A trip to the snake doctor and much more

I would never have believed anyone if . . .

they told me I would be taking a snake to the doctor on a Friday afternoon in the heart of Jackson

they told me I would be driving the backroads of Mississippi to find Bubba’s so I could get crickets for our bearded dragon

they told me I would be going to school on a Saturday morning to plant flowers around our fountain and campus with VJ students and a generous church group

they told me two botany classes would rear tomato plants from seed and bug me each day in class to go check their plants and have one girl name hers

they told me I would launch water rockets with great excitement in yet another school

but these vignettes are more than true and a part of my life as the curator of Zoo 122 and greenhouse and teacher of physics, botany, zoology and introduction to biology.

To top it off, Michele Williams, an excellent botany student, brought a mural she designed and painted for Benita’s terrarium on Friday. Life is good.





The trip to the vet for Sister II proved to be more adventurous than necessary since I got sidetracked with directions, stopped by a train and had to be guided in but the receptionist who greeted me with a smile and was excited to hold Sister while I waited for instructions – everyone else there including the doctor were afraid of snakes – I am glad Dr. Vaughn will be in later and take care of our snake who has not eaten in the two months we have heard her despite all our best efforts. I left the two raw eggs and five frozen pinkies (mice) as instructed and will call Tuesday to check her progress. As I was there two folks left crying on cell phones since their pet did not make it. May Sister fare better.
The trip to Bubba’s was interesting including passing a farm café in the middle of nowhere. The lady at Bubba’s said to my long face – no crickets, the cold snap killed all of them. I dejectedly walked out and then remembered Benita will eat dead ones if you drop them in on her one at a time. So I went back in and asked if they had any dead ones. He opened the cricket box and said help yourself. Here I was when I needed to be posting grades scooping dead crickets into a box I got out of my trunk for a hungry bearded dragon on Highway 16 across the street from a burned out store. For the record, Benita ate nine of them.



In a few minutes I will head to school to plant pansies, snapdragons, hydrangeas and lorepetulums.
We had our first blooms on the tomatoes this week and I was the most excited of all!



Measuring tomato plants.



First bloom.

On Friday after having an excellent class on Wednesday for my formal observation, the class launched water rockets in the front yard of the school. We made homemade angle makers with protractors, rulers, string and keys. They were impressed with this piece of seat of the pants math. They used cell phones for stopwatches. After three very successful launches, we came back in and charted our results and made assignments for a lab report.



Physics class demo clinometers.



Launch video.

My very reluctant and challenged learners in Introduction to Biology conducted a very successful pH lab where some of them actually remembered to bring their materials – limes, lemons, oven cleaner vinegar, and mountain dew and actually prepared some very decent bar graphs to show their results.



Getting the pH just right.

All in all a very good week.