To discipline is to punish. To be disciplined is to be focused. Interesting, how the letter “d,” on the end of a word can change its meaning in such a significant way. To discipline, harshly, is not admirable. To act in a disciplined fashion is very admirable.

Me, I don’t often discipline our animals. I instead reward alternate behaviors. Sometimes I do discipline, inadvertently, but then quickly seek a behavior that I can reward. It’s working as far as target training with the ponies is going. The supplement lids are attached to the fence. Each pony has their own reserved parking spot. I need to make note of this and write Reserved For: _____ on the individual lids. I also need to give Tinni his own space.

Lois and Nan clean children books

Winter, it being cold and windy, slows me down training wise. For instance, I seemed to have dropped the ball as far as Hrimmi’s painting lessons go. Come good weather, I’ll resume working with her.

Disciplined, weather not withstanding, I fit the bill. I focus on the tasks at hand and I get them done. The caveat is, I get them done in my own time. I have been told by my sister, and I would have to agree, that I would find working under another’s dictates to be extremely difficult. I probably would not have a problem if it was doing something fun, like driving a forklift truck. But even in this instance, this would soon get old. And as soon as it got old, I’d be out the door.

I would not be orchestrating the Bright Lights Book Project if I was attempting to hold down a full-time job and feeding a family. As I often think, my electing to refrain from bringing children into this world was a wise decision because this has always allowed me more leeway, work wise. Alaska has a boom and bust economy. And Alys has a boom and bust economy.

The Book Project is a lot of fun in part because I get to decide what directions to go with it. I also get to decide what my work hours might be. These two things are very important to me.

Mondays are phone call days. Tuesdays are town days. I then clean, categorize, and prepare books for distribution. I then go and check the distribution sites and see if more books are needed. Today was such a day. Wednesdays are follow-up days, ones in which I make additional phone calls. Thursday and Friday are freebee days. Saturdays, I sort at VCRS.

Today, I talked with Barb, who is in charge of what’s known as Palmer Buzz Feed, a social media site. I met her in front of the Vagabond Blues Bookcase. She seemed very interested in the ins and outs of the project. Tomorrow I am, as a matter of routine, going to call her back because I sense that keeping her in the loop is going to be important.

I also talked with Michele at United Way. Michele is going to be another ally.

All is proceeding according to plan. And it’s still snowing.

Next: 55. 2/24/21: Horses Being Horses