RE: My trip to Texas

Andrea: Thanks for the info. Sounds like a wonderful experience. So I
know your immediate plans are for trashy romance novels (want me to send
you some--I have hundreds of them!) and gardening mags...but what will
you do with your degree after that? Any plans?



Blessings in Christ's mercy,

Melody 

Work for the Lord:  the pay isn't much but the retirement is out of this world!

 --- On Wed 03/19, Andrea Hodges < andreah@hargray.com > wrote:
From: Andrea Hodges [mailto: andreah@hargray.com]
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:05:16 -0400
Subject: [CHAT] My trip to Texas

To answer a few questions-<br><br>Melody-my degree is a non-thesis
program so I did an oral defense of <br>basically what I've learned.
They got to ask me anything they wanted to. I <br>think a thesis would
have been easier to defend. And thanks much for your <br>kind
words.<br><br>Donna-The greenhouses were fantastic. They 8 of them-two
were off limits as <br>they are strictly for the maintenance crew for
TTU. When I went down there <br>one of my committee members happened to
be working with some of her students <br>so she gave me a whirlwind
tour. One greenhouse holds all of the "mother <br>plants" for their
interiorscaping classes so it was all house plant <br>material.
Everything was in truly lovely shape. I felt like I wanted to <br>shop!
The other held mother plants for the propagation classes and yet
<br>another the experiments that the students were working on. There are
<br>classrooms between greenhouses complete with all new audio visual
equipment. <br>Then there is

a lab where, for example on student had sets of onions growing <br>in a
chamber where they got more CO2 to see if they grew faster than onion
<br>sets without them. So far, they were not, which is a mystery they
are <br>working to solve. The gardens were neat but of course pretty
bare as yet.<br><br>The campus is enormous. According to my advisor and
several others it is the <br>largest college campus in the U.S. with the
exception of the Air Force <br>Academy and that's only because they have
their own runway.<br><br>I spent a large amount of money on sweatshirts
and t-shirts with the TTU <br>logo. LOL! Truly-if I had my choice I
would have done the degree on campus. <br>I feel like I missed out on a
lot but I am glad I got the opportunity to go <br>and see it all. I
truly had a good time even with the stress of the defense. <br>None of
the trees or shrubs there are native I found out since Lubbock is
<br>located in short grass prairie land. Hard pan clay soil. Not what I

would <br>consider a gardening friendly environment but there were many
nice plantings <br>around campus.<br><br>I stayed with one of my class
mates that I met online. She and her husband <br>live literally only 10
minutes walking distance from the Plant and Soil <br>Science building.
They too were the nicest people. Older than me, so also
<br>non-traditional students. My class mate does her defense in July so
she <br>learned a lot from my experience I think.<br><br>Apparently it
is tradition for the "defender" to provide refreshments for <br>the
committee. So, my advisor took me to the store and I bought bottled
<br>water, veggies, fruit, and Mexican pastries (yum). One of my
committee <br>member (the one from the greenhouse) pushed the veggie
tray towards me and <br>asked me what they all were. So then we got onto
the subject of what parts <br>of the vegetable we eat. She made me get
up and draw a bunch of celery on <br>the whiteboard. I had to tell her
what part of the

celery we eat. I said <br>stem-I was WRONG! I finally figured out it was
the petiole. Who knew? That <br>was one of the easy questions of course.
They kept me for about an hour and <br>45 minutes and then sent me out
of the room. I only had to stand in the hall <br>for a minute or so and
then they called me back in and my advisor said <br>Congratulations! So,
of course they all hugged me and I wanted to fall in <br>the floor just
from the relief. My advisor asked me later if I got the point <br>of
bringing food. She laughed and told me the committee is so busy eating
<br>that they don't have the focus to just hammer you with questions.
Worked <br>like a charm.<br><br>So, what's next-I have to finish the two
classes I'm in-Pesticides and my <br>refresher plant propagation
undergrad class. Then I get my diploma. And then <br>I'm going to do
what I said and read gardening magazines and trashy romance <br>novels
for at least a month. I'm done with school. done done done. So

