Sunday, May 22, 2022

Amoeba Sisters

Ecological Relationships...OK, boring. Have you heard of the Amoeba Sisters? Amoeba Sisters is an animated video series that turns complex scientific concepts into short, fun-to-learn tutorials. Detail may be limited, but the information presented sparks curiosity for further study. 

To learn about Ecological Relationships, please watch this video. I highly recommend Amoeba Sisters' videos for fun and interesting learning!

I want my blog to be based on SYMBIOSIS. There are good relationships where organisms benefit from one another - MUTUALISM - or one benefits and the other is not affected in any way - COMMESUALISM - or not-so-good relationships - PARASITISM, PREDITORISM, and COMPETITION.

Not only does ecology rely on symbiosis, but social relations and economic structures experience symbiosis in similar ways.



Saturday, May 7, 2022

My life's work

    I'm curled up in my papasan chair in the corner of my bedroom, typing sentences, then retyping, and wondering what I'm going to write about for my first blog post. I didn't seem to have this problem with my previous blog. I wrote post after post, though I did have quite interesting content to choose from living in Africa. I think I have to start looking at my life here in the States as a new and exciting experience now that I'm officially middle-aged and have only myself to look after. I am in good mental and physical health, I'm financially stable for the most part, and I have a list a mile long of things I want to pursue in my life. 

    Usually, when I put my mind to something, I stick with it until the goal is reached. When I don't reach a goal or give up halfway through, it is usually because my heart wasn't in it. I amaze myself. After growing up as a timid little girl who chose to hide away from people, I lived my life challenging myself to live well beyond my comfort zone. Maybe I do this because I found it difficult to put myself out amid groups of people. The problem was that I had difficulty explaining to people what I wanted. I wanted to be in the woods exploring. Now that I'm older exploring the woods is precisely what I want to do for the rest of my life. And I have no difficulty explaining this to people who care enough to listen or whom I even care to tell. 

    My objective for this blog is to share my knowledge and experiences working with trees. I also want to use this as an incentive to further research topics that interest me and creatively interpret information in a format that is easy to follow and holds readers' interest. I look forward to seeing how this blog will evolve and where I end up with my life's work with trees. 

Me standing next to one of two pollarded caltalpa trees, 2021. Photo credit: Kristen G.




Amoeba Sisters

Ecological Relationships...OK, boring. Have you heard of the Amoeba Sisters? Amoeba Sisters is an animated video series that turns complex s...