Writing a Blog

A quick note about this blog - please excuse any grammatical weirdness in the phrasing of my blog posts. I write these blog posts in a stream of consciousness, read them once, and then publish. A week later, I look back at a post and see all little kinds of grammar changes I should and could make. But I am choosing not to change them, unless they are spelling errors.

I am excited by the prospect of freely throwing down ideas and seeing where this blog will take me. I am just beginning this blog, and it may well be that my writing style changes over time. But, the more important experiment here is: Will my thinking and actions change over time for the better?

Happy Sunday, dear (and few) readers.

Doing Laundry the Old Fashioned Way, Part One

Dryer energy use is one of the reasons I wanted to start this blog. Apparently, next to your refrigerator, the dryer is the second largest consumer of electricity in a household for appliances. With SC G and E proposing a 10% rate increase here in Charleston, using a dryer can hit the pocketbook as well as the environment.

For a year I have been talking about getting a clothesline. Because I am a renter, I want a clothesline that I can take with me to the next spot. Because I am lazy, I need the clothesline to add little more work than the dryer already in the utility room. Because I might move to someplace with an ordinance against line drying, I want a clothesline that can easily be out of sight. With those requirements, I believe I have found my outdoor clothesline system:These rotary clotheslines allow you to stand in one place, can be folded up like an umbrella, and can be easily moved to a new location. Some are built for outdoor use only and some are for both indoor/outdoor use.

Next step, locating a sturdy, affordable version and actually purchasing and installing it. That will be part two of this post.

Thank You, Climate Change - The Optimist's Viewpoint

"Learning from Climate Change" rally speech by Drew Jones from Climate Interactive on Vimeo.

I ran across this video while digging around the Internet for information on systems modeling last night. I totally missed the 350.org day back in October. I'm glad that a rally happened in Asheville - maybe one happened here in Charleston and I just wasn't paying attention.

This talk really puts things in perspective. And Drew, a fellow UUer - I might add, also talks about laundry, a future topic I look forward to tackling.

Spring is Here?

Hard to believe it snowed last weekend when it is 67 degrees today.

A Different Coast

The Maine coast looks quite different than the salt marsh and white beaches of South Carolina. I took a trip to Acadia National Park last weekend, on a beautiful sunny day.

Although they aren't in any of the photos, I saw a small group of loons just offshore. I didn't realize that they were found along the coast year-round until I consulted a bird book. The winter plumage is very different and threw me for a loop.

Rainy Days Are For The Birds

I added American robin to the yard's bird list today. There was a flock in the front yard after the rain slowed. I also saw four hooded mergansers at high tide (look in the middle of the photo and squint) and a yellow-rumped warbler clinging to the marsh grass.

A Food Revolution

I have to say, this looks incredible. The first reality TV show in which I've ever been interested. After seeing Food Inc., Mark and I were discussing how can you ever change school system lunches. Here is an example of how. I hope I can watch this online when it starts.