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In better news. [news]
Jun. 25th, 2025 08:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterThere was an article in yesterday's NYT about indigenous communities in Ecuador who are switching from gas-powered to solar-powered canoes as their primary form of transportation (link, but paywalled). Apparently the communities noticed detrimental effects of the gas-powered canoes on local fish stocks, and in addition, traveling via gas-powered canoes is prohibitively expensive because of the price of gas.
Electric boats are really lovely. They are quiet. And in an environment like the Ecuadorean Amazon, it only makes sense to shade an electric boat with an array of solar panels. It's great that communities there were able to figure out a way to make the change.
Today there's an article in the local paper about a developer breaking ground in neighboring Troy for an apartment complex that will be zero-emissions. I'm just glad to learn there are people with the vision and will to see that sort of project go forward, in spite of countless hurdles. I didn't know about the existence of the Passive House Institute U.S. (Phius) CORE certification program.
While there are a lot of terrible things happening in the world these days, it's also important to identify sources of hope.
-
I also read an article about why it seems like appliances don't last as long now, as they did historically. It was interesting to learn that many appliances are manufactured using plastic components that are more difficult to repair or replace, because the plastic components contribute to a higher energy efficiency rating, in compliance with government-mandated standards.
Apparently if you are appliance shopping, you are probably best off with either the very basic budget models (fewer moving parts to fail in general), or the very expensive models (actually have repairable/replaceable parts). The mid-tier appliances are the ones with the most issues.
There was more to the story on appliances, but these were the most interesting tidbits.
Electric boats are really lovely. They are quiet. And in an environment like the Ecuadorean Amazon, it only makes sense to shade an electric boat with an array of solar panels. It's great that communities there were able to figure out a way to make the change.
Today there's an article in the local paper about a developer breaking ground in neighboring Troy for an apartment complex that will be zero-emissions. I'm just glad to learn there are people with the vision and will to see that sort of project go forward, in spite of countless hurdles. I didn't know about the existence of the Passive House Institute U.S. (Phius) CORE certification program.
While there are a lot of terrible things happening in the world these days, it's also important to identify sources of hope.
-
I also read an article about why it seems like appliances don't last as long now, as they did historically. It was interesting to learn that many appliances are manufactured using plastic components that are more difficult to repair or replace, because the plastic components contribute to a higher energy efficiency rating, in compliance with government-mandated standards.
Apparently if you are appliance shopping, you are probably best off with either the very basic budget models (fewer moving parts to fail in general), or the very expensive models (actually have repairable/replaceable parts). The mid-tier appliances are the ones with the most issues.
There was more to the story on appliances, but these were the most interesting tidbits.
The hotness [status]
Jun. 25th, 2025 05:29 amrebeccmeisterWhen I got home yesterday evening, most of the house had gotten up to 88 degrees, although it didn't feel quite as hot as the day before, I think because the humidity was lower?
We had managed to install a window AC unit in our bedroom a week before the heat arrived, so the bedroom has been cooler. In every new heat/housing situation, it takes some time to figure out where to set the thermostat, and in this case the threshold seems to be at 75 degrees. That's pretty low compared to the 79 degree nighttime setting in Arizona. It could also be related to getting older and losing heat tolerance. If I overheat at night to the point where I wake up, I become filled with rage, which is not pleasant to deal with.
But I'm also wondering about hypercapnia. At some point earlier in the pandemic, a friend of mine got a CO2 monitor and found that if there wasn't good air circulation in her bedroom, the high CO2 bothered her. In general I leave the bedroom window closed, out of respect for S's suspicion that neighbors on that side of the house have a pesticide habit. Because this house has radiators for heating, that turns the room into a blind-end box. Far from ideal.
The CO2 monitors still cost around $200, but I might just go for it at some point. The pandemic really did shift my mindset on indoor air quality.
I woke up at around midnight, turned on the box fan in the back bedroom window, and opened up as many other windows as I could. It's now almost 6 am, and the temperature in the house has cooled off to...85 degrees. With an overhead ceiling fan going, it doesn't really feel all that terrible. Probably not a great day to bake a cake, however.
I can only wish the basement in this house didn't have its special blend of asbestos and mold. Otherwise I'd totally turn into a basement dweller in this weather.
We had managed to install a window AC unit in our bedroom a week before the heat arrived, so the bedroom has been cooler. In every new heat/housing situation, it takes some time to figure out where to set the thermostat, and in this case the threshold seems to be at 75 degrees. That's pretty low compared to the 79 degree nighttime setting in Arizona. It could also be related to getting older and losing heat tolerance. If I overheat at night to the point where I wake up, I become filled with rage, which is not pleasant to deal with.
