Damn, I've been struggling this week with whether I should leave my PhD program with a master's or keep toughing it out, and this really hit home for me.

A recent study suggested that the safe upper limit in wet bulb conditions might be closer to 88F. Link to an article discussing the research

This is my first year with an in-ground garden in Zone 6a! Here's what I've got:

-Plant more peppers, I eat a lot of peppers and could use more

-Plant beans/peas earlier

-Plant okra later

-Only ONE cucumber plant!!! Just one! No one needs more than one!

-More ground cherries, they did great and I love 'em

-Wouldn't bother with celery again, probably

-Would give radishes another shot, they did okay. I'd do kohlrabi again too

-Planted too many types of lettuce

Huh, I've never considered estimating the weight of my hands, but after reading I can see the importance/application.

That really sucks, it's not cool that they took you on as a student when they knew they'd be looking to leave the university. The closest comparison I have is I had a classmate whose PI left the university and offered to take her, but she decided to master out instead. It didn't affect her career and was ultimately a great move.

I think it's normal that you'd have trouble trusting them again and you should probably consider your options. Can you transfer to another lab in your department? Alternatively, you said you went through all the trouble to travel and apply at the new university. Can you still go and just pick a new lab there? If you're post-candidacy/quals/etc, they should hopefully respect that and maybe it can accelerate your track.

I'm rocking with the PWA for now but you better believe I'm signed up for that Boost release

Midday after working outside and getting really dirty or sweaty, when it's still bright enough outside that you don't have to turn the lights on and the bathroom is only lit from the window, you're already so hot from working that the water has to start out lukewarm, and also you have a shower beer. My favorite kind.

Bird's nest is so crazy looking! I found some near me last year and I've been watching for it to pop back up.

I'm between Coprinellus disseminatus and Parasola plicatilis. It seems like Parasola is more common this time of year and more likely to grow on leaves.

What sort of issues are you having? It's been working pretty well for me using the PWA.

I love a radler. Also, this is one of the things I really miss about living in Iowa - the organized beer rides and brewery bike tours were fantastic, you could do one practically every weekend in the summer.

I'd definitely check to see what's local to you, but I have a couple of ideas mostly relevant to my area in the Midwest, which is zone 6a/5b.

A lot of spring ephemerals like shade - trout lily, mayapple, trillium, and Jack in the pulpit come to mind. Wild geranium and ferns prefer shade.

A lot of shrubs are shade tolerant, including sweetfern, coralberry, spirea, gooseberry, bearberry, viburnum, mulberry, and pawpaw. In my area most of the understory is spicebush, sassafras, and dogwood.

Hope that gives you some inspiration!