Of course, we'll have to see what shakes in December or January, when its 5 degrees out.
Monday, July 28, 2008
We ARE driving less
Hallelujah - we're driving less. 9.6 BILLION miles less. How quickly we were actually able to change after all the pissing and moaning about how we can't possibly change. Imagine that - when push comes to shove, it IS possible to get out the car.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Traffic Deaths Decline as Gas Prices Rise
Well, I guess it's a fact now. People actually ARE slowing down to save gas; and in the process, they're killing each other less frequently. Hooray!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Roma children are still children
I'm not sure how much you've heard about the Roma/gypsy issue in Italy, but this recent story caught my eye. Photos taken of the bodies of two girls, drowning victims, lying on the beach under towels with just their feet sticking out - and in the background, people are sunbathing. Just hanging out on the beach like nothing had happened (the girls were laid out for an hour). The accompanying story depicts how beach goers continued with their sunbathing, swimming, and picnicking as the coroner lifted the two girls' bodies into coffins and carried them off the beach.
Could you each lunch as you watch a medical examiner put the bodies of children into coffins? I don't care what race they are, whether they are legal or illegal immigrants - they are human children. Human children who had hopes & dreams; children who had parents, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews and grandparents.
I'd like to think that if I was on a beach where any child died, I'd have the decency to at least lose my appetite. Leave, cry, whatever - but not sit there and eat my lunch as I watched. How could someone do that? How could someone HUMAN do that and not be physically ill?
They only way anyone could do that is if they didn't value human life. Racists would do that. Was World War II so long ago that we still cannot see the dehumanizing of life when it happens right before our eyes? The Roma people were sent to Dachau (if not shot on sight); their women have been sterilized by governments against their will as recently as 1977; they have been enslaved and subject to ethnic cleansing throughout history. Just this past May, Roma camps were attacked and set on fire by residents of Naples, Italy.
The dehumanization of a group of people is the first step in extermination. We've seen this play out over and over again - it's one of the oldest tricks in the book. Sadly, I fear that because it is happening in Italy, which is not located in the middle east, or in Africa, we'll just sit and watch it ramp up until genocide once again rears its ugly head.
In America, we have our own issues with illegal immigration. It's a big issue, and we can't agree on how to solve it. But I do at least hope that if immigrant children drowned in front of some of our citizens, we don't just shrug and go on eating our lunch. Maybe that's misguided... our nation was formed on the back of slavery, and we continue to have major race relation issues. Not long ago, we put our own Japanese Americans in concentration camps - well within the lifetimes of those still living. But I'll continue to hope that we can keep a clear line between political issues and the value of human life.
Once we start classifying groups of people as "them", "they" or "those people" giant red signal flares should go off in our heads. Step one: dehumanize them. Step two: extermination.
I'm sure there were at least a few people on that beach that were horrified - I'm guessing they left before the photographer took his photograph. For all I know, those who were enjoying the sun amidst that horror could have been American tourists, hell bent on getting that perfect vacation they paid good money for. Regardless, I hope the people who were crass enough to enjoy their beach time will someday learn a little bit about compassion and human dignity. I'd like to think they'd be shamed into it after seeing their photograph plastered in newspapers throughout the world. But I doubt it.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Things are heating up...
quite literally. Just came across this posting in the Boston Globe. June was the 8th hottest month on record (records began in 1880) & globally the January - June 2008 period was the 9th warmest on record.
Our average temperature in June was 2.3 degrees above the 30-year average. So far this month, we are averaging 1.7 degrees above normal - which is including the current heat wave that begins today (it's 90 degrees out right now where I am).
So we've been told by the folks in the global warming camp that because of positive feedback mechanisms in the atmosphere & ocean, warming would like be accelerate quickly. I do wonder if this is the beginning of that rapid acceleration. Maybe it's just one of those freak temperature fluctuations. Although I did read recently that the Russian arctic science lab had to be evacuated on an emergency basis recently (last week?) because the ice floe they were on had shrunk from a 3 km by 5 km chunk of ice to a 300 meter by 600 meter chunk of ice and couldn't continue to support the scientists and their research any longer. They were supposed to be there a year, but had to leave after 10 months. The sea ice is now half as thick as it used to be, and is melting much faster than expected. Because open ocean is darker than sea ice, it absorbs the heat from the sun (ice reflects the heat), which in turn melts more ice, creating more water to absorb more heat. Not only is this bad for temperatures, but this also means the salinity of the arctic ocean will decrease, which messes around with the density of the water near the arctic, which then stops the ocean currents that keeps europe temperate. The chain reaction continues from there; I suggest you go see Mr. Gore's movie - he explains it better than I do.
It's one thing to watch a movie. Its a completely different thing to watch the news and start putting two and two together.
Similarly, just think of how we were told by the peak oil people of the havoc that was just around the corner after oil peaked. Well, oil peaked last year. And what's going on now? Havoc, or the beginning of havoc. The economy is seriously slowing down. The price of gas is above $4 a gallon in most places. Food prices continue to climb because transportation costs of food have increased. And this is SUMMER. We haven't gotten to the heating season yet, and local produce is in readily available (unless you live in the desert).
I've always had a "worlds are colliding" fear when theories start playing out before my very eyes. It's hard for me to make that mental jump from an abstract idea in my head to watching it become reality.
Friday, July 04, 2008
National Speed Limit
I'm not the only one, apparently, who thinks that slowing down Americas highways might make solid sense. Republican Senator John Warner from Virginia has sent a letter to the Energy Secretary Bodman asking him to evaluate what speed limit may provide optimum fuels savings given today's technology.
The reply from the Energy Departments Spokeswoman Angela Hill further illustrates how incredibly dumb our current administration is: "If Congress is serious about addressing gasoline prices, they must take action on expanding domestic oil and natural gas production."
That's just Bass-ackwards. Why conserve what we have? Let's just go drill for more, and we'll have it in 30 years, and then prices will go down THEN (you know, when our kids are our age). Special interests obviously have control of our government and we will continue to pay for it until the end of time.
Anyway, according to the department of Energy's website, the optimum average speed for fuel economy is about 60 MPH. They have a handy little graph on that page I've linked to. Every 5 MPH over 60 MPH will cost 7% to 23% more in fuel economy - or an "additional 29 to 94 cents per gallon". That's a pretty big range.
Here's the problem: for those of us who WANT to drive at the optimum fuel efficient speed, we can't on the highway. We'll get hit, run off the road, or pulled over by the police for going too slow. It amazes me. This is one reason I try to avoid driving on highways at all - it isn't really safe. I take the back roads, or the "blue roads" as I've heard them called (blue roads being secondary routes on paper maps - remember those?) as much as possible. I seem to get the best mileage around 45 MPH - the speed limit on the roads in my area. No wonder I'm getting 38 mpg in my civic where apparently other people aren't doing so hot (most user reported averages I've seen is in the 31 mpg range). It's easy once you start caring and paying attention.
The only problem is that no one cares (Ok - very few care) and we're all too lazy to get out of bed early enough so that we don't have to speed to avoid being late for work. There is nothing in the world that is important enough for me to be in a hurry.
The reply from the Energy Departments Spokeswoman Angela Hill further illustrates how incredibly dumb our current administration is: "If Congress is serious about addressing gasoline prices, they must take action on expanding domestic oil and natural gas production."
