So much for blogging more...

I know I said I would be more attentive to my blog, but I just haven't had ANY  motivation to write anything. At. All...

Other than the last few days, this month as been cold and wet. So wet that as of yesterday both the river to the south and the bayou to the east have been under flood warnings. However, the last few days have been warm and beautiful, which doesn't motivate me to do anything but go out and play. That's not helpful when I'm trying to keep ahead of schedule for my classes/fieldwork prep.

We have decided to go home for spring break (WOOHOO!!) I haven't seen my loved ones in almost a year, which is the longest it has ever been for me to go with out seeing them and by spring break, I'm going to seriously need a break before field season starts up again. That and the universe keeps throwing "Alabama" and "home" related songs and tv shows in my path. Hell, I need a break now, but I'm determined to get as much done as possible before I break. lol.

This semester is going to be a busy one. At the beginning of this month I had a meeting with my projects major supporters and I presented what I had done this past field season and what information I had regarding that data so far. Next month, I present a poster at the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society meeting. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. Poster exhibits are during the first day and then on the way home we are stopping by Port Aransas Wildlife Refuge!!! I'm so excited about the stop because I will most likely get to see whooping cranes! The only WILD population of whooping cranes!! I can barely contain myself while typing those words!

After TCTWS and Port Aransas is the trip home in March. We are renting a car and traveling with our furbabies, so it's going to be an adventure to say the least. 6 days, 3 different beds, and trying to fill as much time as possible catching up with as many people as possible!  Then April...oh April. In April I have to give a 40 min seminar about my project. I'm the first one in the "class" to do this, which I'm kinda glad for since they are usually not as tough on the first person to present. Then by mid-April I need to start field work. This means before April I need to have at least 2 part time techs hired and able to work out in the field both during some days during the week and weekends while going to school at the same time. Craziness. That craziness will end mid-May when I can have a tech go full-time with me on the project, but a new craziness will ensue while we try to catch up on all the surveys and arthropod collections that we weren't able to do during the semester and end field season in June relatively close to last years completion. Whew!!

It may not sound like much, but when I start to think about what all there is to do and when it needs to be done by, I start to panic a little. So, don't be alarmed if I only get to blog once a month at most these next few months. But I do promise I will take lots of pictures and post them here eventually.

Here are some from the past few weeks! Enjoy and blessed be.

Beautiful sunrise right before a dismal cold and rainy day

This weekend's robin egg blue skies

bored and didn't want to work anymore...

Sunset is getting later and later (spring is on the way!!)

3 minutes after the above picture was taken. I love how the sun sets the clouds afire!

Holiday woes

I honestly do not know where last month went. Between the school work, take home tests, learning TWO new modeling programs (which I still don't know how to use well), Dragon Age: Inquisition, and everything in between, November came and went in the blink of an eye.

Now it's December, finals are over, and Christmas is around the corner. I am not a holiday person by any means. I do not like surprises, I don't get excited over carols, trees, or decorating the house. I don't remember getting excited about these things except for when I was little, but it still gave me panic attacks. The list of things I do like around Christmas time is short: other people's Christmas lights and making sweets. That's it. The end. Bah Humbug. I know, I'm a scrooge.

But this year I haven't seen my family and friends in almost a year and I'm awfully homesick. I have tried to figure out how to make it home for the holidays. However, with classes not starting back and my loan money not coming in until the end of January, hotel and registration fees for a conference in February being due in January, nicer clothes for that conference and another in January, and being able to have tuition for this summer's classes saved....it's just not going to happen.

I was so ready to leave Alabama and now I would give almost anything to go back for just a few days. Don't get me wrong. I love being out here. I love the anonymity, not having to look over my shoulder when I go out for someone I know and don't want to bump into, not having the same questions being asked "what are you going to do after school", "when are you going to have kids"....

I know it's just homesickness and I'm sure it will pass, but I'm just so bummed right now. How do you deal with homesickness and missing those that you love?

Gosh I had a lot of pictures to post! I hope you enjoy, have a happy holiday, and blessed be.

early November when the leaves were still green

I've been trying to get back to taking "first light" or sunrise pictures

Normal kitty business here

There's two of me!!!

This November was how I remembered it when I was growing up: cold and drizzly

I was a little drunk, but I love it

Week 4? Recap

It really doesn't seem like it's only been 4 weeks since we started doing field work, but it has. It seems like an eternity has gone by. Days run together, nights are never long enough, and the humidity and higher temperatures are rolling in. I think I may be loosing what is left of my mind. 

Last week I mentioned we were going to a local truck stop called Three Flags in Bon Wier, TX. If you are ever that way, definitely stop by! Holy cow at the food! I got a small seafood platter and couldn't finish it all. I tried, believe me, and I paid for it later. But it was soo good. 

Today is another "binge" day and I couldn't be happier! I know I'm just exhausted. We've been getting up at 5 AM doing 2-3 surveys, coming back to our motel at about 930-10ish, changing out of nasty sweaty muddy clothes, relaxing till 330-4ish, then getting back out in the heat till 730-8ish, eating dinner, showering, then going right to bed to do it all over again. 

I will not lie. It has not been all sunshine and rainbows. Even today I was nearing a melt down until I found a hole with my ankle and fell. It's hard wiping invisible spider webs from your face and watching where you step at the same time. Even right now as I type this I am sitting outside the motel room, drinking my coffee in clothes that are drenched from mainly sweat and dew. I haven't even made it inside yet. I don't have the energy and I know once I change I may not get up from the bed. At one point this week I even said "I hate being an adult trying to be a teenager". 

This has probably been the most difficult week since we are working every day in order to get done before Brittany has to go back to Georgia. I know I've been home sick, so she most definitely has to be as well. 

Sunday the sweetest puppy wandered up to us while we went to do laundry and decided we needed to be her people. 

We thought she belonged to some people who were staying in their RV, but were wrong. We tried to take her to the animal shelter in the nearest town, but the humane society in Jasper didn't take drop offs (unheard of!) and the animal shelter REFUSED to take her because she was not found in Jasper! I was so pissed! They had previous fall outs with people with missing animals in Newton before and would not take animals from there anymore. She suggested I complain to the county court, to which I explained we were not from here and would only be here another week! They just didn't get it. So we had to take her back to the motel. The next evening she was gone and I hope with all my heart someone found that sweet puppy and gave her a home. 

I also found out, the same day we were trying to find somewhere to take the puppy, that my grandmother has colon cancer. She didn't want to worry me before she had surgery and knew more since I'm so far away. So far they believe they removed all the cancer (a quarter sized tumor), but they also removed some lymph nodes for further testing. They should know more today, but I'm going to let her rest, recoup, and get home before I call again. 

They've also decided to do some prescribed burning near some of our areas. Granted, they are acres away, but it just adds haze to our areas. And it's kinda creepy when you roll into the woods to look beside you in the dark and see this:

So, week 4 has been crazy as you can tell. We are trying to make the best of it and it has been more laughter than grumpiness, I swear!  We still haven't heard a word about our field housing and our room runs out Tuesday. We have 23 more days of this season left, but we also have 60% chance of rain next weekend. Hopefully it'll hold off a little so we can get it all done. I really don't want to get stuck again. 

Super foggy sunrise

This is the sky all in one day. It changed so fast. 

It doesn't look like much other than a solitary dead tree, but a family of kestrels live here!!

As we were headed "home". 

Smoke from a prescribed burn. 

One of my favorite stands. Too bad it's not one we work in. 

The two different leaf types found on eucalyptus. This just happens to be the same tree. 

The last pitfall is placed!!!

Foggy mimosa microphylla. Looks like something from Dr. Suess's The Lorax.