No field work today. Our group had the 0600-1000 shift at the concession stand today. Our first and only morning shift.

Mornings are easier than any other. Pretty much lots of coffee, cocoa, orange juice and cinnamon rolls. And cleaning and prepping everything else for the later shifts, since the folks yesterday had the busiest day in all of the six years we've been doing this and left the place in less than ideal condition when they went home.

Pretty much just light breakfast fare, except for the kid who wanted french fries at 0830. And the little girl who wanted a cheese burger at 0915.

Eeeyuck.

Thought about running an antelope route this evening, but the two routes left in area 108 don't really work well for evenings. So back to data entry on sage grouse leks.

Did get to spend an hour or so this evening with the wife on my lap, (And for a brief moment, the two jealous heelers, as well. Kinda crowded.) catching up on diary entries. She likes the 'Comments' feature on Diaryland. Starting to keep tabs on who some of you are, now. Even got her to a couple of your diaries. I do think she is a little envious that you folks have time to read this, and she usually doesn't. Honestly, you out there know much about my days long before she does.

Sad, in a way, I guess.

Ran across a couple comments I should have responded to, but neglected:

First, to Strangerlucy: I'm not sure if your coffeemate will burn or not. The trick to having pyrotechnics with these powders (I suspect many would work) is to cast them upon an open flame. The minute granules flare instantly, as if you were using aerosoled gasoline. From what I've seen, there's not a lot of heat. But our one firebug was enjoying throwing handfuls across campfires into people's laps. (Oh, and I suspect your deceased sparrows are not from WNV. Most bird species are not susceptable to the virus, simply carrying it along. The crow and other corvids, however, apparently often die within a week of exposure.)

To ".". She knew who you were right away, as did I. Thanks. Best wishes from her, too.

To Kim: wife loved your "this is MINE so bugger off" comment. Thanks. And thanks to those who sent expressions of concern on her surgery. She hasn't quite figured out what it is we have here in these OLJs, but she's starting to.

Also got my first Medi�val B�bes cd in the mail today: Undrentide. Good stuff. Wife agreed. May not complain if I spend money on a couple more. Thanks to those of you who recommended them.

More I wanted to say, but we're gonna try to run an antelope route tomorrow, so need to get some sleep.