Why I sold my cargo bicycle
Posted: February 12, 2011 Filed under: 5. Alt Transportation | Tags: electric bicycle, kona electric ute, weehoo, wike trailer Comments Off on Why I sold my cargo bicycleI’ve recently transferred from using a longtail cargo bicycle to a normal sized bike with a trailer. Why?
- I simply was not hauling as much stuff as I thought I would.
- Cargo bikes are darn heavy and frustrating to pedal around when “dry”. You spend your whole time thinking, why am I pedaling this heavy, EMPTY bicycle?
- The child carrying options are less than ideal.
It was this last reason that really pushed me to sell off Kona’s Electric Ute and purchase a used electric bicycle from a friend (home-built eZee kit on a mid-range Marin). My eight year old is now too big to be riding jockey-style on the back deck of the longtail. He wanted to (and needs to) be able to help with the pedaling.
We were able to sell the Electric Ute for more than the used Marin. We invested that extra cash in a Weehoo. Great trailer, but sorely in need of a fender. We added our own, as well as home-made extensions to the Marin’s fenders, and now my kids are riding in back, mud-free and full of laughter. They love this thing.
Between the Weehoo and the Wike DIY trailer, I’m able to haul the same capacity of my old cargo bike, but in a more stable and comfortable manner.
The Down Low Glows look awesome on the front forks. I regularly get compliments about them, including many drivers at stop signs telling me thanks for using them.
How to (not) store potatoes
Posted: February 8, 2011 Filed under: 3. Food Security Comments Off on How to (not) store potatoes
Well, I’ve now learned how *not* to store potatoes.
I stored a portion of our good potato harvest in hay, the other in shredded paper. The hay was definitely easier, faster, and less messy. And, in turns out, the right medium to use.
I showed a buddy what you see in the nearby photo and he immediately said, “Well duh, paper is a desiccant.”
A what?
It turns out his father was a paper maker, who used desiccants in the process. A desiccant sucks the water out of whatever is near it. Those little things in your vitamin bottle are desiccants. I inadvertently sucked all the moisture right out of my potatoes.
Oops. Good thing I’m learning this lesson now, while we still have access to relatively inexpensive food from our local co-op. Next time I’ll stick with hay.
What is your goal in life?
Posted: February 6, 2011 Filed under: 1. Philosophy Comments Off on What is your goal in life?
One of the fellows I spar with is involved with the Pachamama Alliance. Funny name, serious mission. Their stated goal is:
I particularly appreciate that last part, “to educate and inspire individuals everywhere.” In that vein, they’ve started a one day seminar series that my wife and I recently took part in.
My top 3 takeaways from the seminar:
- Our goal is to leave each day in blessed unrest.
- We need to awaken from our collective trance.
- The assumption that we are separate is simply false.
Check them out, particularly the 4YG campaign to help spread the word.
Cheaper than a greenhouse
Posted: February 3, 2011 Filed under: 3. Food Security Comments Off on Cheaper than a greenhouse
I want a greenhouse. I *really* want a greenhouse. Oh my goodness, I *really* want a full-sized, well-built, gorgeous greenhouse. But it is definitely not in the permaculture budget this year, nor can I find agreement with my wife for where we would place the thing.
So I did the next best thing. I turned the raised beds into mini-greenhouses with slitted row covers. We started them in January to warm the soil to help the cover crops grow and jumpstart spring planting.
We ordered both the roll of row cover itself and the supporting wires in bulk and to share some with a neighbor for her to experiment, too.
I think we’ll be using them in the winter months each year after we put away the floating row covers to help overwinter some crops. Our lettuce grew well all winter in the cold frames, but production slowed way down in December-January. Next winter I’ll see if we can use these to keep leaf production higher.
More reasons to put effort into extending the harvest season are listed in this excellent article on Chris Martenson’s site.
The government will not help you
Posted: February 1, 2011 Filed under: 6. Personal Training, 7. Physical Security | Tags: Map Your Neighborhood, MYN Comments Off on The government will not help you
Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane the same morning this photo was taken. Ugh.
It’s not that government officials and employees do not *want* to help you in a natural disaster – or any kind of emergency – it is that they literally will not *be able* to help you.
When the widespread eco-disaster hits your area, do you think help is on the way from your local, regional, or federal government? The unfortunate answer has proven to be “No.” It only takes one read thru this timeline to understand why regional and federal aid will be shortcoming.
Leave your personal political beliefs out of the equation when reading through the timeline; the US just simply is not prepared for this type of disaster response. This was an epic fail.
Like the frustrated firefighters who have to drive right by the home going up in flames in order to survey their entire small town before they can begin to dispatch the blazes one by one, when a large emergency hits the local level government folks will be overwhelmed and scrambling.
