Tales from the Microbial Laboratory

Belle W. Baruch

~a neighboring marine laboratory~

Today the eclair-baking postdoc and I went on a bit of an adventure - about an hour to the north, to an absolutely stunning place - another South Carolina marine laboratory.

It was a beautiful place and a wonderful day.

More to come.

~thankful to be back in the Airstream~

~Stanley on Thanksgiving morning~

~~~~~

My camera received little attention over the past week - I think the only time that I took it anywhere with me was on Thanksgiving morning when I went outside early with Stanley.  It was a foggy morning - a day that didn't feel much like a holiday, since I had spent the previous 48 hours in the first floor basement of my Father's home, going through my Mother's things.

It's strange, the things that get to you:  a pair of pinking shears.  Images of my Mother cutting out patterns when I was young came rushing back into my head - she used to sew alot when I was young.  And there was rick-rack...remember rick-rack?  Then there was a bag of her Mother's dresses - so my Grandmother Frankie - cut into squares ready to be made into a quilt.  I've never liked to sew (confession:  I got a 'D' in Home Economics in 7th grade mainly because of the sewing projects) but going through all of my Mom's bags of fabric made me want to make a quilt.  Perhaps a quilt of my Grandmother's dresses.  (Yeah, right, just what I need - something else to do).   

~~~~~

~tiny spiderweb boats sailing across the forest floor~

~~~~~

I wasn't at my best this week.  I was worn out, tired, quiet - focused more on what I needed to get done for my Father (which were two large projects:  cleaning out the first floor basement apartment for his 'live-in' person and organizing/taking over his finances) than on being either gracious or friendly.  It was a bit overwhelming, no - it was alot overwhelming - this taking over of my Father's life.  It had to be done, undeniably, and it's a relief tonight knowing that things will be a bit easier for him as a result.  He is such a sweet, sweet man - and is fighting little of this transition.  Tonight his live-in healthcare person is with him - he really enjoys her, and she's great with him.  She'll be moving this week into the first floor apartment - a bed will be delivered on Monday or Tuesday for her - and hopefully soon she'll be settled in, and they'll get into a comfortable routine.  So all of that is good - and now I'm home, exhausted, but back in the Airstream.

It was strange coming home, and first turning on the electricity at the fuse box and the water before opening the door of my 'home'.  The Vornado heater is on - and it's finally warming up.  It was 49 degrees inside when I got home - which really isn't too bad (I had turned the electricity and water off for the week).  It was strange in my Dad's home - I kept thinking to myself 'wow, he heats up all of this space!' and I know it's this whole getting used to compact living thing and the truth is that I rarely sit in the Airstream thinking 'I wish this place was larger'.  I'm sure the time will come, but thankfully it hasn't happened yet.

It's time to sleep.  I'm tired, drained, emotionally-spent and glad to be home.

~~~~~

~back on I-95 tomorrow~

~Pyrus pyrifolia, asian pear~

This pear has such nice fall color - and, as for the pears, I battle for them with the squirrels each year.  The squirrels are winning.

~~~~~

I'm heading to Virginia tomorrow - I'll make a stop for an early dinner with one of my Mother's sisters in Richmond, and then I'll head to Earlsyville and my Dad's home.  It'll be nice to meet Dad's new live-in healthcare person - she seems so nice, and he likes her so much.  So far - so good, even better than good.

~~~~~

 
~the face in the oak~

It does look like a face, doesn't it?  Perhaps like the face of an owl?  I was standing outside with the Pointer Sisters today - and there it was, staring back.  It's not so odd that I noticed it really, I've mentioned my fascination with bark before.  In fact, I'm working on getting a group of 'bark' photographs framed for a little show sometime in the winter.

~~~~~

My visit to Virginia should be a busy one - I'll be helping my Dad's new healthcare person to get settled in to a above-ground 'basement' apartment so that she has space of her own for the five days she stays with him each week.  I've also got to get Dad's finances streamlined so that he doesn't miss paying his bills on time (which has happened numerous times recently) - I'll probably just get my name on his bank account so I can pay things online from Charleston.  There will also be an interview with my Father's longterm health insurance provider, and my Father also has an MRI on Wednesday - to rule out that he hasn't had a small stroke or seizure which might explain his cognitive decline.  And yes, there will be Thanksgiving dinner - at my Mom's sister's club on the James River in Richmond (I know, no leftovers - perhaps I'll cook on Friday?  Maybe...maybe not.).

