And indeed, my thoughts are scattered – like the leaves that are now turning yellow on the trees and will soon be taking leave of the very same.

Strong winds today, which hastened the process.

I think that I am a very tenacious person; although, I am beginning to see what my limits actually are. Today was a good example of this. I had to participate in a Zoom meeting, arranged by a member of the Center for the Books. I thought that we were going to talk about making a video, which will be put on You Tube, so I asked for a time in the morning, before I was to leave for the fairgrounds.

It turned out that the person in charge intended to make the video this morning. I realized this too late. I could not pull out. I was participating, doing just fine, when Melina, who is partnering with us and working for Kids Kupboard, called and said that she had to have an emergency meeting with an individual from the Mat-Su Health Foundation.

In the completed video, I am antsy and also on edge, not just because I had another obligation, but also because I felt like the other writers were not hearing what I was saying, which is that writers need to see the big picture, and to assist in dealing with the book overabundance problem.

I could tell which writers were working on books that were going to have a limited shelf life. These fiction writers were too insular in their thinking. I did not say this, but I instead encouraged them to get out into the world and do their part.

I talked about how my life had changed in taking on the BLB project – my words fell upon deaf ears.

I realized in this conversation that the audience for Shelf Life is not going to be other writers because most have embraced the belief that they as writers are just supposed to write.

It was interesting to hear how agents are shaping their editorial choices. I did not say I have no agent because this would have made me look like a writer wannabee.

After I had signed off and was heading in the direction of the ASF, I began thinking some of my quasi mentor Wendy Bishop. I envisioned her laughing and saying that I should have figured out that writers are not going to be the audience for Shelf Life. Oh well.

I got to the Fairgrounds, and I immediately realized that things there were in a state of disarray. For example, the wind had blown over the recycling barrels, so Pam, who runs the recycling center, was beside herself, as was her crew.

I got to the barn and saw that the goat people were wrestling with their shelter. Their goats were still in their pens, slowly chewing their cud.

The fair atmosphere was unsettling. A volunteer, Christine, and I were given respectively a sweater and a hat by a woman who liked what we were doing.

And when I went to distribute, I noticed that the Raven box in front of the garden topiary was gone.

We took down the story walk train signage because the wind was tearing it to shreds.

Tomorrow, high winds are forecasted – the day is going to be much the same as today.

Next: 233. 8/29/25: Home Late Again