Tuesday, October 14, 2014

A Gust of Autumn

Overnight, the wind picked up. This morning, a bank of distant clouds, backlit by the rising sun and spewing over the coastal range, looked like the smoke from a forest fire. Jeanine reports that the chickens looked ridiculous as the wind disarranged their feathers into fanciful formations. As I type the sky is several shades of grey (thankfully not 50) and the local foliage is dancing. It is unlikely that we'll get any rain today, but one can hope.

Last night, sometime before the wind started, a couple of girls came to visit me in the hub for some mild complaint or other (headaches, I think, although they visited me several times with thin excuses - I think they just wanted to stay up and talk) and then were afraid to walk back to their cabin because there was a fearsome looking... deer standing in the way. The girls had never seen a deer before, and were uncertain about their chances of getting back to bed unscathed. It was kind of cute, really. We stood and watched the deer together while I filled them in on what to expect from the local wildlife.

It's kids like this who gain the most from science camp. I wish I could see the world through their eyes. I enjoy seeing deer around camp at night, but it's definitely not something that fills me with excitement or trepidation. For these girls, it was a brand new experience. They were living on the edge.

In the morning, as the kids were getting ready for the day, one of the girls from the same cabin informed me that there was a mouse running around under the bunks. Fortunately, it was near enough to the door that I was able to quickly usher it out the door with a broom. It immediately ran around the corner and vanished up inside the vending machine.

Currently listening to: Kettle Rebellion

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