Monday, May 17, 2010

Time

This post is an indulgence.  Time is not on my side for blogging right now - neither for posting nor for reading other folks' blogs.  The volunteer naturalist class timetable has been somewhat intense.  We have two 4-hour classes per week, plus the travel time for me to most classes is 2 hours round-trip, making it more like 6-hour classes!  We don't have homework, per se, but we are expected to read certain materials ahead of time to familiarize ourselves with the topic du jour.

Don't get me wrong, I'm loving every minute of it, and I'm learning lots, and the people are great (both classmates and instructors) - but the schedule is hectic compared to the more laid back timetable I'm used to functioning on.

Here are some photos from our most recent class about aquatic life at Clear Creek Metro Park.  The creek, as its name implies, is clear, indeed!

Preparing to do stream quality monitoring (SQM)


Checking out what's in the net.


Coming together after splitting into 2 groups, we review what kinds of critters we pulled from the creek. All were released safely back into Clear Creek.

There are lots of things that I'm missing right now.  Writing, taking photos, blogging... quiet observation of the simplest things, like watching the birds in the trees, or looking for my favorite wildflowers, like this one:

Blue-eyed Grass

I hope to be back to a more steady blogging schedule in late June, but until then, posts here and visits to your blogs will be sporadic.
Oh, by the way, our Phoebe's have decided that it's time to build a new nest. The nest that the young ones just fledged from has been used for at least 4 broods, so I imagine it's getting kind of shaggy and dirty. The new nest is still on the same side of the house, about 10 inches away from the old one, but farther away from the box where the camera is mounted, so the motion-detection function is not working as reliably right now.

9 comments:

Carol Mattingly said...

Your blue eyed grass shot is wonderful. I would love to do this class. It looks like so much fun. Enjoy. I know what you mean by not having enough time.

Heather said...

Carol - I don't know if there is a similar volunteer program in Kentucky or not. You could check with your local department of natural resources or your local extension office/agency for details. It certainly is a lot of fun, and very educational. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and to comment!

ksdoolittle said...

Heather, I'd love to be in your shoes right now. Looks like you are having lots of fun. The best thing about blogging is that you post when you can and when you have inspiration to do so. Yours are always worth the wait!! ~karen

Heather said...

Karen - Thanks for your sweet words. I know you all are patient, but sometimes it's frustrating to want post something but to not have the time. Oh well. That's just how it goes. Thanks for sticking with me!

FAB said...

Heather, enjoy the present and the future will take care of itself. I'll be here when you eventually have time for yourself. FAB.

Heather said...

Frank - Thank you for the wise words of advice, and for being such a sweet blogging friend.

RuthieJ said...

Looks like fun Heather. Our master naturalist class was in the stream last week too! Glad to hear you're enjoying your class.

Judy said...

Have fun with your class, and do all your non-homework! I love the photo of the blue eyed grass!! I have never seen that one!

Heather said...

Ruthie - It was lots of fun! The classes are going really well and I'm learning LOTS!

Judy - Blue-eyed Grass is one of my favorites b/c it's so small and so intensely colored.