I have been, every so often, looking at the smudge under my left thumbnail; it’s at the base. It was originally on the cuticle, and it is now growing upward. It doesn’t hurt.

It did hurt when Raudi bit me. This was entirely my fault. I was putting her bit in her mouth, and my thumb was in the wrong place. It hurt, I was mad, I chased her around the yard with my riding crop. Smart horse, she knew to stay out of my way. I calmed down pretty fast. And when I calmed down, she came to me. I went to put the bit back in and I could tell she was worried that something unforeseen might happen again.

Animals bear the brunt of our angr, whether or not it’s our fault. This is one of life’s greatest unfairness’s. And it’s all because we have thumbs.

Raudi will always have a willful streak. But she’s a great horse. The other night I rode her, and coming back down Oceanview we did serpentines and circles. Not once did she so much as think about bolting in the direction of home.

My one current regret (if there is such a thing) is that I am not now riding or interacting with her or the others as much as I’d like. The project is still taking up much of my time. It’s a good project, and therein lies the problem. It’s so good that I am loathe to give it up. And when I talk seriously about this with Pete, he becomes dismissive.

I guess what I have to envision is an organization with individuals running it who are as invested in it as I am, and knowledgeable about books. A lot of people come and go who are not as invested or knowledgeable. These individuals frustrate me no end. I think, why can’t they be as invested and as I am?

I pause. What just came to mind is tomorrow and what I need to get done. It’s going to be yet another full day. There is Summer in the Park(s), and books will be coming in from Title Wave. I’ll have enough volunteers on hand, perhaps too many.

I’ll keep putting books in the literacy annex boxes. And I can always expect the unexpected.

Today it was cold and overcast. One little girl and her family showed up for Story Time. But oh, I forgot to mention, I came in the house this morning after tending to all the animals, and after a brief discussion about this and that, Pete told me that the BLBP had been featured on Alaska Public Media’s Morning Edition. They’d taken the story that had been posted on the Mat-Su Sentinel website and summarized it on the air.

This evening, I needed a break, which was why I suggested to Pete that we go see the movie, Sheep Detectives. For me, anthropomorphizing animals in videos and movies is a stretch. However, I was able to suspend disbelief. This is a movie that I’d see again because I did miss a lot.

Next: 178. 7/1/26: A Conversation with Hrimfara