Here is my fruit hat, from start-to-finish! Well I'm almost finished, but I'm too anxious. I had to share!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Knitting (for) a Miracle!
Here is my fruit hat, from start-to-finish! Well I'm almost finished, but I'm too anxious. I had to share!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Thyme is flying!
Literally! I made a delicious acorn squash soup with prosciutto (and thyme) and it was delicious! It got thrown all over the counters while I tried to make that and a simplified coq au vin at the same time.
I'm juggling teaching and research and really busy. However, I would like to take some time now and then to blog again. I really enjoy the writing practice. So I'm writing today to get in the habit again.
I'll be headed out to the desert on Thursday to look at the invasion of fountain grass in a canyon there. I hope to get a good start on my research out there.
I can't believe it's almost midway through November!
L
I'm juggling teaching and research and really busy. However, I would like to take some time now and then to blog again. I really enjoy the writing practice. So I'm writing today to get in the habit again.
I'll be headed out to the desert on Thursday to look at the invasion of fountain grass in a canyon there. I hope to get a good start on my research out there.
I can't believe it's almost midway through November!
L
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Up High: Big Sky and Tiny Flowers
Last weekend I went on my first backpacking trip to the Sierras. It's technically my second visit to the region, my first being a brief 24-hour escape to Sequoia National Forest, land of overwhelmingly giant trees, small red "snow plants" and meadows full of corn lilies. It was a car-camping excursion spent overwhelmed by the height of the mountains, the clarity of the Kern River and the scenery, and the fun of escaping the smoggy air of Southern California with some out-of-town guests.
This second trip was an overnight backpack, albeit a brief one. We hiked out of Horseshoe Meadow trailhead, up to a pass, and north on the Pacific Crest Trail to Chicken Springs Lake. After a night spent acclimating at the trailhead campground, we headed out on the trail. A total lack of understory vegetation was the first thing I noticed. Giant trees cast their defined shadows on bare white rock and sand and surrounded us for the first 2 miles. A few lupines formed low silvery mounds like little area rugs here and there in the forest.
As we climbed up the pass, slowly (though we beat a small pack of boys and male adults WITH our 30 lb packs!), we began to see some more vegetation- a shrub in the oak family (name escapes me), looking a little like a small magnolia, and some more flowers popped up here and there. Totally unexpected for me, as flowers bloom in my area in the winter and late spring into early summer. The late summer is a time for senescence and seed dispersal. Nevertheless, purple sages, large yellow asters and others popped up here and there, it seemed, just to keep us from succumbing to the thin air and our eagerness to sit and rest.
The final push to the lake was tough, as my pack wasn't adjusted properly (my fault), and the chest strap was missing, so I had tied a bandana between the straps, basically putting weight on my collarbone. I was eager to take off my pack!
At the lake, the scenery was unbelievable. Thick, hardy pines dotted the rocky area surrounding the lake. Nearer to the water, a small area of meadow formed a wonderful carpet of grass, and small flowers. We spent the afternoon photographing those, pumping water and then cooking our meal at an overlook over Big Whitney Meadow.
An experience to remember, especially literally the cool weather at the moment as I go about my day-to-day research planting seeds, and remembering that it won't be 104 degrees all winter!
This second trip was an overnight backpack, albeit a brief one. We hiked out of Horseshoe Meadow trailhead, up to a pass, and north on the Pacific Crest Trail to Chicken Springs Lake. After a night spent acclimating at the trailhead campground, we headed out on the trail. A total lack of understory vegetation was the first thing I noticed. Giant trees cast their defined shadows on bare white rock and sand and surrounded us for the first 2 miles. A few lupines formed low silvery mounds like little area rugs here and there in the forest.
As we climbed up the pass, slowly (though we beat a small pack of boys and male adults WITH our 30 lb packs!), we began to see some more vegetation- a shrub in the oak family (name escapes me), looking a little like a small magnolia, and some more flowers popped up here and there. Totally unexpected for me, as flowers bloom in my area in the winter and late spring into early summer. The late summer is a time for senescence and seed dispersal. Nevertheless, purple sages, large yellow asters and others popped up here and there, it seemed, just to keep us from succumbing to the thin air and our eagerness to sit and rest.
The final push to the lake was tough, as my pack wasn't adjusted properly (my fault), and the chest strap was missing, so I had tied a bandana between the straps, basically putting weight on my collarbone. I was eager to take off my pack!