~~~~~

~the Pointer Sisters at rest~

Yes, it's one of those rare moments - but since some recent fence repairs, the Pointer Sisters have been getting their much-needed twenty miles or so of running in each day - resulting in sweet, sweet exhausted Pointer Sisters by night.  Unfortunately this duo has to go to the kennel tomorrow - with so much to do in Virginia, having them come along would be prohibitive.  So I'll take them to the kennel first thing in the morning, and I feel a bit bad because I didn't call in time to get their usual kennel (that has two acres fenced in for them to run) - so tomorrow they check in to a kennel with your typical dog run, and not much more.  They'll be together though, so that is good.

I really enjoy the Pointer Sisters.

~~~~~

I'm not looking forward to tomorrow's drive - I think there will be rain most of the way - at least I-95 shouldn't have alot of traffic.  I've downloaded the book 'The Help' to listen to along the way - I've heard good things about it, and it sounds like it might be a good one for the road.  Stanley will be traveling with me (he's so good) and Haiku will have the place (aka Airstream) to herself (with someone stopping by to check on her).

I'm sure I'll be checking in here from time-to-time too.

~off Amicus Road~

~a barn off Amicus Road in Greene County, Virginia~

~~~~~

I'm back in Charleston - to a predicted low tonight of 38 degrees.  That is pure craziness if you ask me - it's just mid-October!  Fortunately the Airstream is warm.  I've got three options for heat:  there is a propane heating system (at least I think it's propane, I haven't dealt with it yet), and then the rooftop Carrier AC unit (the standard Air V model here) that includes a heat pump - but what's keeping me warm right now is an electric 'Vornado' (this one, to be precise) that works like a charm.  I won't keep it on when I sleep (I'll probably rely on the Carrier unit at night) - but for now, it's just about perfect.

~~~~~

While in Virginia, on Saturday afternoon when my father took a nap, I went for a drive.  It wasn't peak color - but it was still beautiful for this coastal South Carolinian.  I decided to take a new route - and I ended up in Amicus (in Greene County, Virginia) and from Amicus Road I found a new (new to me that is) 'mountain', Bingham Mountain, by following Bingham Mountain Road until it intersected Simmons Gap (which was a road familiar to me).  It was a wonderful road, only partially paved in places - and there were some wonderful old farms on both side of the roads.  At one point there was a narrow, one-lane bridge that went over a small creek - I wanted to stop and photograph it, but unfortunately there was an anxious farmer behind me, someone annoyed already at finding me in front of him, driving slowly (akin to the leafpeepers...).  I finally was able to pull over and let him pass me, and then didn't see another car on the road until I arrived back at my Dad's home.  

~~~~~

 

~another view along Amicus Road~

~~~~~

It was a colorless sky afternoon - low, harmless clouds were moving through, covering the faded peaks of far off mountains.  The most beautiful part of the landscape were the abandoned fields - gold to burnt orange grasses, the deep red of the sumac, touches of greens - colors of the autumn palette.

~~~~~

 

~again, off Amicus Road~
~~~~~

It was nice to experience a touch of Autumn.  It was also nice to visit my father - to leave him with a freezer full of brocolli-chicken casserole (divided into individual servings), a clean refrigerator, and memories of another successful spaghetti dinner.  We also talked about many difficult subjects, and I think we both handled it well - and approached it with a bit of humor and realism and hopefully, yes hopefully, my father knows that the conversations were only because so many of us care about him.  As I got ready to leave this morning, he made sure I had a few bananas and some grapes and pumpkin bread (a gift from a neighbor) packed for the drive - just as my mother would have done.  My father is an awfully sweet man.

coyotes

