Week 16 - Hydrogen

Wow, I can really see the priorities of my readers if I look back on the page views. Whiskey came in a quick first, finally beating out a Halloween cross-dressing post. Yikes! But thankfully, the drinkers came through. I thought about continuing the trend by naming this week's post "gas", since that is pretty much all I've worked with this past week, but I thought I'd just be a little more specific about what is rapidly absorbing my life like a sponge.

Over the past week, I have continued to strive with our fermenters in hopes of getting a better gas seal. This struggle has made me increasingly aware of what a big feat it will be when we can finally get this measurement up and running accurately. I joked with my advisor about the Nobel prize, entirely implausible, telling him that by the time we got it for saving the world from Methane I would instead need to accept it posthumously on his behalf. Of course, by then we will have gone through another half-dozen threats to our survival, too, so no big deal. But I do seriously feel as if my PhD work will take that long sometimes.

After the fun outside, Betsy paid the price with a bath. So pitiful.

Meanwhile, I've been working on better relaxing at home on the weekends. I am now what I would consider a full-fledged member of the Arbor Day Foundation, having received my membership trees and either planted them or given them away to other good homes. Funny scam, that foundation is, and ironic that I joined it since I used to be a heavy trash burner, but we will probably not be joining again because they continue to sell my name and address out, as well as try to squeeze me for money. Dogwoods and Redbuds got placed around the house (at a safe distance) to provide some new color. Our pasture was short on shade, so I put a few fast growers and one big tree out there to hopefully add some comfort to the sheep (which we loaded out over the weekend - traumatic process). They will return again in the Spring once I've had time to put dirt floor into the barn with windows for ventilation and once all the downed trees are finally burned or cut up.

Speaking of cutting, I've been getting pretty good at splitting wood. My accuracy struggled at first, but no harm was done. It's not something that I grew up doing, nor would anyone attest to my being a high grade in the hand-eye coordination spectrum, but I am quickly improving. Betsy, on the other hand, seems to have a deathwish and jumps around the wood when I am cutting. We're still working on her. However, she has finally learned to go out in the dark and come back without needing to be on a leash, so that is good. Perhaps the cooler nights is leading to enforcing this behavior as well.

Unfortunately, this wasn't where I wanted to plant a tree.

The cool weather has brought on fires in our fireplace, one of the perks to this house when we were shopping. The heat doesn't project as well as I'd imagined, but the wood is still green and often wet in this damp weather, so it will be some time before we have roaring fires on the hearth. I am hurrying to finish up the mantelpiece before Christmas so that we have something to hang the stockings on - I know how much that means to my wife. She and I have such different takes on firebuilding. Me, I like the painful struggle of the flame as it works its way through the first few pieces. I like to use 1 match, no paper and the shred off the starters. I've also been known to use gasoline and set things off in a hurry (the best never get caught on video), but not indoors or for civilized fires. However, methodical as she might be, my wife is all hell in a handbasket about fires inside. Sure, she'll tell you all about how she has it down to a science, but the truth of the matter is that she likes to hit it hard with paper and set the damn thing to roaring. Hopefully that catches the wood, and hopefully she doesn't find this blog post. ;)

Not much of a reader, but she likes to sit and help.

With fires comes reading, and I've settled down to a new Shaara book. Not his newest, but it's new to me - based in the Pacific war after Pearl Harbor. It seems appropriate, since it was just this past week that we observed our 71st Pearl Harbor Day. It's insane to think about how long ago that was. This year it was a rainy Friday as I walked to class, and I couldn't believe they left the flags out in that mess. I know that they wanted to honor the fallen, but one would think that respect to THE FLAG would also dictate to keep it out of the rain. Just a pet peeve of mine.

Finally, as Obama's 1st term starts to wrap up, there is one member of his cabinet that I will hopefully not have to say goodbye to: Vilsack. Secretary Vilsack has been a great leader and an outspoken, yet reasonable, ambassador for agriculture. We should be proud of the service he has given, and grateful. On a few occasions, I have had the opportunity to see him in person, and watch his interactions with highschool youth in the 4-H program. He is not only respectful, but takes the rhetoric of our "future leaders" off the table. Rather than patronize kids, he takes their voices one-on-one and debates with them about their opinions on issues, while educating them in the gaps of knowledge. He treats them like leaders rather than talks of them as leaders. I only wish we had more politicians like him.