Mayhem at Marrington

For starters, I was so anxious to be back on the mountain bicycle that, while waiting for our third to catch up after the first section, I mashed on my pedal to pull a small wheelie, without realizing I had inadvertently shifted into my smallest chainring.  Well, I don't mean to overstate my strength, but I mashed with so much force that I reached the 12 o'clock position, at which point the 70 ounces of water on my back turned me into a time traveler; rocketing me to 3 o'clock.  My left ass cheek and shoulder did the most to slow down my trip into the future, leaving me looking like I was peppered by a shotgun blast with my pants down.  Luckily, Mike and Jay were both on the scene to at least hear the thud of my deadfall and the pained groans elicited.  I gave them the go ahead shortly after the incident so that the laughter could ensue, 

with a strained, "I'm o.k."

Secondly, I noticed a small clacking noise about 1/3 of the way into the ride.  I just assumed I had a worn or broken bushing in my fork or something and kept riding.  Over the teeter-totter, through the sharp ditch dives, and so forth, I kept hearing the noise.  The brake arch on the fork had split in two, and I was riding with only my axle and brake keeping everything together.  We didn't realize this until I took the wheel off to mount it atop Mike's car, but it forced a great laugh and sigh of relief.  I'll try to get it warrantied through Manitou on Monday, but, in the meantime, I'll be ordering a SID Race or Team to replace it, since I've still got due reimbursement for the $5o0 worth of paint I put into the Raleigh.  That was the only thing weighing the same as the one I had that was available in a rim brake version (to hell with disc brakes...I'll be the last convert to that wretched waste of money).  Update:  Manitou will upgrade me for very little money, but I just realized that nearly all forks are now made in either Taiwan or China (even DT Swiss, at their insane prices!).  I think Fox is still made here, so I may bust my ass to set up an account with them.  Besides, their reputation is impeccable.  I may even go with a rigid fork, if I can find a good carbon that is US made (which would mean a weight savings of nearly a pound or more...the only good reason to do this, since I've really grown to love the wrist-saving ability of suspension). 

So, little to report on the road scene, of late, since I'm still kind of side-lined by the illness that has had me for the last month, but I am considering selling the Eclipse online.  I realized, again, the other day, that I've let myself get swayed into the realm of competitive stupidity.  I don't need a road race bike!  I need a great custom-made, steel Seven for commuting and camping.  The race bike has been great fun, but what a waste of money.  For the retail price of this little scamp, I could get just the bike I want...I think I might still try.  I'll dedicate any extra money to the MTB.

As for the illness, it had turned into something that was just making me really, really tired.  A shot of B12 seemed to help out, and I probably wasn't getting enough with my dietary choices.  We'll start working a little more seafood and maybe even bird into our meals, but that'll come when the girls are just a little more self-sufficient.  The doc prescribed an anti-depressant (sp?), but I've yet to take it.  I know I'm stressed, but the side effects of these drugs are enough to stress me out even more, and I really hate the idea of having to scale back from a drug rather than just quitting if it doesn't seem to help.  I think I'm just nervous about returning to the house.  Andree has been the queen of the castle and has asked me for very little.  I've helped out where I can, but when you work and have babies, it's easy to feel like you're neglecting your family, even if you spend most of your free time with them.  Once I come home, I think the stress will be within my sphere of influence.  There's nothing I can do about it, right now.  Anyway, I still have a slight sore throat, my ears still feel a mite clogged, I've been through one course of reflux med., and I submitted a hemoccult card to the doc's office (always a blast to collect your own poops, eh?), at their request.  Here's hoping they come back with some kind of diagnosis this time.  It's getting annoying and kind of scary.

Lately, I've been thinking about spitting venom, here, regarding the bitterness of friendship, but it'll suffice to say that I truly miss my buddy Rob in L.A., Rob from Baton Rouge, Bob in Steven's Point, and Adam in Costa Rica.  As for the "friends" I've got in this town...I'd trade nearly all of 'em for just one of those that I've mentioned.  I've recently realized that I've compromised myself in Charleston to the point that I am occasionally ashamed.  I still listen to good music, ride my ass off, love my wife and girls, and would rather view the woods, work in the garden, or create some kind of art on a boring day than watch television or sit behind a monitor on a good day, but I've let myself get dragged down by the interests of others (cars, consumerism, and comparing cocks), rather than holding on to the things that have defined and interested me in the past.  It's a tough thing to maintain one's identity, and "friends" (real or not) should promote the growth and refinement of that identity and not stifle it.  More on this as it develops. 

The robber fly, Diogmites sp., was in the garage.  Unfortunately, he had no other life in his hands at the time, but I've seen these guys take down prey twice their size.  This may be my favorite group of flies, and this particular genus is listed as the "hanging thieves" by one online reference.  Apparently, they're prone to hanging from things while they consume their captors. 

The question mark, Polygonia interrigationis (great specific epithet, eh?), was on the front window sill.  You can see the namesake mark on the underside of the wing in this photo.  We've seen many more of these since moving to the new house (return migration?), and we even had a giant swallowtail, Papilio cresphontes, buzz us on the back porch, yesterday.  The former has no problem finding elms and hackberry trees in the vicinity, but I'm sort of surprised to see the swallowtail, since the native food plant for it is really confined to barrier islands, here, for the most part.  I guess a few more people than I thought have cultivated limes or other citrus in their back yards in our area.

