Independence Day

I’m vegging out here in the perfectly fine daylight at Meanook.  It is 7:30 ish and the sun won’t set for another three hours, and then not get dark for another 2…. gotta' love summer in Alberta.   A Phoebe has returned to the nest that was build several years ago.  It is just outside one of our outside doors under a porch roof, and this year they have adorned the nest with moss which is a new building material for them… it looks so appealingly comfy.  It is a beautiful thing with a base layer of muddy texture topped off with bright green soft moss and cottony white fluff which not only lines the nest, but also flies through the air like snow in the breeze.  Kitten – the 12-year-old resident tiger cat -- is just outside hunting squirrels is my guess;  they are making an angry ruckus while the feline stalks low.  Typically, it is either bunnies or moles/voles that get caught up in the jowls – though the occasional squirrel does bite the big one.  Kitten is quite the hunter.

We’ve been working a bit on the burned site – Utikuma  – we received NSF money to revamp it a bit….   In doing so, we have been setting up all new plots to look at N cycling (tied with a little C).  It has been a busy several days but it is nice to see some of the vascular plants making a come-back.  Amidst the sooty spots, there are happy cloud berries pushing their way through with vibrant greens to contrast the dominant drabs and blacks.  We’ve all returned to the field station covered with soot.  No one mentions the big dark splotchy smears all over my face (and entire body for that matter), and I don’t mention them on theirs in return.  I get into the shower and the water runs a dark sooty grey for several minutes.  Remember Bert from Mary Poppins?  Uh huh… that’s the image….  Soap is wayyy necessary.   It is quite the show, I’m sure, to see us all stumble out of the trucks covered in black while at the same time most assuredly smelling like the big mammals we are. 

Canada day has come and gone and now our Independence Day is fast on its heels.  I believe we will be spending a chunk of it here at the station working on getting more equipment ready and doing a bit more training.  This I am happy for.  I think the weariness is sinking in again.  I’ve barely had time to think - no less communicate with the outside world.  Hopefully with more and more crossed off the lists, things will get a smidgen less chaotic.  Fingers crossed!!  Perhaps with the new day a campfire and some festiveness will ensue… the fire ban has been lifted.   Our “American” group is the biggest one here at the moment which is nice… things are quiet here and I like that quite a bit.  There is enough going on with the research to make having a quiet stay much appreciated.

And so I will settle in with my cold Guinness and the sunshine and the happy birds and noisy squirrels and hope for the Aurora Borealis to show up one of these nights.   Enjoy your 4^th wherever you may be.