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    Ah Ha Is Not My Favorite Palindrome

    So, remember the avocado seed that was doing well and then wasn’t? Rumor has it that we had it growing upside down.

    The Moral of the Story: Put the avocado seed in water, wide-side down.

    Very interesting. And here I am, blogging away, trying to inspire others to follow my gardening lead.

    It reminds me of my first job. Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, FL. I was a 16 year-old, and I rotated every thirty minutes to a different part of the museum: I ran the hurricane machine, I presented liquid nitrogen shows (yes, they even had me pour it down my arm), and I staffed the butterfly … Read More

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    The Verdict Is In

    Is it really a surprise that Practicality won the debate with Purity? Well, maybe it is surprising, if we’re talking about it in the context of my own life.

    Last week I was debating between the old and new versions of the square-foot gardening method. The new version seem so simplified and so yuppified; I worried I would be selling out. Process matters. Our society’s over-emphasis on product has left us in quite a few conundrums.

    Actually, I’m not trying to say that process matters more than product (even though I do love Annie Dillard’s idea that “how we spend our days, is, of course, how we spend our lives”–the … Read More

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    Avocado Omens

    I’m in denial. Like an obese person who indulges in a week-long, junk-food blitz and then refuses to step on the scale.

    My avocado seed was doing so well. With “was” being the operative word. Matt went to a student’s home, and the mom taught him how to grow an avocado seed. Take the seed from a delectable avocado. Let it dry out. When it’s completely dry, peel away most of the dark brown exterior. Poke with toothpicks and immerse half-way in water (heavy-side up).

    I’ve taken to making guacamole. For birthday parties, community picnics, dinner at home. Really, it’s just an opportunity to grow avocado trees. The more … Read More