Jabba the Rock

Today, I really enjoyed my job.  Not that I don't normally enjoy my work, because I truly do, but today turned out to be one of those days where I kept thinking, "I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this!".  When these kind of days come along I try to pay close attention, so the next time I'm squinting at a computer monitor for too many hours in a row, and I begin to question the point of my existence, I can remind myself that it's not so bad because some days I get paid to go hiking in the woods.  

I think I was more appreciative of today's pleasant job than normal because I was dreading it so much.  I knew the temperature was going to start in the single digits and only climb to the teens for most of the day. When I stepped outside this morning to feed the chickens and my nostrils froze I was sure I was going to suffer all day.  And because the whole point of this job was to search for caves that could provide habitat for bats, and it was described to me as a cliff line, I imagined slipping and sliding on dangerously icy rocks while trying to scale a wall before plummeting to my icy death.   It would be impossible to retrieve my frozen body, so I would be eaten by vultures.   Needless to say, I was dreading it.  

Turns out though, that all I have to do to be instantly too warm in my many layers, is to walk up a hill.  There are advantages to not being super fit!  Not only was I toasty warm due to the constant climbing, but the cliff line wasn't horribly steep, and all the extra clothes I was wearing made it possible for me to bounce off the icy rocks like an overstuffed teddy bear.  We hiked all over the forested slopes looking for caves.  It was the perfect day for a snowy hike in the woods.  

Jamie and I were admiring the tree in the photo above, which was growing in a crack on a rock outcrop.  I took the picture of him on the rock, and when I showed him the photo he pointed out that it looks just like Jabba the Hut, from Star Wars.  The more I look at it the more it looks like Jabba.  It's Jabba the Rock!  Jabba wabba wookie, ah ah ah ah ah Jedi.