alaska Literacy Project fundraiser. It was held at the Aviation Museum in Anchorage. This most likely is true of all museums, but we had to park a ways from the place where the event was being held, in an airport hanger. I suspect it was designed so that the front area is such that planes, big planes, are moved around.

From the Fairbanks Ice Sculpture Festival

We also got there after all the other parking spots were filled. Well, I was wearing a down vest, didn’t think to bring a heavy winter coat. So going into and coming out of the hanger, I was cold. Now if I’d dressed for this I would not have noticed. I was wearing my crocheted hat, given to me by a Palmer Senior Center member, and I was wearing my new handmade mittens, given to me by a good friend who lives in Fairbanks.

If I had not been wearing these things, I would have been even colder.

So yeah, it’s winter damn it, and the year is slowly drawing to a close.

In a month and six days it will be solstice.

I must take the time to catch up with myself and get my winter act together. I don’t recall having a heavy winter coat, but when I see it, I will go ahh ha.

The high schoolers, Melissa and Lexi; they don’t wear coats or hats. Maybe they just go from car to parking lot to building. Maybe.

I am very tired. The day began at 8:00 a.m. talking with them, and as well, Martha in Kenya and two BLBP board members about sending books and medical supplies to Kenya.

We were joined by Martha (teacher) and Rachel (daughter) who live in Kenya and expressed a desire to acquire books. I thought, what a great day to start the day.

And this zoom conference was followed by a meeting at the hotel, at 11:00 a.m. As usual, a lot of ideas were flung around – and once again I got this sense that I am to do the work. I fear that if I don’t, the project will implode. But I suspect that just continuing to do what needs to be done will work until others step in.

I bypassed the second meeting and took care of organizing books, to be cleaned by volunteers.

I made a new friend in the afternoon, nine year old Eva, who spent her time with us doing a few odd jobs and reading books. Way fun.

And this evening, there was the long trek across the aviation museum parking lot and back, and in between, the fundraiser – too many people there for me to feel really at ease – but this is a part of what it is that we do.

Next: 308. 11/16/25: Numerators and Denominators