This might mean sideways. Nope. I am either horizontal and facing up and looking at the clouds or horizontal and facing down and looking at the dirt. I seldom go around and around because this would be more of a rotisserie lifestyle.

Actually, I would like for there to be no upsides downs or downsides up, but at least for a while to be just upright. I’m tired of this tilt a whirl lifestyle.

I do know that my attitude and how I perceive things has everything to do with it. Yes, I do know this. I may be dumb, but I am not stupid.

Okay. So I go to Rotary. As I figured out some time ago, social organizations are a reflection of the community you live in. The Lions, they are old Palmer – the members have either been here since the beginning of time, or they are daughters and granddaughters of those who’ve been here since the beginning of time. The original forebears (or is it furbearers) were walking around in caveperson clothing and gnawing on mammoth bones. The DNA is still in the air.

Old Palmer people are into throwing gun shows and doing volunteer work at sports events. The women cook.

And there is inner circle Palmer. They are first generation, near exclusively. These are the town movers and shakers. They wear fleece and the men wear ballcaps. They hobnob with one another near shamelessly.

They are not into gun shows and the like. They are into real estate and want to assist in having Palmer keep its small town status quo.

So I have attended meetings of both social organizations. I have not fit into either. Makes me wonder if I should start my own organization. I did get a small grant from the Lions, for the Legos and the chairs. I don’t see anyone in Rotary offering grant funding to its members or to the communities.

Okay. So today a Rotarian came and talked about the Rotary Foundation. My ears perk up when I hear the word foundation because I now know that this means money. He looked like Jean Picard on Star Trek; tall, bald, dark star trek shirt. He talked about global grants and how there is money out there for big projects; then he made a pitch for local rotary members giving their share.

I was the first one out the gate with The Question, and after, I realized that I should have listened to my inner voice and kept my mouth shut. Oh oh. I told him about the Bright Lights Book Project and the Kenya project. He remained impassive and said little. Then the Rotary members continued talking and asking questions like I wasn’t even there. They talked about funding for local parks and a few speculated about projects at the distance.

And the two women who sit on either side of me talked above my head.

So I am going to do as Picard suggested, and I am going to, ahem, see if Martha in Kenya can talk with the Rotary members in Kenya and see if they can get the request in for funding here. This, I think is the only way this is going to work.

This was half my day. I will write about the other half tomorrow.

Next: 313. 11/21/25: Guardedly Optimistic