Speaking of butterflies, the dill and parsley are coming along, and they may be ready for the black swallowtails this year.  If not, maybe they'll come up again for a good spring flush, and the girls will get to watch the life cycle on their back porch.  We'll also be sourcing some local milkweeds for next year to attract some monarchs.  Come to think of it, I think we'll just make the void where the giant pine used to stand a little butterfly garden.  That way, I don't have to maintain it very much.  I can just wall it in with some bamboo timbers and let it go.  Now, to source some cheap/free local bamboo...the eternal quest.

The sunflowers are the "teddy bear" variety we got from Clemson this year.  They flowered well, but I think they will do better next year in the ground versus the pots.

Not much else to say, right now, other than these little things I put together on the back porch with the girls not so many weeks ago.  

Ripples of bow and branch,

darkness and shine;

planet breath through photosynthetic fur.

Ringing rasps of metal birds;

the wind seeks a voice

in tree

in time

in you.

Screen can a window or a fence mean.  I abhor both.

Customer Service...fo' real

So I purchased the cheap cistern pump that Lehman's sells.  It's cast iron, and it was made in China.  When it arrived, and I opened it, my nose cringed in horror at the smell that wafted from the box.  I was instantly reminded of the lead paint in toys that was such a media circus not so long ago, so I e-mailed the company and asked for confirmation that the item was safe for water that was going to be used on our food plants.  I let them know that if the only confirmation available was from the vendor of the pump, then I'd just as soon return it for the US-made, plastic model.  Instead of trying to sell me up on the plastic model, which was $70 more, my contact told me to wait and they would get it tested.  Yes, Lehman's sent a pump (or a sample of the pump) to be tested for lead.  I don't know where they sent it, and I don't know for sure that the pump is entirely non-toxic, but just knowing that they could've made a bigger sale but decided to do the right thing has me convinced that I made the right choice.  I've yet to mount it, but I'm going to bolt it to a base that can be moved from one rain barrel to the next as needed (although the $7 manual siphon I got at the car parts store has served me well enough, so far).  With the cistern, however, I'll be able to tap all the water in the barrels and not just the top foot or so.  I've also decided to try to find some cheap lattice or fencing that will surround the barrels and serve as climbing space for some of the beans, tomatoes, and other plants growing in the back yard, now.  The intention is to shade the barrels with an edible screen.

I checked in on C-SPAN the other night and caught some Republicans discussing the proposed cap and trade implications of the new climate change bill (for those that don't know, by the way, you can review every comment your congress members make through this terrific site, http://www.c-spanarchives.org/congress/).  A representative from my former home state of Louisiana was beating that old drum about how the planet has warmed and cooled many times throughout its existence (even before fossil fuels were being used).  This is a significant statement, since he related that this is an "empirical fact."  I don't want to get hung up on the semantics of what is fact and what is probable, even though he is a medical doctor and should know the difference.  I do want to highlight that this "proof positive that the Earth can warm under its own circumstances" is based on scientific models that ESTIMATE former planetary temperatures based on attributes of fossilized pollen and seeds, ice cores, and other components of the planet's surface.  In other words, there is never proof positive of anything, but if you're willing to believe the science on temperatures that existed before human presence (or, at least, before humans were measuring temperatures accurately), than you should be willing to give estimates of future temperatures the same consideration.  Are more Republicans finally seeing the light of science?

On the other hand, it is not as simple as a one party problem.  Too many of all stripes ignorantly grab whatever science suits their goals and pay no heed to the limitations of probability.  Science does not prove things, it merely suggests things.  Too many out there are quick to grab at the absolute choices in any given argument.  This makes sense, because if we really took the time to weigh each choice "we" make as a political organism, we would have to substantially slow everything down.  Think about that the next time you're waiting in a line at the bank, or the DMV, or a restaurant.  Think about it the next time you click the mouse for a website link, and it takes longer than one second for your system to locate it.  Think about it, also, the next time you hear somebody say they didn't vote, call/write their elected representative, or attend a county/city council meeting because they didn't have time.  We suffer in a million ways from this addiction to quickness, and the entire economic and social structure reinforces it.  We all need a really long vacation.  

At least with the girls in our lives, now, we're more likely to do just that on occasion (prior to their birth, aside from every other x-mas with Andree's family, our last real vacation was when we drove to Oregon for my first class at UBI...that was 2003).

This Sunday marks my return to the world of full-time employment, and I couldn't be happier.  I truly love my girls, but I need this summer break.  I'm so anxious for them to be communicating, crawling, and crooning, but it's hard to see much progress when one is around them every day (the watched-pot conundrum).  I've built a few wheels and fixed a bike or two in the garage over the past few months, but I miss the shop environment, and I've been smoking and drinking more than I'd prefer.  Thanks to a recently acquired virus (according to my doctor) that has my lymph glands swollen, I'm down to 1 cigarette per day (from what was up to 3, at most), and I shouldn't have any problem maintaining that if I'm working (update...I've since gone a week without any).  The plan is to have quit by the end of the summer (yes, please ask me how this is going closer to that time...the interaction will help motivate me, I'm sure).  As for the drinking, I've been taking a week off to let the prescribed antibiotic (what else?...amoxicillin!) do the most.  It hasn't bothered me, so far, and I'm hopeful that the new schedule will provide more opportunities for rides and other diversions to keep this habit subdued, as well.  