But I'm also wondering about hypercapnia. At some point earlier in the pandemic, a friend of mine got a CO2 monitor and found that if there wasn't good air circulation in her bedroom, the high CO2 bothered her. In general I leave the bedroom window closed, out of respect for S's suspicion that neighbors on that side of the house have a pesticide habit. Because this house has radiators for heating, that turns the room into a blind-end box. Far from ideal.
The CO2 monitors still cost around $200, but I might just go for it at some point. The pandemic really did shift my mindset on indoor air quality.
I woke up at around midnight, turned on the box fan in the back bedroom window, and opened up as many other windows as I could. It's now almost 6 am, and the temperature in the house has cooled off to...85 degrees. With an overhead ceiling fan going, it doesn't really feel all that terrible. Probably not a great day to bake a cake, however.
I can only wish the basement in this house didn't have its special blend of asbestos and mold. Otherwise I'd totally turn into a basement dweller in this weather.
PG&E Trees
Jun. 23rd, 2025 09:05 pmranunculusSome of you may remember that I have been at odds with the PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) company over PG&E's "vegetative management" program. My Ranch is full of thick stands of young blue oak trees who are competing to outgrow their neighbors. PG&E has no less than three power lines that cross my property. Two lines are high voltage transmission lines (one comes out of "The Geysers" hydrothermal power plant about 30 miles south of here). In general the people working on those transmission lines are: actual PG&E employees or reputable companies. The third line on my property is a distribution line that services houses, including mine. Apparently some idiot in management decided to sign an exclusive contract with a slimy, unprofessional vegetative management contractor that is 100% all about trimming trees for the maximum profit possible. This is NOT a good overall strategy for actually keeping the power lines clear. For years I have demanded that any tree in need of a trim be cut down entirely, and for many years that company ignored both my Ranch policies and their own guidelines, trimming trees so that they would grow back quickly and need a new trim within a year or two. I finally said they were not welcome on my Ranch, and I have really good reasons to deny them entrance; such as last time they were here they left the main gait to the highway open and unattended. We were lucky that no cows or horses got out on the road. Under California law it doesn't matter who leaves the gate open, I am liable for any damages caused by a car hitting an animal.
The folks at PG&E and I have gone back and forth about this, they claim I am denying them access to do "vital" work, I say I'm not denying access at all, I'm ONLY denying one contractor access. Any other contractor is acceptable. A week ago I was sent a letter saying they were going to come do the tree work and I couldn't stop them. Which you shouldn't say to me.
Now, two of the trees in question were already cut down and on the ground. That left four trees still standing. All four trees were, in fact, leaning toward the wires and big enough to hit them. All four had been "trimmed" in the past. One of them had been trimmed for decades and was a grotesque 1/2 a tree about 40 feet tall. Jose and Mark O came to help me. We all eyeballed the trees and discussed where the weight of the tree was, which way was it leaning, and how do we pull it so it doesn't get near the wires as it falls? Jose did most of the cutting, Mark wrangled the tractor. I climbed trees with the help of an extension ladder for the first little way, and then shinnied up and tied my rope to a limb very high up. Then the tractor would get into position with the other end of the rope attached to the bucket. The tractor backed up till there was no slack, Jose would start to cut the tree, making a good notch on the side we wanted it to fall toward. When he was finished with the notch the tractor would back some more so there was tension on the rope. I directed the tractor to back up further as the tree began to fall. Nothing even got close to the wires. We were lucky today, all the trees were oaks. Oak tells you when they are starting to fall. You can see the tree start to tremble and sway, and you usually have a couple of seconds to act. Two seconds is a long time. Madrone isn't so nice. One moment it is standing, the next it is falling.
The last tree was the big one almost 3 feet in diameter. It was crawling with red ants. I climbed anyway. Before cutting the whole tree down Jose and I dropped some minor branches to get them out of the way. Once I was up the tree and had the rope tied to an upper limb, I cut it and then tied to a second limb. One limb was almost a foot in diameter, the other a little smaller. The larger limb was actually leaning out over the wires. Thank goodness for the tractor! Even though that tree was pretty mutilated, it has been part of the landscape of around the house for decades. I'm sad to have cut it, but the tree wasn't healthy, limbs had started dying, and that is the beginning of the end.
We got all four trees down, now comes the hard work of cleaning up. Cutting the trunk and limbs up, and disposing of the brush. It will be winter again before I'm done, I can't burn brush until at least November. I'm very thankful that there were three of us, and that we could do this job safely.
Since PG&E, despite all their public posturing, doesn't want to actually communicate about issues, they have not actually provided a viable mailing address only a phone number that goes to voicemail; I have a letter ready to go to the Public Utilities Commission. The Commission needs to hear from people like me.
The folks at PG&E and I have gone back and forth about this, they claim I am denying them access to do "vital" work, I say I'm not denying access at all, I'm ONLY denying one contractor access. Any other contractor is acceptable. A week ago I was sent a letter saying they were going to come do the tree work and I couldn't stop them. Which you shouldn't say to me.
