***stardust

Was dragged out of bed at 5-fookin'-am this morning, barely alive. really. it was terrible.
Managed to doze off for about half of Boy i the car on the way to Buffalo, but that's been it.
And I'm all awake now!!! *laughs* ..bikeride really *did* wake me up. ^_^

So, yeah, worked and stuff, nothing really interesting there, same as yesterday, relaly, tho it was only three stores, and I had to get some of brushes that'd just come in out of their arrgravating-as-hell plastic and onto the racks at one store, but *shrugs* yeah.
In the end, Dad said I'd made about $70.
"Now, you owe me $340 for all the Visa bills..." [he's been paying them for me while I'm at school,. which messes me up cos I always have the cash and would pay it off on my own right away, but now it's all piled up what I owe him gahhhhh ... ..and the only reason it's that high is cos of the plane tickets to NYC, which I'd planned to take some $ out of savings for anyway so yeah.]
"..you made $70, so now you only owe me $270." Or something like that, they were big numbers and I was just like gahhhhhhh don't I get an option to see ANY of the $ I made????
*pouts*
I want the Unfire videooooo!
*grr*
But, I do have some cash right now, actually, I'm just trying hard as I can not to spend it..
And, when we got back here around 12.30, Dad took me over to Pearce and we tracked down random guy (who used to live in Perry and supposedly I knew..*shrugs*..I was in Awanas in what, 2nd-4th grade? something like that? I don't remember a whole lot of faces...) and I got an appliaciton for the daycare center. Got home, started filling it out.. and went fuuux0r... I have no preious emplyers. I have no pastoral reference, or really a professional one.. and there were nine fooking THINKING questions ahhhhh. >_<
Put down B and Mead for references (I'd asked them about it before when I was gonna try to get a job on campus, dropped them e-mails today saying I hope they don't mind if I use them again..*hehe*), cos, well, they were teachers, which's kinda professional, and I babysat Mead's son like, twice, so that's kinda professional too, and they're both kinda personal cos I'm a dork and lived in the band room and was in SFE and everything. *g*
The thinking questions were intersting.. I got to make a statement about my faith, and what my religious and spiritual beliefs are and how they impacted my life.
Needless to say, 'Nanda got a seperate sheet of paper to answer the bloody things (with my handwriting, I wasn't abut to make them go thru trying to read it all scrunched up--! ...b'sides, I know that in english you score far higher if they can read things. ..shite, I sholda used black pen, not blue!!! arg. I fail.). But yeah. Got thru all of those well enough, I'm good at making things sound good (except on here, aren't y'all lucky?? *laughs*), and there went my naptime cos then Mom came by to pick me up.

merani-chan's been mad sick for two days straight now and it's not cool... I feel so bad, she's like, dying. or close. go read her lj, let *her* tell you. *g*..

Hung out at Mom's, worked on fanfics a bit, worked on bikerLar sketch a bit, realised I'd messed it up, tried to fix, fooked it up worse, so bs'd and he's just wearing a different shirt than he was when I saw him the other night. *g*
We went to the library and after some intial finding-NOTHING-ness, merani and I found stuff and I've got the second Darkangel book ^____^ among other cool things. hurray for libraries! <3

