I thought that spring would come to an end on June 21st. Pete is calling it summer, but it seems anything but. The past few days have been cold and overcast. Tonight we have a fire going. What gives?

He-e-e-y Friday Fling was cancelled because the person setting up thought that it might rain. It didn’t rain, but it was cold. I was relieved because it would have been difficult, both going to Friday Fling and attending the Foraker Group Executive Director training session. I would have done it, but most likely I would have cut the latter short.

Elaina and Pam at the new Lekker Bakery

I was able to take my time getting to the hotel and also got to finish the class.

The class – there were lengthy gaps between the online sessions, which did have an adverse effect on my continuity.

Yesterday, while attending the BLBP Foraker Group training, I had an ideas day. I grabbed my word/image journal and did some writing while others talked. Some people knit, I doodle. I did the same thing today. And as I worked, I had a revelation, which was that combining words and images is, for me a good note taking strategy. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.

For me, combining words and images is also a form of problem solving. I further thought, on this another ideas day, that I’d like to teach a class called “Writing to Problem Solve.” Memoir, Memory, and Memorabilia could follow.

At the near conclusion of the 3.5 hour meeting, there was an awards ceremony. I got the All In One Award, for involving others. I was, throughout the training session, very positive and upbeat. And I shared poetry.

After all this, I went to the hotel and enlisted the services of Pam Meekin and Elena Martorelli, who went with me over to what we’re calling Alex’s bakery.

Alex was there – she stopped working for a bit and came over and talked with me while Pam and Elaina filled the brand new shelving with books. She said something that resonated with me, which was that she was getting the bakery going so that she’d use the space in her Restaurant, called Turkey Red, more efficiently.

I made a comparison to the BLBP saying that because our space is small, that I am not using the space efficiently. This got me to thinking further about our situation – I could teach literacy classes in another space, just like Alex is doing.

I’d rather teach the above-mentioned course.

Alex did not elaborate on the fact that she’s now working twice as hard as before. I guess this goes with the territory.

There was a lull after Pam and Elena left the literacy center. So I was able to gather my thoughts and some books and come up with the ideas for this dispatch.

Next: 149. 5/31/25: Unreal