As I write, rain dumps down on the homestead. The yards quickly became mires, the trails deep puddles and small creeks. Perhaps, then, it’s not unexpected that I’m thinking about water.
Water may be our homestead’s most precious resource. The collection, storage, and use of water occupies much of our thoughts and actions, as you can clearly see from the amount of time and space the topic occupies on this blog (see, for starters, Fresh Water: Collecting and Conserving a Precious Resource).
Despite my current preoccupation (see Benign Neglect) I’m giving some thought to the upcoming tourist season. My income depends heavily on sales to tourists who visit Haines in the summer. We see a trickle of orders for my two books, Sacred Coffee: A “Homesteader’s” Paradigm and Shy Ghosts Dancing: Dark Tales from Southeast Alaska, our handmade soaps, sifter plans, and T-shirts throughout the year, but the books, the audiobook CD and soaps sell pretty well at the Sheldon Museum gift shop, The Babbling Book bookstore, and especially Alaska Rod’s in downtown Haines.
As happens every summer, I’m trying to decide how much time to dedicate to book signing at Alaska Rod’s through the season. I enjoy visiting with visitors from all over the world, and hanging out with the store’s owners and staff. I even get to sign and sell a few books each time. Unfortunately, time spent meeting and greeting is time away from the firewood harvest, fishing, gardening, construction projects and all the rest in the middle of the peak season for all of these projects. As so often happens in my life, it represents a true “fish or cut bait” dilemma.
