Good morning campers.

Well well. Rats off to ya Canada. Happy Canada day to you. Canada woke me up at 5am this morning. Just could not get back to sleep, despite having the free option to sleep as long as I like, this being a holiday and all. I'll probably give it another try soon, but for now, I am outside, listening to the squawking red-winged black birds and watching fish jump out of the water (their version of swimming? suicide attempts?) Early in the morning is a pretty time to be up. Always reminds me of camping. In fact, it smells like camping right now. That smell of night cooled earth, slowly warming up. Actually, at this moment, the sun is well on high and things are different. The gentle sunrise became the blazing sun and the smell of camping is gone, replaced by the smell of hot day.

In parallel to camping again, I myself have had the transitioning feeling you get when you first get up at dawn, and leave the stale air of the tent. The dewy coolness outside is so fresh, it makes you feel like you could live off just bark and leaves and rainwater, like a clean little creature of the woods. As if you could cast off the shackles of the modern world-running water, electricity-and just groove on nature. Then the sun comes up higher, and it gets hot and bright, and you become aware of how badly you need a shower and a tooth brushing. Also, you start to feel the body heavening (That's right, heavening. New word. The act of making heavy.) effects of having had only 5 hours sleep and you feel like a thousand pound, bleary-eyed, dirty slug.

Well, it's not that bad. While camping, that feeling is usually fixed by diving into the nearest body of water. Here at home, a nice cup of tea helps.

Work has been annoyingly consuming my days lately. Little time for blogging. Summer means endless staff vacations for everyone except me (I had my four months so I can't truly complain, although I bet I can find a way to do so anyway). Since it's such a small office, one person being gone impacts everyone. Lots of crankiness and overworked, hassled women seething around the place. I try to remain distant but it ends up affecting me also.

I joined the YMCA, thinking it will be a way of getting me through the stress of it all. A frustration outlet, if you will. I've been trying the different classes they offer, to keep things fun, and gave aquafit a shot last night. It was just as you'd picture. The feeble and the obese, flapping and flopping around to the beat of the Michael Jackson and Abba covers, sung by chipmunks, or midgets or children or more likely, old guys with ponytails who's voices are then sped up to sound like chipmunks. Then again, it was the "suitable for all levels" class. Maybe advanced is a little more challenging. I hope so. Combining playing in the water, with actual, beneficial exercise would be ideal. We'll see.

In the meantime, back at home, I plan to spend this holiday (awkwardly placed in the middle of the week), doing as I choose and choosing as I do. Right now, I think I might pop back in the tent for a little morning nap before I embark any further on the day.

5:30 am sky.


6:30 am sky.


6:00 am tomatoes.