It comes as no surprise that certain experiences associated with tree planting get blocked from my mind. And what I do remember, is remembered in an ephemeral, dream like way. I can think of the rain, but the misery and cold don’t come through. I can remember the heat, but the exhaustion and dizzy spells are overshadowed by the joys of the lake. Campfires, nights in town and the food shine through the mess and act as the gauntlet or Rubicon that all negative thoughts must attempt to filter through.

The bugs however, are instantly erased and forgotten the minute I sit on the plane which brings me home. It is not that they are easy to forget, rather they take such a toll on our psychological well being that they are best forgotten; stored away in the dark recesses of our minds. This is all to say that the bugs are back. Today was flying ant day and the experience of having hundreds of ants landing on you, locked in a feverish love making session is well, traumatic. Add to this the thousands of mosquitoes, no-see-ums and black flies and a small part of you begins to die. I now understand why the Soviets in the Gulag system would use insects as a means of torture. The upside to this all is when through the silence of the woods you hear people scream “fuuuuuuck!!!”.

It has been a busy week. Good weather and lots of planting. Late days make writing hard but I have much ranting to do about the industry and the treatment of planters in my next update.
I will also have to write about the marriage proposal that occurred on our block this week!