Tuesday morning random

Because it's foggy and the humidity hurt my lungs this morning, so I didn't work out.


* I have to run out to the field site for tomorrow's lab and see how it recovered (if it did) from the flooding. I presume - since it's a horseback riding trail that (a) most large debris will have been cleared and (b) there won't be any hunting going in in the vicinity. (I forget what season it is right now - maybe it's back to bow season? I think that's what my students were saying. I might borrow a fluorescent vest from one of my colleagues just in case)

* Two more textbook chapters have been sent my way to evaluate. I think of this as "yarn money" (though I won't necessarily spend it on that) because it's income over and above my regular gig, and income I can't always count on - totally unpredictable. The money is decent but I also enjoy the work and hopefully my level of attention to detail (I even point out typos, which really should already have been fixed by the time a manuscript is to this stage) makes the book better. That may be my late-afternoon work a couple days. (I have to do it up here; the files are on my desktop and they're too big to print and kind of large to transfer to my home computer)

* I'm working away on the current cowl. It's almost done, though I admit I have a hard time deciding "how big is big enough?" (This one is being knit in a circle, so the length I knit it is how "tall" the cowl is). Ideally they are long enough you can pull them up over your nose and mouth if it's really cold. Also, I will definitely need to wash this (maybe even use vinegar) because the dye is crocking off on my needles.

I want to get this done SOON because I'm making another one as a gift, and it has to be done by early December.

* I got to share one of those vaguely ridiculous stories that biologists (especially field biologists) sometimes wind up having yesterday. Back when I was in grad school, I was on a committee that was working on bringing a conference to campus. Also on the committee was the campus horticulturalist. One day he was VERY late to the meeting, which was unlike him. When he finally rushed in 1/2 hour late, he apologized, and said, "I got called in to the psych ward of the local hospital for a consult."

Of course, we all either laughed or looked at him, very puzzled: why would a horticulturalist be involved on a psych consult?

Ah, but: a guy was brought in having considerable seizures and other neurological issues. His mom, with whom he lived, found some plants in his room and also some rolling papers. Presumably he found this plant, assumed it was marijuana, and tried smoking some of it. None of the doctors knew what the plant was so they called the horticulturalist.

Turns out it was (IIRC) Leonurus cardiaca, also known as motherwort. Full of terpenes, and again IIRC, it was used to make a tea to give to mothers giving birth - but probably a REALLY bad idea to smoke.

I never did hear if the guy recovered or not but that's a little lesson in how plant identification can be important, even if you're not a botanist. (And probably also a lesson in "Don't smoke random stuff you find out in your yard," though I tend to think that goes without saying.)