A former teacher of mine, Donald Murray, gave me this laminated quote, it means never a day without a line. I suppose that cocaine addicts would agree. Murray meant that it applied to writers.

So strange, this business of getting older. All my former mentors are decomposing. I liked it better when they were composing. In this respect, life seems to me to be unfair, and death even less fair.

I am now getting the bare minimum of writing done – just dispatches. There isn’t time to finish the book or to even work on an essay about the book project. I get home and like tonight, I am uncharacteristically tired.

I have two back-to-back medical appointments next week. One for my acid reflux issue and one for my dental issue, which I am going to disguise as an ear, nose, and throat issue in hopes that I can get antibiotics for my implant infection.

Donald Murry

I try not to talk about health issues with other people. A good number of people are now telling me that I need to take time off. But they are not saying that they will step in for any length of time and do my job.

Volunteers are scarce. But there is a tunnel and a light at the end of that tunnel. Today was not an ideas day, but I did have a revelation, and this was related to the fact that we are hiring two people to assist with Summer in the Park(s). My revelation was that I will have the literacy annex in working order – and I will let them do the curriculum planning and give them an assist when need be. In part this is because I have hit a stuck point, and am not sure what the particulars of the curriculum might be. And it’s because I know I can’t do this and all else that I have to do. So handing over the reins and sitting in the seat next to the two drivers feels good to me.

I did move literacy to the forefront of everyone’s thinking today, by moving a bookcase and then books to the former banquet room of the historic Eagle Hotel. This was our volunteer coordinator’s idea, and it was a good one.

I did not go for a ride today. The weather was uninviting. This is a good way of describing it. It was windy, overcast, and cold in town. I got the distributing done just before the wind picked up. I got home, ate dinner, and took the dogs for a walk. It was spitting when I set out. And by the time I was done walking the dogs, it was raining.

Spring isn’t exactly in the air. I looked at the weather map and noticed that the weather is going to continue like this for the next ten days. I can deal. Pete says the trails will be rideable in the next few days. This is giving me something to look forward to and write about.

Next: 120. 5/2/26: Community Input