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Sep. 14th, 2005 08:28 pmWorking with doggies is exhausting. I had a long day today. After walking lots and lots of doggies, we went down to the Lower 48. Now, while anywhere else that would refer to the contiguous USA, there are 48 acres of property that belong to my cousins that are down past the kennel.
After Hurricane Isabel a few years ago, this land was so completely flooded that it has been swampland ever since. But for some reason, this summer, the water has slowly dried up, and now it's like a wasteland. The beavers killed all the trees in the wetlands except for the pine trees, and the water killed those, so there are tons of dead trees, standing like white skeletons, with egrets and herons nesting in them, and the ground is covered with cattails and dead lily pads. There are tons of deer and beaver tracks, and we found four beaver lodges today, but they looked as if they've been abandoned for wetter territories.
The earth is acres and acres of dried peat, and you can tell that if it stays dry, it's going to burst into life, just by its nature. The parts that have been dry the longest are covered thickly with this leafy groundcover, and there are little teeny magnolias spurting up here and there.
My job was to check the trees to see what was alive, to check for beavers (which we didn't see), and to find the main waterway so we can clear it to put in a bath before the undergrowth gets too thick to keep the land navigable. Unfortunately, it looks like part of the main waterway was already taken over, so we're going to have to pull stuff up with the tractor. It was really pretty cool because you could see a part of the natural life cycle of a piece of land.
The weather was hot and insanely muggy, and we have to wear thick protective layers and disgustingly DEET-y insect repellent, so I felt like I was melting the whole time. On the other hand, I actually have color for once n my life; I have loads of freckles from being outside most days.
Then we went to the commissary at Fort Lee to buy groceries. My cousin, Vickey, is one of those people who buys like a million of everything and doesn't check what she needs before she leaves the house. Buying groceries took three and a half hours; it was kind of insane. Once we got back, the entire fridge had to be cleaned out because there was no room for the food and there was stuff that, uh, expired in January.
Anyway, the lower 48 was really neat. I want to post about my cousins and their puppies but I think that needs to wait; this is getting long already.
After Hurricane Isabel a few years ago, this land was so completely flooded that it has been swampland ever since. But for some reason, this summer, the water has slowly dried up, and now it's like a wasteland. The beavers killed all the trees in the wetlands except for the pine trees, and the water killed those, so there are tons of dead trees, standing like white skeletons, with egrets and herons nesting in them, and the ground is covered with cattails and dead lily pads. There are tons of deer and beaver tracks, and we found four beaver lodges today, but they looked as if they've been abandoned for wetter territories.
The earth is acres and acres of dried peat, and you can tell that if it stays dry, it's going to burst into life, just by its nature. The parts that have been dry the longest are covered thickly with this leafy groundcover, and there are little teeny magnolias spurting up here and there.
My job was to check the trees to see what was alive, to check for beavers (which we didn't see), and to find the main waterway so we can clear it to put in a bath before the undergrowth gets too thick to keep the land navigable. Unfortunately, it looks like part of the main waterway was already taken over, so we're going to have to pull stuff up with the tractor. It was really pretty cool because you could see a part of the natural life cycle of a piece of land.
The weather was hot and insanely muggy, and we have to wear thick protective layers and disgustingly DEET-y insect repellent, so I felt like I was melting the whole time. On the other hand, I actually have color for once n my life; I have loads of freckles from being outside most days.
Then we went to the commissary at Fort Lee to buy groceries. My cousin, Vickey, is one of those people who buys like a million of everything and doesn't check what she needs before she leaves the house. Buying groceries took three and a half hours; it was kind of insane. Once we got back, the entire fridge had to be cleaned out because there was no room for the food and there was stuff that, uh, expired in January.
Anyway, the lower 48 was really neat. I want to post about my cousins and their puppies but I think that needs to wait; this is getting long already.
(no subject)
Sep. 14th, 2005 08:28 pmWorking with doggies is exhausting. I had a long day today. After walking lots and lots of doggies, we went down to the Lower 48. Now, while anywhere else that would refer to the contiguous USA, there are 48 acres of property that belong to my cousins that are down past the kennel.
