Sunday, September 9, 2007
Benjamin Franklin
As Bekki astutely pointed out, it was indeed Benjamin Franklin who said, "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about." I read it in the flyer for an upcoming Constitution Week celebration.
Going a little greener...
You all know that I have a passion for environmental conservation, green living, etc. Well, we took another step in the green direction this past week. We installed a high-tech solar-powered clothes drying system. Also known as a clothes line. :-) This environment-friendly addition was the result of our dryer going kaputz. We simply didn't have the money to replace it right now due to the fact that we now have two college students in the family and I haven't gotten any sub work lately (still early in the school year). We found our solution in a $30 clothesline and a $5 bag of cement. Much cheaper than a new dryer!
Believe it or not, the clothes dry almost as fast as in the dryer, while using ZERO energy. Except for the human energy involved in hanging them up, which was not that big of a deal, and in fact somewhat satisfying in an old-fashioned way. The area where we put up the "solar dryer" is already populated by plants which are watered by the 'grey water' from the washer. By using biodegradable laundry detergent, we are able to recycle the water for a second purpose. This is definitely the "greenest" corner of the house. I plan to plant more cutting flowers in this area to make it prettier as well as useful. I think I might also plant a rosemary plant around the base of the clothesline to make the clothes smell even better!
Yes, I'm sure we'll get a new dryer eventually; but for now I'm enjoying the sense of satisfaction that comes with making good use of this Arizona heat and doing something good for the environment.
Believe it or not, the clothes dry almost as fast as in the dryer, while using ZERO energy. Except for the human energy involved in hanging them up, which was not that big of a deal, and in fact somewhat satisfying in an old-fashioned way. The area where we put up the "solar dryer" is already populated by plants which are watered by the 'grey water' from the washer. By using biodegradable laundry detergent, we are able to recycle the water for a second purpose. This is definitely the "greenest" corner of the house. I plan to plant more cutting flowers in this area to make it prettier as well as useful. I think I might also plant a rosemary plant around the base of the clothesline to make the clothes smell even better!
Yes, I'm sure we'll get a new dryer eventually; but for now I'm enjoying the sense of satisfaction that comes with making good use of this Arizona heat and doing something good for the environment.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Venturing into the world of blogging...
...not to be confused with clogging. The only similarity being that I've never done either one. I'm not sure what the point of a blog is, other than to ease my conscience over the fact that I'm a miserable journal keeper. Let me rephrase that. I keep a miserable journal. No, still not right... Okay, I am miserable about keeping a journal. There. I think that works. The bottom line is that part of me feels that I should write something worthwhile for those who come behind me. The other part of me is quick to point out that "we" stay up too late at night as it is and cannot fathom staying up for another 30 minutes or so writing in a journal. I've always thought that the "handwriting" was integral to the journaling writing (and reading) experience. However, I type faster than I write, so thus it is. My conscience is appeased.
I read a quote recently that said, "Write something worth reading, or do something worth writing about." I can't remember off-hand where I read it or who said it. I'll try to follow up on that. But it's certainly sage wisdom. Here's to hoping that occasionally something worthwhile gets written here.
I read a quote recently that said, "Write something worth reading, or do something worth writing about." I can't remember off-hand where I read it or who said it. I'll try to follow up on that. But it's certainly sage wisdom. Here's to hoping that occasionally something worthwhile gets written here.
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