That's just Bass-ackwards. Why conserve what we have? Let's just go drill for more, and we'll have it in 30 years, and then prices will go down THEN (you know, when our kids are our age). Special interests obviously have control of our government and we will continue to pay for it until the end of time.
Anyway, according to the department of Energy's website, the optimum average speed for fuel economy is about 60 MPH. They have a handy little graph on that page I've linked to. Every 5 MPH over 60 MPH will cost 7% to 23% more in fuel economy - or an "additional 29 to 94 cents per gallon". That's a pretty big range.
Here's the problem: for those of us who WANT to drive at the optimum fuel efficient speed, we can't on the highway. We'll get hit, run off the road, or pulled over by the police for going too slow. It amazes me. This is one reason I try to avoid driving on highways at all - it isn't really safe. I take the back roads, or the "blue roads" as I've heard them called (blue roads being secondary routes on paper maps - remember those?) as much as possible. I seem to get the best mileage around 45 MPH - the speed limit on the roads in my area. No wonder I'm getting 38 mpg in my civic where apparently other people aren't doing so hot (most user reported averages I've seen is in the 31 mpg range). It's easy once you start caring and paying attention.
The only problem is that no one cares (Ok - very few care) and we're all too lazy to get out of bed early enough so that we don't have to speed to avoid being late for work. There is nothing in the world that is important enough for me to be in a hurry.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Hooray for Hawaii
I love Hawaii, I must admit. We have family there, and Hawaii will be the one reason I'll deal with the misery of flying (not really any other reasonable way to get there). Here's one more reason to love Hawaii: the state now requires solar hot water heaters on all new homes. Brilliant!
Seeing as it's pau hana time, I'll drink to that one.
Seeing as it's pau hana time, I'll drink to that one.
The joy Interstate travel
This driver in Maryland is a man after my own heart. Glenn Conrad got pulled over by a statie for driving 50 MPH on I-95 - the speed limit is 65 MPH. I'm trying to remember, but when I drove I-95 through MD, I don't remember there being a "minimum speed limit" sign in that state (some states DO have them, and I think they are generally a good idea).
The reason he was driving 50 MPH on the interstate? He was saving gas. When the cop pulled him over, Conrad was getting 69 miles to the gallon. Smart guy. His only problem is that the rest of the world is in a hurry, and they are likely to kill him.
But why is it this way? Why is it more acceptable to speed than it is to drive slow? I'm willing to bet there were people going close to 80 MPH that the cop could have pulled over instead. With falling tax revenues, you'd think the state police would like to have more money in their budget. My guess is that the cop thought Conrad was perhaps drunk or high.
During the 1970s fuel crisis, speed limits were much lower. Why? It's more fuel efficient. It amazes me that we as a society haven't yet figured out how much money we'd save by dropping the speed limits, not to mention the increase in safety (and speeding ticket revenue). Many of the people who complain about the high price of gas are the very same people who race stop light to stop light, peel out at intersections, and floor it on the highway going 80 MPH. The only thing that aggressive driving behavior accomplishes is showing the rest of the world what an idiot you are. Or perhaps you're compensating for something (small anatomy, perhaps - or, more likely, small brain).
On the other hand, 50 MPH is a little dangerous in a 65 MPH zone. But between 55 and 60 SHOULD be acceptable. In theory, 65 is the LIMIT - thats the fastest you are supposed to go. It does NOT mean you HAVE to drive at that speed. I choose to go about 5-8 MPH under the speed limit (in the right or middle lane, depending on how many on/off ramps there are) - there is no one in the world that is important enough to me to speed for (or even waste extra gas for). I leave a few minutes earlier. Its really not a big deal.
Think about. Crude oil broke $142 a barrel today. We're paying above $4 a gas. I traded in our truck in Texas when gas hit $1.50 and got a Civic because I could read the writing on the wall. A year later, I ditched the Audi because it got 20 MPG and took premium fuel (granted, I now have an SUV that holds 8 people - and IT gets the same mileage the audi did - except the SUV is a ULEV, takes regular fuel, and holds twice as much stuff/people). Its time for all of us to wake up and realize that life as we previously knew it is likely over.
It's time to adapt.
The reason he was driving 50 MPH on the interstate? He was saving gas. When the cop pulled him over, Conrad was getting 69 miles to the gallon. Smart guy. His only problem is that the rest of the world is in a hurry, and they are likely to kill him.
But why is it this way? Why is it more acceptable to speed than it is to drive slow? I'm willing to bet there were people going close to 80 MPH that the cop could have pulled over instead. With falling tax revenues, you'd think the state police would like to have more money in their budget. My guess is that the cop thought Conrad was perhaps drunk or high.
During the 1970s fuel crisis, speed limits were much lower. Why? It's more fuel efficient. It amazes me that we as a society haven't yet figured out how much money we'd save by dropping the speed limits, not to mention the increase in safety (and speeding ticket revenue). Many of the people who complain about the high price of gas are the very same people who race stop light to stop light, peel out at intersections, and floor it on the highway going 80 MPH. The only thing that aggressive driving behavior accomplishes is showing the rest of the world what an idiot you are. Or perhaps you're compensating for something (small anatomy, perhaps - or, more likely, small brain).
On the other hand, 50 MPH is a little dangerous in a 65 MPH zone. But between 55 and 60 SHOULD be acceptable. In theory, 65 is the LIMIT - thats the fastest you are supposed to go. It does NOT mean you HAVE to drive at that speed. I choose to go about 5-8 MPH under the speed limit (in the right or middle lane, depending on how many on/off ramps there are) - there is no one in the world that is important enough to me to speed for (or even waste extra gas for). I leave a few minutes earlier. Its really not a big deal.
Think about. Crude oil broke $142 a barrel today. We're paying above $4 a gas. I traded in our truck in Texas when gas hit $1.50 and got a Civic because I could read the writing on the wall. A year later, I ditched the Audi because it got 20 MPG and took premium fuel (granted, I now have an SUV that holds 8 people - and IT gets the same mileage the audi did - except the SUV is a ULEV, takes regular fuel, and holds twice as much stuff/people). Its time for all of us to wake up and realize that life as we previously knew it is likely over.
It's time to adapt.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Flooding & Gas Prices
The Midwest is having a 500-year flood event. They had a 100-year flood event in 1993, and this is way worse. I'm glad we had to occasion to drive through the Midwest (Des Moines, Omaha, etc) so I have mental pictures to attach to these stories. Makes it more real somehow. I-90 is closed in places. Amtrak isn't running. They are in serious, serious trouble.
Just read this on CNN.com: "Midwest Floods May Send Gas Up 15%" due to rising corn futures (the Midwest grows our corn, which makes ethanol, which is a federally mandated gasoline additive). Apparently, as the flooding has increased, so have the cost of corn futures. What I find interesting about this is that no one, as of yet, has said a damn thing about the impact of rising corn futures on food prices. We're so worried about our precious cars that we're missing the idea that corn prices were already high, and food prices are just going to climb higher because of this.
Just wait. In a day or two, this will sink in, and you'll be hearing all sorts of projections regarding the rising cost of food.
In the mean time, New England continues to have a relatively dry spring. We had four days in the high 90s around here - broke 100 a few times. And very little rain. I was so worried about the plants that we had planted at the CSA during the heat wave that I went over to water them on a non-work day in 95 degree heat. I couldn't focus on my own work knowing that those yet-to-be established plants were baking in the sun.
