Greetings.

Set of turkey tracks, nicely preserved in ice

Close-up of same - love these tracks, obviously can't get enough of them!

Pebbles and ice. That's pretty much it.

Snow piled up between the horticulture and entomology greenhouses. Not anything special, just something I wanted to remember.

Tower O' Plates. These are made up of a media I invented (yes, really) to encourage the growth of Penicillium species while inhibiting the growth of other critters. It's not a huge accomplishment by any means - the world of media development is vast - but still, it's a little bit cool. Anyway, these are destined for experiments I'm doing today, tomorrow, and early next week.

Organisms I isolated from Honeycrisp apples. I would guess that these guys are of the genus Botryosphaeria.

Just in case anyone is sensitive to and/or triggered by stuff related to cutting, please don't scroll down. It's not a big deal, it's just stuff that you might not want to see.

My left arm.

Hi. So. I wasn't planning to make this into a post about that last photo, but I did put it there for a reason. The medication I am on really does seem to be helping, and more quickly than I thought it would. Perhaps the placebo effect is in play, but I really don't think so. I am starting to feel even, real, capable of joy and of responsibility and of caring about myself and my situation. And so many other things! Like perhaps being a better friend, something I haven't been in too long. This is why I think the medication is working and it's not just an artifact of thinking it might work. I am so glad. You don't have to warn me about the precariousness of this moment, or of the medication's effects - I know these things. I have been so down for so very long - stretches of years, truly years. Really, though, I am feeling better. My head is clearer, and I know that the medication might lose efficacy in time. I also appreciate the moments that it is giving me, though. I feel stronger than I have in a long time. It's still a nascent feeling, but it's there. I'm not all better yet, but I'm improving. The picture I show above is one way I have dealt with my issues, such as they are. There are scars all over my body just like those. Brilliant, I know! So pretty! What I am really saying here is that the medication works. It works, and it's worth taking. Thank you, Shannon, for encouraging me for so long. I love you so much for the way you have supported my general insanity since elementary school. I don't deserve you. Still, though, I have you, and I am grateful. And so, that's it for now. I will keep you posted. Until later,

Ta.