Now, two of the trees in question were already cut down and on the ground. That left four trees still standing. All four trees were, in fact, leaning toward the wires and big enough to hit them. All four had been "trimmed" in the past. One of them had been trimmed for decades and was a grotesque 1/2 a tree about 40 feet tall. Jose and Mark O came to help me. We all eyeballed the trees and discussed where the weight of the tree was, which way was it leaning, and how do we pull it so it doesn't get near the wires as it falls? Jose did most of the cutting, Mark wrangled the tractor. I climbed trees with the help of an extension ladder for the first little way, and then shinnied up and tied my rope to a limb very high up. Then the tractor would get into position with the other end of the rope attached to the bucket. The tractor backed up till there was no slack, Jose would start to cut the tree, making a good notch on the side we wanted it to fall toward. When he was finished with the notch the tractor would back some more so there was tension on the rope. I directed the tractor to back up further as the tree began to fall. Nothing even got close to the wires. We were lucky today, all the trees were oaks. Oak tells you when they are starting to fall. You can see the tree start to tremble and sway, and you usually have a couple of seconds to act. Two seconds is a long time. Madrone isn't so nice. One moment it is standing, the next it is falling.
The last tree was the big one almost 3 feet in diameter. It was crawling with red ants. I climbed anyway. Before cutting the whole tree down Jose and I dropped some minor branches to get them out of the way. Once I was up the tree and had the rope tied to an upper limb, I cut it and then tied to a second limb. One limb was almost a foot in diameter, the other a little smaller. The larger limb was actually leaning out over the wires. Thank goodness for the tractor! Even though that tree was pretty mutilated, it has been part of the landscape of around the house for decades. I'm sad to have cut it, but the tree wasn't healthy, limbs had started dying, and that is the beginning of the end.
We got all four trees down, now comes the hard work of cleaning up. Cutting the trunk and limbs up, and disposing of the brush. It will be winter again before I'm done, I can't burn brush until at least November. I'm very thankful that there were three of us, and that we could do this job safely.
Since PG&E, despite all their public posturing, doesn't want to actually communicate about issues, they have not actually provided a viable mailing address only a phone number that goes to voicemail; I have a letter ready to go to the Public Utilities Commission. The Commission needs to hear from people like me.
2 books read [books]
Jun. 23rd, 2025 05:58 pmrebeccmeisterThe Folk Art of Japanese Country Cooking, by Gaku Homma. This is a cookbook, and thus contains recipes, but it also contains a lot of other stories and information about country life in Japan and what it has been like for the author to emigrate to the United States and open up a dojo and restaurant in Denver, Colorado. I really appreciated learning about traditional food preservation and cooking methods. I'm not sure whether I'll cook much from this book, but you never know. One of the things I appreciated about it the most was getting a better understanding of the basic staple ingredients for this type of cooking. It is not as intimidating a list as for other cuisines. Kind of a niche topic, but I appreciated it.
James, by Percival Everitt. This came recommended by a friend who reads a wide range of things. I appreciated it for the project it undertakes, but if someone were to ask, I'd recommend Chain Gang All-Stars first, even though many people might find it to be a more challenging book to read.
Before I set out on the train for the Erie Canal bike touring adventure, I purchased and downloaded several books onto my ereader, so I'll probably continue working my way through that eclectic set for now.
James, by Percival Everitt. This came recommended by a friend who reads a wide range of things. I appreciated it for the project it undertakes, but if someone were to ask, I'd recommend Chain Gang All-Stars first, even though many people might find it to be a more challenging book to read.
Before I set out on the train for the Erie Canal bike touring adventure, I purchased and downloaded several books onto my ereader, so I'll probably continue working my way through that eclectic set for now.
Weekend cooking bender [food]
Jun. 22nd, 2025 06:30 pmrebeccmeisterSaturday we had friends over for a thank-you dinner for cat-sitting for us. I made two kinds of curry out of 660 Curries, an eggplant dish that is a total star recipe, with toasted peanuts, sesame seeds, white poppy seeds, coconut, and more. The second dish was a paneer curry with a sauce made from red peppers and cashews. LOVE that cookbook.
For dessert, I pulled two aged bags of raspberries out of the freezer, thawed them, and whirred them in the food processor with 1/2 C of water. Then I mixed in ~ 3/4 C simple syrup made from 1 C sugar, 1 C water, heated up. I pushed the slurry through a sieve, stuck it in the fridge, and then we had fun passing around the ice cream maker. DAMN raspberry sorbet is amazing.
Today was the usual pancakes for breakfast, a batch of muesli, some black beans for backup meals later in the week, roasting some broccoli, then using that plus some other fridge ingredients to assemble some pasta bakes.