In fact, I heard the tale end of an interview on the local NPR station yesterday - while Massachusetts officials are assuring us that we have plenty of drinking water, they are urging us to conserve, conserve, conserve... go tell that to my neighbor on the conservation commission who insists on watering her lawn in the middle of the day on a 90+ day.
New Englanders aren't dumb. But they don't know a damn thing about water conservation, and I fear by the time they figure out, we'll all be screwed.
----
On a more uplifting note, we gave blood again today. Have you given blood recently? We got free cookies & brownies. I filled my back in 3 minutes and 48 seconds. Took my spouse 7 minutes+... Therefore, I win!
Just read this on CNN.com: "Midwest Floods May Send Gas Up 15%" due to rising corn futures (the Midwest grows our corn, which makes ethanol, which is a federally mandated gasoline additive). Apparently, as the flooding has increased, so have the cost of corn futures. What I find interesting about this is that no one, as of yet, has said a damn thing about the impact of rising corn futures on food prices. We're so worried about our precious cars that we're missing the idea that corn prices were already high, and food prices are just going to climb higher because of this.
Just wait. In a day or two, this will sink in, and you'll be hearing all sorts of projections regarding the rising cost of food.
In the mean time, New England continues to have a relatively dry spring. We had four days in the high 90s around here - broke 100 a few times. And very little rain. I was so worried about the plants that we had planted at the CSA during the heat wave that I went over to water them on a non-work day in 95 degree heat. I couldn't focus on my own work knowing that those yet-to-be established plants were baking in the sun.
In fact, I heard the tale end of an interview on the local NPR station yesterday - while Massachusetts officials are assuring us that we have plenty of drinking water, they are urging us to conserve, conserve, conserve... go tell that to my neighbor on the conservation commission who insists on watering her lawn in the middle of the day on a 90+ day.
New Englanders aren't dumb. But they don't know a damn thing about water conservation, and I fear by the time they figure out, we'll all be screwed.
----
On a more uplifting note, we gave blood again today. Have you given blood recently? We got free cookies & brownies. I filled my back in 3 minutes and 48 seconds. Took my spouse 7 minutes+... Therefore, I win!
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Rainy days...
We need the rain. Badly. Don't get me wrong - I know we need the rain - we've needed rain all spring (ever since my basement stopped flooding). When I smash the small clumps of garden soil between my thumb and my forefinger, all I get is a small dust explosion that's appropriate only for late August or September. This is high on the list of things that shouldn't be during a New England June.
It rained all day yesterday, and I don't think the high temperature broke 60 degrees. A wee bit dreary. It's still in the 50s out with showers scheduled for today, but I've opened all the windows to try and store some of that coolness in the house (as a giant heat sink). The highs forecast for this weekend are 92 on Saturday and 94 on Sunday. June, in New England. You just never know.
I was so cold & damp yesterday that I made 2 loaves of honey whole wheat bread. I think it's quite possible it was my best bread yet. I didn't kneed it by hand at all - after setting some galvanized steel posts at the CSA farm yesterday, my wrist just wasn't up to it (carpal tunnel flair up - its been about 15 months since the last one). This is where the stand mixer comes in handy. I just let that dough hook fly away and make a god-awful racket for 8 minutes or so. Worked perfectly. In the end, I had two perfect loaves of honey whole wheat bread that smelled a little citrus-y (I let the loaves rise a little too long, so I think the yeast was very happy). The house smelled great - to the point where I was constantly hunting for a snack for the rest of the day and evening.
I'm going to try to enjoy today's dreariness. It might be the last cool day for some time. Even the 10 day forecast shows highs in the mid to upper 80s for as long as the eye can see. As of Saturday my peppers should be growing like crazy.
It rained all day yesterday, and I don't think the high temperature broke 60 degrees. A wee bit dreary. It's still in the 50s out with showers scheduled for today, but I've opened all the windows to try and store some of that coolness in the house (as a giant heat sink). The highs forecast for this weekend are 92 on Saturday and 94 on Sunday. June, in New England. You just never know.
I was so cold & damp yesterday that I made 2 loaves of honey whole wheat bread. I think it's quite possible it was my best bread yet. I didn't kneed it by hand at all - after setting some galvanized steel posts at the CSA farm yesterday, my wrist just wasn't up to it (carpal tunnel flair up - its been about 15 months since the last one). This is where the stand mixer comes in handy. I just let that dough hook fly away and make a god-awful racket for 8 minutes or so. Worked perfectly. In the end, I had two perfect loaves of honey whole wheat bread that smelled a little citrus-y (I let the loaves rise a little too long, so I think the yeast was very happy). The house smelled great - to the point where I was constantly hunting for a snack for the rest of the day and evening.
I'm going to try to enjoy today's dreariness. It might be the last cool day for some time. Even the 10 day forecast shows highs in the mid to upper 80s for as long as the eye can see. As of Saturday my peppers should be growing like crazy.
On Food
So while at the Cod (which is what my niece used to call the Cape) I picked up a Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingslover. I'm now half-way through it, and it is flying by. I've been meaning to read this book since it came out, but the waiting line at the library is 10 people deep. So when we had a slow, rainy day on Saturday, I went to the local bookstore and picked it up (great store, by the way...).
I've been a believer in local food. I've been a believer of organic food. But this book has served well as a heavy reminder to not slack off... Go read it. It's an easy read. I've found that books with this much information in them tend to read like text books, and are very preachy. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is not. Nor is it solely about local food. It's a good, easy read. Put it on your summer reading list. It's an adventure.
So with this book in mind, I've just run across an article on CNN's website, which left me shaking my head. "FDA Urged to Ban 8 Food Dyes" describes how a consumer advocacy group is urging the FDA to ban these food dyes because they increase hyperactivity and behavior problems in kids. Great. Fine. But the issue I had in the article is this: the REASON these dyes are IN kids foods in the first place is to make them more colorful so they will be more appealing and appear like healthier choices. It suddenly became very clear to me. Why do we need to ban the DYES? Are the dyes really the issue here? Shouldn't we be more concerned with the absence of any actual nutritional value of these foods in the first place? Ban the dyes? Are you kidding me? How about we just ban these crappy foods that we are tricked into feeding our kids? How about we ban marketing campaigns directed at children (who aren't able to make decisions based on nutrition - mainly because their parents aren't able to either)? High fructose corn syrup is NOT a vegetable. Anything that requires a dye to make it more appetizing should be a GIANT red flashing light- if we have to trick our eyes into thinking "it's colorful, it must be good" then maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't be eating that crap. Apparently, these dyes are also injected into fruits to make them more appetizing. WHAT? How about we stop trying to hide how unhealthy the factory farmed produce is?
So my sister & brother-in-law recently bought a vacation cottage on the Cod. This is great - they'll rent it out sometimes, and they'll use it sometimes, and we'll use it sometimes. It'll be good. They have a ridiculous amount of money. Range Rover, Volvo, horseback riding lessons (don't own a horse YET), my BIL has a Harley just for fun. They are rolling in it. But the house is full of sodas, yodels, those little apple pies that come in individually wrapped packages... BBQing involves char-burned hot dogs and tasteless hamburger patties than come preformed in a shrink wrapped Styrofoam package wrapped in plastic - with the little pieces of paper in between the patties. I watched my 8 year old niece single handedly devour an entire tin of brownies, and no one said a thing. Basically, the cheapest, least healthy food money can buy. And it occurs to me... if you have enough money to buy a vacation home, shouldn't you have enough money to feed your family decent food? Why is they kind of car you drive more important than what you feed your kids? What could be more important than what you take into your body and forms the foundation of your health and life expectancy? Why is it that the more affluent someone is (generally) the more they eat convenience foods filled with dyes, artificial sweeteners and partially hydrogenated oils? How is this progress? Why is it that no one cares?
