Adopt the Pace of Nature

Buenas noches! How are my loves on this overly humid night? I'm pretty sure I managed to get sunburned waiting for the bus the past few days but not today! I didn't know I would ever be so happy to see clouds!! Anyways, we got the typical mid-evening downpour that left my Basil torn and slightly drowned. A little love and gentle hands will get her back in top condition in no time. To be honest, I don't think I'm capable of killing plants (without fungal, bacterial, viral, or nematode power) - I tried and was highly unsuccessful. Yes, I'm a Plant Geek and PlantPath Girl. Here is a photo to prove how much so I am:

Sorry it's sideways! This is the NCSU Department of PlantPath t-shirts. You make me sick!! On the left is a fungus, a nematode and a bacteria which can all infect a plant and make it sick. Trust me, it's hilarious.

Since my project is waiting on harvesting the inoculated corn, I've been helping out my labmates with various tasks. Today, I had the honor of following around out high school intern (Risigan). Ha, I owed him BIG BIG TIME since he helped me get my Fusarium inoculum ready on short notice. I am willing to wager that Risigan was not expecting to have a graduate student assistant when he started the internship! Well, lucky him my corn is busy getting sick. Anyways, we spent the morning harvesting mycelia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium) and rolling them into balls. No task is demeaning in my eyes! I will gladly harvest mycelia into balls; it means I have a paying job!!

Mycelia under a microscope - It's like a web of information.

Since I've explored all the fun outdoors/state parks/green space in the general Raleigh area...I decided I need to take a weekend and frolic in the mountains. By frolic I mean rock climbing and/or camping. But in the meantime, I'm going to get a taste of different religions and cultures in the Raleigh area. As I discovered - there are many beautiful communities to be respectfully explored that are not in the big town of Elkhart Lake. Up first is the Kadampa Center (http://www.kadampa-center.org/) a Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelugpa Tradition (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelug#Lineage_holders). It focuses on love and compassion for all beings - I'll let y'all know how it goes!!

If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there , you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong. - Masaru Emoto

As always, y'all can count on me to inspire with plant and nature photos. So sit back and enjoy the beauty of Nature brought to your computer screen:

“To be poor and be without trees, is to be the most starved human being in the world. To be poor and have trees, is to be completely rich in ways that money can never buy.” -Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Sand 250x. 

We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. -Swami Vivekananda

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher. - Dalai Lama

We have no theory of evil. We call it ignorance. -Swami Vivekananda

It all seems impossible until it is done. -Nelson Mandela

Try not to get inoculated with diseases like my precious corn fields! With love!