When I first moved to Ohio my officemate, Jim, dubbed me "Ice". "Hey, Ice what are you up to later? "Ice, do you have lab today?" "Ice, are you going out this weekend?" After a few months, my name was officially Ice...at least to my officemates...
Today, although I have reclaimed my birthname, I feel a bit like "Ice". My nose dripping like summer melt... and more importantly, my freezer is growing a glacier. This is no broken defrost...this is an intentional glacier. Yesterday, I carefully scooped sand from our backyard (Trey is laying some pavers, so I had to be sneaky)... I was cautious not to scoop any worms, as this causes many young fourth and fifth graders to squirm. (Even if they would be tame and rigid). I spread sand in a cake pan, shallowly carpeting the entire bottom. Then, I poured in some water and carefully balance this concoction on the top rack of the freezer at a 30 degree angle--- propped strategically on an Eggo box. The water swooshed to the lowered end of the pan.... with any luck it will be well frozen today...Soon I will be tipping the pan in the opposite direction to see if the lovely beast will slide down the sand on its wet bed. Just in case, I'm bringing a hair blower to speed the process up...
However, this glacier is likely to be outtrumphed in the students eyes by the more gooey glacier idling in my refridgerator...(unless of course, I did miss a poor worm).... its amazing how glue, borax and water congeal into a wonderful example of glacier internal deformation....
This glacier was a pain to scrape from underneath my fingernails and out of my wedding ring... but it will impress the kids. And today, they will love science.