~~~~~

Isn't it interesting...how biology repeats iself?  This growth on the oak forest floor of my father's place could be placed carefully in a spot in the great barrier reef - looking like it belonged. No wonder that Linnaeus got it wrong when he classified corals as plants!  Easy mistake...don't you think?

~~~~~

My father and I had dinner tonight at a neighbors, and heard rather terrible stories about how many of the neighbor's small dogs had been attacked (and taken away) by coyotes.  There was a bear or two story tossed in as well (for emphasis) -- it made me think that perhaps my snakes weren't so bad after all (plus, I could see the Pointer Sisters taking a look at a pack of coyotes and joining up - much like how a mischievious person might take off with the circus).

~~~~~

I took a drive today, up further in the mountains, and came across a dirt road that I had never traveled down before - Bingham Mountain Rd.  It wasn't really what one would call a mountain - but it was beautiful and the sumac was a deep red and the grasses were golden and there was a chill in the air and clouds gathering on the next mountain.  The deep reds of the native dogwoods were apparent, as were some of the yellow-golds - hints of color everywhere but definitely not peak color.  By the time I visit next time, the leaves will be gone from the trees and the mountains will look cold - but today, on a road that fortunately ended up somewhere that I was familiar with - the warm colors of autumn were everywhere - cutting the chill, warming the heart, welcoming vistas for this journey that each of us are on.  Tonight, after a few casseroles cool (for freezing in the morning for my father), I once again head south on I-95 - feeling a tad inadequate, sad to leave my father alone, knowing that my own journey is a bit of a mystery right now.  But the mountains were nice, even a new mountain - and I'll remember them when I reach the salt air of my own garden, filled with a palm tree and gingers and elephant ears and not a coyote to be found.   

progress (with a scoop of sauce)

~~~~~

Will someone tell me what this seedpod is?  I used to know it, and tonight I can't remember it and every google search I've tried has come up wrong.  You know it - it's got those large white flowers - looks alot like Datura but is a prolific annual reseeder...well, it's seedpods are hanging out in the front garden of my Dad's home - and they're definitely fun, aren't they?  I'm taking some back to Charleston with me - I'm a fan of anything that unlawfully reseeds with abandon.

~~~~~

I'm home from the spaghetti dinner - it was a success, and except for the spoonful of sauce that I splattered all over myself, my time in the kitchen went well.  My job was to put sauce on the pasta - the same job that I had last year - and so you could consider me a trained sauce server (hey, it's good to have options, right?).  With the average age in the kitchen just under 80 years of age, I think I also brought some youthful exuberance to the event - seriously, it's funny.  These are all people I grew up in church with - and it was nice to catch up with everyone in between spooning out sauce. 

The funniest thing I overheard during the evening was when my Dad's younger brother said that if a bomb attacked Albemarle County, Virginia, that he'd head over to my Dad's basement - because there was enough homemade canned spaghetti sauce in there to outlast any type of radiation.  (He's probably right).

~~~~~

As for my Dad, he is now signed up for Lifeline - an accomplishment for sure.  I turned it into a bit of a joke, and told him that he wouldn't be able to press the button when he wanted someone to bring him some iced tea - and so it became something humorous instead of something that made him feel old and helpless.  We also talked about depression, loneliness, eating vegetables, not watching TV all of the time - and how he deserved to enjoy his life.  We broached the subject of a 'roommate' - and we talked about the pros and cons and he handled it well.  Even the 'assisted living' scenario was raised - and what calmed him down most of all was when I told him that brother and I wouldn't think of talking him into selling his home - he had promised my Mom that we would always have a place to come home to (and he's a man that keeps his promises).  All-in-all, there was progress made.

~~~~~

Tonight the temperatures are predicted to drop into the mid-30s, so after we returned I went outside with a flashlight into the garden and harvested tomatoes and green peppers until my bucket was full.  It felt familiar, that last harvest, and there is a decent chance that Dad's vegetable garden will look much different tomorrow morning.  I even heard the words 'snow' and 'freezing rain' on the weather report - words I'm not used to hearing anymore.

