Microscope Memories

Over 35 years ago when I was in college working on an undergraduate degree in biology, my husband and I bought a microscope. The one we chose was as good as or better than the ones I used in the labs at school:  objectives, spider silk guide lines, wooden carrying case.  It was ordered from a local company and took several weeks to arrive. The microscope was a major purchase for us (I remember thinking that it cost almost as much as a used VW Beetle!). There was reciprocity involved in the decision since he owned a telescope and we were spending money to tweak it (cold cameras, mount modifications, new guide scope, and electric socks come to mind) and it was loosely tied to his physics major. The plan we both had was to forge ahead to grad school in our chosen fields and our hobbies would align with our academic work. Our ideas about what would come after graduate school were still vague and seemed very far in the future.

A few years later as I began graduate school, I decided that computer science was so much fun (I had supported us through our undergraduate years with programming jobs) that I decided to do graduate work in that field instead. There was not enough time for a microscope hobby so the microscope was carefully stored away with the idea that when I did have time, it would be a hobby I would start again.

The microscope was only unpacked a few times in the intervening years. We bought a student microscope that attached to our computer for my daughter when she was in elementary school. The quality of the image was not very good and the software didn’t work with current versions of windows by the time I wanted to use it a couple of years ago when I started this blog. That device was jettisoned but I still wanted to restart the microscope hobby. Recently I decided to buy microscope imager for my original microscope. It replaces the eyepiece and attaches to my laptop via USB. I dug out my wooden box of slides and cover slips. The prepared slides dried out years ago and were thrown away; there are only three slides and covers left!

It is a rude awakening to realize that I have forgotten a lot in 30 years! I will need to read up on microscope maintenance (it’s been in its wooden box for a long time) and decide on what other supplies I need aside from a few more glass slides and covers - immersion oil and stains come to mind. Once I decide what I need - I’ll have to order it; online ordering and shipping has certainly improved since I originally worked with this microscope but it is not instantaneous. I’m excited to be fiddling with the microscope again!

There will be a series of mini-projects - things I want to view and then write a blog post about. Feathers and plant material and molds are high on my list. My goal is to have at least one microscope based post a month. Stay tuned for my experiences restarting an activity from my early 20s!