Week 4

Four weeks down, four to go. “Whoa, we’re halfway there, whoa, living on a prayer!”

I wrote this blog last weekend, and didn’t find any time to post it during the week. Although my routine is about to change, since we’ll be isolated in Black Bay for the next three weeks, I’m going to post it anyways, because I found out that Fanny Geleynse likes to read my blog because I explain tree planting better than her boys do. So Mrs. G., this is what my experience has been like, and it’s likely a taste of what your boys have been up to for the past however-many summers. Enjoy!

My alarm goes off at 6:22, and after hitting snooze exactly 3 times, I roll over, mumble “Do I have to?” to Jordan, then put on the exact same clothes as the day before: bright blue pants that are much too big, but too comfy not to wear, a bright red soccer t-shirt, a touque, and three pairs of socks (yes, still in 30 degree weather)—all of which smell like a week’s worth of sweat and swamp water. Delicious.

I brush my teeth in the bushes, and don’t rinse with water because I was too lazy to refill my water bottle…again…so I end up swallowing a mouth full of fluoride. Also delicious.

I put on my boots, fill my water jugs, go pee, make a lunch, and eat breakfast. Always in that order. It’s clear that routine has come to preceed common sense, because every day I make a coffee, and every day I dump it out. This is for two reasons: 1) camp coffee is gross, 2) hot water goes right through me. I’ve only finished my coffee once, and that was the day we got lost on the way to the block and had a 2 ½ hour bus ride. Big mistake—the process of relieving oneself in the block is both time consuming and frustrating when female. Find a hidden spot, take your bags off, make sure a tree-checker hasn’t wandered into your piece, get your toilet paper out, try not to get scratched by slash…I’d rather hold it til 6:00pm. But I digress…

At 7:05 I get on the bus, because I can count on Brandon being 10 minutes late, and as we leave the camp I begin the process of finding my ipod, exchanging my touque for a head scarf (classier than a bandana), putting on 50 SPF sunscreen, and then duct-taping my fingers. Again, always in that order. Brad describes my duct-taping as “meticulous”. I think I like that.

Then I plant trees.

At 5:00 I get back on the bus, eat a snack, and that’s where there’s a bit of surprise in my day—will it be cookies? Or will I choose the orange? Who knows!? Not me…not until snack time. I ride the bus for an hour, sometimes listening to music, sometimes to “A Grief Observed” by C.S. Lewis, and sometimes to Jordan singing Kesha. Again, it’s a chance to mix up the routine a bit, and really depends on my mood. This week I wasn’t in a very good mood, so Kesha was usually out.

We arrive at camp around 6:00, sometimes 7:00, and that’s the best part of the day: dinner. Kristen always greets me with a smile and asks how my day was, and after dinner and dessert, which are always delicious, I go back to the cook shack to sit on the counter and chat with Kristen some more. Even if I had a crappy day I can count on smiling during those few minutes, which sometimes turn into an hour because it’s hard to leave Kristen’s company.

I head to the tent around 9:00 or 10:00, get on my PJs, tie a scarf around my head because it’s bright as noon outside, and fall into bed, exhausted. Then I close my eyes and I hope I don’t dream about planting trees.

At 6:22 it begins all over again.

It sounds monotonous, but I really don’t mind routine. It’s comfortable, and once I’ve convinced myself that all of this—brushing me teeth in the bushes, riding a bus to work, sleeping with a scarf on my face—that it’s all normal, then it’s not so hard to get out of bed in the morning. However, it’s not to say I don’t enjoy the things that stray from the usual. I think those things may have been what kept me from slumping into depression this week. I was feeling a bit under the weather and didn’t plant so well this week, so when I was feeling grumpy and frustrated, the unusual made my days a bit brighter.

Like a bus ride down to the beach on Tuesday night to cool off and wash up.

And a ride into Thunder Bay on Wednesday night, just to get the iced cap I’d been dreaming about all day in the block. Okay, I admit I bought one, and it was so good that I stopped 10 minutes later at the next Tim’s just to buy a second one. Only cost 20 trees…

And celebrating Man Day on Thursday with steak, beer chugging, and Highland games.

And…well Friday was just a bad day.

And celebrating Graduation Day on Saturday. Since we couldn’t be home for grad, Jordan, Kristen, Greg (Kristen’s boyfriend who flew down for the weekend) and I went out for dinner at the Keg on Saturday night. Ritzy! Also, during the day, since I forgot my ipod, I made up the Graduation Day song , which I sang at the top of my lungs across the block to Tim and Brett, who were also missing grad. I sang it to everyone who would listen, and though I can’t sing it to you, I will share the lyrics because…well, dang, I’m just the next best thing in the song-writing world. Please sing this song to whatever tune you choose, and imagine it being sung as it was meant—as loud as possible, and only occasionally on key:

Happy Graduation Day

You just received your BA

Or maybe it’s a BSc

Either way it’s a degree!

You are smart now all will know

‘Cause you’ll have a diploma to show

But not for another 4 weeks

‘Cause you’re a sucker planting trees!

To all my recently graduated friends—congratulations! I spent a lot of time on Saturday digging up fond memories from the past 5 years and Redeemer, and feeling pride that we made it through all the papers, exams, early morning classes, and late night cram sessions. And we made it because we had each other. So thanks for being there to share in the school stuff, and even better, all the other stuff that keeps us sane. University has been a blessing, and you are all a huge part of that. Cheers to the future, my friends!