A science missionary in dangerous country (state)

Teaching if done well is a difficult task, although it does get easier with practice. Teaching is also easiest when the students are interested, eager, and willing. When they aren't one or more of those, it can be very difficult especially when they view some of your subjects as wrong or even evil, as in evilution. However, for TPP it has never even been slightly dangerous even in those large, non-majors lectures where you almost failed the star basket ball center. Not all of us are so fortunate to live in an area as enlightened (??) as the upper midwest.  Here's a link to a blog of one of my colleagues living in a "different country". Best if you read his story in his own words. He's a brave fellow; personally rednecks are best left alone.

OK spring weather

This spring weather is not okay, but it's in OK which generally in my experience has rather poor weather. Spring does begin our storm/tornado season. TPP lives at the very northeastern end of tornado alley, a belt that runs northeast to southwest from the upper midwest down to the Texas panhandle. So here you do, rather than the first flower of spring, here's your

first tornado of spring (Tuesday March 24th) photographed by a friend of a friend in Tulsa, that weather Eden of Oklahoma. This is a bit like the fellow who was killed by a bear because he stopped to take a picture of a bear running at him rather than getting the heck out of there, and people knew this because of the pictures on the camera. Fortunately friend of a friend did get out of there. Hope the Golden Driller was unharmed.

OK Plants for OK

An OK Anonymous reader writes: I love plants, but don't have a lot of time to devote to them as I work in a drug rehab and work very long hours. Need easy maintenance, hardy plant ideas for the Oklahoma area. Any suggestions?>>

My first suggestion is to move. In my experience Oklahoma is not conducive for growing plants. However, since this is hardly practical advice, let me provide the simplest of advice: go native. And help is available in the body of the Oklahoma Native Plant Society. Most appropriately Gaillardia is their symbol and the name of their newsletter. You can’t plant anything prettier, well, unless you plant Missouri evening primrose (Oenothera missouriensis) and you should be able to get plants easily enough. If not you can get seeds from Ever Wilde. They have nice maps to show where the plants are native and the range over which they will grow. This species actually does fine way up here in Lincolnland so long as you give it enough sun and drainage. (It looks great draping over an exposed retaining wall displaying its huge yellow flowers.)

Those good folks at the Lady Bird Wildflower Society (named after the former 1st lady, not the former 1st dog) also have a list of recommended native plants for Oklahoma. They also recommend some wildflower seed suppliers, like Lorenz’s OK Seeds (on OK Street in Okeene, OK – OK, we get the idea!). The only problem, one the Phactor has commented about before, is to get nurseries to stock more native plants.

Lastly the Phactor suggests that gardening is good therapy; get people to dig in the dirt, plant things, and watch them grow, which may be a win-win idea about how to get your property planted via drug rehab therapy. Why maybe someone will even give you a grant!