After Hurricane Isabel a few years ago, this land was so completely flooded that it has been swampland ever since. But for some reason, this summer, the water has slowly dried up, and now it's like a wasteland. The beavers killed all the trees in the wetlands except for the pine trees, and the water killed those, so there are tons of dead trees, standing like white skeletons, with egrets and herons nesting in them, and the ground is covered with cattails and dead lily pads. There are tons of deer and beaver tracks, and we found four beaver lodges today, but they looked as if they've been abandoned for wetter territories.
The earth is acres and acres of dried peat, and you can tell that if it stays dry, it's going to burst into life, just by its nature. The parts that have been dry the longest are covered thickly with this leafy groundcover, and there are little teeny magnolias spurting up here and there.
My job was to check the trees to see what was alive, to check for beavers (which we didn't see), and to find the main waterway so we can clear it to put in a bath before the undergrowth gets too thick to keep the land navigable. Unfortunately, it looks like part of the main waterway was already taken over, so we're going to have to pull stuff up with the tractor. It was really pretty cool because you could see a part of the natural life cycle of a piece of land.
The weather was hot and insanely muggy, and we have to wear thick protective layers and disgustingly DEET-y insect repellent, so I felt like I was melting the whole time. On the other hand, I actually have color for once n my life; I have loads of freckles from being outside most days.
Then we went to the commissary at Fort Lee to buy groceries. My cousin, Vickey, is one of those people who buys like a million of everything and doesn't check what she needs before she leaves the house. Buying groceries took three and a half hours; it was kind of insane. Once we got back, the entire fridge had to be cleaned out because there was no room for the food and there was stuff that, uh, expired in January.
Anyway, the lower 48 was really neat. I want to post about my cousins and their puppies but I think that needs to wait; this is getting long already.
After Hurricane Isabel a few years ago, this land was so completely flooded that it has been swampland ever since. But for some reason, this summer, the water has slowly dried up, and now it's like a wasteland. The beavers killed all the trees in the wetlands except for the pine trees, and the water killed those, so there are tons of dead trees, standing like white skeletons, with egrets and herons nesting in them, and the ground is covered with cattails and dead lily pads. There are tons of deer and beaver tracks, and we found four beaver lodges today, but they looked as if they've been abandoned for wetter territories.
The earth is acres and acres of dried peat, and you can tell that if it stays dry, it's going to burst into life, just by its nature. The parts that have been dry the longest are covered thickly with this leafy groundcover, and there are little teeny magnolias spurting up here and there.
My job was to check the trees to see what was alive, to check for beavers (which we didn't see), and to find the main waterway so we can clear it to put in a bath before the undergrowth gets too thick to keep the land navigable. Unfortunately, it looks like part of the main waterway was already taken over, so we're going to have to pull stuff up with the tractor. It was really pretty cool because you could see a part of the natural life cycle of a piece of land.
The weather was hot and insanely muggy, and we have to wear thick protective layers and disgustingly DEET-y insect repellent, so I felt like I was melting the whole time. On the other hand, I actually have color for once n my life; I have loads of freckles from being outside most days.
Then we went to the commissary at Fort Lee to buy groceries. My cousin, Vickey, is one of those people who buys like a million of everything and doesn't check what she needs before she leaves the house. Buying groceries took three and a half hours; it was kind of insane. Once we got back, the entire fridge had to be cleaned out because there was no room for the food and there was stuff that, uh, expired in January.
Anyway, the lower 48 was really neat. I want to post about my cousins and their puppies but I think that needs to wait; this is getting long already.
We are getting between ten and fifty canine storm survivors next week. That's, as you can tell, a wide margin there. So we're not really sure what to expect. We don't know how many of them will be coming here and how many will be going to the other shelters in the area.
