Dylan's couch and warm greetings

It sure has been a while. Now that the beard is back for winter I figured it was time to say hi again. I hope the summer and fall have been spectacular for you. I ended up selling the car and have been enjoying commuting by bike. The harvest is also basically in from our garden, and of course there were endless projects. Above is a couch I acquired from a neighbor that used to belong to Bob Dylan's brother, which had been passed down from his parents when he went to college. Bobby used to sleep on it when visiting. The Cash book is there because the two go together like peas and carrots. Cheers!

Following Through

So last night I put my car up for sale. Biking up the big hill to work has been a success thus far, although for two days while sick last week I ended up driving. It certainly won't be convenient just having the family van, which I'll need to leave for the use of my wife and kids generally. On balance, however, I think it'll be much less stressful than worrying about and maintaining 2 vehicles. As a Christian concerned to be a good steward of creation it feels good to put my money where my mouth is (and indeed also in my pocket in this case). Our culture has placed too much of a premium on convenience to the detriment of a myriad of other things, such as community, creativity, the needs of others, stewardship of creation to name only a few.

I have 2 ear infections now (good thing I don't have three, although the stares would probably be more painful than the symptoms!), and the elevation gain could wreak a little havoc during tomorrow's commute. I'd much rather have the economic activity come from within the home and get rid of my daily ride to Corporate America all together. I'm working on it, but for now this is one of the sanest parts of my day.

recent column on going Car-lite

Ok, so as a general rule I've refrained from posting my monthly columns for the newspaper because they're too bloomin' long for the sort of attention span fostered by this medium. However, I have for the most part been enjoying biking to work immensely, and want to share.

This column tends to reflect my latest obsessions and passions on a monthly basis. Currently I’m consumed by living a lifestyle not so dependent on the automobile, and by my fruit and vegetable juicing addiction. Since perhaps you aren’t as jazzed about juicing beets and carrots as I am, we’ll choose the topic we can all relate to and carries the most baggage.
It all started when I checked out How to Live Well Without Owning a Car, by Chris Balish, from the local library. (It will have been returned by the time you read this so reserve it online now!)
My drive to reduce my dependence on cars is fueled by necessity. My single income cannot support my family’s two-vehicle habit anymore. Going car-free would be ideal, but with small children it wouldn’t be wise here.
The average American spends 20% of their income on cars. If for example you spend $550 a month for payments, insurance, gas, maintenance, taxes, parking, etc, consider that this same amount invested monthly over 10 years at an 8% interest rate would yield $100,620. This is certainly more than enough to pay for bus fare and the occasional rental car while having plenty left over for a cup of coffee and lets see uh… how about a house, a college education for your kids, the opportunity to be your own boss, or perhaps the option of being a more generous giver?
Today I visited some local bike shops with very helpful staff, and I will soon be outfitted with a sweet ride. H.G. Wells said, “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the human race.” My problem of working in a sedentary job and not getting enough exercise will soon be alleviated. The only, yet huge, problem is this steep hill jutting out of Lake Superior that I’ll have to scale with nothing but pedal power. Rat scallions!
This will be the most difficult obstacle to overcome if I want to be a successful bicycling commuter. Perseverance should whip me into shape though, and if not Duluth’s buses recently had the bike racks installed for this. I also work with something like 800 people. Surely I could be creative enough to find a ride on days when Nor’easters strike. (For some reason the massive parking lot is absolutely packed, and almost nobody car pools.)
Recently though, I spoke with Louise at my place of employment. She is 59 years old and usually bikes 22 miles one way to reach our little patch of Corporate America. When asked why she does this, she doesn’t hesitate a moment in saying, “I’ve got a lead foot, and it keeps me from getting a ticket.” Well, shucks, if Louise can do it so can I!
Another obstacle is time. It does take longer to bike, walk, take the bus, or even carpool, but this doesn’t take into account the big picture.
I was surprised to learn that the typical American male devotes 1600 hours a year for the “freedom” of owning a car. This includes hours of work to pay for it, time spent idling in traffic, parking it, maintaining it, shoveling it out after a snowstorm, scraping the windows, letting it warm up, etc. 1600 hours of toil are logged for an average of 7500 miles a year, which is less than 5 miles per hour. This places it ahead of a brisk walking pace, but not by much.
Did you know the typical American walks just 300 yards a day? I bet walruses lunge along further than that on a daily basis. I wonder if this has something to do with all the health problems that run rampant in our society. Perhaps one could also save the cost of a gym membership, which they probably don’t use nearly enough anyway, and spend a little more quality time on the bike commuting to work. For me it will take 30 minutes by bike instead of 15 by car.
Beyond the financial and health aspects of this decision, I truly believe one’s quality of life could really benefit without the added stress of caring for a car. You also will have the opportunity to be more engaged with the rest of the community whether you choose to walk, bike, take the bus, or enjoy the company of co-workers in a carpool. The environmental benefits of making this kind of decision are enormous, and if one is creative there is still ample opportunity to journey away from the city into the wilderness.
For me, though, I am finally realizing with great relief that I do not need to meet the expense of two vehicles. Surely my family can find a way to exist in this world with only our minivan. It is astounding that I could write this with a straight face as if this will actually be a sacrifice when so many people in the world get by on far less. Have a joyful Easter. This is a time for contemplating true sacrifice.