Got back, talked to Megs, then went for a bikeride cos I was feelign a bit queasy from reading in the car (which yes, I did yet AGAIN even tho I *KNOW* it makes me queasy. I'm a moron, I know), and bikerides, I've discovered, can sometimes clear up my stomach when it's off.
When I'd worn these jeans before, I didn't have a problem on my bike, the flares were small enough that I didn't remember them giving me any trouble, so I didn't pin them back or anything before I left. Bad idea. I don't *mind* bike-grease, it'll wahs out.. only, well, for one, this was motorcycle-chain grease that Dad'd put on this time. Plus jeans getting caught in sprokets = SAFETY HAZARD HELLO. Ended up stopping once I'd gotten past all the houses on Westside.. looked up at the lowering sun shining around a cloud, the sky colouring, the fields around me..it was gorgeous....
Checked my coat pockets, no sort of string, no rubber band, no hairtie, no safety pin, nothin'. geh. Looked about on the ground, found a nice tall piece of field-grass, stuck it thru the lacey-stuff that runs up the side of my jeans and tied it together, tightening it up to shrink the flare a bit.
Yeah for woodsy-inventiveness. ^___^ ('Course, didn't hold super-well then.. on the way back, I tried to find some grape vine to use instead, but it was out of my reach, so I got another piece of grass. Which, of course, is STILL holding now gahhhhhhh *laughs*)
Ended up riding to the school, and back down to the nature trail. Discovered that we now have a *real* *track* out behind Fairbanks Elementary, it's even all red with white lines and stuff! shweeeeeeet. and they're putting in a baseball diamond back there too. ahve to say, I preferred the NICE WILD FIELD that was there before, but.. *shrugs* ..what can you do in the face of athletics? 9_9 Anyway, chained my bike to a handy tree..and as I started doing so I realised, hey, that's poison ivy all over this thing! ... sweeeeet so any moron who tries to steal my bike will be covered in poison ivy. *hehehehe* ^______^ ..and anyway, this basically proves that I really *am* *NOT* allergic to poison ivy, cos I definitely ran into it (and a lot more later, too), and it's spring, which's when the stuff's at its worst, and I'm good. Score. *g*
Went thru massively muddy, catepillar-tread-track-covered field that was once full of tall grass and wild flowers...
...and was immensely relieved that they hadn't knocked down any of the woods.
But then I looked to where we'd started a (rather pathetic) flower garden in Wildlife Ecology my junior year...
It was a random small mini-project we were doing, Swais [the one who looks like Bono, if I've ever had a crush o a teacher it was prolly him] was all into it, as was I, and there were others who helped... we dug up all the soil, turned it over, got the sod outta there.. Swais got hold of some lumber to border the garden with, and some random seeds.. we found some willow saplings and relocated them there, and planted a few things.. I forget what all we had, but there were marigolds anyway, I can't recall what else.. monarda, maybe.. and Swais wanted sunflowers. So, we plated some sunflowers, which never *did* really come up.... I remember, was it he and I? He and someone, anyway, think it might've been me and someone else, each planted something (a sunflower? can't remember) and challanged each other as to whose would sprout first.
Swais reportedly snuck out there at night with MiracleGrow but anyway... *laughs*
The garden's gone now.
There was black tarp-stuff that was outlining that whole border of the field and woods, it was laying across some timber.. I crouched down and caught my breath and nearly started to cry...
THe timber had been broken, probably by the weight of heavy equipment rolling over it...
I picked up the tarp a little and looked beneath and there were more timbers, all smushed together and broken, after all our insanely careful work to line them all up properly, and cut them to the right length, and nail them in place.. (a LOT of work went into that..far too much, I think, but.. *smiles* ..it was a ton of fun)...
*sighs, shakes head*
Went into the woods, walked a little ways in--
--and heard a crash in the brush a ways off, looked over and saw a flash of ruddy-gold.
Well, it was either a deer, or someone in a Carhardt jacket, and I didn't think it was the latter.
Peeked out into the field that lies between the high school and the woods, and stepped out into the lower brush and bushes.
In the next field over stood a single deer, I'm pretty sure a doe but a large one at that, feeding peacefully.
I caught my breath, and stood still, not daring to move out into the open where she might see me...
She never did.
So I stood there for.. I don't even know, probably ten minutes or so, just watching her.. and looking up to see the sun sinking in the sky, shining on all the green glowing around me, looked out at the field and just.. laugh all you will but I kissed the leaves nearest my face. I just.. *shakes head, smiles* I loked up to the sky and smiled and thanked God for this.... much as I love the computer, much as I long to see the desert and everything else...it's the woods where I'm at home, still. I had at least five more moments like that over the next hour and a half..probably more than that, I definitely wasn't counting. *g*
Went back into the woods and let the deer eat in peace, and walked about..
Dude, guys, remind me to yell at B for painting over our benches!!! and not only were they painted over, but they'd been *stripped* entirely first, I could see the dark spots in the wood beneath the dark green paint in places, where I should have been able to make out our old designs... Granted, ok, they pretty much sucked, but still! that was our legacy, our nark, on those woods, the outdoor classroom and our benches.. I painted mine with a FRICKING LEAF it was the best *ever*!!!!! *laughs* (I did. No joke. Everyone else was using all the brushes I'd brought, so I grabbed a leaf and used that to spread the acrylic paint around. That and my fingers. Great fun. ^_^)
