Fieldwork day tomorrow

 * This time I have a helper; one of our research students is going to meet me at 8:30 on campus and either we'll caravan or carpool out to the site. This is a bit of a relief because it's helpful to have someone to carry some of the stuff, and also, if I step in a hole or get hurt or my knee gives out I've got assistance beyond my hiking staff for getting out of there. 

* So in case he wants to carpool, I cleaned out my car, and finally took a box that I received back a few days after I got back but never opened. This was something I had sent to myself. I knew it sitting in the hot car wouldn't hurt it, and I was busy. But I have it in the house and unboxed now:

A rock pick. It was my dad's. (He had five of them that we found). I had wanted to take one for a while, just to have and also because perhaps occasionally there might be a chance to go rockhounding (there are a few areas around here were you can go to look for fossils, and having a rockpick would be helpful for that). Also I just wanted it. 

* Also, in the course of looking something up ("what breed of dog is Lila on Bluey" (she is a Maltese, apparently) I found on the "official" Bluey page an "official" Bluey Heeler crochet pattern. They warn that it's "trifficult" but I have a lot of experience crocheting. I do know this uses the UK style terminology, so I'll have to remember that (for example: what they call double crochet is our single crochet). The funny thing is I never wanted a Bluey doll (despite the fact that money can easily be exchanged for one) but the idea of crocheting my own from a pattern that ABC Australia put up is kind of appealing. 

I think I have the right shade of pale blue  but next time I'm somewhere with acrylic yarn I'll have to look for the right color (especially the slightly odd dullish yellow that is her snout and inner ears)

* The other night I made roasted chickpeas and I have to remember that that's a good, simple "I need to eat something nutritious but don't know what" recipe: you drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, dry them well on either paper towels or a cloth kitchen towel, and then add about a teaspoon of olive oil and whatever spices you want (I used a little salt - they were unsalted chickpeas - and chili powder, garlic, paprika, and oregano). Then you put them in a pan (use a big enough one so there's space between them) and put them in a 350-375 degree oven for 20 minutes. (If you do them longer and hotter, they get crispier. I didn't want them *very* crispy). They're good, and are in a way like any of those spicy crackery nibbles that are probably higher in fat or salt and is ideal. And chickpeas are certainly economical. And you can keep a can of them on the shelf until you want them. I ate them up between today and yesterday.

they'd probably also make good salad toppings; most salad bars (back when such things were common) used to have a vat of drained canned chickpeas that you could add to your salad. 

* And my knee is still better. I really do think wearing Birkenstocks most of the time helps it, because it prevents my knee bending the "wrong" way (which make it hurt) and I think the exercise is starting to strengthen the muscles around it. So it's kind of a relief.