Did you make good use of your extra hour this weekend? I spent some time looking for sandhill cranes, using it as an excuse to board a boat and cruise the delta. That was certainly time well spent. Yard work appears endless and definitely the downside of year-round good weather. Otherwise, I spent far more time than I care to admit writing updates on a few of the strategic plan goals. While I'm committed to the plan itself, like many, I would be just fine not having paperwork to do. And of course there were the ANR Grant Reviews to complete this weekend. It's clear some tough decisions are in store for Program Council this week.

Thanks to Debbie, a Master Gardener in Santa Cruz County, I have a new succulent. Almost a week in and it is still alive! Things look promising thanks to the growers guide she provided me. Perhaps some of my exposure to UC ANR academics with horticulture expertise is rubbing off.

My succulent lives thanks to tips from the Santa Cruz Master Gardeners

Last week I learned about some of the research Steven Tjosvold and David Chambers are leading to use polyacrylamides (PAM) as a means of binding sediment, nutrients, and, potentially, some pesticides used in the greenhouse industry – fascinating. I worked with PAM years ago to flocculate phosphorus from dilute manure streams. The good news is that the practice appears economically feasible for greenhouse users.

Flower pot leachate after polyacrylamide application

I had a chance to tour the UCCE Monterey County facilities last week as well. Have you been there? They have great lab facilities. Strong relations between the County and UCCE are key to the success of our Extension and research programs and the facilities at UCCE Monterey County illustrate the benefits of solid relationships and strong support from surrounding stakeholders and clientele.

After Program Council this week, I am headed up to Intermountain REC before the long weekend. I'm not sure if winter has arrived up there or not but will be sure to check the weather forecast before I leave. Then it's a long weekend – sort of the start of that time of year when we have short work weeks. These shorter weeks may give me time to catch a few additional TED Talks. A couple on my list: 1) How to win in evolution and survive mass extinction by Lauren Sallan and 2) The other inconvenient truth by Jonathan Foley who has been recommended as a possible keynote speaker at the 2018 Statewide Conference. Thanks for the suggestion Maggi #IGIS @nmaggikelly. If you get a chance to look at Dr. Foley's talk, let me know what you think.

Be sure to thank a veteran this week (and every week)!