really <br>I have no idea what's next. I'll keep you all
posted!<br><br>Thanks again for all of the support and congrats and kind
words. It means <br>the world to me!<br>A<br><br><br>----- Original
Message ----- <br>From: "Melody " <mhobertm@excite.com><br>To:
<gardenchat@hort.net><br>Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 10:30
AM<br>Subject: RE: [CHAT] over the milestone<br><br><br>> A: You are an
amazing inspiration...take time to savor your hard earned<br>> victory.
I'm so proud of you...I know it's been a great deal of hard<br>> work
for you and this is a real cause for celebration. Do you mind if I<br>>
ask what you wrote your thesis on? I'm afraid you've probably
covered<br>> that at some time while I've been gone, but I really am
interested in<br>> knowing. :-)<br>><br>><br>><br>> Blessings in
Christ's mercy,<br>><br>> Melody<br>><br>> Work for the Lord: the pay
isn't much but the retirement is out of this <br>> world!<br>><br>> ---
On Sun 03/16, Andrea Hodges <

andreah@hargray.com > wrote:<br>> From: Andrea Hodges [mailto:
andreah@hargray.com]<br>> To: gardenchat@hort.net<br>> Date: Sun, 16 Mar
2008 19:36:36 -0400<br>> Subject: [CHAT] over the milestone<br>><br>> I
DID IT!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!! It's over, finito, done, and I
PASSED!!!!!<br>> I'll <br>send more details later, but in a nutshell, it
was hard, but I<br>> had the BEST <br>time. Everyone was so nice and so
gracious and I DID<br>> IT!!! Now just to <br>finish these last two
classes and I'll get my<br>> degree. THANK YOU for all of <br>your
positive thoughts, prayers and<br>> energy. I know it helped!!!<br>HUGS
TO YOU<br>> ALL!<br>Andrea<br><br><br><br>----- Original Message -----
<br>From:<br>> "Pam Evans" <gardenqueen@gmail.com><br>To:<br>>
<gardenchat@hort.net><br>Sent: Friday, March 14, 2008 3:39<br>>
PM<br>Subject: Re: [CHAT] Horticultural milestone<br><br><br>> Well
lady<br>> - hope your oral exam is going well. Sending you all the
good<br>> (and<br>> smart) vibes I can

muster. I'm a planting fool today. Check in when<br>><br>> you get
home!<br>><br>> On 3/12/08, Andrea Hodges <andreah@hargray.com><br>>
wrote:<br>>><br>>> Well I'm looking forward to reading anything be
her<br>> when I get through<br>>> with<br>>> this. Thanks
David!<br>>><br>><br>> A<br>>> ----- Original Message -----<br>>> From:
"David Franzman"<br>> <dfranzma@pacbell.net><br>>> To:
<gardenchat@hort.net><br>>> Sent:<br>> Wednesday, March 12, 2008 7:40
PM<br>>> Subject: Re: [CHAT]<br>> Horticultural
milestone<br>>><br>>><br>>> > Andrea good luck to you I<br>> know you'll
do well. Have fun with it. Nora<br>>> > Roberts is my wife's<br>>
favorite.<br>>> ><br>>> > David<br>>> ><br>>> ><br>>> ><br>>> >
-----<br>> Original Message ----<br>>> > From: Andrea Hodges<br>>
<andreah@hargray.com><br>>> > To: gardenchat@hort.net<br>>> > Sent:<br>>
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 3:14:22 AM<br>>> > Subject: [CHAT]<br>>
Horticultural milestone<br>>> ><br>>> > OK all, I have to get up at

3:00<br>> am tomorrow to get to the Savannah GA<br>>> > airport<br>>> >
by 5:00. I<br>> fly to Lubbock TX to do my oral defense of my degree.
It's <br>>> ><br>> on<br>>> > Friday at 2:00 pm central time. I need ALL
the well wishes,<br>> positive<br>>> > thoughts,<br>>> > and prayers I
can get. I am trying<br>> really hard not to be nervous.
I<br>>><br>><br>> _______________________________________________<br>>
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