Random November Happenings

This Jerusalem cricket showed up in the work parking lot one morning. It sure is a strange looking creature! Jerusalem crickets are nocturnal, so I don't seem them often. They are native to the West.

Our local 4-H club started dog training in late October, and we have been glad to take our nine-month old puppy. All the dogs are doing well, learning how to sit, stay, and heel, and generally getting used to other dogs and taking commands.

One session even had seven dogs at it, and they did well. We will go to Ely next July for the 4-H dog show competition. Since we're starting from scratch, it's good to start these training sessions early! We're starting with obedience and then will move on to agility.

I had a quick jaunt down to Lake Mead National Recreation Area for a two-day science conference sponsored by the Mojave Desert Network Inventory and Monitoring Network. I learned some interesting things, met colleagues from nearby park, reconnected with old friends, and gave a talk about Communicating Science.

Back at the park, I accompanied a researcher into Lehman Caves who was interested in the lampenflora, or cave algae and mosses and other stuff that grows by the cave lights. In some cases it almost looks like a forest! Ugh! This is bad for the native wildlife and can also change the pH of surfaces.

My husband took the kids fishing one day, and they were quite successful.

 

4-H Achievement Night was held, and Desert Boy walked away with lots of pins. The night was organized really well so it was shorter than in the past (hurray!). 

Desert Girl has had the opportunity to meet Pip, the new horse of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. She absolutely loves riding Pip.

I went back into the cave and found an actual plant growing among some of the algae. Sigh.

Later I went to one of the most gorgeous caves I've ever been to. The geology, particularly the mineralization, was stunning.

We oohed and aahhed as we did some monitoring. So many cool colors and forms.

 I still have a couple more posts to do from November, then I'll be ready to dive into December. The winter slowdown is sort of happening! And I like it.