This day began with an online meeting, and it ended with one. This is an indication of how much my life has changed. How, I am not sure. Well, I have a few ideas. I used to come in after cleaning the horse enclosure and eat and then write. Now I converse with others about book-related matters.

The first meeting, with my Foraker Group cohorts; this is what they’re called, cohorts; cohorts, like cohos but less apt to travel far, went okay. We listened to one of our cohort leaders talk for an hour and a half about budget specifics.

This meeting began with us looking at a cartoon; it was an illustration of a tree, in black and white – it had cartoon characters on this tree they reminded me of Al Cap’s smoos – they were blobs. We were supposed to identify which of the blobs, all of which were in differing positions, we identified with. There seemed to be a hierarchy here – the upmost branches had the most secure blobs. Me, I chose a blob that was swinging from a rope, on a low branch. I said this was me, back and forth. I didn’t get much of response to this.

Interesting, I could readily identify with the cartoon images, and coming up with an analogy was ridiculously easy for me. But the meeting, for me, after was all downhill. It was like I had been dropped off at the top of a mountain and had to ski to the bottom. My goodness, I went down fast. I tried hard to understand the ins and outs of budgets, and did just fine for five minutes. Then I started to zone in and out. Now if cartoons had been incorporated into the mix, the cohort leader would have had my undivided attention.

I learned that I don’t know much of anything about budgets or financial planning. I am in this respect, illiterate.

I spent the middle portion of my day at the Palmer pool and in the former banquet room of the historic Eagle Hotel. Books came in at 3:00 p.m. in bags, boxes, and in nothing at all.

Pete arrived. We went home together because he dropped off the truck. Truck needs work. I understand as much about truck mechanics as I do about budgets. I am mechanically illiterate.

I got home just in time for the second meeting, four of the BLBP board members and Mike Walsh of the Foraker Group and I revised our strategic plan. I was going to bypass this meeting but decided that since it’s about the future of the BLBP, I ought to attend.

The meeting began at 5:30 p.m. I ran out of steam at 7 p.m. Now I am a good editor and could have done the editing myself, but of course because this is a group project, I had to work with others. The conversation was spirited and everyone was animated. The question that I asked myself as this was going on, was, who’s project is this anyways? I am struggling with this. Best, I guess, to just let it go and let people do as they wish, even if they don’t at times have a clue as to what they’re doing.

Next: 64. 3/5/25: Going, going, gone