Show and Tell

Last week, Sophie mentioned to her teacher that her rainbow plant was growing and doing very well.  Mrs. Chris was very impressed and wanted her to bring her plant to school to show the other kids.  Apparently, most of the kids did not have as much success with their plant, including Mrs. Chris.  Sophie told me "Mrs. Chris put her plant in the sun but it didn't survive."  The only thing I can think of that would prevent the bean from germinating is something I learned from my Botany professor.  He said the number one reason why plants usually do not survive is because most people tend to over water.  Keeping that in mind after all these years, Sophie and I were very careful not to add too much water and made sure to talk to it (well Sophie did) so that it could get some carbon dioxide.......and look at it now !

There aren't too many things I remember from college, but there are some bits and pieces that'll be sessile and stuck forever in my brain.  One was over watering of plants.  This also reminds me of the time when we lived in Arizona and we had an ocotillo plant out in front, that always looked dried up and dead to me.  We ended up having to replace it a couple of times due to root rot.  (Actually, I don't think that plant required any water or else it would die, maybe like a few drops of water to thrive.)

Anyway, some of the other stuff I still recall is from my Chemistry professor.  She said when you order bacon and eggs, make sure to eat the slice of orange that's on your plate.  (It's there for a reason, just like parsley and all the other stuff most people push aside on their plate.)  That orange provides the vitamin C that will help neutralize the nitrates/nitrites forming nitrosamines in the bacon or in any other processed foods.  The nitrates is what is carcinogenic, but it is used to help preserve the color of the meat to make it look fresh.  

From my Physiology professor, if you have a stopped up nose.... hang your head over the bed, face down, for a few minutes.  That'll clear up your nose temporarily.  I tried it and if you don't mind the blood rushing to your head, it works for a short time.  

One other thing I remember is how to stop your hiccups.  To eliminate your hiccups you have to have another person to assist, one that you don't mind being very close to.  You can either lie down on the floor or stand-up.  If you decide to lie down, your partner then lies on top of you, preferably over your diaphragm, for a minute or two, putting all their weight on you.  Or if you prefer standing up, your partner needs to hug and squeeze you as tight as possible for a minute.  Believe me, it works each and every time.  Forget the old folklore remedies of taking a teaspoonful of sugar, holding your breath, drinking water while holding your nose, etc.  The result of hiccups are due to spasms in your diaphragm.  When you apply pressure to your diaphragm, it relieves the spasms and your hiccups will subside.