Tales from the Microbial Laboratory

~the short version~

~my new back (rental) yard~

~~~~~

this is a bit like the end first

the backyard...  tall oaks, a crepe myrtle, azaleas, redbuds, camellias

all covered in vines

now enclosed by a 6' fence to keep the Pointer Sisters in

(black farm/mesh fencing - it disappears nicely)

(still not confident that it will keep THE DAN in)

the place is on about .8 acres (inside the beltway!)

heard foxes last night

hunting out back

~~~~~

 ~~~~~

so, the move

packed up the Airstream, most everything

(I'll be returning frequently though)

packed up (and emptied out) the storage unit

packed up the falling-down house

(mostly large furniture, weird stuff in there)

(image taken through a fogged-up lens... oops)

 ~~~~~

 ~~~~~

the u-haul, backed into the drive

the furniture from the falling-down house was added first

after everything was packed in, two just-delivered mattresses were stufffed in

(and when I say 'everything was packed in', that includes the ~500 board feet of longleaf pine which, during transport, jammed against the door making it difficult to open the back of the u-haul)

(yes, it's stored safely in the basement of the rental house)

thank god for friends

and friends who bring water and gatorade (it was hot) and delicious snacks

(it takes a village)

~~~~~

 ~~~~~

hated saying goodbye, for now, to my garden

especially the side garden, where shaded out perennials had been divided and moved over the past year into the sun

they're just getting started

thankfully there has been more rain in August than we had most of the rest of the summer

weeds are probably taking over

but hopefully, it will manage

anyway... only the strong survive

right?

~~~~~

 ~~~~~

katherine

the lab's poet-laureate in-exile

scientist and humanitarian

was more than gracious and drove the u-haul up to virginia

(she kindly dealt with my cranky and exhausted self)

there are no sufficient words of thanks

(i think, secretly, that she now wants to be a trucker and i think she'd be a good one)

~~~~~

~front of the new place, the morning after the move~

~~~~~

the house was built in 1949

it was the house that belonged to a farm that used to be

the original 'farmhouse' on a large track of land that is now developed

not in great shape

but dog friendly

the grass is now mowed

and my generous and hard-working aunt and uncle from Richmond

have visited several times already

and my aunt attacked the vines covering the holly in the front

(yes, there is a holly under there)

there's now a cinnamon ginger in a large pot on the front porch

(one of the few plants that i brought with me)

and I purchased a few flowers for a narrow bed

(a bed that is along a brick wall alongside the drive)

and yes, they are planted and happy

~~~~~

 

~view from the shuttle bus to the Narita Airport, Tokyo~

~~~~~

and then, a few days after the u-haul was unloaded

i flew to japan

for three days

(pics to come)

it was a work trip

there were two small tremors while i was there

hardly noticeable

that occurred during our meetings

and then i came back to northern virginia

and experienced the 5.9 quake in my new home

(thought it was the washer out of balance in the basement, then thought it was a gas pipeline explosion in my neighborhood, then I thought... until I realized it was an earthquake, as my little home seemed to want to rock off it's foundation and walk away)

when it was over, i walked outside

and the neighbor across the street had his hands up in the air

and he shouted 'WTF'

a few days later Irene strolled by the south carolina coast

(keeping her distance)

and i felt relieved that the airstream and the lab and my friends were safe

and then tropical storm warnings popped up for my new place

and there was rain and wind and the electricity went off

and my neighbor across the street turned on a crazy-loud generator

but, thankfully, only for a few hours

(i was okay with the electricity being off, but the generator noise was driving me crazy)

~~~~~

my new job starts tomorrow

~~~~~

~resurfacing...slowly~

~pines along the Imperial Palace Moat, Tokyo, Japan (14 August 2011)~

~~~~~

Where was I?

Since I thanked the Airstream, packed up the U-Haul (with the gracious help of friends and hired hands), moved my 'stuff' and other important cargo (aka the Pointer Sisters, Handsome Stan, and the ever-lovely Haiku) to the Northern Virginia area, unpacked (relatively speaking, or maybe 10% unpacked...) - I spent three days in Tokyo (two days of which were meetings organized by my soon-to-be employer).

