It’s a marker day – I think, May 13, the event to be celebrated, is Pete’s birthday. He is telling everyone that he can now get Medicare. I noticed that the youngers don’t get it and the elders smile.

I wanted for this to be a memorable birthday for him, but there really wasn’t anything memorable about it. It was pretty much the same old same old, except for the fact that the sun was shining and temperatures were in the low 50s.

He went to the dump (why call it a landfill?) and said that he had to wait in line for an hour. He would have talked to a friend directly behind him, but he said the line was inching forward slowly. I thought, what would I have done in his situation? Listen to music and/or read a book.

Instead, I was in the former banquet room of the historic Eagle Hotel doing who knows what? I don’t even remember. I started out this morning distributing, then got to the hotel, took the books out of the car, then left it for Dan who went and got books at Title Wave and Value Village.

I went to the Palmer Chamber of Commerce luncheon in the train depot. Sparsely attended – met two people who are heavily invested in the farm community – and the wheels then started turning -- the month of June, farm animals the theme for Summer in the Park(s).

And they have connections with 4-H and FFA and other ag type goings on. This was serendipitous.

I returned to the hotel and began unpacking umpteen boxes. I was doing this at 3:00 p.m. when Christine and Kora, who are assisting me in orchestrating the Summer in the Park(s) program, showed up. We had a good conversation about what we’ll be doing – for me, this was reassuring.

Pete materialized just in time to give them an assist with their time cards. Now I am getting paid to do this too – but it didn’t even occur to me to fill out a card. I guess my subconscious thinks ,“Once a volunteer, always a volunteer.”

I shared the curriculum; after they left, another piece of the curriculum puzzle fell into place. We have a blank week the last week of May – all the sudden it occurred to me that we should have a reptile unit. So it will be plants, insects, dinosaurs, reptiles, and amphibians. The following month we’ll do farm animals.

Pete worked until past dinner time on a tax form and then we went out to eat at Turkey Red Restaurant. Then after, I distributed books before coming home.

We’ll momentarily watch Grapes of Wrath, a book that Pete just read. I saw the movie when I lived in South Carolina. I wasn’t impressed, but I may be more impressed now.

A volunteer suggested that we see the movie Sheep Detective. I would like to see this, but given the high cost of going to movie theatres, I will have to wait until it is available at the Mat-Su College Library.

Next: 131. 5/14/26: Spring, Spring, Spring