Sublime

‘These,’ he waved his hand, ‘are the incubators.’ And opening an insulated door he showed them racks upon racks of numbered test-tubes. ‘The week’s supply of ova. Kept,’ he explained, ‘at blood heat; whereas the male gametes,’ and here he opened another door, ‘they have to be kept at thirty-five instead of thirty-seven. Full blood heat sterilizes.’

identify when she’s on the verge of ovulating, a woman can track several things. First, changes in her cervical mucus: it becomes thin, clear, and slippery like egg white right before ovulation. Or she can monitor her basal body temperature—first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed—because it will rise about half a degree when ovulation

Fuller, the old-schooler that he is, buries compost that is at the height of its decomposing process under a shallow layer of dirt inside his hothouses. The compost, which is biodegrading and making heat, will keep the hothouse warm enough for most of the winter.