February 24, 2021 The Day of New Activity

I alway support public radio. I listened to KSKO, the station here in McGrath, when I lived in Graying AK twenty years ago. Then I realized how important public radio was when you’re cut off from the wider world. So I called KSKO and became a supporter. Paul asked me if I could come right in and get my thank you gifts. Usually I forgo the gifts, but I didn’t have any tote bags here, and warm hoodies for both Terry and me were needed. It was 9:00 am, about four hours earlier than I usually leave the house. The reason for that is -9 degrees VS -29 degrees. I threw my outer clothes on cutting my dressing time from 25 minutes to 20 minutes. This was an epic outing to this real, live two-person radio station consisting of Paul the program/general manager, and Ralph the volunteer and mayor.

I also got my first two pieces of mail in my new PO Box 23. In case you want to add to that box at 99627.

One of a number of reasons I wanted to come here and isolate was to see what I could learn from it. #1 I gripe a lot. But having no one to gripe to, helps me let things go, or not even get things started.

I listened to an audiobook as I ran this afternoon. This is something I mostly do when I run by myself. As I went out the road, it felt colder than -9 had been feeling. It was cloudy and spitting snow. It looked cold. I met no cars or snow machines. I’ve etched this 6 mile route into my mind and body. I see, in my mind’s eye, all the curves in this white road-to -nowhere. Not my term but their’s. Because my goggles iced over, I ran with the goggles pushed up above my eyes. They iced over too. I closed my eyes and ran blind. When I heard my foot falls, I stopped and the world was quiet, so I quietly listened to Robin Wall Kemmerer read from her book Braiding Sweetgrass. It’s contemplative and beautifully read. Everything was peaceful.

Back into town, a new dog welcomed me.