I like getting to work before 8 AM. Not only do I get a primo parking spot, but I get a charge out of unlocking the building, and turning off the library alarm.

And then having the space to myself to get going on the day's activities.

First stop is a back room that used to be a walk-in refrigerator. That's where my "cart" is, with the current project on it. I make my way carefully to the door off to one side and grope around for the light switch. Then I wheel the cart out through an almost-hidden door and head for my work carrel.

If I happen to have computer work to do, this is when I do it. The library doesn't officially open till 9 AM, and that's an "ish" time. But usually I just get started on whatever I was doing the last day that I worked.

I'm pretty sure J. (the secretary) checks to see if my car is there and then puts away his building key. And I'm equally sure that that maintenance people know when the lobby has been opened up--the lobby being the location of the rest rooms.

The maintenance people aren't the only ones to make use of the facility. There's an NOPD meter maid who happily puts tickets on cars that have parked for more than two hours in the adjacent subdivision and then walks about a third of a block to get to our restroom.

I made substantial progress on the current collection, and I'm gradually seeing a sort of chronology of events. I have also discovered that this person had (I hope it's past tense) "attitudes" about people with darker skin tones. Her political choices also followed along those lines. One of her preferred gubernatorial candidates had the reputation for, one might say, white sheets in his closet.

Other than that, she seems to have had an interesting life that included a Mary Kay pink Cadillac. And, when she turned over her memorabilia collection she very nicely put little explanatory notes in key places.

Inbound traffic this morning was almost sparse. There was a slight slowdown becuse of an accident on the I-610 turnoff. Nothing like a big bunch of flashing lights to slow down traffic. That wasn't my route, however, and I strongly suspect that a large part of the sparse traffic was because public schools in Orleans Parish were probably not in session today because of cleanup.

My wild critters should be happy this evening--two apple cores are out there, as well as the usual dog biscuits and some reduced-price almonds.

Got to pay attention to time--when I'm working on the morrow I need to get to bed at a highly reasonable hour. Like 10 PM at the latest.

From my Wild Words from Wild Women calendar:

"As I grow older and older
And totter toward the tomb
I find that I care less and less
Who goes to bed with whom."

Thank you Dorothy Sayers (British mystery writer)