I feel fortunate that I can afford to eat well, both with regards to the cost of food and with regards to time in which to cook it.
It's going to be another busy research week, so now it's time to buckle up.
For dessert, I pulled two aged bags of raspberries out of the freezer, thawed them, and whirred them in the food processor with 1/2 C of water. Then I mixed in ~ 3/4 C simple syrup made from 1 C sugar, 1 C water, heated up. I pushed the slurry through a sieve, stuck it in the fridge, and then we had fun passing around the ice cream maker. DAMN raspberry sorbet is amazing.
Today was the usual pancakes for breakfast, a batch of muesli, some black beans for backup meals later in the week, roasting some broccoli, then using that plus some other fridge ingredients to assemble some pasta bakes.
I feel fortunate that I can afford to eat well, both with regards to the cost of food and with regards to time in which to cook it.
It's going to be another busy research week, so now it's time to buckle up.
Vitamin E
Jun. 22nd, 2025 12:14 pmranunculusThis is a synopsis I did, for my horse pasture tenants, of a magazine article. It might be of some interest to horse folks.
The most recent Horse Illustrated magazine has a wonderful article about Vitamin E. It was very clearly written and contained a ton of information I didn't really know.
Vitamin E is in green pasture grass. Vitamin E disappears from the hay until it is gone, a few months after the hay is cut.
Vitamin E helps protect horses from or prevent myopathy, VEM (equine neuroaxona distrophy); eNAD/EDM (equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy); and EMND (equine motor neuron disease). I have read elsewhere that it may also have a preventative role in Cushings.
Horses need: 500 - 1000 IU per day for maintenance; 800 - 1000 IU for performance horses; and 1,500 - 5,000 IU per day for horses with muscle disorders or neurological conditions.
Synthetic versions of Vitamin E are not well absorbed and should be avoided. Synthetic version are labeled: dl-alpha-tocopherol, all racemic or all-rac vitamin E. Naturally derived ingredients are desirable and should be labeled: RRR-alpha-tocopherol.
Vitamin E, along with Vitamins A, D & K are all fat-soluble and should NOT be over supplemented as they can build up in the horse's body and have negative health effects.
Horses should be supplemented with Vitamin E at any time they are not grazing for at least 1/2 day on green grass.
If you have any questions about your horse's Vitamin E levels there is a simple blood test that the vet can do to measure it.
If you would like to read the original article check out the July-August 2025 issue of Horse Illustrated.
Slowly making progress on boathouse projects [rowing, projects]
Jun. 21st, 2025 03:59 pmrebeccmeisterToday I decided to go back to the boathouse after rowing and coffee, to continue work on various boathouse projects for a couple hours.
First, I rehung the boat light charging station on L-hooks, and while I was at it, hung up a second shoe holder to serve as a walkie talkie charging station. I was able to get everything powered up thanks to having obtained some 8-foot extension cords at the hardware store yesterday.
I also moved all of the supplies for keeping megaphones and coxboxes charged up, onto a temporary portable step unit.
This now gets all of the rowing electronics into one place inside the boathouse, instead of having everything scattered in different locations. It also gets all the electronics to a spot where they can be recharged regularly.
Once that was done, I turned my attention to our first aid cart. During this transition, it, along with some of our electronics, has been living inside a shipping container.
Something about the first aid cart has been bothering me for years. The original person who assembled it, assembled the wheels incorrectly. See if you can tell what I mean from the photo below. Up until now I really haven't been in a position to do anything about the problem. Vexing. Especially when you consider that people periodically want to wheel the cart to new locations during our special events.
I kind of feel like there isn't a WORSE way to assemble the wheels!
At one point, the wheels were so poorly fastened that one of the wheels came off entirely. So when I took things apart to swap the wheels to the correct positions, I encountered multiple sizes of nuts and bolts. But at least now the cart will actually roll properly, and with any luck no one will have to tilt this beast on its back to fix the wheels again anytime soon!
Along with the wheel problem, there has been some sort of long-term lingering issue with one of the bottom drawers, where it refused to stay completely closed. Super annoying. When trying to work on the wheels, I ascertained that I would need to remove the bottom drawers to access the wheel nuts from inside the cart. That eventually led me to watch an internet video about how to remove this type of drawer from this type of cart (and it turns out there are two different overall types of cart/drawer; initial hits were for the other type. Complicated!).
The internet video I eventually found helped me to understand that one of the plastic drawer removal latches had snapped off, making it extra difficult to remove the drawer.
A couple extra minutes with a small screwdriver and a bunch of swearing did the trick.
Intact latch:
Snapped-off latch:
In the end, I did not reinstall this "trouble drawer," as that seemed unwise.