And we wonder why we have a health care crisis. Come on people.
Why buy your kids the best of everything only to feed them the lowest common denominator of food? Why send them to a good school while ensuring they have a shorter life span than that of your generation? It makes no sense... I'm baffled.
I've been a believer in local food. I've been a believer of organic food. But this book has served well as a heavy reminder to not slack off... Go read it. It's an easy read. I've found that books with this much information in them tend to read like text books, and are very preachy. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is not. Nor is it solely about local food. It's a good, easy read. Put it on your summer reading list. It's an adventure.
So with this book in mind, I've just run across an article on CNN's website, which left me shaking my head. "FDA Urged to Ban 8 Food Dyes" describes how a consumer advocacy group is urging the FDA to ban these food dyes because they increase hyperactivity and behavior problems in kids. Great. Fine. But the issue I had in the article is this: the REASON these dyes are IN kids foods in the first place is to make them more colorful so they will be more appealing and appear like healthier choices. It suddenly became very clear to me. Why do we need to ban the DYES? Are the dyes really the issue here? Shouldn't we be more concerned with the absence of any actual nutritional value of these foods in the first place? Ban the dyes? Are you kidding me? How about we just ban these crappy foods that we are tricked into feeding our kids? How about we ban marketing campaigns directed at children (who aren't able to make decisions based on nutrition - mainly because their parents aren't able to either)? High fructose corn syrup is NOT a vegetable. Anything that requires a dye to make it more appetizing should be a GIANT red flashing light- if we have to trick our eyes into thinking "it's colorful, it must be good" then maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't be eating that crap. Apparently, these dyes are also injected into fruits to make them more appetizing. WHAT? How about we stop trying to hide how unhealthy the factory farmed produce is?
So my sister & brother-in-law recently bought a vacation cottage on the Cod. This is great - they'll rent it out sometimes, and they'll use it sometimes, and we'll use it sometimes. It'll be good. They have a ridiculous amount of money. Range Rover, Volvo, horseback riding lessons (don't own a horse YET), my BIL has a Harley just for fun. They are rolling in it. But the house is full of sodas, yodels, those little apple pies that come in individually wrapped packages... BBQing involves char-burned hot dogs and tasteless hamburger patties than come preformed in a shrink wrapped Styrofoam package wrapped in plastic - with the little pieces of paper in between the patties. I watched my 8 year old niece single handedly devour an entire tin of brownies, and no one said a thing. Basically, the cheapest, least healthy food money can buy. And it occurs to me... if you have enough money to buy a vacation home, shouldn't you have enough money to feed your family decent food? Why is they kind of car you drive more important than what you feed your kids? What could be more important than what you take into your body and forms the foundation of your health and life expectancy? Why is it that the more affluent someone is (generally) the more they eat convenience foods filled with dyes, artificial sweeteners and partially hydrogenated oils? How is this progress? Why is it that no one cares?
And we wonder why we have a health care crisis. Come on people.
Why buy your kids the best of everything only to feed them the lowest common denominator of food? Why send them to a good school while ensuring they have a shorter life span than that of your generation? It makes no sense... I'm baffled.
Monday, June 02, 2008
The Cape
I've spent the last 2 weekends on the cape. It's about a two hour drive down there, but I don't use the car much once I get there (4 hours of driving on the weekend isn't unusual anyway - bad, I know, but where we live, everything is 45 minutes away anyway - all in different directions). Memorial day weekend I went down just for the day on Sunday (to help my sister's family get their new cottage straightened up), and last weekend we went down for the full weekend (did some landscaping, installed a wireless router, and painted a room). We also had time to take some walks. Lots of walks - we brought the dogs with us. Surprise - the dogs really enjoyed themselves, at least once they realized we weren't leaving them here.
One thing we did was visit the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. A new exhibit had opened up called, ironically (to me): "A Sense of Place". So of course I had to go. I am now on a quest for new reading material - for some crazy reason, I hadn't realized that Thoreau had written about visiting the Cape. Don't know why he WOULDN'T - it just didn't occur to me - and he's been popping up a lot recently (again). The exhibit was focused on three naturalist-writers from the Cape (or who wrote about the cape): Henry Beston, John Hay, and Robert Finch. Robert Finch's essays are read on WCAI the Cape & the Islands NPR station 3 times a week - twice on Tuesday and once on Wednesday. They are also available via podcast from the radio station.
I have a lot to learn. A lot to absorb. A whole other environment.
This past weekend was another instance of me coming to the realization that what I've been looking for was under my nose all along. I really enjoyed the time we spent in Mississippi - I had never lived that close to the ocean before. Feeling the salt air everyday, watching the water. The shore birds. The clouds drifting in, shifting and either exploding or dissolving as they see fit. While in Mississippi I spent a fair amount of time at the National Seashore just sitting, watching, absorbing. I hadn't realized how important that was to me until now I get it back a little bit. The absorption in the first step in getting to really know a place.
So many people travel, travel, travel. At a quick pace. They bang out various landmarks on a checklist and then rush back into their air conditioned cars to get to the airport. Then they enter the time warp that is air travel. I may not have realized this phenomonon had I not spent time moving around and being forced to start over. Whats the point of the tourists checklist? What did you really learn? There is never enough time - I am never in one place long enough to learn it, to know it. In the end, vacationing is dissatisfying for that reason - I become frustrated more than anything else. You can now say you've "been" somewhere, but that means so little. What does that place smell like in different seasons? How does the late change through the day, throughout the year? What would happen in that alternative reality where you just stay and never go home?
Another thing I realized: your feet toughen up quickly. By yesterday midday, I was hiking barefoot. Which was eye-opening: my feet are the one part of my body constantly in touch with a place. Hiking barefoot brings a whole other dimension to the hiking experience. I had a very tactile hike yesterday. The changing textures under foot made the transitions between sand dunes to marsh to meadow to upland wooded area immediately obvious. The sudden coolness of stone steps, the pillowy softness of the fine sand right before the transition to the meadow area, the hot sand in the sun - it all adds yet another dimension to the experience. Unconsciously, my brain started working in other ways, realizing without internally verbalizing what geomorphic processes may be at work where I happened to be standing. It was not unpleasant.
One thing we did was visit the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. A new exhibit had opened up called, ironically (to me): "A Sense of Place". So of course I had to go. I am now on a quest for new reading material - for some crazy reason, I hadn't realized that Thoreau had written about visiting the Cape. Don't know why he WOULDN'T - it just didn't occur to me - and he's been popping up a lot recently (again). The exhibit was focused on three naturalist-writers from the Cape (or who wrote about the cape): Henry Beston, John Hay, and Robert Finch. Robert Finch's essays are read on WCAI the Cape & the Islands NPR station 3 times a week - twice on Tuesday and once on Wednesday. They are also available via podcast from the radio station.
I have a lot to learn. A lot to absorb. A whole other environment.
