The alarm went off at 04:30 Saturday morning. Jumped up and got water started for coffee, and then snuck back into bed for 15 more minutes of sleep while I waited for the water to get hot.

One hour and ten minutes later I woke again.

Chit.

Heeler sisters and I were on the road by 05:51. Fortunately we were off to finally check Scottys Peak lek, which is only about a dozen miles from town.

On the drive down the county road, I had time to reflect upon an email I had read earlier in the week. The minutes of the monthly office meeting, which I almost always skip, since there are rarely things on the agenda worth the 127 mile drive. Why spend four and a half hours driving to and from a one-and-a-half hour meeting?

My compadre to the north had congratulated the office crew because, with their help, they had checked 83 of his known 85 strutting grounds. Yes, with himself, two wardens, two bosses, several volunteers, a couple University researchers and at least two federal biologists, they had checked 83 strutting grounds.

When I did my April reports, I also had to summarize my progress on lek checks.

104 leks checked.

'Course I had help, too.

Two heelers.