I was never a confident public speaker. I used to be a TA at the university where I did a lot of teaching, mostly to groups of 20 student, occasionally to an auditorium of 250. I would rehearse those hours meticulously, often to the point of learning the whole thing by heart. It was exhausting, …
Monthly Archives: November 2011
Harvested Ginger
I harvested the ginger that I put in in June. I put in 12 ounces and out came exactly 16 ounces! I had to throw out part of the old root (darker brown) because it had gone mushy. The rest of the old root is still firm and spicy. I should have harvested before the frost …
Freaking out: IEA: 5 years or that’s it!
Okay, so now I am freaking out. The IEA  now says that we have five years to change our fossil fuel infrastructure or we’re headed for irreversible climate change, or  the world will “lose for ever” the chance to avoid dangerous climate change. “The door is closing,†Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency (IEA), …
Salvage
Another “hot” day, in the high 60s. Yesterday we reached 70. Â Talking with people as I go about town it occurs to me that we love it. Of course, who wouldn’t, right? Well… A couple of warm days in November and we’re happy because we can open the windows and leave our jackets at home. …
Riot of Austerity – Month 36
This is the Riot for the (crazy) month of October 2011 for the 3 of us. Our first year’s averages were calculated here, our second year’s averages can be found here. Edson fixed the calculator! Gasoline.  Calculated per person. 17.16 gallons per person 41.8% of the US National Average Electricity. This is reckoned per household, not per …
Home Skills: Chimney Works
Looking at the new heating season, DH and I were looking at two tasks. 1. Clean the wood stove chimney. It had been two years, so we felt it was time. Instead of hiring a chimney sweep ($150 a visit) we bought a chimney brush with rods ($165). DH climbed up (our house has only …