Books. Never thought I’d see the day when I’d have so much reading material at my fingertips. I often bring home books that I would ordinarily read and then find something better. Can’t read them all, and it’s a pity. I think that people are reading less because reading takes time. And few seem to have any time to read, even with a plethora of time-saving devices.

Some might be working more and harder, like me. I am as a friend would say, book rich. But I am paying a price, which is no free time. I worked hard all day today, dawn until dusk. The former banquet room of the historic Eagle Hotel is a warehouse space. It’s not like a bookstore in which books are put in one place until someone purchases them, then they go elsewhere.

Alys pulling books out of Gaylord

I am constantly moving books around in order to economize on space. And I do very well at this. I showed that I had a proclivity for this when I started this project at the recycling center. I could have made the space issue work, but there were far too many books on hand, and far too little staff interest.

I was asked to leave, and I left. I started a bookstore there, which is still in existence today. I suspect that they have far more good books than they know what to do with, so they shred what they see as the excess. We find appreciative readers for the excess.

What would it be like if they’d kept me on? For sure, my doing there what I’m now doing independently of them would have culminated in a lot of positive energy and publicity for the recycling center. They just had no vision.

This is my take on vision. There are those, when they hear of an imaginative idea, go with it, and encourage it. And there are those who, when they hear of an imaginative idea, refuse to go with it and discourage it. And there are those who, when they hear of an imaginative idea, wait to hear more before taking an aye or a nay stance. The recycling staff and board could not see how this project would benefit them. So they had no vision.

I have days when my vision becomes limited. This most often occurs when others remain non-committal. But then something good happens, and my vision expands.

I am going to fundraise. I feel like the BLBP has all the puzzle pieces. Once I get going and make contact with corporate funders, I suspect that I’ll end up with enough money to purchase the historic Eagle Hotel. The trick is going to be to see it not as a hotel, with the accompanying headaches, but rather as an intellectual and literary hub, with the building allowing for expansion of the program. I envision a conference center, a small press publication unit, and an online bookstore. We’ll have a strong employee base, and there will be no holds barred. This is my vision.

Next: 40. 2/9/25: Giddy Up