As for the antibiotic issue, I'd rather not be taking them, but this thing wasn't really improving.  I have a feeling it was more stress related than anything else, so the medicine was probably necessary.  However, this is the first time I've taken anything in years, since most of the infrequent illness that hits me is gone pretty quickly.  For others, this is, apparently, not the case.  To the point that the grocery store, Publix, gave me the prescription for FREE.  This kind of alarmed me, since I've seen indications that we abuse antibiotics in this country, and there are all sorts of places such things wind up once they're flushed into our water supply. 

Garrett sent this link along the other day, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/road-to-the-future/video-full-documentary/648/

It is a fairly good assessment of what needs to happen to transportation in this country if we are to be able to survive outside our dwellings in the next 100 years.

As well, I've just contacted a guy, Nelson, at Carolina Commuter to see if they will add bicycle ride sharing to their site.  Right now, it is set up to get people to share car rides, but there are plenty of people that I've met through the shop that I know would ride to work if they simply had one or two other people riding the same route on the same schedule every day. 

The garden is coming along.  The squash has completely taken over the planter I made, though the bell pepper is still holding its own in there and has produced a few respectable fruits, so far.  We're harvesting about 3 squashes every few days, right now.  I'm hopeful that we'll have blackeye peas within a few weeks, since they're all growing well.  The tomatoes and other peppers are slowly making their ways, and we've probably already got potatoes, but I'll wait until we see the plants flower and wilt to harvest those.  The bee balm was about the only wash this time, though I just planted a new batch of seeds.  The parsley and dill are still small, but they'll make it.  Besides, I got those more for the black swallowtails than anything, so that the girls will get to watch the life cycle next year.  The sunflowers are chugging along, too, but no celebratory bouquet for Andree's school year end, unfortunately.

Currently watching the film "Battle of Algiers," and it couldn't be more timely, relative to world politics.  Very good movie, so far (hour into it).  Also rode in a pouring rain to see a film benefit for the local advocacy group, Charleston Moves, the other night.  It was called Veer, and, though good, it only briefly touched on anything other than those that use bicycles as toys, props, or fashion statements.  There is a place for that stuff, and it can be fun and refreshing, but there is so much more of the education/enforcement/infrastructure stuff they could've given exposure (I know, I know...who would go see such a movie?).  On the other hand, nearly 100 or so people showed up (1 of which made the decision I made to ride, by the way), and they were there to support the group as much as see the movie.  That was the coolest part.

Photos:  

The helmet pad is a chunk of old wool sock.  Simply discard the old pads when they start falling apart from a season of sweat and washing and replace with a custom cut wool pad.  They won't stink half as much, and you can just throw them in the compost when they're shot.  Long socks that have gotten too tight to put on are the ones I'm robbing, for now.  I've since washed them and they are not falling apart without the stitched top portion.

Delia digesting a little of the local paper.  This was right before she had me fetch her the slippers and bubble pipe.

Tillie's new crib-prison tattoo.

 

   

First Night Out

We had our first babysitters the other night.  It was me Ma and Pa, which is somewhat ironic, since they've not been very much of a presence in the girls' lives, so far (except for Mom being around for the hospital stay...thank goodness for that, with all the complications).  It went off without a hitch, but we were truly exhausted by the time we returned from our short engagement.  They stayed asleep the entire time we were gone.  Perfect.

As for Jody's question about cloth versus paper diapers, I'm still unsure on this point.  There are good reasons to go with cloth, but with twins that were "releasing" nearly 8-10 times a day, each, there was no chance in hell.  If one looks at the life cycle cost of the two options, it is probably a little softer on the planet to go with cloth.  Although a British environment agency study suggested that there is no significant difference in the footprint of the different options.  Importantly, there is controversy about the methodology from that study.  

We're going to try switching to cloth, now that the girls are "disposing" of much less (at least on easy days...we'll probably still resort to paper on busy/errand days).  In a CBC article, I came across one of the best arguments I've seen for or against cloth.  It mentioned the transmission of vaccine organisms and other things that might turn up in the babies' waste.  Of course, if our wastewater treatment was cutting-edge, this stuff would get eliminated when the diapers were laundered, but just what makes it through to our tap?  The answer is, of course, all kinds of things of unknown toxicity.  On the other hand, if the diapers get put in a landfill, bad things can still leach into aquifers, assuming landfill liners are less than perfect (they are).  

We've got efficient appliances, but one also has to have the time to get the laundry done (I just put back up our dryer line in the yard, which adds more stress to that time budget, but makes me much happier than drying everything in the machine).  Saving the rain in barrels is only one way of making up for the strain we create by consuming paper (or cloth) diapers.  Having a baby or two is, inherently, consumptive, but there is such a thing as mitigating for that consumption (luckily, we live in a less-consumptive way than most parents we know, and we will only get better at this with time). 