This past weekend was another instance of me coming to the realization that what I've been looking for was under my nose all along. I really enjoyed the time we spent in Mississippi - I had never lived that close to the ocean before. Feeling the salt air everyday, watching the water. The shore birds. The clouds drifting in, shifting and either exploding or dissolving as they see fit. While in Mississippi I spent a fair amount of time at the National Seashore just sitting, watching, absorbing. I hadn't realized how important that was to me until now I get it back a little bit. The absorption in the first step in getting to really know a place.
So many people travel, travel, travel. At a quick pace. They bang out various landmarks on a checklist and then rush back into their air conditioned cars to get to the airport. Then they enter the time warp that is air travel. I may not have realized this phenomonon had I not spent time moving around and being forced to start over. Whats the point of the tourists checklist? What did you really learn? There is never enough time - I am never in one place long enough to learn it, to know it. In the end, vacationing is dissatisfying for that reason - I become frustrated more than anything else. You can now say you've "been" somewhere, but that means so little. What does that place smell like in different seasons? How does the late change through the day, throughout the year? What would happen in that alternative reality where you just stay and never go home?
Another thing I realized: your feet toughen up quickly. By yesterday midday, I was hiking barefoot. Which was eye-opening: my feet are the one part of my body constantly in touch with a place. Hiking barefoot brings a whole other dimension to the hiking experience. I had a very tactile hike yesterday. The changing textures under foot made the transitions between sand dunes to marsh to meadow to upland wooded area immediately obvious. The sudden coolness of stone steps, the pillowy softness of the fine sand right before the transition to the meadow area, the hot sand in the sun - it all adds yet another dimension to the experience. Unconsciously, my brain started working in other ways, realizing without internally verbalizing what geomorphic processes may be at work where I happened to be standing. It was not unpleasant.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Haitus
It's been awhile. What can I say? I've been busy. There was a stretch of time I thought I might be pregnant - alas, not so much. Or not any more, at least. Que sera, sera. I've been in the garden daily. The damn lawn grows faster than I can reasonably mow it (at $4 a gallon for gas...yes, yes, I'm working on growing less grass and more food, but it's slow). Busy with friends, with dog walking, with chicken rounding up (not mine - not this year) and fox chasing. Typical spring excitement. Work has picked up as well - it's not unpleasant to work from home and just sit & think & reason through an issue and get paid for it, without driving the 45 miles into the office. It's very nice that although I have a 45 mile commute, I only physically go to the office once a month or so. We bought a new vehicle in February - and we are not yet to the 1st oil change. Such a wonderful change.
Of course, it's light out until 815 or so at night - dusk until 9. I can now eat dinner and then get back to the yard, and then collapse into a heap in bed immediately after. And get up again at 5. It's hard to sleep past 6 anyway - the sunlight coming in the window, the cacophony of bird calls, the pacing of the dog who wants to go out and chase rabbits.
It's taking less and less reading at night to calm my mind to sleep. I frequently find that the worries of the world (we're all going to hell in a hand basket, as if you hadn't noticed) can't keep up with the exhaustion. Weeks are blending together. Days, while physically almost at their longest of the year, suddenly seem astonishingly short.
Rest assured, all the while my brain has been working. Reasoning. Contrasting. Gathering ideas, combining them. I'll be back shortly with plethora of musings... just as soon as it gets hot out, and I'm looking for a midday escape. Or perhaps when my brain is full. Wont be long, either way.
Of course, it's light out until 815 or so at night - dusk until 9. I can now eat dinner and then get back to the yard, and then collapse into a heap in bed immediately after. And get up again at 5. It's hard to sleep past 6 anyway - the sunlight coming in the window, the cacophony of bird calls, the pacing of the dog who wants to go out and chase rabbits.
It's taking less and less reading at night to calm my mind to sleep. I frequently find that the worries of the world (we're all going to hell in a hand basket, as if you hadn't noticed) can't keep up with the exhaustion. Weeks are blending together. Days, while physically almost at their longest of the year, suddenly seem astonishingly short.
Rest assured, all the while my brain has been working. Reasoning. Contrasting. Gathering ideas, combining them. I'll be back shortly with plethora of musings... just as soon as it gets hot out, and I'm looking for a midday escape. Or perhaps when my brain is full. Wont be long, either way.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The future
Recent events have led me to start thinking about the next generation. Recently, I've been reading Wendell Berry's essays from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Sadly, although technology has come a long way, we're in far deeper s**t than we were at the beginning of my life. This does not bode well for the children being born today.
America accomplished so much during the second World War. There was a unity, a banding together for a common goal. The war effort forced our society, out of necessity, to conserve our resources. We re-used and recycled everything. We cut down on consumption. Most importantly, we planted victory gardens.
It saddens me that at the beginning of my parents generation, sacrifice was the norm, and it was necessary to "save democracy." Yet, now that it is necessary to make changes now that might just save all of humanity, we couldn't be bothered (the planet? the planet will be FINE - but we just wont be on it). But I'm in the minority. It's incredibly lonely. It's so very sad - during WWII the world's citizens band together to pool resources (on our own respective sides) while killing a combined total of about 72 million people in order to idolize an ideal (pick one - there were several, depending on what side you were on), but when it comes to saving our own ass, we wont do it. Can't do it. Can't figure it out. Can't be bothered. It's too "hard."
Which amazes me. After carrying a baby for nine months (and all the work that entails), and raising a child until adult hood (basically putting your own life on hold in the process - and don't forget about costs of education) - we're all willing to just toss our hands up in the air, shrug and say "it's too hard."
And if thats our attitude, what is the POINT?
It's a bit disheartening to say the least.
So why have a child at all? For hope. It's like planting flower bulbs or trees or garlic cloves in the fall - I have hope that spring will come once again. I have faith that the seasons will keep on turning and that although there is a frigid and and miserable winter to fight through, spring will come again, and the world will be reborn. Food will grow again, the sun will shine, the rivers and ponds will melt, and the birds will return.
Perhaps any child that I produce will have a sense of urgency inside, and can somehow get the world to see what so many of us refuse to. Perhaps that child will come up with some sort of a solution that will somehow save us all. At the very least, I hope such a child will live honestly and within reason, and will be able to see when it has enough, and will not take or use more than his/her fair share.
I suppose most people contemplating parenthood have such delusions. But I have hope.
America accomplished so much during the second World War. There was a unity, a banding together for a common goal. The war effort forced our society, out of necessity, to conserve our resources. We re-used and recycled everything. We cut down on consumption. Most importantly, we planted victory gardens.
It saddens me that at the beginning of my parents generation, sacrifice was the norm, and it was necessary to "save democracy." Yet, now that it is necessary to make changes now that might just save all of humanity, we couldn't be bothered (the planet? the planet will be FINE - but we just wont be on it). But I'm in the minority. It's incredibly lonely. It's so very sad - during WWII the world's citizens band together to pool resources (on our own respective sides) while killing a combined total of about 72 million people in order to idolize an ideal (pick one - there were several, depending on what side you were on), but when it comes to saving our own ass, we wont do it. Can't do it. Can't figure it out. Can't be bothered. It's too "hard."
Which amazes me. After carrying a baby for nine months (and all the work that entails), and raising a child until adult hood (basically putting your own life on hold in the process - and don't forget about costs of education) - we're all willing to just toss our hands up in the air, shrug and say "it's too hard."
And if thats our attitude, what is the POINT?
It's a bit disheartening to say the least.
