Friday was my first full day back in Portland, after the holidays. From 9-4p, I was at my first Master Gardener class. Check the binder/handbook for the course above- it's enormous! I was a little uneasy about how the class would be, especial because I've been having so much trouble trying to pay for the course with my Americorps Education Award (thanks a lot government). The class was great - aside from it being a bit hard to sit for that long. The topics/lectures for the day were about some of the volunteer work we'll be doing when the course concludes in March, public health & pesticides, and soil! I love soil! It's pretty crazy, more so because I was never taught about how it's a whole ecosystem of it's own - but I think kids get taught that today. Maybe adults have stopped telling kids you can cut worms in half & both halves will regenerate, too...

It's exactly what a I hoped for, a whole day to geek out about plants, science, and food. I took notes like mad and I might recap some of what I'm learning here to help me review & remember for my own sake. Everyone in the class is pretty awesome, there's about 180 of us in the Portland class. I continue to meet tons of Midwesterners, while I enjoy that, it also makes me think of Kurt Vonnegut's Cats Cradle.

Yesterday was also a fun & expensive dinner a la the company that Ryan works at. It was pretty fun this year, French food, cheese, wine, and dessert in the shape of a swan. Here is a goofy looking foto of me dressed for dinner at Le Bouchon.