. they'll make a moving made for tv movie.

somewhere in the middle of this week, I planted my 100 thousandth tree of 2007. I never thought I'd see the day when I could encompass a big number like that in a single planting season.

I am sitting in the company of Misty the cat, a cool little tuxedo owned by two dear vegan friends. It's nice to have cats around again. Planting is one big dog binge. As this will be my last planting post, it's time for the top tens . This week is my last shift, where I'll eat what the quebecois call "tooski" (Tous qui reste dans le frigo).

top ten 2007//

- getting dreads. It turns out that every treeplanter has had dreads at some point. The night I got them done in a 12 hour sitting, over a dozen planters wandered in at intervals to do a dread, put some wax in, or tighten one. All were brimming with advice, stories about their dreadlocks, and offering me beads. I have one bead given to me that was made in a seventh year planters rookie season, and subsequently worn in two sets of dreadlocks.
-Grizzly bear sighting. Kind of an obvious one, but it was just too intense not to be mentioned again.\
- Snow day June 19th. Getting blanketed with big flakes, singing The rita Macneil Christmas album, and generally enjoying the beauty and novelty of it all. Snow in summer: how can you not be overjoyed?
- mix tapes. An amazing gift of several of the best planting mixes ever made, homemade and with love. I'll burn you a copy when I get home, you'll see why.
- riding shotgun all year. It let me get to know my foreman better, learn how to use the radio, and discern a grouse from a rock from an obscene distance.
- the dogs. They have sort of made a dynasty here, with families and interrelations spreading between camps. Some of the dogs here are such proud bush dogs. One, Manana, a white shorthaired lab mix, chased and took down a deer. Returned to the cache covered in blood. Most of the other dogs were just lifesavers in general, happy to see you, follow you, and offer you a vole they'd caught.
- Judy. Our camp cook, Goddess of the bush, mother to us all. This woman would fiercely scold someone for taking a spoon without asking, but if that same person was ill, she would be in the kitchen making them her special tea from hot pepper, ginger, lemon, and honey. She was also my port drinking buddy in the cold spring.
- moose on the land. So ridiculous/majestic. they dont walk, they hover and glide when they move.
-my tent. would that all apartments could be so small, so peaceful, and so simple.
- this moment: first day of spring season, my boots are new and stiff and the laces keep coming undone. An old logger/planter comes up to me and tells me about a special logger knot that keeps them tight. Expecting him to leave me to do it, he instead drops to one knee, unties my shoelaces and knots them back up for me. he called me "little miss loggerboots" for the rest of the season.

bottoms:

-accidentally pooping on a tree. Sorry, little guy.
-seeing a bear in the morning, then seeing it after it had been shot by locals.
- rose bushes. They are prickly.
-eating night shade thinking it was raspberries. NOT. stomach would not forgive me.

and the best for last. seeing you all, scratched up and weatherbeaten though I am.


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