Late July and the ten-week schedule is slowly filling for this year’s Basic Training Course. The large easel paper on my small dining room wall begins to take shape, becoming increasingly colorful.
Green post-its signal field adventures. Savage Neck beckons. So does Wreck Island and Mutton Hunk. Brownsville Preserve and Fisherman Island will be new this year. Can’t worry about rain now. Better yet, no rain allowed.
Yellow post-its feed our hunger for information with presentations on all the -ologies — ecology, mammalogy, herpetology, entomology. Botany refuses the pattern. Perhaps we need a renaming. Florology? Plantology?
Blue post-its introduce new tools or provide practice with familiar ones. The exciting and intimidating Flora of Virginia. Fabulous Merlin and iNaturalist. Best practices for binoculars. And my personal favorite, field notebooks!
Many dates are still pending. Possibilities abound, and choices remain. But there’s a slight tension in communication as we juggle between absolute openness (“anytime you are available in October works for us!”) and tight windows of need (“please, please say you can be here at 1:30 on the 10th.”).
Confirmation check marks are slowly overtaking the question marks on the colorful schedule, but still those stubborn question marks remain.
“We’re in great shape,” Ann reminds me as she recognizes the slow creep of anxiety tightening my smile and raising my eyebrows with so many loose ends remaining.
Time waxes and wanes as our needs change, and our planning time truly yawned this summer. What was wide-mouthed and expansive in June is beginning to close as we move into August and anticipate our September 5th first class.
Still, we have time. And talented helpers, so generous with their energy and expertise. We have the amazing Eastern Shore to love and explore. And we have a full class full of interested and interesting people.
Yes, we are in great shape.