Yep, a 13.5 hour direct flight from Dulles to Tokyo.  For three days.  No wonder it's midnight and I'm wide awake.

And I'm not quite sure where to start - the past two weeks have been a blur, which is an understatement really.  But I am... back (whatever that means) and I just want you all to know that although life is a bit unsettled, and that I'm living in a rental home where no one has cared for the yard in years and years, that:  (1)  there are chives in a little area in the back with bricks around the bed, (2) there is mint in the front yard, (3) there are grapes covering a lovely evergreen that I have been eating (and I do plan to save the tree once the grapes are gone), and (4) that although I promised myself that I would not obsessively garden here (I mean really, how silly would that be?), I did have a tiny break with reality today on my way home from the grocery store (well, it was a little out of my way...) and I purchased six pots of perennials/annuals and some oregano.

I can't help it.  It's a disease.

They were two for one.  How could I resist that?

(More about everything soon.  It's a positive sign that I even wrote this!  Maybe I'm slowly returning to the land of the living.)

 

 

~thank you, Airstream~

It's been quite a few years.

The Airstream served me well (and will continue to do so, as I travel back to the Lowcountry over the next year).  The garden is tucked away, relatively speaking - a bit of rain last night made me feel better about leaving it.

Off to Virginia today.

More soon.  (I'll have to post a pic of the backyard of my rental place - it'll make most of you laugh).

(This image I took of the Airsteam was chosen to be one of the Airstream Co's digital holiday card images last year, 2010.  I thought that was pretty fun.)

~the dolphin is flying once again~

~~~~~

The flying dolphin moved to the new lab, although for months now it's been sitting on top of boxes, looking rather dejected.  Today (my last day at the lab for a few months) I decided that the last thing I would do was to get help (aka a tall person) to help me hang up the dolphin.  Of course I haven't filed everything away yet, there is much I haven't done - but the dolphin is flying, and that feels good.

I also packed up file folders with some articles that I would need in order to work on a few manuscripts, and I transferred files onto an external hard drive.

(And yes, this is the dolphin that starred in the lab's first film short... definitely a must see!)

~a clean Airstream~

~~~~~

What about that shine!

Today a friend came over, and helped me wash the Airstream and it's awning - and together we rolled the awning up to keep it safe while I'm gone.  Leaves from the live oaks collect (and decay) on the top - and only about once a year do I remember to get my little ladder and clean off the top.  It's nice to know that after I leave, it'll be sitting there, shiny and clean - and without the awning out, vulnerable to wind.  Waiting patiently, of course, for my return.

We also took apart my two beds (in the old house) and worked on the shed a bit so it's more level - now I'll be able to lock it when I'm gone.  The shed has my washer and dryer in it - fortunately the rental home has a washer and dryer, so these can stay here and be used during my somewhat frequent visits.

Yesterday, the last day of July, was the second anniversary of my moving into the Airstream.  I've lived in an Airstream for two years.  I've liked living in such a small space more than I ever thought I would - and truthfully, I'm proud that I made it work.  I've learned that I don't need much, that I'm resourceful - one sauce pan, a fry pan, a pot for a homemade soup - one burner, a small microwave, a toaster and a toaster oven.  A crockpot.  Just a few utensils.  A few books, a good computer, good blankets on the bed.  Frankly, I don't remember everything that I packed up two plus years ago, and while I'm sure it'll feel like Christmas unpacking next week at my rental place in Northern Virginia, I think it'll take awhile to not feel a bit crowded, and overwhelmed surrounded by so much stuff. 

Enough dinnerware to serve 10?  What a strange thought that is.

Decorations for a Christmas tree?  Now that's just crazy talk.

The U-Haul gets loaded up on Friday.

~a momentary distraction~

View more videos at: http://www.nbcsandiego.com.