Scientifically Speaking

Thanks to Debbie for hosting our meeting in her lovely home.  Delicious food, as always, and it was quite apparent that tomatoes were doing well in everybody's gardens.  The sharing of a good meal with friends always stimulates interesting conversation.

Science is hard and takes great imagination (thank you Chris M).  Our book, Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, was not only about insights on the growth of trees - roots, stems, branches, leaves, flowers - but also about the difficulties pursuing a scientific life of learning and investigating, especially when you are a woman.  Experiments planned that go wrong and have to be reconsidered and approached from a different direction: "...if there had been a way to success with out traveling through disaster someone would have already done it and thus rendered the experiments unnecessary..."  "Science has taught me that everything is more complicated than we first assume..."  Hope chose this path for her life and, through her own manic way, has made it a success with great benefits for all.

We all have a greater appreciation for trees and the author suggests that everyone should plant trees but cautions that "You must choose with a clear head and open eyes.  You are marrying this tree: choose a partner, not an ornament."  She also leaves us with this epilogue: "Every day, you can look at your tree, watch what it does, and try to see the world from its perspective.  Stretch your imagination until it hurts."