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Motherhood: The Measuring Stick – Part 1
By nature, I am a student. I love the entire process – the initial curiosity, the exploration, finding answers, applying the answers, and the evaluation. When I finished my PhD back in 2007, I found myself at a loss. I switched to the role of teacher and suddenly the only measurement of my work was if I was kept employed…
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PPD and Me
For the sake of learning to be more transparent and hopefully so that other new mamas don’t feel alone in their struggle to adjust to a new “normal”, I’m going to keep journaling my experiences with postpartum depression. Newborns don’t give a mama much sleep. I knew this, I’d done it before. I probably could have used some help last…
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Waging War on the Ants
Fire Ant Colony 4, building their nest this afternoon before I attacked (The attack was like a really moving Pasodoble on SYTYCD… one that brings Nigel to tears and has the angsty pre-teen audience on their feet screaming when they should be sitting in awestruck silence): The thought crossed my mind this afternoon that it was possible that my entire…
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Saffron Rice Stuffed Peppers
Last summer my bell peppers were sad due to the failed “Pillar of Peppers” experiment, but this year they have been growing large and fleshy and great for stuffing. We’ve already have two dinners with plenty leftovers, and it looks like we will get to have them again tonight! Last summer I posted a recipe for Three Cheese Stuffed Peppers…
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Elastic Strain, Plastic Strain and Hysteresis
When you add weight to a rubber band, it stretches. When you remove that weight, it returns to its original shape but not along the same path. As you remove the weight incrementally, the band contracts slightly less than it was stretched until the last weight is removed – this property is called hysteresis. If you were to observe a…
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Okra Seed Saving
Saving okra seeds is as simple as letting an okra pod grow until it has dried on the plant, breaking it open and pouring out the seeds. Seeds that are ready are greenish-black and hard. Seeds that are not ready are soft and white. However, if you are growing more than one kind or have neighbors that are growing a…
