Garden Math

source

You would think as a former Chemist I would know a thing or two about math. Which for some forms of math I do. I am pretty handy in the kitchen with conversions. Cooking is Chemistry simplified.Unless it is fancy cooking. I am REALLY good with sales and coupons. Percentages and subtraction no problem. And I am really good with Geometry, especially after thrifting and trying to figure out how to pack my car with all my stuff!  However, I feel the educational system has failed to adequately teach Garden Math.

What is Garden Math?  Well it's kinda  complicated . 

It involves the basic math principles like-

Addition (because there is always room for 1 more plant), Subtraction (for those you don't want/ like or doesn't perform well), Multiplication (Mint!!  'nuff said), and Division (the countless hours dividing bulbs and plants).

But then there are the higher level math principles

Apparently the mathematic principles I need to be schooled in are exponents,  probability theory and inverse statistics. I don't think that is a real math but it should be!.

I should  know the probability of  getting a bumper crop of Zucchini is a constant factor.I should know that the probability of being over run with weeds and bugs increases exponentially as the temperature increases.  And statistically speaking any crop I expect will be a low yield  will be inversely proportional to the pain in the arse it causes me.  

A Close Encounter

I wasn't able to share this pic sooner due to the power outage (on Friday)  but I found this guy (I guess it's a he) on my patio last Thursday evening.

I hope he makes it back to my garden and has a bug smorgasbord! As long as he doesn't eat my ladybugs

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

SIIIGGGHHHH.....

Yep that is  exactly how I was feeling this weekend. There was a bad storm that rolled through the Midwest on Friday. We had straight line winds that blew through, toppling trees, tearing off shingles, shredding siding and knocking out power for approximately 40,000 people locally.

We were affected by losing our electric for 22 hours. While we had no damage to our house, there was debris everywhere. The worst part was no power in 104°F heat. We lost ALL of our refrigerated and frozen items. By the time we cleaned out both refrigerators and freezers it was the equivalent to a 72 gallon trash can full. All the breads I had baked, vegetables I had put up from my garden and all the meat...gone. It made me so sad to see all that food in the trash-- KNOWING people go hungry everyday. Because I didn't take the necessary preparedness precautions it was all a waste.

That chest freezer I could have bought. That generator I should have bought. BUT DIDN'T! Woulda, coulda, shoulda

I am EXTREMELY grateful that no one was injured. That our home wasn't damaged. And to have the return of my creature comforts.

As uncomfortable as the entire experience has been it has taught us some invaluable lessons, that as much as we thought we would be okay during an emergency--we  are woefully unprepared. We ARE getting generator. And next will be the chest freezer. I am also organizing our emergency supplies. I am re-visiting my original post on emergency preparedness  and following my own advice.

Friday night was exceptionally quiet. All the usual hum, buzz and clatter of a modern life surrounding us was eliminated. What remained was clear sky full of stars visible because there were no distracting lights to obscure the view. I was able to hear nature's orchestra-- cicadas, crickets and frogs occasionally punctuated by the rustle of the wind through the trees. The air was  cool after a 30°F temperature drop and perfumed with the smell of rain. I was able to sit on my porch and think about how lucky we were are despite what amounts to nothing more than an inconvenience.

Saturday morning dawned hot, humid and hazy punctuated by the sounds of chainsaws and generators.

The scenes that follow were common place all over town

All images courtesy of The Western Star

The good that comes from this type of event  is seeing a community come together and work towards a common goal.  I was out and about on Saturday to buy ice for coolers, checking what  business's were open and unsuccessfully trying to buy or rent a generator. (And to blissfully revel in my air conditioned car!) 

What I noticed during my scouting expedition,  instead of everyone avoiding eye contact and scurrying through their day, people were communicating. Talking, sharing stories and offering advice. We are so self absorbed (most if us anyway)  that we don't take time to enjoy the sights, sounds and people who surround us. I actually had the opportunity to talk with my neighbors. Real conversations. Instead  of the waving as you back out of the driveway. I was able to witness random acts of kindness as people helped neighbors move debris, load supplies and offer directions to complete strangers on where to find equipment. It reminded me of  days gone by when the world was much simpler and dare I say more kind?  Despite it all, this experience was actually a welcome opportunity for a little self reflection--even if I didn't recognize it in the moment as a gift.