Bitter sweet - 2 weeks to go!

Who would have thought that 4 months in America could have been such an interesting ride? As I march my way through the last few assignments and readings I am gearing up for my final exams. It has been intense to say the least! I am definitely ready to go home, but I know I will leave with a slight heavy heart. These are really good people down here in Oklahoma. They are polite, kind and generous. The graduate students who surround me are very bright, interesting and highly intelligent human beings. The lively (often very lively especially in our office) discussions that we have range anywhere from theoretical to practical science, the definition of raw v. cooked food, religion and evolution, whether or not mushrooms are truly edible to lowtek collars and carbon sequestration capabilities of the invasive and encroaching (but native - just for my forestry class) eastern redcedar which is actually a juniper. I have never been so challenged academically or intellectually as I have by these good people - including professors.

This past week, Dr. Wes Jackson from the Land Institute was the sponsored speaker by the NREM Grad Student's Organization. This is Steve introducing Dr. Jackson.

I still wonder why we use the word recover after a disturbance and I imagine that I will keep realizing that things I have said in the past are not truly right but that is adaptive thought isn't it?! I thought I would come down here and work my fingers to the bone and my brain to mush, getting scientific breadth and depth. I can say that the journey for those quests has started, but even more significantly, I have found a community of people - professors and fellow students alike - who have proved to me that there are good people everywhere. To say that I will miss these good folks (even the foresters and "snakey" guys) is an understatement. These people have made this experience truly amazing and I am already looking forward to my next trip back down here.

I had the good fortune to partake in the 2010 Zoology Crawfish boil. It was interesting. I might rather eat mushrooms.

Saw my first possum although it was squished.

I had the amazing opportunity to experience one of the world's largest migrations of Sandhill cranes, snow geese and other birds. Thanks to Steve for this incredible experience!

Stephen Winter, Sam Fuhlendorf, me and Jamals John outside our blind on the Platte River, Nebraska.

On the same trip to Nebraska, Steve took us to an amazing dream come true of mine: native seed production at its finest! http://www.prairieplains.org/restoration_.htm

At Steve's tallgrass prairie that he has been restoring at his home in Nebraska.

It is good to be here - it has been an interesting 4+ months. I will be sad to leave, but it is time for me to go home. I look forward to being back inside of a comfort zone, back in my home with my community and to see my family. Back in my country - our country - true north strong and free where the beaver dams the river and the lightning brings beautiful fire! Always proud to be a Canadienne.