I FINALLY GOT OUT FOR

I finally got out for a hike today. Once again, thunder and downpour were forecasted, but unlike last weekend, the radar didn’t show a gigroncous wall of red headed right for us. So I decided to risk it. The last time I went for a hike around here during the summer was 2 years ago, and I have bitter memories of the flies, but they actually weren’t that bad. I saw plenty of red efts, some toad tadpoles in a muddy ditch, and a Black-throated Blue Warbler that made a deft attempt to prevent me from eating its child. I wish I could say it failed, but I just wasn’t hungry. I saw various wildflowers which I didn’t recognize since I didn’t bring any guides for fear of rain, and I don’t have a wildflower guide anyway. I also saw a tiny garter snake which might have been a ribbon snake; I didn’t get close enough to see.

In other news, I learned that my beard is a natural girl deterrent, so I need never worry about cooties, which is a relief. What I do have to worry about is bizarre unexplained rashes that consume my hands and feet. Andy thinks I have West Nile virus, but I think it’s more likely that the tumorigenic plant pathogens I work with have jumped hosts, and I’m their first try at humans. This will guarantee my thesis will be published in Science, so rejoice!