Liftoff!

Discovery's crew of seven is on its way to the International Space Station after a successful liftoff tonight. There were some equipment issues this past week that delayed the mission, and the window of opportunity was slamming shut, but the picture says it all! (Photo credit: NASA TV)

Today is the Ides of March. According to Wikipedia, in Roman times, the Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god Mars. In more modern times, the term is best known for the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated. Fortunately, NASA did not let this influence their decision to launch!

So how was your weekend? We had stunning weather here in Florida. Friend Charlie Corbeil went to the Pelican Island Wildlife Festival. His entry in the Photography Contest won Best of Show AND Viewers Choice (it was the sandhill crane chick nestled in its mother's wing we showed you in our January 25 post). My son and his wife ventured from their home in Orlando to Forever Florida to try out the new zipline. It will be the topic of a blog posting soon, but suffice it to say they had a great time. Friend Wayne went back to Cruicksank Sanctuary, where he got this dandy photo of a honeybee on Pennyroyal. The pollen it has collected is stored on its hind leg.

Wayne also sent this photo of St. John's wort. Look closely, and you'll see a crab spider hiding in the plant. When Margie and I were on the tour of Enchanted Forest last weekend, our guide mentioned that Port St. John was named for this plant.

I ventured up to Cocoa yesterday to visit Kari Ruder's Naturewise establishment - I got heirloom tomato seedlings to plant in my growbox this next week, as well as a beautiful head of hydroponic lettuce, complete with roots. I put it in a vase of water out on the screened-in porch. In theory, this lettuce will continue to grow. I'll be doing a complete post on this field trip over on our Space Coast Eco site in a couple of days.

And last but not least, today was Selection Sunday for March Madness and the brackets are set. I'm rooting for the North Dakota State Bison. I know that might seem odd, but they made it to the big dance in their first year as a Divison 1 team, and that deserves support!

Good weekend, capped off with a GREAT launch.