Woke up to find out that a light, near rain-like snow was falling. Went to town, Rebekah had gotten there before me. She observed that it was snowing; however, the snow on the ground was melting. Now this seemed to be a very astute and accurate observation. This sort of weather behavior signals the onset of spring.

Pretty soon, it will be breakup – not yet. The snow will melt, and then we’ll no longer be complaining about icy conditions. Instead, we’ll be complaining about muddy conditions. I can hardly wait.

I met Pete at U-Haul – he assisted me in putting three large boxes of books and two small boxes of books in the back of my car. I later took the three large boxes of books and put them in six smaller boxes, so that Milena and I might better be able to move them when we later got to Anchorage.

Pete stacking boxes at NAC terminal

Rebekah gave me an assist boxing up 14 boxes of books that are going to Eek. These were the 14 boxes of books that we got yesterday from Title Wave and had out on the long table in the church service room. It is far easier to box up books at the Meeting House than it is at U-Haul.

Rebekah left and Milena appeared. She, I, and her two children first went to Dairy Queen and then headed in the direction of Anchorage. It took a long, long time to get a parking space. We ended up parking her car by the entrance and going in and putting the books that were under the table on top of the table. She left me with the books and went to repark the car.

Lots of people took books. I told those who I talked to about the Bright Lights Book Project. Most were surprised that the books were free and glad to get them. These books, they seemed to me to be ordinary books. There was no Huck Fin or To Kill a Mockingbird or The Old Man and the Sea – just books that now I can’t even remember the name of.

Like yesterday, young and old took books. The readers came in waves; there were times when nothing was going on, then there would be a lot going on. Some of the kids took considerable time in picking out their books and then wandered off slowly, and others chose quickly, and ran off fast.

I handed out the packets that I’d made up to those who live in Palmer and Wasilla. It took a long time to gather together all the brochures – and hardly any time at all to pass them out. Now I have to make up more.

On the ride from Anchorage to Palmer I kept my eye on the darkening sky because I do not like to drive in the dark. Fortunately, the squall had passed so the roads were clear. The hardest thing for me to deal with is when the windshield gets water/mud spattered at night.

Not tonight. It was a fast and fearless trip home.

Next: 82. 3/24/23: Seven days left of March