What’s the positive, citizen-led solution to this issue? For our family, it is the Map Your Neighborhood program.
Manure, manure, and more manure
Posted: January 30, 2011 Filed under: 3. Food Security Comments Off on Manure, manure, and more manure
For the past several months, I’ve been getting almost weekly deliveries of free manure. Cow, goat, chicken, horse, even donkey.
In the late fall, I began a sheet mulching project to prep two new areas for blueberries. Once I had my manure sources lined up for delivery, well, they just kept on delivering.
So I let them. After the blueberry beds were full, I began using the incoming loads to build out new beds in the food forest, to be planted late spring.
Is it working? Wow, is it ever. I actually put the new blueberry plants into the ground recently and could not believe how many worms there were as I prepped the holes. Holy smokes! This will be an annual project from now on as we build up our soil.
Although we don’t have large animals ourselves (unless you count the security system), having friends with large animals is definitely a useful addition to the network.
Seed starting with grow lights
Posted: January 28, 2011 Filed under: 3. Food Security | Tags: grow lights Comments Off on Seed starting with grow lights
After skipping past the inevitable marijuana links, there is a treasure trove of information on grow lights out there.
We’ve now got seedlings starting under grow lights with a heat mat. Once they are big enough, we’ll transfer them outside into the cold frames, and then on to the raised beds gardens or the food forest. Very useful and low electrical hit for getting a huge jump start on food production for the season.
A big thanks goes to Modern Victory Garden for helping me understand how grow lights fit into an overall planting schedule.
Farewell, My Subaru
Posted: January 26, 2011 Filed under: 1. Philosophy Comments Off on Farewell, My Subaru
This is a darn funny book. Even funnier to me, given that I own a beloved Subaru, and that this guy is recording his attempts at opting out, just as I am. But that’s where the similarities end, thankfully for Doug Fine.
Fine is a single guy with a decent amount of disposable income to drop on a new chunk of land, a significant amount of solar panels, and a truckload (literally) of other gear to “go green”. If that strikes you as a bit hypocritical, it strikes Fine the same way. He does a great job of relating his journey towards a carbon-neutral life, even the woes of purchasing “plastic crap from Wal-Mart” and thinking about the significant amounts of oil it takes to manufacture and deliver his stereo system.
And the whole time, he makes you laugh.
I appreciated the insight from his website about how all the aspects of his life are affected by his decision to living better on less oil:
What I’ve realized is that my attempts to start living a less oil-dependent life are inextricably linked to my personal life, my spiritual life, and, I’m sorry to report for those who aspire to Green living but aren’t in the Republican tax bracket, my financial life. I guess what I’m saying is that, for personal and planetary reasons, I hope this experiment works out, and maybe even serves as a Regular Human guide (even if it’s a guide as to what not to do).I also learned a bit of green geek wisdom from his book. For instance, did you know it takes 4.8 acres of agricultural land to maintain an American family of four on a mainstream diet? And significantly less land if they are vegetarian? We’re not vegetarians, and in addition to our nuclear family of four we house two additional adults full time plus lots of regular weekend guests. It makes me think that we need to make our 2.5 acres work very, very efficiently.
But most importantly, Fine taught me that all good books (and lives) should include a love story. His book does. My life does. Just as Fine learned an experimental adventure like his is best done as a two-person team, I’ve learned the same. Not sure what I would do without my best friend / wife. But it sure would not be this.
Highly recommended book, as is his first one I read a few years ago, Not Really An Alaskan Mountain Man.
New self-offense class for “normal” folks
Posted: January 25, 2011 Filed under: 6. Personal Training, 7. Physical Security | Tags: self offense Comments Off on New self-offense class for “normal” folks
At one of the dojos I train, we’ve begun to build a new self offense class two afternoons a week.
Strangely enough, after a frustrating morning of dealing with politics in the world of Fair Trade companies, it is very satisfying to throw elbows at a target as hard as you can over and over until your elbow is raw and bleeding.
Of course, then you have to provide the same target for your sparring partner. This was even with a thick forearm pad! Where’s my Arnica?
A commitment not to fly
Posted: January 23, 2011 Filed under: 5. Alt Transportation | Tags: carbon Comments Off on A commitment not to fly
…well, sort of.
In 2011 I’m going to see just how much airplane travel I can eliminate from my lifestyle. I have a fair amount of control over my various day jobs, so I can eliminate most of that. Getting friends and family to understand why I don’t want to jump on a plane to see them is going to be a much harder sell.
Why eliminate plane travel? Last month we focused on energy efficiency projects on our home, several of which are still in progress, but these pale in comparison to a single trip taken by a family of four across the country. Ouch.
Opt Out En Masse 