Tomorrow I need to drive up further in the mountains too.  Just for a bit.  I think the mountains would do me good.   

revelations

~James Madison's Montpelier~

~~~~

Recently Les of A Tidewater Gardener commented (after I had quoted Martha Washington) that there must still be alot of Virginia left in me.  Indeed, he is correct.  I'm back in Charlottesville tonight - after a dreary and often drizzly drive on I-95 (resulting in a speeding ticket between the VA-NC border and Petersburg, the first in ~14 years dammit).  I've been living in the south for too long though, because as I got into northern North Carolina, I began noticing the fall color -- and suddenly and rather densely realized 'it's autumn!  there will be autumn color!' as if that was some revelation.

My father can no longer live alone.

There, I've said it.

After spending the evening with him - what others are seeing (because they live close by) has hit me like a truck - and tomorrow I'll spend some time looking for options regarding a live-in person, or at least someone dropping by daily.  Today he had a CT scan - which should be informative - but I tend to not think his dementia is Alzeheimers - but it is still linked to depression and how immensely he still misses my mom.  In his mind, she is still all around him.  He still does many things just for her - and he feels that she sees him do them, and approves.

Then, of course, my dad's brother called tonight and lectured me about not being involved enough with my dad - to which I said thank you for caring but wanted to scream 'I've lost a job, have a lab depending on me, have a home that is falling in and I'm living in an Airstream...'  But I didn't say all of that.

For tonight, however, I spent time following my mom and dad's spaghetti sauce recipe to a 't' - for tomorrow's church spaghetti dinner.  I've mentioned this event before - it's important to Dad, and it's something that he and mom always did together.  Now he just helps - and of course contributes a large pot of his spaghetti sauce.  This year he froze his cut-up Big Mama's (here is mine) - and tonight I've added chopped green pepper and onion and garlic and fresh basil and oregano - and other mostly 'secret' ingredients (like sugar...for shame!).  That is, pounds of chopped onion and green pepper and...

So tomorrow morning we'll continue to cook the spaghetti down a bit, wait to hear the results of his CT scan, talk to folks at the Jefferson Area Board for the Aging...and go to a church spaghetti dinner.

Most of the time, my life feels too jam-packed, so much so that I know it isn't healthy.  But what is a person to do...when they are simply surrounded by awhole lotta life?

~a Saturday roadtrip~

~a water lotus, in a small pond off a road between Charleston and Aiken~

~~~~~

Today my friend Jeff and I took a short roadtrip to a gathering of crinum lovers in Beech Island, South Carolina.  It was the home of Jenks Farmer's Mom - and a place where he grows and propagates his crinums (visit Lushlife Crinum Nurseries).  It was a beautiful day, and an interesting 3-hr drive through a million rural South Carolina towns - ending up in a lovely patch of flowering crinums.

I'll post more about it in a few days.  As for now, I need to pack and get some sleep since tomorrow I'm heading to Virginia and a short visit with my Father.  I'm looking forward to seeing him.

~~~~~

~50~

I'm back on a plane today - and heading to New Albany, Indiana (across the river from Louisville) to visit a friend to celebrate her 50th birthday.  I've been traveling alot this spring and early summer, too much really, but this will be a fun 48 hours and well worth it.  My friend and her husband will be gracious hosts (as always) - italians who stock up on enough food and drink to feed a whole neighborhood on any given day.  And fifty years is definitely worth celebrating!

Have a good weekend. 

S.O.B.

~~~~~

I should not (as I did last evening) show an image of the iconic South of the Border sign (as seen on the I-95 North Carolina-South Carolina border, for those of you who have not spent YEARS of their life on this highway corridor) without mentioning the recently released documentary about this place.

S.O.B. and the Legend of Alan Schafer

~~~~~

The history of the place is definitely interesting.   

~~~~~

And yes, we stopped there on the way up to Philly for gas, and on the way back to Charleston.  On the way back we even ate.