Since the tropical storm rolled through weeks ago I have not seen many if any finches at our bird feeder. Carolina chickadees, cardinals, and nuthatches still show up but the house finches are gone. I know they migrate but it seems they are gone earlier than normal.
Green
Environmentally friendly, green ways of living
There are 363 posts filed in Green (this is page 26 of 37).
Carter was right
Some right-wing group sent us mail trying to tie Kay Hagan’s energy polices to Jimmy Carter’s. I found it highly amusing. Just think where this country would be now if we had heeded Carter’s call to invest in renewable energy. We might have kicked our petroleum habit for good.
If this is Kay Hagan’s policy I want more of it!
First Parks and Rec board meeting
This afternoon I attend my first Parks, Recreation, and Greenways Advisory Board (PRGAB) meeting as a board member. I’ve already dug int my agenda packet and am mulling my role. There are a handful of committees that I can choose from to get even more involved, such as the Parks committee, Greenways committee, and the Mordecai House committee, for starters. I don’t know how I want to divide my time but I’ll figure it out.
If any Raleighites want to attend the meeting, you’re welcome to do so as they’re public meetings. You can join me at 5:30 at the Jaycees Park Module Building, 2405 Wade Avenue. Or better yet give me a ride, as I’m otherwise taking the bus.
Changing seasons
Yesterday’s cold front brought steady rain, cooler temperatures, and a reminder that fall is right around the corner. On yesterday’s bike ride home I found myself chasing the warm bus exhaust I usually avoid. I’m also shivering at my desk as the building AC cools the office down to 71 degrees.
I’ve still got 300+ gallons of rainwater, too, letting the recent rain go without collection. Its hard to feel superior about collecting rainwater when Falls Lake is four feet above normal, the drought is officially over, and the city has relaxed watering schedules. Kelly says the car is getting quite muddy during her business trip to the coast so we can use the water for washing cars!
On a similar note, I popped a bucket underneath our air conditioning’s condensation drain pipe Saturday afternoon and a day later it was full of 5 gallons of crystal-clear water! I toyed with the idea putting a faucet on that pipe before realizing what a dumb idea it is! But I’d like to make use of the water somehow. Maybe I’ll attach a soaker hose to it and use it in my garden. The water trickles out at the perfect rate for watering our tomato plants!
Algae as a fuel source
Long-time MT.Net reader ‘Mom” sent me a link to a company that’s breeding algae that produces lipids for fuel. According to Valcent, the company, one acre of New Mexico land could produce 20,000 gallons of oil annually. Watch the video to learn more.
My engineering mindset loves finding novel uses for everyday things. I loved Lloyd Godson’s biosphere experiment where he breathed oxygen generated by an algae tank. Generating fuel from algae seems like another great step.
Today’s haul
Awww, yeah.
No room for Fay
I’m glad Western North Carolina will be getting a good drink from Tropical Storm/Depression Fay. Lord knows they need it. As for me, though, I’m still sitting on 300+ gallons of rainwater, so I reluctantly removed the downspout hose from my tank when the first drops came down this morning.
I fiddled with my new tank pump this weekend in an effort to test it out. Turns out the 1″ suction hose I bought had the threads stripped on one connector. After much time spent patiently threading and rethreading the connector into the pump I finally got it on there properly. By that time it was already dark outside, so the pump will wait another week or two when it is dry again.
I have to say I’ve been very pleased with this August’s weather. It hasn’t been baking hot for the first summer in a while. Of course, we paid that price earlier this summer but even that didn’t last too long. We’ve also had reliable rain this month, which is a welcome change.
‘Maters
The mess of tomato plants my dad gave me are about ready to provide their first fruit. There are over a hundred tomatoes on the vines: mostly cherry and grape tomatoes but a handful of the larger, Cherokee purple kind.
One of the privileges of growing up in the South is enjoying home-grown tomatoes. Its been a while since I’ve grown them myself so I’m especially anxious to give these a try. Next year I might turn the lawn in my whole backyard into a huge garden, planting corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and much more.
For y’all who are local, you might find me delivering a bag or two of gift tomatoes to you. If you’re lucky!
Bats!
I walked out at dusk tonight to put out the recycling. Looking up I was pleased to see at least three bats merrily plucking mosquitoes out of the air.
Snack away, my furry flier friends. Just don’t make our gable vent your home anymore, KTHXBYE.
F-street parking
I think Raleigh officials botched the parking layout of Fayetteville Street. The city should’ve made its parking spaces angled. There’s all this wide, unused sidewalk, another four or five feet of which could’ve added a huge number of parking spaces to this area of downtown. The sidewalk wouldn’t have even missed it.
While I’m a pretty big tree-hugger and no fan of the concrete behemoth that used to be the “pedestrian mall,” inadequate street parking limits the growth of downtown business. If one wants a vibrant city core, good parking is a must. There’s enough room on F-street for plenty of parking and sidewalks. What we have now is the result of a botched decision.