Baked oatmeal and the bread machine in operation wafting delicious aromas throughout the motor home are the highlights of this day. And having been reassured by Oprah that bread doesn’t cause any weight gain, we will pig out on fresh bread later this afternoon.

 This ain’t Yuma. It was 24 degrees this morning, and as the temps kept plummeting through the 30’s last night, I unhooked the hose and shut off the water. In New Mexico, we had bought an electrically heated water hose for just such conditions. After spending a month in Yuma and being lulled into thinking winter was only a memory, I left the hose stored in the basement when we arrived here at Desert NWR. Yesterday we got up to fresh snow on all the mountains, some light patchy snow around the refuge compound, and gale force winds that kept wind chill temperatures at a point unfit for man or dog. Today the wind has lessened and temps should get into the 40’s, but it’s still damn uncomfortable being outside. How do the people in places like Minnesota live?

We attended our first staff meeting yesterday morning. The staff consists of a Refuge Manager, a biologist, a repairman, and a law enforcement officer. This is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the lower 48 states and is managed by only 4 permanent staff. Hmmm. In addition to the staff there was an intern who is with Ecological Services (one of the branches of the Fish and Wildlife Service) and the other volunteer. The hot topic for the meeting was an update on increased security for at least the next 2 weeks because of what has happened in OR. There are three officers that will provide 24-7 security to the compound where we are staying. That was reassuring.

After the completion of the meeting, we spent another couple of hours with the refuge manager getting our orientation to the visitor center. Our gig will definitely be relaxed and quiet; a stark contrast to a volunteer’s life at Bosque del Apache. The VC is open Thursday through Sunday. Volunteers from the area run the VC on Thursday, and Friday and Saturday mornings. We will be responsible for the VC on Friday and Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday. The maintenance volunteer who was here when we arrived will be leaving in about 20 days, and a new volunteer couple will be arriving the first of April.

I think it is now time to eat bread, thank you, Oprah, and try to keep warm.