Anyway.. it *did* look nice, anyway...
I wondered what was blooming at this time of year, I knew it was too late for most of the spring flowers.. spotted a Jack-in-the-Pulpit plant out in the middle of the path - as always! *laughs* - and there was no flower, I was all sad and thought I'd missed them.. [pic ganked from here.]
But nope. *grins happily* There were plenty blooming, including the big one near the original main entrance. ^_^ (That was one of my things, pointing those out to people back there, cos no-one else'd noticed them really, or knew what they were.. and Mom told me the things are endangered, plus they're just cool-looking *g* - so I was *constantly* on people to NOT step on them! *g*)
*Tons* of wild geraniums, too, more than I remember seeing before.. but that's cool cos they're so pretty. *smiles* [image pulled from this site - duuude I just learnt what a *bunch* of the random little flowers I always see are! yay! *bounces about happily* ..whoa, the *orange* ones are touch-me-nots?! I see those all the time!!! sweet! :D ..ok yes I'm a plant-geek. deal. *g* *happy sigh* yay, they have my favourites.. Forget-me-nots and..ok, they have Cinquefoils but not the kind I'm used to seeing..the ones here are the prettiest pale yellow, with five little heart-shaped petals. ^_^)
Anyway! *laughs* where was I? oh, right. woods.
Dude, I have NEVER seen it that wet back there!!! I was following the middle path (which doesn't look to be much more finished than it was when I left..figures..*giggles*), reached the end..and there was creek. and I looked around but didn't see the path it intersects at *all*. I was like, duuuude, the creek is a lot bigger'n it usually is..I think it ate our path. So I made my way thru random puddles and walked across convenient branches on the ground and things, and eventually got over to the original path that goes to the right. And realised that yeah. Basically, our main path that's usually *along* the creek?
*Was* the creek.
*laughs*
So, that made things interesting. Walked out on the birdge, and saw that the water was nearly *touching* the bridge, which I know I've never seen.. and the water was flowing along pretty quickly, actually, too, it was cool. So I sat there for awhile, looking around me, and it was just nice...
Thought the bottom looked a bit redder than I remembered, tho, wondered vaguely about that.. so I went off the the side and poked about in the mud along the creekbed. Quite sticky between my fingers, reddish, and pretty smooth..which means very, very fine..
Clay.
..*laughs* ok, Laur, you caught me, I *did* retain more environmental science than I think I'd realised, but..*giggles* ah well. (Right, I love how I know soils *AFTER* I've graduated--! 9_9 )
Attempted to follow the trail that ran parallel Onion Creek there..didn't get too far before it puddled over, so I had to detour a little farther back again..
Where the creek used to be dammed up some, it's not so much now.. and a little ways down from there there were trees across it, I don't know if they'd fallen or were put there or what...
Saw the tree where Heather and I watched and listened for our baby hawk for our observation project...
Ended up heading back up the trail I'd come down, the third trail is hard to find down by the creek anyway, and it was *definitely* flooded over on top of that. Again passed two of my favourite spots that I remmeber..I found them before that trail was there, if I remember right, just walking around one day.. there's a small clearning full of ferns.. and nearby, a huge fallen-over tree a bit off the ground that's perfect for sitting on...
Came up to the outdoor classroom from behind - had wanted to go find the tree Heather and I found the baby raccoon we'd tried to rescue in, but the sun was starting to go down, and I knew I'd been out longer'n planned already (and I knew Megs would be waiting for me online), so just headed back to the classroom--
--and just fifteen, maybe twenty, feet in front of me a deer ran across the path and out into the field.
Whoa.
I stood a moment, burning the image into my mind, then quietly as I could, headed for the side-entrance to the trails (the one that you come to when coming from the high school..I guess *that's* the main one now, huh?). Peeked out, and about halfway up the field, next to the brushrow, stood the deer. I couldn't tell if it was looking at me or not, it was too far away, but in any case, it didn't move for a few minutes, and I stood there watching, not moving either.. finally it noticed me, leaped about and ran off, tail turned up and flashing white.
So, I went back up thru the mud and found my bike again.. peeked out thru the trees to see if the deer was still in view - it wasn't - slipped about in the mud a bit and my boots and jeans are *covered* now.. oops. *g*
Got on my bike and rode home.. was gone for about an hour and a half, and it was so beautiful out there tonight.....

And here ends the longest ramble I've had in awhile! *laughs* There. Enjoy the woods, from country-girl-me's point-of-view. Now get yer arse outside and take a walk or a ride or something!!!! *laughs*
I.. hm. Not sure. It's nearly midnight now, but I'm remarkably awake, due to the bikeride I guess.. and I'm hungry. oh, right, was gonna do popcorn and a movie. or something similar. score. ^_^ 'night all!

And...
To the CCHS *STATE* Envirothon team: I know y'all won't see this 'til you get back, and most of you won't see it at all, but I've been thinking of you guys all day, and I hope you kick some serious molass tomorrow morning!!! *high-fives* You guys'll rock. And you have my blessing, as former forestry-expert and general smartperson, for what it's worth. ^_^

*Ananda Daydream * 12:01 AM * *

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