(I already had This and That for a title this month.)

Had an uneventful drive in, got my "usual" parking spot, and managed to get across the street before any cars challenged me. I opened up the building, then headed for my carrel.

I'm still sorting through the gazillion letters written during the year A. was in Bolivia. I opened the other storage box and there were a bunch more. When I've found all the letters and sorted them by year I'll try to combine the multiple batches into one chronologically correct collection.

Because I ran out of the special paperclips last week I've been using regular ones. I know I'll be going through these letters again and I can change to the plasticlips then. And I also ran out of a particular size of protective pages for photos. I informed James, the current secretary, and he brought me the plasticlips this afternoon!

James is nearing graduation and I think he said he was thinking about law school. He's an asset to the department and handles being the only male quite well.

They are repainting the interior walls of the lobby. This involves preliminary scraping and patching. The cushioned seats where I've been eating lunch have been moved, as has other furniture.

And then this afternoon another Facilities Maintenance guy started playing with the door locks. He was re-keying them. The only problem was that only five keys had been ordered. The Center people gathered around agreed that I definitely needed one of them, since I open up the building on the mornings I work. And, if I had to wait till 9 AM, when most of the others arrive, I wouldn't be able to find a parking place within my walking distanace.

More keys have been ordered, but I've already got one on my key ring. (And I'm just a volunteer.) Once the building has been unlocked, there's not that much need for that particular key.

Last night there was a REALLY large raccoon who came to dine. We stared at each other for a while--I was at the door window, and she(?) was next to the ice chest. I'm hoping that this feeding station gets the mamas to bring babies there this spring. There's also a possum that comes by later, but overgrown rats aren't particularly cute when they are adults.

We are having few days of winter. Only problem is that when it gets cold enough to snow there's very little moisture in the air. I grew up with snow. It was sort of fun as a kid. What snow we do get is usually so little you can barely make a snowman. And if you are able to do that, it looks like he has brown fur from all the pine straw on the ground.

I gave up on the Patricia Cornwell book last night. I haven't settled on another book yet.

And tomorrow I'll be working--and opening the building as usual.