I don’t know why it is, but the ups and downs on the book project are, well, way up and way down. Maybe this is because none of us around here have any models for what we are doing. Someone somewhere must have a similar project. And maybe someday we’ll meet them and compare notes.

The downs, first. Last night I got a message from Sue, the bookcase guardian at the Palmer Senior Center. She said that the library cart and books, which had been upstairs, had been moved downstairs.

I called her this morning, and she repeated the above, adding that there was an inspection the previous day, and that it was thought that because the books were so close to the food, that there might be contamination issues. Hearing this made me smile – I wondered if perhaps when I go to put out books, if I ought not wear a Hazmat suit.

Library cart at the Palmer Senior Center

Best, I told Sue, to avoid contributing to any drama. So in the next few days I will go and get the cart, leaving the Palmer Senior Center staff some really nice books.

I have no regrets. I played by the rules. I made sure the books were in the dining hall area storage area over the weekends. I also know that I did a wonderful thing, getting books into the hands of appreciative readers.

I guess we’ll bring the cart home and put it my cabin. I’ll put the books on it that have been in boxes. Maybe, in the spring there will be a new administration there that is receptive to having books on hand for the elderly.

The ups, second. I had been told that the bookcase in the Mat-Su Borough Building polling area would need to be moved after the election. Well, I went to the borough and I talked on the phone with the clerk and she said that we could keep the bookcase there. This is huge because the borough officials are pretty particular about their spaces.

I next went to the DMV and dropped off books. Then I went to Car Quest, the automotive parts shop. The staff there was glad to see me. We also spent considerable time looking at a book entitled (no kidding) Manifold Destiny, which is about cooking food (of course wrapped in foil) on your car engine, particularly on the exhaust manifold.

I got to talking with an employee, Rachel, who said that she could use some anatomy books. And so I passed on some young adult graphic you and your body books and some anatomy textbooks. The anatomy textbooks had been on the shelves at the Meeting House for some time – this is just another instance in which hanging on to books for an extended length of time paid off.

Another up – I did a lot more distributing and so today parted out about seven boxes of books. So the number of boxes of books there for the Friday afternoon giveaway is far less than it was two days ago.

Giddy up, we continue to be on the move.

Next: 309. 11/10/22: The Harder they Fall