Nature Nuts

Yet again, I have managed to leave my poor blog unattended for an unconscionable time. Intentions were good, but we all know the road that such things pave. In my defense, though, let me say that I have had a wonderfully busy two weeks.

First, we got my beloved spouse moved from the neighborhood of the botanical gardens (sigh) to a nicer apartment closer to the university where he teaches. Luckily for me, the new neighborhood, while short on large parks, contains some interesting 1930's architecture and great gardens, so there are likely to be many pleasant walks in my future.

Then, it became painfully obvious that school was about to start and my handouts needed serious updating. Done--classes don't start until tomorrow. I even survived the week of in-service meetings.

But the best kind of busy-ness has been beginning the training for the state Master Naturalist program. Over the course of the next year, I will be spending one Saturday a month learning about West Virginia's plants, animals, soils, and ecosystems. Our chapter has already done ferns, rocks, and herps and has given itself an official name: the Nature Nuts. Given that the some of the high points of Saturday's activities were learning to identify copperheads (and yes, one came to visit the group in the company of a DNR naturalist) and petting a corn snake, we must be.