These days, one month just seems to meld into another. And they go by fast. There are brief moments of reality, but these are rare. Gosh, pretty soon it will be 2026. I am conflicted. I would like for time to slow down. But then I’m all for it speeding up so we can again be back in spring mode.

I didn’t sleep well last night. The wind was howling/roaring, take your pick. Ryder also needed to be let out three times. I think she thought that going out and peeing was a good idea until she was out on the porch. So rather than venture into the yard, she just went, with her full bladder, back inside.

Okay. So neither Pete nor I wanted to get up first. I thought that since we had a zoom call that he arranged, that he would leap out of bed. No, I was the one who crawled out of bed, and at that, very reluctantly.

There was, once I got outside, a bit of a lull, but nothing like yesterday. I skittered down the driveway, being blown about, and got to the enclosure where the wind was considerably less intense.

I finished the morning chores and then went back into the house. Pete was finishing up making breakfast. We started to eat, then at 4 minutes to ten he went to pull up the zoom link.

I went upstairs and discovered that there was no link waiting for me. We ended up sitting almost side by side, me just a small figure on the screen.

The meeting with the Alaska person for Saltchuk went okay. His image, on the screen kept freezing up. And because we were technically late, we deviated from our script, meaning that we did not go into as much detail as we expected about our various programs. The Saltchuk person did suggest we put in for another three years of funding – welcome news. And I did get an inroad as far as getting books to Tacoma. They will be backhauled. Now I must get them from Tacoma to Kenya, Africa.

We all finally hung up and got on with our day. I talked with Pete about our leaving enough time in order to be prepared for these important meetings, explaining that we are both pulling the cart and that he needs to keep this in mind when orchestrating such things.

I do have to say that, lately, I’ve been thinking about what an amazing partner he is, and how lucky I am most of the time to be with him. I can’t imagine anyone working harder in order to make a home a home.

The hardest part about the strong winds was the fact that it was so cold in here. The wind was swirling around my feet and my ankles became stiff.

But now it’s quiet outside and it’s warm inside. Still no major snowfalls, but there is still plenty of time for this. We could still even get snow for Christmas.

Next: 337. 12/16/25: Progress