Paul Deaton
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Will reading be a short anomaly in human history? That’s a question asked by Rose Horowitch in her Atlantic article “The End of Reading is Here.” It is a bit of a downer, especially for people who make it a point to read from a paper book every day. I’ve written before about how few… Read more
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I learned to grow fennel while working at Susan’s farm beginning in 2013. It is a remarkable plant with its entirely of bulb, stalks, and fronds being edible. I grew eight or so plants this year and have begun to harvest them. Pretty soon there will be too many to use in the kitchen so… Read more
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Three weeks into summer, the average high temperatures are running a few degrees higher than average. This is the hottest time of the year for Eastern Iowa, and people born here can get used to it. That doesn’t mean we particularly like it. Exercise and gardening occupy a narrow morning window from sunrise until 8… Read more
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As I’m typing, an unexpected visitor is approaching from the east. Read more
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As I walked along the state park trail, I didn’t know if I would participate in the annual 4th of July parade in Coralville. Wild bergamot was beginning to bloom under the heat dome that parked over the Ohio River Valley and included us. I was mindful of the effect of high temperatures and humidity… Read more
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Week 13 was characterized by dealing with the heat dome that descended over the Midwest. I established a durable routine to protect the garden for what will likely be repeated heat domes in this geography. More kale for the food pantries in Week 13 and we are not close to being done with the crop.… Read more
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Using a large language model chatbot for cooking strips away a layer of emotional attachment to food, leaving chemistry and physics behind. Sometimes a cook wants that. In the chat box, I listed all the fresh garden vegetables in the kitchen with a question of what to make with them. Within seconds, the machine responded:… Read more
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Happy Independence Day to those who celebrate! I hope readers find space for patriotic reflections on this unique day in American history. Thanks for reading my blog. Read more
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I was finding my way after university when the Duane Arnold Energy Center began operations on Feb. 1, 1975. I had other things on my mind in the pre-Three Mile Island, pre-Chernobyl, pre-Fukushima world of electricity generation. I was trying to start a life and it wasn’t going as well as I had hoped. I… Read more
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Heavy rain that delayed planting tomatoes and peppers is now helping those crops survive the heat dome. Rain over several days deeply moistened the ground, and plant root structures have been drawing on that reservoir. Despite the heat, the garden is growing and producing vegetables. My daily heat dome process is to wake early, read… Read more
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