noreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Wed, 18 Dec 2024 19:31:33 -0800Blogger http://www.blogger.com65125http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/en-usnonoreply@blogger.comhttp://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2018/04/colorado-review-podcast.htmlphysicspoempoemspoetrynoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Tue, 10 Apr 2018 08:03:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-7700077141590526050In December 2017, the Colorado Review podcast featured my poem "Space Without Objects" along with work from other poets--Adonis, Jackson Holbert, Jess Williard (all from the Fall 2017 issue). Editorial assistant Danny Schonning discussed the poems with podcast editor Meghan Pipe. I thought it was awesome! Danny read the poem so well, and the discussion was very flattering. The poem is about http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2017/12/electrons-are-not-snowflakes.htmlphysicspoempoemspoetrywritingnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Sat, 9 Dec 2017 09:36:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-2822816569438654302  When I was an undergraduate studying physics, one of the most shocking passages I read was about electrons, in a textbook. David Griffiths (best physics textbook author ever), like the great physicist Richard Feynman, had little tolerance for "philosophy," and yet, also like Feynman, perpetually dished out philosophical gems. It seemed automatic for both of them, like breathing. http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2017/12/quarks-and-empty-spaces-reimagining.htmlphysicspoempoemspoetrywritingnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Sat, 2 Dec 2017 11:29:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-4430887284700491019 Sometime in 2008, I first had the brazen idea to “update” a two-thousand-year-old poem. I ran across a passage of the ancient book-length poem by Lucretius called The Nature of Things and began to wonder, how would this book sound if it were written today? Both physics and poetry have radically changed since Lucretius was writing his treatise that all phenomena have a natural explanation (http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2017/11/announcing-my-new-chapbook.htmlphysicspoempoemspoetrywritingnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Thu, 30 Nov 2017 15:36:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-2421734633717525225 World, Composed My first poetry collection is now available for purchase from Finishing Line Press. Click here to pre-order a copy! The book comes out March 23, 2018. http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2017/03/sustainable-update-electric-car-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Mon, 6 Mar 2017 08:34:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-4904512997224146658 Our 2017 Chevy Volt Lifetime MPGe: 96 We were in no hurry to replace our old Chevy Cavaliers--modest, reliable cars that suited us fine, even if car-lovers don't find much to celebrate about them. We had no car payments for years, and we loved that. James's car finally died for good when we were on a date in a snowstorm on Valentine's day. When it did, we finally had an opportunity to buy a http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2015/08/solar-power-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Sun, 23 Aug 2015 11:02:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-6911142327739228590 August 2015: Our panels have produced a total of about 3.2 megawatt-hours since we went online in April. 1298 kWh taken from our power provider (at night and on cloudy days), 2209 kWh pushed back (that's electricity we don't use that goes back to the grid). We're still loving it. Thanks, Rectify Solar!http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2015/08/heirloom-tomatoes-and-sunflowers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Fri, 7 Aug 2015 09:34:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-8308193623565566046 These are ripe tomatoes! "Aunt Ruby's German Green" is a delightful heirloom I've been growing for the past four years. It tastes like a mild, yet flavorful beefsteak. You can get these seeds from Seed Savers Exchange your first year, then save the seeds year after year. The inside is beefsteak-y and meaty. The tomatoes themselves are pretty hefty. I love the variety of http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2015/08/when-eco-solutions-backfire.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Thu, 6 Aug 2015 06:44:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-8727055808778206812Two things to get off my chest: the EPA-regulated gas cans and DIY water-saving toilets. While I embrace the technologies that make sense ecologically, I can be absolutely devastated (I'm that sensitive) when the little solutions go wrong. I guess I'm just built this way emotionally, believing everything is either saving or destroying the world. Gas and Mowing/Farm Equipment There's so muchhttp://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2015/05/solar-power-works.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Thu, 14 May 2015 09:39:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-2860395159582251942 We've had solar up and running for just about a month, and we've generated a total of 844 kilowatt-hours of electricity--enough to run a refrigerator for six months (or charge a mobile phone for 26 years, but let's stick with the fridge, a real energy hog). There's a handy app on my phone that I refer to, oh, fifteen times a day, that monitors our system's solar output. That's http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2015/04/solar-panels.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Fri, 3 Apr 2015 08:27:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-8521065374950473057After months of anticipation, the solar panels are finally lining up along the roof of the barn. We have yet to turn the system on; there's still some wiring to be done and a few panels left. Chicken Coop, Barn, and Solar Panels: A Dream Come True I look at the farm journal from when we first got here, where I fantasized about one day having solar power on the barn, and I'm pinching myself http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2015/01/goals-for-farm-in-2015.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Mon, 19 Jan 2015 10:18:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-5303208026606752609This year should bring two big changes to the land. We intend to put a 5kW solar panel system on our barn to serve at least half of our electrical needs. We're waiting to find out what will happen with the bill introduced in the Indiana legislature to eliminate net metering, but the drastic reduction in our return on investment does nothing to dampen our enthusiasm for solar. It was estimated tohttp://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2014/06/life-on-farm-snapshots.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Wed, 4 Jun 2014 06:34:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-18108713008503574 Peonies Radishes, Strawberries, Mixed Greens Buff Brahma Bantams, Foxy and Dusty Foxy Brown and Dusty Springfield Foxy, Dusty, Mildred, Vera, and Sophie (That's Mildred Dresselhaus, Vera Rubin, and Sophie Germain for math & physics lovers.)http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2014/04/apparelled-in-celestial-light.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Tue, 29 Apr 2014 14:29:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-6063587824350421497 In my last post I described the way the snow threatened the Magnolia blossoms. Days later, James got a job and the sun shone magnificently and I was able to plant. The Magnolia blossoms opened up after all, although plenty were singed, brown on white, like roasted marshmallows. I try to read the trees and the sky—to interpret what is writ large. This spring, after such unprecedentedhttp://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2014/04/farm-diary-april-14-2014.