Once the wheels were fixed, I relocated the cart to a new, more prominent spot inside the boathouse:
It just seems to me that having a first aid cart in a prominent, accessible location is a good idea.
I was so pleased to find that the cart fit exceptionally well into the space where I wanted to put it. The only issue was that the ground was far from level in that location. So I used a chunk of an old wooden platform that used to be underneath our oars, to provide a stable surface for the cart to rest on.
Totally satisfying projects!
Now I can turn my attention to the next boathouse project, constructing a long-term charging station for the coxboxes and megaphones.
First, I rehung the boat light charging station on L-hooks, and while I was at it, hung up a second shoe holder to serve as a walkie talkie charging station. I was able to get everything powered up thanks to having obtained some 8-foot extension cords at the hardware store yesterday.
I also moved all of the supplies for keeping megaphones and coxboxes charged up, onto a temporary portable step unit.
This now gets all of the rowing electronics into one place inside the boathouse, instead of having everything scattered in different locations. It also gets all the electronics to a spot where they can be recharged regularly.
Once that was done, I turned my attention to our first aid cart. During this transition, it, along with some of our electronics, has been living inside a shipping container.
Something about the first aid cart has been bothering me for years. The original person who assembled it, assembled the wheels incorrectly. See if you can tell what I mean from the photo below. Up until now I really haven't been in a position to do anything about the problem. Vexing. Especially when you consider that people periodically want to wheel the cart to new locations during our special events.
I kind of feel like there isn't a WORSE way to assemble the wheels!
At one point, the wheels were so poorly fastened that one of the wheels came off entirely. So when I took things apart to swap the wheels to the correct positions, I encountered multiple sizes of nuts and bolts. But at least now the cart will actually roll properly, and with any luck no one will have to tilt this beast on its back to fix the wheels again anytime soon!
Along with the wheel problem, there has been some sort of long-term lingering issue with one of the bottom drawers, where it refused to stay completely closed. Super annoying. When trying to work on the wheels, I ascertained that I would need to remove the bottom drawers to access the wheel nuts from inside the cart. That eventually led me to watch an internet video about how to remove this type of drawer from this type of cart (and it turns out there are two different overall types of cart/drawer; initial hits were for the other type. Complicated!).
The internet video I eventually found helped me to understand that one of the plastic drawer removal latches had snapped off, making it extra difficult to remove the drawer.
A couple extra minutes with a small screwdriver and a bunch of swearing did the trick.
Intact latch:
Snapped-off latch:
In the end, I did not reinstall this "trouble drawer," as that seemed unwise.
Once the wheels were fixed, I relocated the cart to a new, more prominent spot inside the boathouse:
It just seems to me that having a first aid cart in a prominent, accessible location is a good idea.
I was so pleased to find that the cart fit exceptionally well into the space where I wanted to put it. The only issue was that the ground was far from level in that location. So I used a chunk of an old wooden platform that used to be underneath our oars, to provide a stable surface for the cart to rest on.
Totally satisfying projects!
Now I can turn my attention to the next boathouse project, constructing a long-term charging station for the coxboxes and megaphones.
Firefly
Jun. 19th, 2025 09:31 pmranunculusI want to keep up some kind of momentum with Firefly, so today, after her morning grazing period ( a couple of hours) I saddled her. As an experiment I used a Frank Bains saddle that I bought a couple of years ago. It seems to fit her ok, probably better than the Ideal I was using. I liked it, it has a very deep seat and promotes a good upright posture. In looking at the pictures I also like where it puts my leg.
We worked on turns and on giving to the bridle instead of fighting it. Progress was made, it will be interesting to see how she reacts when she's had time to think it through. In the beginning there was a lot of leaning on the bit, opening her mouth, and fighting my cues. I tried to give big releases for doing anything remotely like the right thing. Here is the beginning.
We worked on turns and on giving to the bridle instead of fighting it. Progress was made, it will be interesting to see how she reacts when she's had time to think it through. In the beginning there was a lot of leaning on the bit, opening her mouth, and fighting my cues. I tried to give big releases for doing anything remotely like the right thing. Here is the beginning.
( Read more... )
Water update, bugs, weather.
Jun. 19th, 2025 08:41 pmranunculusThis morning the overflow tank was full, indicating that the tanks are full. That is good news. With plenty of water on hand I made sure the garden got well watered.
The evil beetle population of the garden has, apparently, been reduced to a very manageable level - however apparently the lifecycle of cucumber beetles from egg to adult is 14 to 60 days, so I'll need to be vigilant for a couple more months. A few days ago there was a huge hatch of the nasty critters and I caught somewhere between 140 and 150 beetles. Today I think I got 9, down from 12 yesterday.
It was lovely and cool today the high was 76F.
