Getting a PhDoctorate

I've been away from this blog because I've been in the process of studying for and taking my comprehensive exams, the exams for which one reads about three hundred books over the course of the year and then is tested on all knowledge.  There is a written portion and an oral portion.  I took and passed the written portion last week.  It was horrible and exhausting.  And the orals are tomorrow.  So clearly, I needed to go out and take pictures of the eggplant and the baby garden and post them here.  I am so ready to get back to "normal" life, whatever that is.  I know exactly what it isn't:  reading hundreds of books and being examined on my knowledge of them.  Gross.

Apparently I signed up for this.

But I also signed up for GARDENING.

And because of comps, I was/am late on planting the fall garden, but as you can see, I've got some baby greens coming up, and I'm hoping to construct some sort of cold frame over them so we can have greens and turnips and such all winter long, yay.  Yay kale!  Nutrients!

And I never over plant (see bottom picture).  Wish me luck on my orals tomorrow.  I'm gonna go study. Thpt.

ps:  Aren't those eggplants sexy?  I know.