The Periodic Table or Why I'm Trying To Like Science

The other day, my husband and son were talking science. Now, it was in English and it was with words that I recognize are in Webster's Dictionary, but it was science. I never really enjoyed science in school. Maybe because there was math involved, or spatial relations, or something but I could never really wrap my head around it. Technology is wonderful but I just do not have a mechanical or scientific mind.

Anyway, the guys were talking about the Periodic Table. I know what it is and I think I can even name a few of the elements on it and know what they do as well as what they are used for, but . . . it still boggles me some that I don't know very much about science. As I was driving up north for a visit, I was listening to NPR and Sam Kean was being interviewed about a book that he'd written about the Periodic Table. The conversation was interesting, and somewhat scientific, and as a result, I wanted to read the book.

So, I have been reading The Disappearing Spoon. It is very interesting and has some terrific stories about how the various elements were discovered and how they have helped (and hurt) our world. Even though it is full of science, I am doing okay. There is a bunch of stuff that I'm having to read and re-read, but I've learned a lot. I'm considering taking some science classes at our local college. Maybe that will help me broaden my scientific mind.

Speaking of science, I have been conducting my own experiments in the back yard. As a result of a hot summer, lack of water, and my being gone in the summer, our back yard went the way of all the earth. This weekend, I tackled the job with the zest and vigor of hopeful steward caring for my part of the Earth. I did my usual weeding, seeding, and feeding, but added peating and re-peating to the mix. We will see if any green sprouts come out before winter's chill comes. I have been dutifully watering 3 (yes, 3) times a day just enough to keep the peat wet. My son asked me "what exactly is peat moss." I looked it up and found

Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss(North American usage) or sphagnum peat (British usage) on the other, the latter being the decaying matter underneath. Bogs are dependent on precipitation as their main source of nutrients, thus making them a favourable habitat for sphagnum as it can retain water and air quite well. Members of this genus can hold large quantities of water inside their cells; some species can hold up to 20 times their dry weight in water, which is why peat moss is commonly sold as a soil conditioner.

I am hopeful.