So why have a child at all? For hope. It's like planting flower bulbs or trees or garlic cloves in the fall - I have hope that spring will come once again. I have faith that the seasons will keep on turning and that although there is a frigid and and miserable winter to fight through, spring will come again, and the world will be reborn. Food will grow again, the sun will shine, the rivers and ponds will melt, and the birds will return.
Perhaps any child that I produce will have a sense of urgency inside, and can somehow get the world to see what so many of us refuse to. Perhaps that child will come up with some sort of a solution that will somehow save us all. At the very least, I hope such a child will live honestly and within reason, and will be able to see when it has enough, and will not take or use more than his/her fair share.
I suppose most people contemplating parenthood have such delusions. But I have hope.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Adult Fitness test
This is a great idea: an adult fitness test. "K" had to do these every year in the military, and I would do it along with him just for fun ("K" would score near-perfect every year - he'd make everyone else a little mad). We spent a lot of time exercising. As a result, we've both gained weight after he left the military. It's a combination of being less active and being able to afford good food. Go figure.
I just wish we could all get those signed presidential fitness award certificates. "K" could put his up in his cube.
I just wish we could all get those signed presidential fitness award certificates. "K" could put his up in his cube.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Religious agricultural laws
During the Aufruf on Saturday, I was thinking about the Jewish agricultural laws the Rabbi mentioned. I was curious, especially after reading the "Gift of Good Land" essay by Wendell Berry immediately following the Aufruf. What are the common religious agricultural laws that tend to be repeated over and again in different religions?
For me, that's a tough question. I don't have a strong religious background in any particular religion, although I see that more of as an advantage than a disadvantage: I can see objectively, and I'm equally ignorant of all religions.
I have found, so far, that the laws of Seder Zeraim include dedicating a particular percentage of a yield to supporting the priests and those who serve in the temple, as well as the poor who do not have land of their own (leaving the harvest in the corners for the poor - 1/60 of the field and 1/10th of the produce). One law limits how much you can produce, and prohibits the mixing of seed in the field. Additionally, fields must lie fallow on the seventh year (no pruning, no sowing of seed). There is a prohibition against eating fruit from a tree less than three years old.
I find this fascinating. Written into the instructions for community members to follow year in and year out are laws that help maintain not only the community, but soil health and vitality. Built in fallow periods - very practical. And it might just keep a society from eroding or depleting their soils and eventually starving.
For me, that's a tough question. I don't have a strong religious background in any particular religion, although I see that more of as an advantage than a disadvantage: I can see objectively, and I'm equally ignorant of all religions.
I have found, so far, that the laws of Seder Zeraim include dedicating a particular percentage of a yield to supporting the priests and those who serve in the temple, as well as the poor who do not have land of their own (leaving the harvest in the corners for the poor - 1/60 of the field and 1/10th of the produce). One law limits how much you can produce, and prohibits the mixing of seed in the field. Additionally, fields must lie fallow on the seventh year (no pruning, no sowing of seed). There is a prohibition against eating fruit from a tree less than three years old.
I find this fascinating. Written into the instructions for community members to follow year in and year out are laws that help maintain not only the community, but soil health and vitality. Built in fallow periods - very practical. And it might just keep a society from eroding or depleting their soils and eventually starving.
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Awakening
Have you noticed that suddenly there are earthquakes going on everywhere? Within the past few weeks, there has been a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Japan, a mysterious 2-month long series of earthquakes in Reno, NV, and even an earthquake in Illinois. And just today, a massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake in China.
It's not just earthquakes: think of all the volcanos that have suddenly been in the news recently. There is the Chaiten volcano in Chile that suddenly started erupting for the first time in thousands of years. Kilauea volcano in Hawai'i National Park has suddenly become much more active, resulting in some areas of the park to be evacuated.
All of this within the past few weeks - since mid-April or so. Everything is just getting all shook up. It makes sense, but it's still a little worrisome. Is all this just a precursor to even more eruptions and earthquakes? Or was today's massive Chinese earthquake the culmination?
We are very rapidly becoming immune to large death tolls in the headlines. The UN death toll estimate for the Myanmar cyclone last week is around 100,000 people. The death toll for today's earthquake in China is in the thousands. (Update: the death toll for the China earthquake is now close to 12,000 people as of the morning of May 13).
In the U.S., we aren't having the same kind of death tolls, luckily, but we do seem to be having more severe weather than usual this year. There was the Super Tuesday tornado outbreak that killed 57 people. Then there was the tornado that struck downtown Atlanta. Over the weekend, there were tornadoes in Oklahoma & Kansas that killed an additional 22 people.
So far this year, we've had 910 tornadoes in the U.S., and it's still only the beginning of May. In general, the U.S. averages about 1200 tornadoes a year. By the end of May in 2007, there had been 799 tornadoes reported, with a total of 1305 for the whole year. We still have to get through May, but the remainder of the year should have about 30% of our yearly tornado totals... which would indicate that we are on track to get about 570 additional tornadoes this year.
Spring this year is bringing with it a whole slew of depressing geologic & climatic events. They are unlikely linked - unless you consider the ash plumes from the volcanoes entering the atmosphere and influencing weather patterns (which does happen). As the earth awakens this spring, it appears she is angry and is on a murderous rampage.
It's not just earthquakes: think of all the volcanos that have suddenly been in the news recently. There is the Chaiten volcano in Chile that suddenly started erupting for the first time in thousands of years. Kilauea volcano in Hawai'i National Park has suddenly become much more active, resulting in some areas of the park to be evacuated.
All of this within the past few weeks - since mid-April or so. Everything is just getting all shook up. It makes sense, but it's still a little worrisome. Is all this just a precursor to even more eruptions and earthquakes? Or was today's massive Chinese earthquake the culmination?
We are very rapidly becoming immune to large death tolls in the headlines. The UN death toll estimate for the Myanmar cyclone last week is around 100,000 people. The death toll for today's earthquake in China is in the thousands. (Update: the death toll for the China earthquake is now close to 12,000 people as of the morning of May 13).
In the U.S., we aren't having the same kind of death tolls, luckily, but we do seem to be having more severe weather than usual this year. There was the Super Tuesday tornado outbreak that killed 57 people. Then there was the tornado that struck downtown Atlanta. Over the weekend, there were tornadoes in Oklahoma & Kansas that killed an additional 22 people.
So far this year, we've had 910 tornadoes in the U.S., and it's still only the beginning of May. In general, the U.S. averages about 1200 tornadoes a year. By the end of May in 2007, there had been 799 tornadoes reported, with a total of 1305 for the whole year. We still have to get through May, but the remainder of the year should have about 30% of our yearly tornado totals... which would indicate that we are on track to get about 570 additional tornadoes this year.
Spring this year is bringing with it a whole slew of depressing geologic & climatic events. They are unlikely linked - unless you consider the ash plumes from the volcanoes entering the atmosphere and influencing weather patterns (which does happen). As the earth awakens this spring, it appears she is angry and is on a murderous rampage.
Aufruf, Part II
Upon further reflection, the readings from the Torah during the Aufruf were focused on the Laws governing who the priest's son could marry, and who is allowed to do what. The most interesting thing is that the book we were reading from wasn't an old archaic text - there was a modern English translation & discussion of sorts beneath the English translation of the laws in Hebrew. There was some mention of disabled people being unable to do certain things, but the English discussion section indicated that in today's societies, "we" do not discriminate based on physical appearances or abilities. It was really good to read - and I like the idea that "they" were willing to write in their prayer book that things are different now. It seems like such a little thing - but the last time I cracked open a bible in a church, I saw no such disclaimers, footnotes, explanations or summaries.