The evil beetle population of the garden has, apparently, been reduced to a very manageable level - however apparently the lifecycle of cucumber beetles from egg to adult is 14 to 60 days, so I'll need to be vigilant for a couple more months. A few days ago there was a huge hatch of the nasty critters and I caught somewhere between 140 and 150 beetles. Today I think I got 9, down from 12 yesterday.
It was lovely and cool today the high was 76F.
The best I can do to summarize our NYC trip... [work, ants]
Jun. 19th, 2025 11:56 amrebeccmeister...is just direct you to a link to the photo album I just put together. This is just the first photo from the train:
I annotated the photos with a ton of information. It was an educational trip, after all.
I have so much gratitude for my friend and colleague P, who made the whole trip possible for us. I already know it had a huge positive impact on my students.
I annotated the photos with a ton of information. It was an educational trip, after all.
I have so much gratitude for my friend and colleague P, who made the whole trip possible for us. I already know it had a huge positive impact on my students.
Water
Jun. 18th, 2025 06:14 pmranunculusIt is summer so there is water news. Cody put the cows in the pasture around the house about a week and a half ago. For the first few days they didn't come up to the house at all, and instead got their water out of the stream, which is still running. Two good water years in a row have filled up all the aquifers. A few days ago cows started hiking up the hill to the house and drinking out of the trough. A herd of thirsty cows can drink a lot of water, and I always begin to get nervous about the system. It seemed like a pretty sure thing that the springs would need a good cleanup -- and they did. I haven't even been up to the springs for at least a year. They are about a mile up the road from the house, on the terribly steep slopes of a canyon. There is a drive up the hill and then a walk along a trail cut into a really, really steep slope and a scramble up a slope that it is easy just to slide back down.
The "good" spring was dribbling a tiny trickle into the cistern. This was unsurprising since it regularly gets buried in mud and gravel. The cistern is a section of concrete pipe set upright in the ground. It has holes drilled in the sides to let the water in. A plastic pipe pokes into the side low down to carry the water down the hill. To work properly the outside walls of the cistern need to be cleared so the water can flow into the holes. I undid the plastic pipe joint below the spring so mud wouldn't flow down the pipes and into our tanks. There was about 3 inches of fine mud to remove from inside the cistern, and lots of mud and gravel to dig out around it. My tools were: an old aluminum spatula that I think was meant for ice cream; and a tiny sauce pan which is ideal for scooping up mud and throwing it downhill. Eventually water began pouring in at a brisk clip. The next cleanouts were three tiny seeps just to the right of the "good" spring. They were flowing well too. With those finished I scrambled up the terribly steep slope to the 2nd best spring. Last year it never was cleaned. This year a clog had formed in the pipe and the whole cistern was full of water. My t-shirt got wet as I reached in and groped around for the plastic pipe. It was under more than 2 feet of water. Again I took the pipe apart at a joint a few feet below the spring, so any material blocking the pipe wouldn't block things up further down. Suddenly a great jet of water shot out and the cistern quickly drained. Once the mud had settled, the pipes went back together and I had quite a flow of water. I was happy with the outcome, though I might go back up in a week or so to see how things are holding.
The hill up to tanks where water is stored is really, really steep, just like the canyon walls. Made it all the way up without stopping, and found we had 1/3 of a "tank" of water. Actually the water was up to the 1/3 mark on all three of the active tanks. 3 1/2 hours later we had gained 8" of water in the tanks. That is a lot. By tomorrow they should be full.
The "good" spring was dribbling a tiny trickle into the cistern. This was unsurprising since it regularly gets buried in mud and gravel. The cistern is a section of concrete pipe set upright in the ground. It has holes drilled in the sides to let the water in. A plastic pipe pokes into the side low down to carry the water down the hill. To work properly the outside walls of the cistern need to be cleared so the water can flow into the holes. I undid the plastic pipe joint below the spring so mud wouldn't flow down the pipes and into our tanks. There was about 3 inches of fine mud to remove from inside the cistern, and lots of mud and gravel to dig out around it. My tools were: an old aluminum spatula that I think was meant for ice cream; and a tiny sauce pan which is ideal for scooping up mud and throwing it downhill. Eventually water began pouring in at a brisk clip. The next cleanouts were three tiny seeps just to the right of the "good" spring. They were flowing well too. With those finished I scrambled up the terribly steep slope to the 2nd best spring. Last year it never was cleaned. This year a clog had formed in the pipe and the whole cistern was full of water. My t-shirt got wet as I reached in and groped around for the plastic pipe. It was under more than 2 feet of water. Again I took the pipe apart at a joint a few feet below the spring, so any material blocking the pipe wouldn't block things up further down. Suddenly a great jet of water shot out and the cistern quickly drained. Once the mud had settled, the pipes went back together and I had quite a flow of water. I was happy with the outcome, though I might go back up in a week or so to see how things are holding.
