MAY
Packing up and leaving home, on our way to Meadow Lake.
Introductions, settling in, training days,
AED, ATV,CPR, etc.
Usually wet and rainy, this year dry,
temperaturesa record high.
Bears emerging from their winter dens, tiny cubs on newwobbly legs,
coltsfootand greening grasses.
Peepers and frogs act as our guide.
Road inspections galore,
check under the troll bridge,
take note of beaverfloods, & erosion.
JUNE
Fire bans and high temperatures,
tan handsand sun-kissed cheeks.
Wild roses and dandelions bloom across the land.
Up north to the beloved cabins,
but thefires rage on.
Safety meetings, checking in, road inspections ongoing,
flagging begins for buffers androads.
Stakeholder tours, public outreach, career days
& a school yard tree plant.
Baby bears on more sturdy legs, herds of wild horses runningfree.
Leaf out occurs and the beginnings of berries can be seen,
strawberries and Saskatoons.
Swarms of bugs,
blackflies,mosquitoes, & horseflies,
oh my.
JULY
Kilometres walked and flags placed,
nests sweptand tracks kept for records.
Contractors visited and quality checked.
The wood lilies begin to bloom, and fireweed is next,
thebeginning of the end, the halfway point of the summer.
Wasp season, watch for ground nests.
Wildlife sightings continue to rise, a lynx & a cougar,
more perfect animal printspreserved in mud.
The blueberries and raspberries on their way in,
foundalongside animal trails,
the only relief from thick aspenunderstory.
AUGUST
Thunderstorms and rainy days,
a gloomy way to end the term.
Hum of machines heard in the distance while in the block,
hunched eating the perfectblueberries.
Line Lake is our life,
flagging continues.
The roses are long gone, thorns left behind in pants andhands.
Less and less wildlife to be seen,
busy doing their own thing, theonly sign - scat full of seeds.
Fireweed has bloomed to the top,
theclassroom beckons,
and thecrickets guide us home.
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