The Rabbi also called attention to readings further beyond the Aufruf readings - the laws that govern certain holidays, and how they tied in with traditional agriculture (he actually said "if you read ahead..."). The laws ensured that the planting would be done on time, the harvesting would be done on time, and that God was properly thanked for these miracles (or something along these lines - I didn't have time to read very much of it). It struck me how very suddenly people have become disassociated with these natural patterns of life. We now have all of these holidays (regardless of which religion may claim you, if any) that have their roots firmly in our agricultural history. Until very recently, we were a subsistence economy. Those laws are in the Torah simply for human survival, to remind people that they need to do certain things at certain times - these rules are important enough to follow that they formed a portion of our very spiritual study, so that we would not forget them.
And currently, these laws seem irrelevant in day to day life to the average person. Very few people know the actual origins of holidays in our society - they are seen merely as a day off of work (or school), or an occasion to go out drinking on a 3-day weekend or an excuse to exchange gifts. We now live in a world where people don't know the very traditions that have allowed numerous generations to survive, to create us in our current form. We all have a very long history that extends back to a very few people - but very few people know how we got to where we are today.
As I am now just finishing up Wendell Berry's "The Gift of Good Land" (a collection of essays), I found this part of the Aufruf service particularly interesting. The final essay, #24 (titled "The Gift of Good Land"), is discussing God, community, and how good Judeo-Christian people are required by their faith to be stewards of their land. Berry discusses how the Amish are so successful at agriculture while the average farmer is not (in the early 1980s, anyway) because they do not rule over the land, but nearly watch over it and take care of it as stewards. The Amish view the land as a gift from God; they don't "own" it, but they are merely borrowing it. The Amish also are very focused on their community and the welfare of all of those in it; they give freely of what they have so that their neighbor may succeed, and they recognize the yet unborn next generation as their neighbors and part of their community as well. And so they treat the land carefully; it's God land, and it is not only for their use, but for the use of their neighbors and the next generation. Which, naturally, leads to very sustainable farming practices.
Berry also frequently brings up "right livelihood' ("right work") from the Noble Eightfold Path, which means that you should choose a job that does not harm others. Berry insists that "others" includes everyone and everything - there is no "right work" in strip mining, and there is no "good christian strip mine". He allows that there is no way we can live without harming anything else - we live on the deaths of other creatures - but we can do our best to have the smallest impact as possible by applying the technologies we have in a responsible manner, individually suited to each individual application.
The Rabbi also called attention to readings further beyond the Aufruf readings - the laws that govern certain holidays, and how they tied in with traditional agriculture (he actually said "if you read ahead..."). The laws ensured that the planting would be done on time, the harvesting would be done on time, and that God was properly thanked for these miracles (or something along these lines - I didn't have time to read very much of it). It struck me how very suddenly people have become disassociated with these natural patterns of life. We now have all of these holidays (regardless of which religion may claim you, if any) that have their roots firmly in our agricultural history. Until very recently, we were a subsistence economy. Those laws are in the Torah simply for human survival, to remind people that they need to do certain things at certain times - these rules are important enough to follow that they formed a portion of our very spiritual study, so that we would not forget them.
And currently, these laws seem irrelevant in day to day life to the average person. Very few people know the actual origins of holidays in our society - they are seen merely as a day off of work (or school), or an occasion to go out drinking on a 3-day weekend or an excuse to exchange gifts. We now live in a world where people don't know the very traditions that have allowed numerous generations to survive, to create us in our current form. We all have a very long history that extends back to a very few people - but very few people know how we got to where we are today.
As I am now just finishing up Wendell Berry's "The Gift of Good Land" (a collection of essays), I found this part of the Aufruf service particularly interesting. The final essay, #24 (titled "The Gift of Good Land"), is discussing God, community, and how good Judeo-Christian people are required by their faith to be stewards of their land. Berry discusses how the Amish are so successful at agriculture while the average farmer is not (in the early 1980s, anyway) because they do not rule over the land, but nearly watch over it and take care of it as stewards. The Amish view the land as a gift from God; they don't "own" it, but they are merely borrowing it. The Amish also are very focused on their community and the welfare of all of those in it; they give freely of what they have so that their neighbor may succeed, and they recognize the yet unborn next generation as their neighbors and part of their community as well. And so they treat the land carefully; it's God land, and it is not only for their use, but for the use of their neighbors and the next generation. Which, naturally, leads to very sustainable farming practices.
Berry also frequently brings up "right livelihood' ("right work") from the Noble Eightfold Path, which means that you should choose a job that does not harm others. Berry insists that "others" includes everyone and everything - there is no "right work" in strip mining, and there is no "good christian strip mine". He allows that there is no way we can live without harming anything else - we live on the deaths of other creatures - but we can do our best to have the smallest impact as possible by applying the technologies we have in a responsible manner, individually suited to each individual application.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Aufruf
We attended a friends Aufruf ceremony today - the ceremony where he and his fiance read from the Torah, or before the Torah. I'm still not quite sure what went on, but it was really touching to have been invited to such personal & family-oriented occasion. I suppose it's much like announcing your impending marriage before God, before your family, your friends & the community you grew up with.
Social activites such as the one today are completely draining. I'm so fearful of inadvertantly offending someone that I rarely actually enjoy the event. But then I was able to think back to my own wedding, and it occurs to me that I was way too preoccupied to care what other people were doing. Nevertheless, when I got home, I was ready for a nap.
Today's ceremony brought me back to the idea of community. I can see how it's very possible that there is no community like the Jewish community, at least from what I can tell from my brief interaction with it today. It definitely seemed like a very large family. Very tight, very personal, very interactive. I understood very little of the service - but one thing was very apparent: there was a great deal of love and support for our friend & his family. And I wonder - is this community feeling particular to this one families' experience, or one congregation's experience, or it is fairly common among all the congregations? Is it the shared bond of persecution and adversity? Or does that have nothing to do with it at all?
Social activites such as the one today are completely draining. I'm so fearful of inadvertantly offending someone that I rarely actually enjoy the event. But then I was able to think back to my own wedding, and it occurs to me that I was way too preoccupied to care what other people were doing. Nevertheless, when I got home, I was ready for a nap.
Today's ceremony brought me back to the idea of community. I can see how it's very possible that there is no community like the Jewish community, at least from what I can tell from my brief interaction with it today. It definitely seemed like a very large family. Very tight, very personal, very interactive. I understood very little of the service - but one thing was very apparent: there was a great deal of love and support for our friend & his family. And I wonder - is this community feeling particular to this one families' experience, or one congregation's experience, or it is fairly common among all the congregations? Is it the shared bond of persecution and adversity? Or does that have nothing to do with it at all?
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Energy Raisers
The Boston Globe does it again - the wrote something I actually enjoyed reading and caused much thinking. Amazing. Is it possible they are changing? Is it a sign of the Apocalypse?
Energy Raisers - like an Amish barn raising - where neighbors descend upon each others houses to install solar hot heaters on the cheap. $3,000 instead of the commercially installed $10,000. Same system - free labor. It's a great idea.