As for people, the Red Cross is desperate for volunteers. I'm working for my cousin, who is one of the volunteer coordinators. We need 40,000 volunteers in the next ninety days to fill quotas. Please, if you live anywhere near a Red Cross volunteer center, try and stop in. They're not looking for anyone with particular skills at the moment, and they will train you. Right now what they really need is people to work locally because so many of their trained people have been called to the crisis center. Look up places locally where you can volunteer by going to the Red Cross website.
Thanks.
As for people, the Red Cross is desperate for volunteers. I'm working for my cousin, who is one of the volunteer coordinators. We need 40,000 volunteers in the next ninety days to fill quotas. Please, if you live anywhere near a Red Cross volunteer center, try and stop in. They're not looking for anyone with particular skills at the moment, and they will train you. Right now what they really need is people to work locally because so many of their trained people have been called to the crisis center. Look up places locally where you can volunteer by going to the Red Cross website.
Thanks.
We are getting between ten and fifty canine storm survivors next week. That's, as you can tell, a wide margin there. So we're not really sure what to expect. We don't know how many of them will be coming here and how many will be going to the other shelters in the area.
As for people, the Red Cross is desperate for volunteers. I'm working for my cousin, who is one of the volunteer coordinators. We need 40,000 volunteers in the next ninety days to fill quotas. Please, if you live anywhere near a Red Cross volunteer center, try and stop in. They're not looking for anyone with particular skills at the moment, and they will train you. Right now what they really need is people to work locally because so many of their trained people have been called to the crisis center. Look up places locally where you can volunteer by going to the Red Cross website.
Thanks.
As for people, the Red Cross is desperate for volunteers. I'm working for my cousin, who is one of the volunteer coordinators. We need 40,000 volunteers in the next ninety days to fill quotas. Please, if you live anywhere near a Red Cross volunteer center, try and stop in. They're not looking for anyone with particular skills at the moment, and they will train you. Right now what they really need is people to work locally because so many of their trained people have been called to the crisis center. Look up places locally where you can volunteer by going to the Red Cross website.
Thanks.
Driving Lessons!
Sep. 10th, 2005 06:29 pmSo, today I got my first driving lesson. Here I am, driving!
( Speed Demon! )
I also broke my pants and have to fix them because there's a big hole in the crotch. I don't have nearly enough junky clothes for the stuff I'm doing here. It's a load of hard work, but it's making me feel much more physically healthy. And working with rescue doggies is awesome. I was afraid of getting bitten and stuff but so far all the rescue dogs have been very affectionate and good-natured. Some of them are really terrified and have been in shitty situations before we get them, but then we give them baths and brush them and they usually calm down then.
( Speed Demon! )
I also broke my pants and have to fix them because there's a big hole in the crotch. I don't have nearly enough junky clothes for the stuff I'm doing here. It's a load of hard work, but it's making me feel much more physically healthy. And working with rescue doggies is awesome. I was afraid of getting bitten and stuff but so far all the rescue dogs have been very affectionate and good-natured. Some of them are really terrified and have been in shitty situations before we get them, but then we give them baths and brush them and they usually calm down then.
Driving Lessons!
Sep. 10th, 2005 06:29 pmSo, today I got my first driving lesson. Here I am, driving!
( Speed Demon! )
I also broke my pants and have to fix them because there's a big hole in the crotch. I don't have nearly enough junky clothes for the stuff I'm doing here. It's a load of hard work, but it's making me feel much more physically healthy. And working with rescue doggies is awesome. I was afraid of getting bitten and stuff but so far all the rescue dogs have been very affectionate and good-natured. Some of them are really terrified and have been in shitty situations before we get them, but then we give them baths and brush them and they usually calm down then.
( Speed Demon! )
I also broke my pants and have to fix them because there's a big hole in the crotch. I don't have nearly enough junky clothes for the stuff I'm doing here. It's a load of hard work, but it's making me feel much more physically healthy. And working with rescue doggies is awesome. I was afraid of getting bitten and stuff but so far all the rescue dogs have been very affectionate and good-natured. Some of them are really terrified and have been in shitty situations before we get them, but then we give them baths and brush them and they usually calm down then.