Speaking of consumption, I was struck by a comment I noticed in the documentary film "The Future of Food."  It was from the Director of Corporate Communications at Monsanto.  He was quoted in the NY Times as having said, ''Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food.  Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the F.D.A.'s job.''  What a refreshing moment of honesty, eh?  Watch the movie and see what you think.  It is available on Netflix online.  Also check out the Frontline "Poisoned Waters" online, if you need some motivation for filtering your city water and saving the rain that falls upon your roof for watering your plants.  

Almost finished the Greenpeace book (very movie-like...no surprise Watson went on to do the "Whale Wars" show), and I'm thinking of reading "Nickel and Dimed," next. On the other hand, I've been digesting so much negative news through Mother Jones and other media, lately, that I may have to go with another Terkel tome (And They All Sang was good stuff...good, but not great).  It's got me thinking about another media hiatus, since common sense is enough to keep me living as sustainably as possible.  I really don't need any more guilt about that sort of stuff, and it really does start sounding a little dogmatic and authoritarian, sometimes.  As well, I'm not in a position to do much for others, right now, aside from continuing to live reasonably as an example to those that do not (though, I do not do so for them...still debating whether there is such a thing as pure altruism). 

I picked up a Clifford Brown/Max Roach disc that is one of the best jazz albums I've ever heard (and I've heard many).  It's called "Study in Brown."  The same applies to the Charlie Parker 2-disc set from Rhino.  Check them out.  I also picked up some Pteradactyl, Bamboos, Big Sleep, Hoodoo Gurus, and the first Replacements (it's amazing how far the last two strayed from the really cool stuff they did, initially).  The Pteradactyl is a reference from Dirt Rag, and it reminds me of Arab on Radar mixed with Three Mile Pilot (very good stuff).

The plants are all doing great.  I added three blueberry shrubs to our mish-mash of trees and veggies that we're accumulating.  I'm hoping to find some plums or apples that will do well on the coast, but I'm not too hopeful.  I'm "building" out from the corner of the backyard and, so far, have a red buckeye, american elm, redbud, fig, some sweetgrass, and blueberries in place.  The idea is to, eventually, transition the yard into a "working" forest (or useful, if you please).  While I probably won't be crushing up the buckeye to stupefy fish (a historical use), it will provide nectar for hummingbirds and a few other organisms (useful in all ways, not just ways that benefit us).  Germination continues, so lots of work in the near future.

Finally, I ordered the Jamis Eclipse.  The owner of the shop has offered to cover the paint job I bought for the Raleigh, since it belonged to his brother, and he'd like to keep it.  I'm converting bike money into bike money.  This got me over the remaining worry about pulling money out of our family funds.  As well, after last nights ride, I ate it hard in the grocery down the street from the shop.  I was coming around the corner with 2 6-packs in my hands, and the super slick heel of my old Adidas shoe provided exactly zero traction to steer me through the challenge of 90 degrees.  It sounded like an explosion, my knee feels like crap, and many shoppers were treated to quite the entertaining site, I am sure.  I think I'm gonna' have to get rid of those shoes, finally (they're probably 20 years old, by now, and the soles are getting glued back to the shoes in the garage, as I write).  

I watched the Frontline called "Sick Around the World."  It was a brief treatment of health coverage in some other countries (who knew Taiwan had universal coverage?).  It was upsetting, of course, since we've had nothing but bad experiences since the girls were born (Andree's been on the phone for what must be hours, over the past 6 months).  I just don't understand how people can be satisfied with a service that delivers so little for what is paid.  On that note, however, it occurred to me the other day how odd it is that our discussion is so narrow.  What about home and car insurance?  We hear so little about these things, but they are just as much of a pain in the ass.  As an example, the company that insured our former home would not insure our new one.  We live less than a mile from where we used to live, and we are no closer to salt marsh than we were.  If anything, we're now a few more feet above sea level.  Of course, we got our former policy before Katrina and, weirdly, the guy on the phone representing our former company mentioned that we should try again 5 months from when we were calling (as Andree pointed out, AFTER hurricane season!).  

I don't know if the problem is the profit motive behind insurance companies or that we are so practiced at deflecting personal responsibility.  We seem convinced that, even though we know profit is the purpose, somebody else will take care of things if we build our house in a hazardous place, or crash our car because we were texting something banal, or get cancer because we smoked a pack of cigarettes every day for years.  One thing is for sure.  It will be a rough transition to a better system, since it requires a sort of forced altruism that I'm afraid many in this country will vehemently resist (you can't make people love others).  Down the road, perhaps everybody will realize the personal benefits of a healthy population (one can support this for purely selfish reasons...maybe that is what is missing from the arguments for a universal coverage system).  

This reminds me of the "Authority of the Resource" argument, however, which encourages an appreciation of the inherent value in the natural world.  We shouldn't have to convince people that a plant is valuable to them as food or medicine, for example.  It should be enough that the plant is part of a larger system that makes up the regional (indeed, the planetary) organism; humans or no.  That is a subject for another time, though. 

