The nicer weather prompted me to go to Urban Roots to buy my seed starting supplies.
I planted a few flowers and veggies and have everything setup in our spare bedroom. It's the warmest room in our house and once the weather is a little better I can move the seedlings (I hope they sprout) out to our covered front porch which is like a greenhouse.
(e:tinypliny) I downloaded an app for my iPod touch that helps me keep track if my shopping lists and costs. It's not exactly what I want but it's a start and better than manually entering everything in to Excel.
Pmrk's Journal
My Podcast Link
03/10/2009 15:06 #48007
SeedsCategory: gardening
02/17/2009 13:34 #47780
First signs of springI saw the first small signs of my spring flowers in my gardens today.
How I cannot wait for spring.
How I cannot wait for spring.
tinypliny - 02/18/09 08:44
And it has started snowing again. :/
And it has started snowing again. :/
02/04/2009 12:14 #47633
The groundhog outcome is predeterminedweeks in advance too. So much for even having false hope of an early spring, it's already decided well in advance of the groundhog coming out of his burrow.
blah.so sick of winter!!
blah.so sick of winter!!
tinypliny - 02/04/09 19:09
Actually I like that movie. So inspiring and sweet. :)
Actually I like that movie. So inspiring and sweet. :)
metalpeter - 02/04/09 19:03
I think the idea is kinda silly. The reason being is that how do know if the ground hog see's his shadow. You can see how he or she reacts but that doesn't mean for sure that they have seen the shadow. What about the fact that the Rochester and the PA one came up with different results?
I think the idea is kinda silly. The reason being is that how do know if the ground hog see's his shadow. You can see how he or she reacts but that doesn't mean for sure that they have seen the shadow. What about the fact that the Rochester and the PA one came up with different results?
tinypliny - 02/04/09 18:57
The groundhog is probably bosom-buddies with the great santa and the easter bunny. Down with nepotism.
The groundhog is probably bosom-buddies with the great santa and the easter bunny. Down with nepotism.
drew - 02/04/09 12:18
and that movie about groundhog day was written WAY before they filmed it. The whole thing was so . . . scripted.
and that movie about groundhog day was written WAY before they filmed it. The whole thing was so . . . scripted.
01/30/2009 11:30 #47572
HibernatingBoth online and in real life. I'm so over this winter weather.
I hope the groundhog gives us some good news.
I hope the groundhog gives us some good news.
01/12/2009 14:30 #47379
MicroscopesWe need to buy one as a gift.
Neither myself or my husband have any idea of what to look for when buying one.
It would be a for casual use as the person who wants it is a teenager ans doesn't need it for school but we don't want a toy. This might be the launching point for a great scientific career!
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Neither myself or my husband have any idea of what to look for when buying one.
It would be a for casual use as the person who wants it is a teenager ans doesn't need it for school but we don't want a toy. This might be the launching point for a great scientific career!
Thanks in advance for any advice!
tinypliny - 01/13/09 21:31
Sorry for spamming - the oil immersion lens is probably not a good option for a standard teenager. :) It does need a lot of care and cleaning! I remember constantly dreading that I would forget to clean up one day and waste all that money that went into the upgrade, thankfully that never happened because I developed this OCD of cleaning up after every use. It was a major pain but totally worth it. Anyway, make sure you explain this to the teenager. The oil immersion lens attachment is almost like a costly whiny baby.
Sorry for spamming - the oil immersion lens is probably not a good option for a standard teenager. :) It does need a lot of care and cleaning! I remember constantly dreading that I would forget to clean up one day and waste all that money that went into the upgrade, thankfully that never happened because I developed this OCD of cleaning up after every use. It was a major pain but totally worth it. Anyway, make sure you explain this to the teenager. The oil immersion lens attachment is almost like a costly whiny baby.
tinypliny - 01/13/09 20:44
I just remembered one more detail. One of my lenses had an oil-immersion option - you would put a drop of dense oil (came with the microscope) over the cover-slip of the slide and lower the lens in it. That lens had nearly a 2000x magnification.
I just remembered one more detail. One of my lenses had an oil-immersion option - you would put a drop of dense oil (came with the microscope) over the cover-slip of the slide and lower the lens in it. That lens had nearly a 2000x magnification.
tinypliny - 01/12/09 18:49
If you actually shopped around in the toys department, you might be able to get them cheaper. Look for:
- some source of illumination of the stage (where the slides are placed)
- Greater than 400x magnification. Anything less is not going to be useful for high school microscopy/ cell structures.
- Movable lens arm and adjustible focal length for the lenses.
- At least one low power lens (<400x) for gross adjustment of the lenses.
- Good reviews (of course)
I had one from Olympus back home. It was pretty good but it was expensive. When I bought it the highest magnifying lens was around 600x but I upgraded to 1000x with an extra lens when I graduated from high school and went to college.
If you actually shopped around in the toys department, you might be able to get them cheaper. Look for:
- some source of illumination of the stage (where the slides are placed)
- Greater than 400x magnification. Anything less is not going to be useful for high school microscopy/ cell structures.
- Movable lens arm and adjustible focal length for the lenses.
- At least one low power lens (<400x) for gross adjustment of the lenses.
- Good reviews (of course)
I had one from Olympus back home. It was pretty good but it was expensive. When I bought it the highest magnifying lens was around 600x but I upgraded to 1000x with an extra lens when I graduated from high school and went to college.
jenks - 01/12/09 18:46
see if you can get in touch with the med school- when I was a med student we all had to have scopes, and everyone would buy/sell them every year. They're decent scopes, but even used would probably run you a couple hundred... (if I remember right they're >1000 new) hmm, so maybe that's not the best idea? But it's worth asking....
see if you can get in touch with the med school- when I was a med student we all had to have scopes, and everyone would buy/sell them every year. They're decent scopes, but even used would probably run you a couple hundred... (if I remember right they're >1000 new) hmm, so maybe that's not the best idea? But it's worth asking....
tinypliny - 01/12/09 15:13
I would recommend a high power microscope. What is your budget?
I would recommend a high power microscope. What is your budget?
OKG - I need to see this ipod coolness!!!! When am I running into you next??? Can you scan stuff? This may be the thing that finally makes me get an ipod.
BTW, I am so annoyed that the wegmans site keeps saying that you can see your past purchase record "soon", but its been 3 full years since that notice went up. How soon is "soon" in the Wegman dictionary??
I'm trying sunflowers again this year. A few years ago I swore I wasn't going to plant them again after the squirrels decimated them as soon as they bloomed.
I saw this beautiful red variety when I was at Urban Roots so I grabbed a pack of seeds.
I can't wait to get the garden going too! I'll be growing veggies and sunflowers in the front yard. I hope we get spring soon.