We got the lab report today. Lady has squamous cell cancer in her toe (outside digit, right hind leg). The vet amputated it last week. I'm very angry about a missed diagnosis from another vet a month ago: a month's earlier amputation would have improved her chances of survival. But she's a tough gal (unless it's thundering, of course, which is another story altogether). We'll hope for the best.
I wrote back in March about the disappearing bees here at MeadowKnoll, and have been following the story since. "Who Killed the Honeybees" appeared in Salon last week. You may have to fiddle with the link to make it work (try google if it doesn't). It's worth the effort to read the article, which debunks the cell phone and microwave tower myths and offers a much more realistic explanation--a "perfect storm" of deadly factors, culminating in a very serious situation. Our wildflower bloom is the best we've had in years, but without bees, will there be any wildflowers next year?
Big storms here, lots of rain and wind but no serious damage. They're predicting better weather for week's end, which is just fine with me, because we're having a day of outdoor field-writing workshops as part of our conference. We closed registration, since we reached our limit (if you were putting it off to the last minute, you missed your chance). We're looking forward to a unique experience. To those of you who emailed me about posting my "personal mapping" workshop material, I'll let you know what's available after the conference.