Thanks to all for the comments.  Keep those coming and I'll provide more entries.  It really helps to know that you all are reading this stuff.  I hope at least some of it makes you think or laugh a little.  Oh, and check out the Charleston Bicycle Company website for my completed animation.  It will rotate into the video bar if you just wait, or you can click on it to see it on demand. 

http://charlestonbicyclecompany.com/

Photos:  Cannibal baby, Spiranthes sp. orchid from the back yard, and the three most beautiful females in the world.

 

Double Trouble?

I swore to my wife that I was going to punch the next person that said, "Oh, oh.  Double trouble."  It is the most popular, laziest, and most offensive comment we hear when people see us with the girls.  Our most frequent response to it is, "Double blessing."  This occurs even though we are not religious people.  However, we are considering a service or two at the Unitarian Church.  We were both thinking about it, but neither of us had made a big case for it.  I checked their website the other day, and I kind of dig the whole social justice and compassionate edge they espouse, assuming it is not sandwiched within too much of the boring and insulting ritual and ceremony  that has kept us out of other such places.  I also remember going to some shows at a Unitarian Church in New Orleans, while I was in school at Baton Rouge.  In fact, I specifically remember seeing Policy of Three, there, which was one of the best shows I ever attended, though, I know there was at least one other (was it Men's Recovery Project, too, Bob?...ah, the scary, scary masks).  If a church would host such events, it may be the church for me.

The girls are currently napping, but I'm doubting I'll get another two-hour spell.  I screwed up this morning and got them up too early.  We've been consistent about helping them go back to sleep when they wake at 5:30 or 6 most mornings, but Delia's clogged nares foiled this morning's attempt.  I think the poor angel is suffering from the same pollen sensitivity her father fights every spring.  They're doing fairly well, but I'm growing less and less concerned with following the Baby Whisperer book.  As with most books, there is little to no attention to twins, which makes any routine much, much harder (they're individuals, and they can't always be on exactly the same time frame).  We're having success going 4 hours between feeding, now, but they seem to need a little more sleep than the book suggests.  They'll go from about 7 at night until 6 or so in the morning, which is awesome, but they sure get to lookin' sleepy a good bit throughout the day, and I'd rather respond to those cues of yawning, ear-pulling, face-rubbing, and thumb-sucking by putting them down, rather than trying to force them to stay up, possibly killing the chance that they'll make it through the night.

Delia sounds like a little lion compared to her sister, but Tillie is still speaking noises that are much closer to words.  Delia mostly growls, squeaks, whistles, and barks.  I can't wait 'till she's able to sing along with the Pete Seeger CD we've been listening to since they were born.  She's going to love it...until she's 13, at which point, she'll inevitably refer to it as that embarrassing CD her father, oddly enough, seems to always put on when she has friends over. 

I'm toying with the idea of buying a used Lemond Ti frame from '01.  I was going to buy a Jamis Eclipse (853 steel), but I'd save some money if the seller will meet me near my asking price.  Besides, it'd be nice not to have to worry about the degradation of the frame material, after having gotten rammed in the rear end by Surly and their unfaithful representation of paint finish warranty.

The garden is about the only thing that I seem to make any progress on, lately (other than the girls), which is just fine, since only producing some of our food is a big accomplishment in the face of twins that, again, are napping, albeit with much protest.  I salvaged some sliding shower doors of tempered glass and made a bed with them and some concrete blocks that I finally broke down and purchased (12 at around $1.50 each).  I just missed slicing this poor glass lizard in half with the pick-ax, so I released it in the compost pile for a better life.  I assume he was just coming out of wintering mode; down there grabbing an earthworm here and a few ants and beetle grubs there.  The bed seems to be holding after the first couple of rains, but it's a great reminder of how much more garden space I need if I'm to grow what I'd like.  I got seeds from Clemson Extension, again, this year, so I got Charleston blackeye peas and cayenne peppers, some sunflowers for Andree, dill, parsley, tomatoes, bell peppers, and a few others.  I'll keep updating on their progress.  The lettuce has produced like gangbusters for the second year in a row, though the spinach was less prolific.  It's hanging on, but we've only gotten a few handfuls from the 8 or so plants.

The rain barrel design is near completion.  I now need only disguise them with some of that cheap bamboo fencing and fasten the second overflow hose.  I also need to buy a cistern pump for watering purposes.  I tried a cheap manual siphon pump, but with the barrels only being at ground level or only slightly above, this is none too easy.  The overflow hose is pool hose from Lowes, attached to 1 1/2" couplings that have a rubber washer and a steel lockring on the inside.  I originally glued this into the trash can barrel I made, but the gutter sealant I used is probably one of the most toxic substances one can buy, and the water will at least only flow by that which is in the gutters (I didn't want the water sitting in the barrel, reacting with the stuff over time and with the addition of the sun's heat).  I opted for a gutter separate from the barrel, since I didn't want water backing up the gutter and spilling onto the house.  I also screened the ends of the overflow hoses.  The entrance to the barrel is simply a plant pot with some extra holes I drilled, some mesh screen, and some river stones to weigh down the pot and help catch any big stuff that might, otherwise, clog the screen. 