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Tue, 15 Apr 2014 09:01:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-4719385202314927882 The Magnolia Star trees in our front yard had finally begun to bloom, but this morning, the cream buds were wilted and coated in snow crystals.  Our hens are barely laying. We’ve been getting about an egg a day (down from three) since Marie Curie went broody and we had to “break” her. It might be my imagination, but I think the girls are getting aggressive. I chose Buff Orpingtons http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2014/01/life-on-farm-polar-vortex-edition.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Tue, 7 Jan 2014 12:45:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-3822434427069924023I shouldn't really say that I live on a farm. We don't depend on anything we grow or raise for money. In fact, so far we only give things away: eggs to my parents, plants for the gardens in the spring, a little produce. When I refer to this land as "the farm," I use the word in an aspirational sense--someday--and with a hint of the preposterous: no one who knew me in the first, say, 30 years of http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2013/10/medium.htmlinternetnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Sun, 6 Oct 2013 17:20:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-97197569236455520I've been using a website called Medium to post essays. Here are links: Restless Fourteen Times: The Marvel and the Tyranny of Personal Data Reflections on the Fitbit Flex, a wristband that monitors calories and sleep. Rebuilding the Plains: Restoring Pre-Agricultural Land in the Conservation Reserve Program An account of the first part of our odyssey to convert our hill to a native grass and http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2013/09/border-collie-chickens.htmlThe Homesteadnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Fri, 20 Sep 2013 08:02:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-3627349606609201135Gracie, my parents' Border Collie, is amazing. And exhausting. Living next door to Mom & Dad, their dog quickly became partly our dog. I have bonded with Gracie a lot, and long before we introduced four chickens into our lives. When the chicks were tiny, we kept her on a leash if we brought them outside and she tugged at the leash, her wolf-like teeth snapping. But she paid attention to http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2013/09/modern-farmer-and-ideological.htmlgardeningsustainabilitynoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Wed, 18 Sep 2013 17:19:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-1161443972534972275 There is reason to celebrate. The second issue of Modern Farmer is here! My husband picked it up at Whole Foods on Monday. (It is also available at Tractor Supply. I could subscribe, but buying magazines at Tractor Supply with my chicken feed sounds so cool. The first issue of Modern Farmer made me very happy.)  The two places I am most likely to buy my copy of Modern Farmer--Whole http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2013/09/winter-chicken-coop-in-progress.htmlgardeningsustainabilityThe Homesteadnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Tue, 10 Sep 2013 14:05:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-694574745009365037I almost hate to post any pictures until it's done, but it looks so good! Dad built and painted the box white (what do you call the box where you retrieve the eggs?). I'm so happy that we were able to salvage this metal that was sitting in the corner of the property for fifteen years, from when they built the barn. Fifteen years in the woods and there was surprisingly little rust. It wasn't hardhttp://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2013/08/building-winter-permanent-chicken-coop.htmlgardeningsustainabilityThe Homesteadnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Sat, 24 Aug 2013 10:55:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-6350350018982273891Dad's retirement is benefitting me greatly. Just as we copied the plans for the chicken tractor from the book, Self-Sufficiency for the 21st Century, Dad found a Maine website, Downeast Thunder Farm, with detailed plans for a coop. It has been hot and we need rain. I think Dad is looking for signs of rain clouds here. Once again, Dad has been doing all the design http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2013/08/indiana-produce-for-santa-fe-feast.htmlgardeningsustainabilityThe Homesteadnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Sat, 17 Aug 2013 08:03:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-7936424924882159421August in Indiana. The days are shorter already, and we've had a couple cold snaps. I start to feel a twinge of melancholy, like the whole year is already over. But something absolutely magical works as a countervailing force: the harvest. Bountiful, Indiana harvest! I am joyful. Today, I woke up and picked food for lunch and dinner. Lunch will be Italian--Caprese--an easy way to consume http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2013/07/july-in-indiana-at-glance.htmlgardeningsustainabilityThe Homesteadnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Mon, 22 Jul 2013 15:28:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-1235492835935168264 July in Danville is time for the 4-H Fair, where I saw these rock star chickens: and went on a couple rides:               Our chickens are growing every day. Their winter coop is being built:          In the field, there are some mighty pretty http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-chicken-ark-and-other-stuff.htmlgardeningsustainabilityThe Homesteadnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Tue, 14 May 2013 14:56:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-6443063595235774826At last, the chicken tractor is here! We just need a few finishing touches (chicken wire around the whole thing, for one). Dad is the carpenter. He made some vague plans from a book come to life, and we are all grateful. Of course I worked on it, but I'm not going to pretend I did any of the higher-order carpentry. I got more practice using a saw and a drill--both skills I've used many http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-secret-of-my-un-success-or-great.htmlgardeningsustainabilityThe Homesteadnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:52:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-676929550071867201I caught this inspiring passage in The Greenhorns' New Farmer's Almanac last night: In whatever you engage, pursue it with a steadiness of purpose, as though you were determined to succeed. A vacillating mind never accomplished anything worth naming. There is nothing like a fixed, steady aim. It dignifies your nature, and insures your success. This sounds about right, and it is a variant of http://jessicareedinfo.blogspot.com/2013/04/aprils-farming-publications-set-me.htmlgardeningsustainabilityThe Homesteadnoreply@blogger.com (Jessica)Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:11:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6804548502586467788.post-122631855571747421"Of course this year will be better than last! Every farmer knows that. Every year."                                                          --My grandmother, two weeks ago I have a sheet of paper on my fridge that's meant to remind me why I'm here, on