The hill up to tanks where water is stored is really, really steep, just like the canyon walls. Made it all the way up without stopping, and found we had 1/3 of a "tank" of water. Actually the water was up to the 1/3 mark on all three of the active tanks. 3 1/2 hours later we had gained 8" of water in the tanks. That is a lot. By tomorrow they should be full.
Firefly, M
Jun. 18th, 2025 01:18 pmranunculusYesterday morning Firefly and I went for our first real trail ride together. Carrie came over on Juno and we rode up the driveway, down Woodcutter's Ridge and then came back the same way. On the way out Firefly was full of energy and wanted to either walk really fast or trot. We walked, taking the lead on the trail. On the way back Firefly was suddenly not so enthusiastic and strolled along. Very like her, she loves getting out and always wants to do more. It was a good ride. Yes she is still pretty green and needs to learn a lot, but she never really put up a fuss.
In the afternoon M flew in from Alaska. On the way to Santa Rosa to get him I dropped off the pole saw, which is very broken. It will get a complete tuneup and a quick look at the leaking chain oil chamber. I also took one of the weed whackers down. Darren fixed it on the spot, replacing a bent pin that was preventing the knob that selects for Off-Start-Run from working. The machine also got a new plastic casing, as one part was destroyed. While chatting with Darren I learned: fuel mix (the oily fluid I mix with gasoline to make two cycle fuel) does not go bad. Yes, I can use that container of fuel mix that is several years old. Also learned that why one should keep a chain really sharp. Dull chains drag through the wood heating up both the chainsaw bar and the motor. A sufficiently hot motor warps everything inside it and stops working. Good sharp chains not only keep the saw cool, but they cut a heck of a lot faster. I'm SLOWLY learning to hand sharpen chains in a reasonable length of time.
Chena is very, very glad to have M back. He plays with her all the time. I'm happy to have him here too.
In the afternoon M flew in from Alaska. On the way to Santa Rosa to get him I dropped off the pole saw, which is very broken. It will get a complete tuneup and a quick look at the leaking chain oil chamber. I also took one of the weed whackers down. Darren fixed it on the spot, replacing a bent pin that was preventing the knob that selects for Off-Start-Run from working. The machine also got a new plastic casing, as one part was destroyed. While chatting with Darren I learned: fuel mix (the oily fluid I mix with gasoline to make two cycle fuel) does not go bad. Yes, I can use that container of fuel mix that is several years old. Also learned that why one should keep a chain really sharp. Dull chains drag through the wood heating up both the chainsaw bar and the motor. A sufficiently hot motor warps everything inside it and stops working. Good sharp chains not only keep the saw cool, but they cut a heck of a lot faster. I'm SLOWLY learning to hand sharpen chains in a reasonable length of time.
Chena is very, very glad to have M back. He plays with her all the time. I'm happy to have him here too.
Rich/Poor [status, work]
Jun. 18th, 2025 07:17 amrebeccmeisterI am currently in Newark, New Jersey, with my research students. We took the train into NYC yesterday, where a colleague very generously gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of the insect collections at the American Museum of Natural History (!!!! I took billions of photos to post later). For me it was all cool, but more than that I hope it was eye-opening for my students, who are all at various stages of uncertainty over the future. Almost even better and more important than that was having my colleague tell them about his origin stories, because he got his start in the lab where I got my PhD and has been highly successful as an academic. On top of that, he is currently the graduate program director at his institution and can speak about grad school from that standpoint.
Today we will go visit his institution, which is in Newark, so we took the NJ train over and stayed in an Airbnb on this side of the border. Which leads me to…ahhh, New Jersey. Our sleep spot is in a very Latinx neighborhood, which in a lot of ways is a lot of fun (although I had to get creative about the food options at a small Ecuadorian restaurant last night). But in the whole realm of “travel as imagining alternate lives,” what a contrast to sleepy upstate Albany!
For instance…our spot is on the ground floor of what looks to be a typical 3-story 3-unit dwelling. I stayed in the smallest, cutest room, but woke up abruptly at 3:45 am when the upstairs neighbor commenced with tap dancing lessons directly above my head (the kitchen, I suspect). The room I was in barely fit a twin bed; no room for woodworking projects at this house!
I love walking around cities, and here it is interesting to observe where and how people garden. If a person wants to grow plants here, they have to be pretty determined to do so (and many are!).
I find some of the contrasts with Paris interesting. More litter here. More space carved out for hosting giant American automobiles. (Although I’m sure there’s still a ton of groaning about parking, likely a fond New Jersey pasttime). Almost no bike lanes, and every person I’ve seen riding a bike so far has been wrong-way sidewalk riding.
I have failed to find decent coffee, and I have to admit I don’t really care for Latinx pastries. (Do LOVE the arroz y frijoles, though!).