After just having watched the Frontline on water pollution, the film "The Unforeseen" (about contamination of the Barton Springs area in Austin by development), the film "Flow" (about water problems the world over), and the current dialogue with Garrett about stormwater mis-management, the rain barrels are seeming more and more important.  Though it'd be nice to have an entirely terra cotta or other clay or stone-based system and one that collects all that falls upon the roof, I don't have the money.  The two 55-gallon, plastic barrels will have to do, and I'm comfortable watering the plants from them, since the intended use for these is drinking water storage.  Ultimately, I'd like to get a table-top filter reservoir (like the ones Lehman's carries), so that we can provide most of our own drinking water from the barrels.  With the current home and money limitations, the grey-water recycling probably won't happen, but that can remain a goal for down the road (drainage is critical for this sort of thing, and our lot is not amenable).

I'm thinking this may be an avenue for my next job.  I could live with installing rain collection systems for a paycheck, and these will only become more important over time.  I suspect it'll be either this or electronic engineering or an electrician apprenticeship (if I can't get back into teaching Natural History somewhere).  These interest me for two reasons.  Number one, micro-solar and micro-wind systems will only become more prevalent as we continue to phase out current electricity fuels.  Second, I really, really would like to know how to make a bicycle do more, electrically.  There are at least a couple of vendors online that sell storage batteries that hook up to bicycle trainers.  Even as inefficient as they are, a two-hour spin on the trainer could power the television for a movie or the computer for a few hours each evening.  The thing is, I'd like to know how to patch this power into a home grid, rather than just to a 12-volt battery.  I'm pretty sure Ed Begley (sp?) has some such system, but I haven't done any looking to see what he uses.  Ultimately, I would at least figure out a generator that would negate the need for ever needing bicycle light batteries.  I've been riding Shimano's front generator for a long time, now, but it is only for the headlight.  I'm very happy with the performance (I've been through at least a few hard rains with it and the resistance is minimal).  I'd like a taillight, too.

The ride last night was a smasher.  We went to Mt. Pleasant, then joined some of the CBC team at Hampton Park, downtown, for some very fast laps.  I rode the Lemond for a second time, but I won't be buying it.  I'd be replacing the wheels and the fork, and it'd wind up costing me as much as the Jamis, in the end, without a warranty that was mine (plus, it ain't steel).  So, I now need to find a buyer for my huge, 58-60cm Raleigh and either my fixed gear Miyata and/or my repainted tour monster.  I sold the Xtracycle to a good friend for $800, and I don't really miss it.  I'm thinking I'll feel the same with the other two, if they both sell, at least until I have the time (read:  the girls are old enough) to get back on the bicycle camping horse.  The goal for now is to get down to 1 MTB, 1 road race bike, and 1 tour bike (though, I could always just tow the Burley behind the race frame, in a pinch).  In the meantime, I miss the Marrington rides with Dave.  I've got to get back off the road.  

Update:  the sunflowers are germinating (as are some other seeds, but I haven't yet identified them...they're all still in the cold frame, for now).  

Ear Be Dragons

So Mike, at work, suggested an ear wax treatment known as Debrox.  We had both used the ear candles, prior, and they didn't seem to have had much of an impact (regardless of my living room clinical trial that involved burning one in my ear and the other to the exclusion of my ear...there was a definite difference between the two).  We had both had issues with ringing and reduced hearing, so I figured, "What the hell?"  Night one...nothing.  Night two...nothing.  Night three...nothing, until...4 or 5 shots of really warm water with a bulb and a capful of alcohol later and...voila!  A chunk of wax the size of a raisin plunked into the sink in front of me.  I told Andree, "You will not believe what just came out of my flippin' ear, but I'm not sure you want to see.  It's about the most revolting thing you've ever seen."  She had to look, and her face contorted into the kind of expression one gets when biting into a chicken sandwich, only to realize they have received the "breast" composed of nearly 50% cartilage.  It's been a long time, however, since I've seen that, so perhaps another analogy is in order.  It looked as if she had eaten an unripe persimmon (if you've never done this, try it at least once in your life).  Hence, the image that banners this post.  The ear is just operating one-hundred times better than it was, and there is no longer any "squishy" sort of noise when I plunge my ear with my pinky.

I got in 4 days on the trainer this week (about an hour a shot), and the plan is to ride Marrington this weekend.  This is monumental, considering the girls weren't allowing anything near this a couple of weeks before.  We've put them on a routine recommended by the "Baby Whisperer" that seems a little harsh but is, ultimately, really beneficial for them AND for us.  It simply slates things in a logical fashion that we were sort of already doing, but with some slight variation.  The biggest change is that they no longer go to sleep after eating.  This is critical, it seems.  I think we had established a cause and effect, feed-THEN-sleep thing.  Now, they get activity time after each feeding.  It seems strange that we didn't initially put them on the same kind of routine that works for us, except that when you have two crying babies, you just want them to be placated.  A little crying is tolerable, but, trust me, there are just times when you do everything possible (rocking, calf raises, consoling, etc.) to reduce it (and for those of you with one child...shut your mouth and keep your advice to yourself...it is not the same at all).  This can lead to some bad habits, but I think we caught them just in the nick of time to correct our mistake.

