Bright future
I think this balsam tree has a bright future. It's a very pretty little tree and has all the room in the world to grow big and fat. It's too close to the road, that's its only problem. Someone will probably run over it (there goes my glass, quickly emptying). Anyway, it's just about perfectly shaped and sitting there, begging to be remembered and noticed. The thing that's remarkable about it is that it's so wide, balsams never get to be that wide. Good luck, little tree.

I'm feeling better today. I had a lot of trouble getting home last night, felt very sleepy on the road. It was a bad trip and I should have pulled over to nap. I slept in my driveway, which I sometimes do if I want peace before facing the dogs. I know this is queer, but it's so nice to sit in my car and look around, then close my eyes for a few minutes. I love the dreams you have when you sleep in your car like that, it's as if your brain knows it only has a few minutes and has to put something complicated in there as fast as it can. They're usually dreams that are conflict-free, almost purely for entertainment's sake and don't usually make any sense, so you wake up saying, "What?"

It's rainy today but is not cold. Yesterday I had chills, then would be very hot. I thought I might have a fever. I had a flu shot in the fall, as I always do because I'm asthmatic. I know several people who've just had the flu and none of them had their flu shots. I fell very relieved. Last night I spent the entire evening on the couch lying down, after building a fire and eating some brown rice with olive oil, salt & pepper. The dogs were wonderful and lay there with me, not demanding anything other than an occasional pat and word of affection. The argued over who would get to lie in the primo spot at my feet. I slept off & on, which made for very amusing television viewing. One minute we were crabbing in the Bering Sea, the next we're trying to catch a rapist in NYC. Then it's on to Jon Stewart with Madeleine Albright, then suddenly it's David Letterman kissing up to Tom Cruise (man has Tom Cruise become a total ass). But I felt much better, though my brain was scrambled, and I slept very well.

Today I am ready to face The Journal of Northern New York and Canadian Genealogical Society. I will also read book reviews and put together a book order. This is the part of my job that my director most wants to do. She keeps giving me printouts from Amazon, mostly of things I've already ordered or that we already own, suggesting we buy them "although of course the final decision is up to you." It dawned on me this morning that I've been doing collection development longer than she has, since she didn't do it when she worked at NY Public Library, only for that 6 years she was director in Alaska. But I'll put that aside and remember who's the director and who's not. And spend $40 on a dictionary of psychology that no one on the bookmobile will even pick up, let alone check out. With a smile on my face.