Guess what? I'm "nice"!!!

The weather has once again turned nasty, but unlike last week, I was able to schedule a bit of field work while sun was still shining today. Julia and I headed out to south San Jose to look for the host plants of the rare bay checkerspot butterfly. Our site was just east of U.S. Highway 101 and consisted of rolling foothills colonized by annual grasslands and lots of beautiful little wild flowers. The landowner had obligingly removed the cows that he normally grazes on the site. I’m not fond of hiking around with cows as I feel compelled to examine their underpinning for evidence of testicles. My greatest fear is that one day I will be charged by an angry bull and be forced, like the Biologist of Steel, to clear 5 feet of barbwire fence in a single bound. Considering that it usually requires the assistance of another person and prolonged entanglements under the very best of circumstances, I think my chances of succeeding with a 3000 lb bull in hot pursuit is not good. But I digress. Julia brought her 19 month old son, Wyatt, along and schlepped him around in the backpack the whole time. He had a great time, and at the end of the outing pronounced me “nice”. Strange how a small child can make you feel more validated with a single word than all the cute guys you dated throughout your single years.