The headline is a bit wordy: Many Hands Make Light Work of Saving Energy, but its still exciting. The gist is this: there is a group in the Plymouth, NH area that has figured out a way to help themselves and their neighbors by donating time to help install solar hot water systems. On a given Saturday, they all descend on a chosen house (whose owner also helps install systems on other peoples houses before & after their own installation), and they get it done in one day.
The Citizen of Laconia also ran a similar article earlier this week. Which led me to finding the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative. The group is a non-profit, and they've been around since 2004, and have done 50 solar installations to date. Membership costs $55 per year (for a family), and in return you a) help them and b) have access to all sorts of energy assessments, research tools, product discounts, networking/mentoring opportunities, discounts to training seminars & workshops, the opportunity to participate in energy raisers, and access to their library. It seems to be set up very well, and the membership cost seems reasonable.
Knowledge is a funny thing. You might pay (or work) once for it, but you use it continuously (barring any head injuries). And then you can pass it on to others.
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On a side note, I was not the only one who was exhausted yesterday. My neighbor across the street came home as we were fixing dinner last night. She backs into her driveway and her headlights shine right in through our kitchen window (a bit annoying). Well, her lights didn't go off. After about a half hour, I went over to her house and knocked on the door (I have talked to these people once - they also sent out an invitation to an open house at their house once, but then weren't home on said date - very annoying - and it wasn't just me - some other neighbors also went over, knocked on the door, and found no one home. No explanation was ever offered. Very odd & a bit rude. I'm not entirely convinced these people are really "with it" - I've also seen them drive by their own house and go into reverse down the street to get back to it. How do you miss your own driveway?). So anyway - once again - no answer. So I shrug and leave - let her run her battery down then. As I was walking down the driveway, I noticed the lights had turned off. She got out of the car, and had apparently fallen asleep in her driveway. Thankfully she put it in park first. I need to plant some more trees between us & them. Big, strong trees with lots of leaves.
Energy Raisers - like an Amish barn raising - where neighbors descend upon each others houses to install solar hot heaters on the cheap. $3,000 instead of the commercially installed $10,000. Same system - free labor. It's a great idea.
The headline is a bit wordy: Many Hands Make Light Work of Saving Energy, but its still exciting. The gist is this: there is a group in the Plymouth, NH area that has figured out a way to help themselves and their neighbors by donating time to help install solar hot water systems. On a given Saturday, they all descend on a chosen house (whose owner also helps install systems on other peoples houses before & after their own installation), and they get it done in one day.
The Citizen of Laconia also ran a similar article earlier this week. Which led me to finding the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative. The group is a non-profit, and they've been around since 2004, and have done 50 solar installations to date. Membership costs $55 per year (for a family), and in return you a) help them and b) have access to all sorts of energy assessments, research tools, product discounts, networking/mentoring opportunities, discounts to training seminars & workshops, the opportunity to participate in energy raisers, and access to their library. It seems to be set up very well, and the membership cost seems reasonable.
Knowledge is a funny thing. You might pay (or work) once for it, but you use it continuously (barring any head injuries). And then you can pass it on to others.
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On a side note, I was not the only one who was exhausted yesterday. My neighbor across the street came home as we were fixing dinner last night. She backs into her driveway and her headlights shine right in through our kitchen window (a bit annoying). Well, her lights didn't go off. After about a half hour, I went over to her house and knocked on the door (I have talked to these people once - they also sent out an invitation to an open house at their house once, but then weren't home on said date - very annoying - and it wasn't just me - some other neighbors also went over, knocked on the door, and found no one home. No explanation was ever offered. Very odd & a bit rude. I'm not entirely convinced these people are really "with it" - I've also seen them drive by their own house and go into reverse down the street to get back to it. How do you miss your own driveway?). So anyway - once again - no answer. So I shrug and leave - let her run her battery down then. As I was walking down the driveway, I noticed the lights had turned off. She got out of the car, and had apparently fallen asleep in her driveway. Thankfully she put it in park first. I need to plant some more trees between us & them. Big, strong trees with lots of leaves.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Exhausted
Well, I've been more tired, anyway, but I'm pretty damn tired. 'Tis the season.
We planted leeks today, and prepared more planting beds. Which involved a lot of hand-tilling of very heavy soil. It wasn't hard at all, but it was early - 6 a.m. - but at least it wasn't raining. On the other hand, the black flies are pretty bad - no wonder they call them "Mayflies." I got the crap scared out of me by hoeing up a chicken wing - feathers still attached - apparently I jumped quite a bit. Not exactly what I thought I might find in the planting bed. Rocks, yes. Dismembered chicken parts, not so much.
After several hours of cleaning the house, I moved several hundred pounds of rock (a freebie rock pile is always good). Not exactly sure what I'll use the rock for, but it wont go to waste. It was free - what can I say? I have about 2 more days of rock- moving to do. I have one load still in the truck because I didn't have the time or energy to unload it. Maybe I'll build an herb pyramid. More likely, the rock will sit in a giant pile there for a few years and then I'll decide to do something with it.
The apple and cherry trees are blooming. The apple trees seem to really like the pruning they got last winter. I really need to learn how to do that the right way - although at this point my hack job seems to be helping. The compost application to the roots probably didn't hurt. I took some blossom photos with the large format yesterday - maybe tomorrow I'll use the digital. They really are beautiful.
This afternoon I went to a neat farm visit at a nearby farm about cover crops - *J* introduced me to CRAFT, which stands for "Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training." Of course, it was somewhat of an awkward social event (as all social events are), but it was also full of good information. My theory on cutting down the winter rye & leaving it in between the rows has been completely validated, which makes me happy - it's just about too late to do anything else with it anyway. Interestingly, mowing the winter rye is a good move - it stimulates root growth (which, once stated, made me think: "Duh", but hadn't previously occurred to me). Then you can plow it under - or not, apparently.
We planted leeks today, and prepared more planting beds. Which involved a lot of hand-tilling of very heavy soil. It wasn't hard at all, but it was early - 6 a.m. - but at least it wasn't raining. On the other hand, the black flies are pretty bad - no wonder they call them "Mayflies." I got the crap scared out of me by hoeing up a chicken wing - feathers still attached - apparently I jumped quite a bit. Not exactly what I thought I might find in the planting bed. Rocks, yes. Dismembered chicken parts, not so much.
After several hours of cleaning the house, I moved several hundred pounds of rock (a freebie rock pile is always good). Not exactly sure what I'll use the rock for, but it wont go to waste. It was free - what can I say? I have about 2 more days of rock- moving to do. I have one load still in the truck because I didn't have the time or energy to unload it. Maybe I'll build an herb pyramid. More likely, the rock will sit in a giant pile there for a few years and then I'll decide to do something with it.
The apple and cherry trees are blooming. The apple trees seem to really like the pruning they got last winter. I really need to learn how to do that the right way - although at this point my hack job seems to be helping. The compost application to the roots probably didn't hurt. I took some blossom photos with the large format yesterday - maybe tomorrow I'll use the digital. They really are beautiful.
This afternoon I went to a neat farm visit at a nearby farm about cover crops - *J* introduced me to CRAFT, which stands for "Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training." Of course, it was somewhat of an awkward social event (as all social events are), but it was also full of good information. My theory on cutting down the winter rye & leaving it in between the rows has been completely validated, which makes me happy - it's just about too late to do anything else with it anyway. Interestingly, mowing the winter rye is a good move - it stimulates root growth (which, once stated, made me think: "Duh", but hadn't previously occurred to me). Then you can plow it under - or not, apparently.
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