It has also been neat to see my two students who are city/LonGuyLand people encourage my rural Connecticut student through the hustle of the subway and Penn Station and Penn-Newark. My rural student is also coping well with the overwhelm, all told.
Today we will go visit his institution, which is in Newark, so we took the NJ train over and stayed in an Airbnb on this side of the border. Which leads me to…ahhh, New Jersey. Our sleep spot is in a very Latinx neighborhood, which in a lot of ways is a lot of fun (although I had to get creative about the food options at a small Ecuadorian restaurant last night). But in the whole realm of “travel as imagining alternate lives,” what a contrast to sleepy upstate Albany!
For instance…our spot is on the ground floor of what looks to be a typical 3-story 3-unit dwelling. I stayed in the smallest, cutest room, but woke up abruptly at 3:45 am when the upstairs neighbor commenced with tap dancing lessons directly above my head (the kitchen, I suspect). The room I was in barely fit a twin bed; no room for woodworking projects at this house!
I love walking around cities, and here it is interesting to observe where and how people garden. If a person wants to grow plants here, they have to be pretty determined to do so (and many are!).
I find some of the contrasts with Paris interesting. More litter here. More space carved out for hosting giant American automobiles. (Although I’m sure there’s still a ton of groaning about parking, likely a fond New Jersey pasttime). Almost no bike lanes, and every person I’ve seen riding a bike so far has been wrong-way sidewalk riding.
I have failed to find decent coffee, and I have to admit I don’t really care for Latinx pastries. (Do LOVE the arroz y frijoles, though!).
It has also been neat to see my two students who are city/LonGuyLand people encourage my rural Connecticut student through the hustle of the subway and Penn Station and Penn-Newark. My rural student is also coping well with the overwhelm, all told.
Bugs, Printer
Jun. 16th, 2025 11:20 amranunculusYesterday's hatch of cucumber beetles is over. Or almost over. This morning's sweep netted 2 bugs, by 11am today I had 16; a far cry from the 100 I had by noon yesterday! Whew!
Last April, the day before my ETS event, my computer quit talking to my printer. ARRGH. Donald saved the day then taking emailed documents and printing from his computer. I don't print much, so the problem has languished, forgotten in a corner, until yesterday Carrie asked me to print out some more pasture move checklists. This morning I faffed around trying to get the document to one of my tablets to print, with no luck. This is mostly because I refuse to use Microsoft Office, and Libre Office apparently won't work on the tablet. Sigh. But! a couple of days ago my computer (as opposed to the tablet) had a big update of the kernel! Just to be safe I deleted the two versions of the printer software that were downloaded and installed a new one. And ... the printer works perfectly.
The planter/tanks in front of the house were long past needing to be cleared and replanted. Yesterday afternoon and this morning I got two of the three cleared out and new dirt and new compost added. I'm very hopeful that the new dirt will really hold water well (it shows every sign of doing so) and thus help stabilize the water in the tanks. Many of my little plants that have been languishing in pots now have new homes.
Last April, the day before my ETS event, my computer quit talking to my printer. ARRGH. Donald saved the day then taking emailed documents and printing from his computer. I don't print much, so the problem has languished, forgotten in a corner, until yesterday Carrie asked me to print out some more pasture move checklists. This morning I faffed around trying to get the document to one of my tablets to print, with no luck. This is mostly because I refuse to use Microsoft Office, and Libre Office apparently won't work on the tablet. Sigh. But! a couple of days ago my computer (as opposed to the tablet) had a big update of the kernel! Just to be safe I deleted the two versions of the printer software that were downloaded and installed a new one. And ... the printer works perfectly.
The planter/tanks in front of the house were long past needing to be cleared and replanted. Yesterday afternoon and this morning I got two of the three cleared out and new dirt and new compost added. I'm very hopeful that the new dirt will really hold water well (it shows every sign of doing so) and thus help stabilize the water in the tanks. Many of my little plants that have been languishing in pots now have new homes.
Garden
Jun. 15th, 2025 09:19 pmranunculusToday there was a HUGE hatch of cucumber beetles. Both spotted and striped versions. I think I got 150 bugs into my soapy water or squashed. During the morning all I did was walk circles around the garden gathering beetles. Well, that was after I took Firefly for a walk. Wasn't up to riding, low blood sugar. Compare that with two days ago when I got 5 beetles total all day.
This evening the harvest was part of dinner.
I don't think either squash was fertilized, but the next ones probably will be and these were still perfectly edible. Also had potatoes from the garden and a hamburger patty from a local ranch that sells their beef direct.
This evening the harvest was part of dinner.
I don't think either squash was fertilized, but the next ones probably will be and these were still perfectly edible. Also had potatoes from the garden and a hamburger patty from a local ranch that sells their beef direct.