The weather here remains really crappy. Temperatures are now in the high 30’s, and it’s intermittently rainy. The driveway is very slippery – I have to walk on the side of the pathway.

Pete put on his grippers, and I am going to put mine on too. We are also going to put sand on the pathway. Notice that I said we. Most likely Pete will do this. My back is getting better, but it is not yet that good.

Despite the weather, it actually was a good day. I went to town midday and I met my friend Becky there. She took two bins of books, so I didn’t have to put in the extra driving to Sutton. This made me feel euphoric.

Winter hitching post

I put the books and boxes of books to be shredded in the back room, and labeled the Christmas books, which now are spoken for. We didn’t go to Anchorage on Wednesday because I got the date that we were to be at the Nutcracker wrong. This was a good thing because the weather was then crappy here. Now, if we’d gone to town today, the day that I thought we were supposed to go to Anchorage, the weather would have been equally crappy.

So Pete had time to dither around here. And I had time to finish up at the hotel. I got books ready for distributing at the Senior Center on Tuesday and got books ready for the DMV and Borough Building. I will distribute them on Tuesday. After I was done, I distributed books at Vagabond Blues, the Valley Hotel, and Turkey Red. At Vagabond Blues I set the bin of holiday books on the floor and those at the bookcase immediately began taking them.

One of these individuals was Jean Roberts, who is a member of the Palmer Lions Club. I told her that I’m going to become a Palmer Lion and she said she’d sponsor me. This seems like the right thing to do – our partnering with the Palmer Lions will be very good for both organizations.

I got home before dark, and Pete and I then went for a ride, me riding Raudi and Pete riding Tyra. I didn’t get Hrimmi out; rather, I gave her what I think was a much needed day of rest. We rode Tin Can and opened the trail up some.

Raudi and Tyra are so amazing – they waited while Pete moved a downed tree limb, went around another downed tree, and stepped over a third. I think that even though the trail was a slog, they enjoyed themselves. I think they also enjoy behaving themselves and being praised for behaving.

We humans think we are making things clear to animals when often we are not. This was the way it was early on, with Raudi and me. I was the cause for considerable disconnect.

Maybe in my next life, I will have to carry a horse on a winter trail, and slog along. I definitely have this coming to me.

Next: 324. 11/25/23: Sick as a Dog