I was driving to the storage unit containing the 50 or so bicycles we're servicing for Vermont Bicycle Tours the other day and noticed a peculiar billboard.  It was for the Charleston Humanist Society and it simply read, "Don't believe in God?  You're not alone."  This struck me as funny, since most atheists I know are fairly isolationist, but then I realized there are people, like me, for instance, that would love to have the companionship and moral assistance that a church provides, if it just weren't for all the formality and blind obedience.  Yes, I realize there are some lower-key churches out there that don't come off quite so dictatorial, but what I have in mind is something more along the lines of what I'd like to see happen with most groups.  Instead of a Robert's Rules of Order meeting for the local cycling group, for example, how about a group ride, after which the club could discuss things over a beer or food?  Instead of an art gallery having a "showing," how about an artist makes his/her showing interactive and encourages attendees to add to the art displayed?  Instead of sitting in a pew for an hour, how about somebody does a workshop on landscaping, making cheese or soap, or how to roof your house.  How about a gathering where people would come to learn crafts, child-rearing, and a million other things from each other?  Sounds a little better to me than having to dress in uncomfortable clothes to hear one person tell me, through somebody else's words, how unsatisfactory is my existence.  I am not making an argument for a communal situation that would only wind up eating itself, I am arguing for something that maintains the periodicity and good-natured element of church that is more constructive and realistic.

I just applied for a job with the county.  It is a Natural Resources Planning Project Manager position.  We'll see if it works out.  If it does, Andree may go down to one day a week with teaching, and I will stay at work full-time.  If nothing doing, then it's daddy Brad this Fall.  Either way, I'm anxious about the future. 

The animation is complete, but I've not seen the result, yet, since I haven't been able to download the software needed to view it.  I trust that our shop website manager has put it together well, and I'll have it up here, soon.

Check out the You Tube of Louis Bellson.  I'll try to link it in, here, but, as before, it may prove beyond my grandfatherly computer understanding.  I came across it while listening to satellite radio the other day.  They were playing "Skin Deep," by Duke Ellington (maybe not the author of the tune, but it was his performance), and this incredible drum solo erupted.  It was really fitting, since I'm nearly finished on the biography of Count Basie, and my mind is wrapped around that era, right now (to the point that I subjected my co-workers to nearly 6 hours of the forties channel on satellite the other day).  When I hear that music, I feel like I have to agree with Andree that we were born a few decades too late.  Beautiful. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBQWaCLIK9Y

Welcome home, Garrett!  The Lowcountry has seen the return of a king among men.  Looking forward to some bicycle camping trips this season and the hunts for rare plants we discussed.  The CCL is lucky to have you.

Love to all. 

  

Cutting the Cord

Babies are here, and cable television is going.  I made the call to cut it, and it should get the axe by mid-February.  Andree has always had a knack for "watching" what she has already seen five times over, and cable loves people that do such things (I swear I've seen some episodes of a certain cooking show more than three times in the past week or two).  It's really more of a white noise for her than for me (I feel like a hypnotist is in the room when the TV is on..."eyes on the spiral, Brad, eyes on the spiral.")  Music has always been my choice of background.  More importantly, though, we just don't watch as much with the girls, here, and the price has gotten ridiculous relative to the amount of worthwhile content (we only consistently watched 5-6 channels out of what must be 50-60, at our peak level of viewing).  The guy on the phone offered to cut the bill by $20 each month, but then, predictably, told me that, "No, that is not permanent.  It would be for six months."  So, if you're ever looking to shave your bill for a short time, so you can pay for something else, just tell them you want to cancel and see if they make you the offer.  I'm pretty sure they know that $40 a month is way too much to ask for the garbage that is standard cable television.  

Which leads me to an idea I had for a radio show or other media feature.  We should all record our service call conversations; from the water bill conversation to the health insurance call to the call to order the pizza.  We could tell the person on the other end that we are recording them for the purpose of accuracy.  I suspect that we would all get better results from our calls were we to do this, and I'm sure some humor would pop up from time to time.  If nothing else, though, we could all learn from each others' experiences and have documented precendents to truss some of the many bridges we must cross with all the companies that make so much money by providing the least possible assistance to the least number of people.  I'll look into what would make this recording easy and cheap.  If you've got ideas, let me know.  I'd like to find something for clear, computer-friendly recordings, so that I could get them on this blog.  

I finally got back on the MTB, yesterday, and got to ride the new stuff at Marrington Plantation.  We got in nearly 20 miles, I think, but not before I tried to start some shit with a couple massive trees in a pretty fast, rolling section.  My haunch took the majority of the impact, so, all is well.  That place gets better every time I visit.  I cannot wait to get back out there on a regular basis, but I also still have some hope that we'll get something going in the immediate area, so we don't have to drive to ride (it sounds stupid just to say it, let alone do it).  So, the peculiar thing is that I had a dream the night before the ride about a wound infested with minute, yellow scorpions.  The wound was on my right hip.  The spot I nailed in the crash was in exactly the same spot, just on the opposite leg.  Analyze as you will, but I'm pretty sure I and many others of you out there have mild clairvoyance.  This is not the most accurate example of how my dreams have connected with something yet to happen, only the most recent.   

