A Crazy First Day

A first day unlike any other. 

With my mind back in Ottawa, I got up very early this morning to be sure I was ready to start the day. Of course, starting the day here means ensuring my bedding is out of my office and my clothes are not strewn anywhere obvious!  I read somewhere that work occurred between 8 and 5, so by 7:30, 7:45-ish I was at my desk eating breakfast. You, know, just in case. 

Soon, it was 8, then it was 9, 9:30, 9:45....I was surely in the right place, but very much alone. It took until about 10 for me to have any company - all of which was legitimate, but nevertheless surprising!

The rest of the morning was relatively relaxed - stories, conversation, questions, catching up - and then, in the blink of an eye, the rest of the afternoon was dedicated to rewriting a $2.5 million proposal to the federal government. Surprise!  Good thing I'd done a bit of homework in advance. I can cruise for 2 years if this gets funded, so cross your fingers everyone!!

Feeling like I was back in Ottawa with all these crazy, last minute expectations, the former Executive Director and I decided to have a working dinner. I had, in the quiet hours of the morning, written some 5 pages of questions.  So off we headed to the gate.....

I perhaps should have mentioned that it snowed all day here today. Not a lot, granted, but constantly. The snow (which is rare and is never salted) is sitting on top of some spectacular ice in places from their giant January melt. As Carolyn and I got to the gate there was a Forrester 'parked' by the keypad and an escort (or something) 'parked' against a snow bank.  About an hour earlier, our program manager had left and, in driving to the key pad slid sideways into it.  She went for help and Danny, the former owner, got his car stuck in a hole on his way into the Preserve!  He went back home for a pick-up (uninsured for added excitement), which arrived moments after we did.  We pulled/pushed/drove his car out of the hole (and I might add into the back of the pick-up) relatively easily, but not so much with the new Forrester.  The craziest series of attempts involving chains, shovels and a jack, led to the pick-up nearly going into a snow bank and eventually the SUV being pulled sideways once before sliding back into the keypad in a whole new place, and then twice for a successful exit. Poor Clare!

After all the excitement, we did manage a bit more.  The Preserve was selected today by the BC government to take ownership of a new male mountain goat.  It will be picked up next week and, assuming everything is good post-quarantine, will lead part of our current population in creating a second pasture (and hopefully some babies)!

Oh, and we did still have a working dinner.