Showing posts with label campus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label campus. Show all posts

Friday, September 24, 2010

secret garden.

six hours of the week, i spend my time working in some of state's greenhouses as an intern. nc state has two greenhouse locations: there are some at the j.c. raulston arboretum, and the ones i work in are located behind fox labs on the north campus. when i heard about the opportunity from a fellow member of the horticulture club, i jumped right on it. by the end of the week, i was basically set to start. getting the paperwork completed was a different story, but as of about two weeks ago, i am official.

fox greenhouse. right about quittin' time.
the succulent conservatory.
the tropical conservatory.
it's been a wonderful experience. it's like have a private, hands-on, tutoring session. i am learning so much about plants and watering and maintenance and greenhouse management, and my "teachers" kerry and diane are great.

i hope to get some better pictures soon. the specimens in the conservatory are quite impressive. for now though, i think these stalker-style-cellphone pictures give a good idea of how lucky i am to have this gig!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

i love the campus farmer's market.

it might have been hot out. and there may have been only 8 or 9 booths. and i may not have had much cash or ability to carry anything more than the 45 pounds of bookbag i already had. but. the farmer's market opened in the brickyard on campus yesterday and i was super pumped about going.

there was a peanut farm stand, fruits and vegetables, fresh homemade salsa & pepper jelly, COOKIES, jewelry, apples, and homemade soaps and lotions. i loved it. you could smell the soap from 100 feet away, and students were walking around campus with huge slices of watermelon. i knew i wanted to buy soap, so i visited there first. moondance soaps is right outta raleigh, and they offer homemade soaps, lotions, lip balms, and more. everything smells wonderful, and they get their herbs and goat's milk from farmers in north carolina. i purchased a lemon verbena soap and a lavender, milk & honey soap. andrew smelled them and approved.

i had about 5 dollars left, so i found it necessary to prioritize my next item to purchase. obviously, i got cookies. the cookie people had clear glass displays of humongous and buttery-looking cookies, so i naturally gravitated like a raccoon to a piece of aluminum foil. i was extremely proud of my ability to ignore the 4 for $5 deal (because we all know i would have eaten them all before i got home) and i only purchased two (AND i brought some home to share): sugar with icing and sprinkles, and a chocolate chip cookie. THEY WERE THE BOMB. i will be back.

the campus farmers market is such a neat thing that happens at state, and i look forward to stopping by every wednesday. next week, i'll be a bit more prepared. bit more cash, maybe an extra bag. a camera to document. it's great to note, though, that some of the vendors do take cards!

to read some more, the technician (nc state's newspaper) wrote an article and took some pictures.