At the lake, the scenery was unbelievable. Thick, hardy pines dotted the rocky area surrounding the lake. Nearer to the water, a small area of meadow formed a wonderful carpet of grass, and small flowers. We spent the afternoon photographing those, pumping water and then cooking our meal at an overlook over Big Whitney Meadow.
An experience to remember, especially literally the cool weather at the moment as I go about my day-to-day research planting seeds, and remembering that it won't be 104 degrees all winter!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Summer in CA: Data and Knitting
So it's that time of year again. Nothing is growing, it's August and summer conferences are over, there are no holidays to distract, and classes haven't started yet.
To boot, my experiments are starting in late fall, and I can't get out to do my observation work while it's still 100 degrees in the desert (maybe at night with infrared goggles!).
So here I am inside, organizing plot data from the spring (percent cover of species in plots along with fountain grass). It's been satisfying to see the data progress from a messy datasheet to a clean copy to an organized excel spreadsheet. Just spent the day lumping plants into "functional groups" (e.g. adding up all the exotic/native perennial/annual forb/grasses/shrubs % covers and all possible combinations thereof). We'll see how the data looks. Either way I'll be glad to be dealing with nice clean data when I write my dissertation even if I don't get to analyze it now.
Also paralleling winter in the east is the urge to nest, knitting. I just learned and here is my first strip (well my first knitting since I was very young). I can see my progress already!
So here's to the coming of fall and winter. So I can get outside, do my experiments and give my knitted objects to their new owners! It can't come soon enough!
L
To boot, my experiments are starting in late fall, and I can't get out to do my observation work while it's still 100 degrees in the desert (maybe at night with infrared goggles!).
So here I am inside, organizing plot data from the spring (percent cover of species in plots along with fountain grass). It's been satisfying to see the data progress from a messy datasheet to a clean copy to an organized excel spreadsheet. Just spent the day lumping plants into "functional groups" (e.g. adding up all the exotic/native perennial/annual forb/grasses/shrubs % covers and all possible combinations thereof). We'll see how the data looks. Either way I'll be glad to be dealing with nice clean data when I write my dissertation even if I don't get to analyze it now.
Also paralleling winter in the east is the urge to nest, knitting. I just learned and here is my first strip (well my first knitting since I was very young). I can see my progress already!
So here's to the coming of fall and winter. So I can get outside, do my experiments and give my knitted objects to their new owners! It can't come soon enough!
L
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Miraculous fruit
I planted some tomato seedlings a few weeks ago. They have been accumulating little branches with flowers, and then I saw one day that tiny green shiny balls had appeared where the pistil was. Two days ago I sat outside for a lot of the day and watched as the little fruits on the lowermost branch turned from a greenish-yellow to a full orange by the end of the day. These are the first fruit that I have ever grown myself and it's just such a miracle watching them grow. I have a similar feeling watching large flowers come from a tiny bud at the node, grow outward, grow a pedicel, sepals, petals, stamens and carpels. It's just amazing that a hunk of cells "knows what to do."
In any case, my miraculous bounty (of 10-20 cherry tomatoes, ha ha) is arriving just in time for my trip far and away (to a greener place!) for a few weeks. They will have to be part of the reward for my house-sitter.
Eat tomatoes and feel blessed!
In any case, my miraculous bounty (of 10-20 cherry tomatoes, ha ha) is arriving just in time for my trip far and away (to a greener place!) for a few weeks. They will have to be part of the reward for my house-sitter.
Eat tomatoes and feel blessed!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Missed it by 24 hours
Well the Corpse flower hadn't opened at the Huntington when we went to see it. However, the entire gardens were open and we spent the entire day looking at plants from all over the world. It was pretty amazing all around. Here are some pictures, although I'm sad I don't have pictures of it open!It was in a hot, humid glass house filled with tropical plants. I can't imagine being in there when it smells like something's dead! They actually have 5 planted in there that were propogated by seed from the 1999 flowering. Imagine if all 5 bloomed at once in a hot, humid, enclosed space? Whew!!
The leaves were incredible! The Amorphophallus puts out one gigantic leaf. The petiole is the size of a person's arm!
We saw what looked like a reddish tinge inside and we thought, it's going to open any time now.
We even considered sticking it in a paper bag with some bananas :) but of course that would not be allowed. :)
The Huntington was beautiful! Truly a treasure and actually a bargain even at $15. It absolutely delighted us at every turn, and at the end of the day, we were surprised to see that 6 hours had passed, and we had to leave.
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