I have an animation sequence put together (the brake lever butterfly, above), but iMovie isn't the easiest way to get the photographs into a short film.  If you've got suggestions, please let me know.  It's something I made for the shop website, which, I must say, looks soooo much better than before, but still needs some simplifying.  Trust your wheels, baby, trust your wheels.  It'll turn out o.k. in the end. 

  

  

The Lull

Things have not been rolling along.  We are in a holding pattern until the girls are born, so I've not had much time to get in any long rides or other adventures.  In the meantime, I've been hitting some projects around the house and planning the garden bed for the new year.  I finished the cold frame for the pineapples, and it seems to be keeping the epiphytes warm enough and helping shed water that would otherwise be backing up into the garage.  An avocado seedling came up in the compost, so it has joined the pineapples in the box for the "cold" season.  I also got some seeds into some pots the other day (spinach, radishes, and lettuce...update; they're all sprouted), in the hopes that we'll have some leafy greens and red roots on which to snack in a couple of months.  Next is planting some garlic, building the garden bed, and making some soap for holiday gifts.  

The garden bed may wind up being concrete blocks, but that would run about $250.  I also found some recycled plastic timbers through Home Depot, which would result in a slightly smaller frame, but would come in at around $150.  Originally, I had planned to make bamboo "log" walls (with rebar through holes at the ends to secure them), but I have not been able to find any bamboo large enough (contrary to the abundance of this invasive in our area).  That would look the best, so I'll keep my eyes peeled (found some great stuff online for waaay too much money).  This material would also be the most versatile (furniture, covering any unsightly plumbing in the landscape, and supporting climbing veggies like beans, among others).  I found the masking use in a You Tube clip a friend sent.  Check out what this guy has done with his back few.  It is quite inspiring for those of you with any slope or size to your own lots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-mIYuJePNc

I've also been thinking much of economics, lately, as they relate to individual political persuasion.  It isn't so much that the market has me so concerned, it is my work environment.  Working in a bike shop, one is constantly hearing of what one has to sell, or what one has purchased (from customers and co-workers, alike).  Sometimes, my mind reels at the capacity some have for thinking in such purely capitalist terms.  It erodes my confidence in fellow humans because even those that engage in some practices that are respectful of the planet or other inhabitants thereof, think nothing of using e-bay and ripping off others for a chunk of change that they will only be using to buy something else that will be sold within the year.  It is difficult for me to relate to this frequency of consumerism.  Though I may occasionally buy new things, it usually takes me considerable time and consideration to make such decisions.  I must know that the things I buy were at least made on this continent (if possible), are durable, are not going to seep toxic vapors, are recyclable, are being reused, and/or exhibit some other characteristic making them worthy of purchase.  More to the point, I do not buy things with the intention of selling them (aside from my house and the land upon which it is built...we bought it knowing that it was an investment on the time frame of 10-20 years).  I have a hard time understanding those that do buy so many things so that they may then sell those things.  That is all.

The girls are here!  They were delivered on 12/4/08, and I was not there to see it...the cesarean section, that is.  I WAS there, but they do not allow spouses for general anesthesia.  This led to the only real heaving cry I've had in years.  Thankfully, my mom was there to let me share this with her.  Speaking of crying, I'm currently about to lose every hair from my head listening to my screaming child that would be totally silent if only I'd give her a pacifier.  My wife and my own conscience will not let me, so she will have to run full blast for a few more minutes here, while I hope that she is not developing feelings of hate for her old man, and she settles herself down a little bit.  If only we could hook her up to some kind of generator...we could power the house with that roar!

Since the above paragraph, I think we've figured out that we just need to keep the girls up and stimulated more during the day, or they are not going to give us any peace in the wee hours.  There is so much going through my mind, right now, but each day truly does get a little easier.  I am an expert diaper changer, at this point, and I can almost sleep over the little coos and ahs that sound so frightening when siphoned through the crackling, amplified monitor.  

Thank you to everybody that has pitched in to donate food and time.  We absolutely could not be doing this on our own.  Weirdly, I find myself understanding why some women abandon their children (though not empathizing).  This is hard work, and for the first couple of days, my stomach felt like it was eating itself, and that's with help from at least 5-10 friends, so far.

Settling in...settling in.

Here's the latest rig.  Garrett, this is yours when once your veins run blue, again.  In the meantime, there could not be a better greenway bicycle (Paul hub on a Mavic 317 in the back, Nitto bar and stem, and Sugino crank on an old Japanese-made, commuter-level, lugged steel Miyata with an old Schwinn touring fork and cross tires).  As I write these words, I realize I may have already mentioned this bicycle on this blog, so here's a gander.

Hope to get more up on this thing in the near future...gaining more time each day.  Enjoy your day, everybody, and, for crying out loud, get out and ride for those of us that, currently, do not have the option.