Betty Adams's Blog, page 97

The Snow and the Science

One of the more galling aspects of being an author is realizing that most of being an Author isn't actually writing, or even editing. There is marketing; going to conventions, e-mailing for reviews, having giveaway competitions. There is finding a cover artist. There is all sorts of things that have little do do with writing but everything to do with keeping body and soul together so you CAN write. This is true for many arts.
This is also true for Science. So much of a scientist's life involves things that have little to do with true science. There is cleaning your tools. There is maintaining your office. Be that office a lab in a city or a swath of wild land full of bears, butterflies, and button mushrooms. This can be pulling weeds, this can be scrubbing and scouring a seemingly infinite number of crystal vials. 
This day, this author did SCIENCE. There was hiking with a co-worker through ankle deep snow. There was data gathering. There was data recording. There was a storm moving in over the horizon. There was protecting the data sheet from rain, then the sleet, then the snow. There was debating weather it was safe to stay out longer. There was getting ordered over the radio to *GET BACK TO THE OFFICE NOW".

Today was a good day for science.

Also there were cookies. 
And a fluffy puppy in the office. 
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Marvelous Hands

"Hosemate On The Phone: "...and I bet that Ground Squirrels would give great neck rubs. They have those wonderful little hands.
Me Across the Room: Bursts out in suppressed laughter trying not to disturb her phone call.
Housemate's Dad on Her Phone: Bursts out laughing at my reaction.
​Housemates: *grins* 

Ducks Season? Rabbit Season!

Sometimes you have to go looking for inspiration. Sometimes inspiration hops out onto the field and takes you by storm. 
This does recall to me the pet rabbit whose hutch was shared with a coupled of ducks I had as a child. They were decent friends and I seem to recall the rabbit being marginally more cuddly than the ducks. Both have "claws" under the fluff by the way. If you want pet duckies and bunnies be prepared for a lifetime of minor lacerations. 
​Hop on. 

Disqus and Comments

The more observant reader might notice that the comments section is once again up and running. This author won't know if it is running correctly until someone gives it a try but one does hope. 
It turns out that at some point a change was made in a minor portion of this website (Disqus was not at fault at all, they do good work) and after several weeks of procrastination this author sat down and poked through the various option boxes on both websites until the ends that didn't meet showed themselves and were tied together. 
Long story short, the comments are working again. Cheers. 

George Eliot Quote

"We are more distinctly conscious that rude penances are out of the question for gentlemen in an enlightened age, and that mortal sin is not incompatible with an appetite for muffins."
George Eliot-"Adam Bede"

Stubborn to a Fault

If you find yourself needing to write a stuborn character it is a good idea to go hang out around goats for a while.
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Fly Away

Here is an image of a skimmer Dragonfly for this author's third sick day in a row. Actually the first day only the internet connection was ailing but the result is the same so...

Beauty From Violence

Pumice and a dwarf monkey-flower (Mimulus nanus) are the twined results of violent volcanic explosions and a rain shadow that creates the desert environs the dwarf monkey-flower needs. 

Life, Death, and Rebirth

A forest is an ever changing mass of life, death, and rebirth. Cones drop from the trees and fall to the ground, seemingly devoid of life. Fire, water, or air carries the seeds off into the soil to sprout into a tree that might one day tower higher than most buildings. In time that three falls down, so forth and so on. Even if the forest is disturbed by some great calamity, such as a volcanic eruption or firestorm the seeds banked away in the soil sprout again. 
Life, death, rebirth. 

Long Drives

Long drives make you very, very sleepy. goodnight world.