Signs of Spring and a pile of rocks

Here are the contents of this spring's harvest. Pretty piddly for the amount of time I devoted to it, but it kept me warm and I'm pleased to report that I don't have much of a farmer tan on my mug.

All that straw on the compost pile below is a sure sign that the first crocuses are up, and I'm pleased to report that I started biking to work on Friday. It went well even though I was a few minutes late. The hill I have to bike up is insane, and about 10 seconds after I turned left to scale the monster, Lance Armstrong just breezed by my on a fancy bike with all the fancy duds on and everything. His jacket was yellow, and he even said, "Be strong." Nice guy, but I couldn't help but laugh. Those saddle bags on the back of my bike were loaded up and it was amazing how much they slowed me down. He was riding a porsche and it was like I had a beat up old station wagon. But notice that I have fenders!

The snowmelt also revealed one of my three major piles of rocks. This particular batch is from the original cobblestone streets in downtown Minneapolis and were originally laid about a century and a half ago. The city ripped these up about 50 years ago and my wife's grandpa brought them home, later moved them to their next home across town, and after a couple decades of patiently waiting for their next use were passed down to my in-laws. Now after a couple more decades of being piled up in the woods, my Father-in-law is hauling them up here for us. We're hoping to put them into some good use this summer, but jeepers, if we ever move from here I'll probably want to take them with since they've been passed through the family for so long just waiting to be fully appreciated.

lots of juice and snow

A fair amount has gone on since my last post. Basically I've just been obsessed about juicing and biking to work. Yeah I know I'm pathetic. My son wears a bucket to hide his shame at the bottom of all this.

I got a brand new Jack Lalanne juicer as a special gift, and it's awesome! Below you can see the beet juice in confluence with carrots, cucumber, kale, celery, and apple. Tons of fun!

16 inches of snow fell as a bit of an April surprise after I pulled out the kids' slide, grill, bike, etc. Tomorrow we could get another pretty good pile too. Rat scallions!

Got my new bicycle for commuting to work today. I'll keep you posted. Yes I mean you. You're probably the only one reading this silly thing. Have a good one though!

Let There Be Dirt!

The glacier is receding, and in about 68 days our seeds will have a cozy home for setting down roots. In the background our compost pile is exposing more of its glories, such as about 150 banana peels tossed in there since freeze up and lots of other refuse just waiting to rot. Come and get it earthworms!!!!

Back to the weather, around here the big Lake has a big impact. Our home is close to the water and down here the high today was 37 degrees, but just a couple miles over the hill it was in the mid '50s. Craziness! Yeah, spring can be brutal, but come summer we can have days 20-30 degrees cooler at a nice 65-70 while everyone else melts.

Winter and Spring Tug-of-War

The last few days have been rather warm. Yesterday it made the low 40's, and the bright sun made it feel even warmer. Therefore, I figured it was time to encourage warm spring thoughts even more. This is my family's first clothesline of our very own. We have been debating where to put it for a couple years now and I finally just walked out there and strung it up, and boy does it feel good. There's something cathartic (not to be confused with catheter - which also brings relief) about taking it slow while hanging your clothes out in the fresh air.

It was 27 degrees when I hung my winter woolies up to dry, and I hope to make this an annual event on the eve of spring. It got up beyond freezing today, but the sun wasn't out quite long enough. A rescue was in order later on as the snow came blowing in for a visit. Anyhow, scroll down to my posting from two weeks ago to see how far we've advanced toward spring. Before you do that though, if you look close you can see my compost pile all tucked in. I can't wait to uncover it for another year in the gardens!

I actually set my favorite woolies out to dry before going to church this morning. This really isn't work for me, and I got so much joy from it. I did feel a bit guilty though sitting in the worship service reflecting on the fact that my new clothesline was seemingly bringing me more joy than worshipping the Lord of the universe. It was a good lesson that simplicity for simplicity's sake is ultimately not fulfilling. We need to simplify in order to quiet our minds, ready our hearts for more peace, and use our hands to labor for things of eternal significance.

Are there any other clothesline afficionados out there? I'd love to hear from you, because as you know we're kind of a rare breed.

The Four-Wheeled Money Pit

Here's another book that you should read. The author comes at it largely from a financial point of view, but clearly there are many other benefits for your health, stress reduction, the environment, a simpler life,... The average American spends 1/5th of their income on cars. This is the dumbest financial move anyone can make. Even if you're like me and drive beaters, the cost of gas, repairs, taxes, registration, title, and on and on, costs you far more than you think, and then there's the stress! For instance, $350 saved monthly and invested at an 8% annual return would yield $64,031. In reality, most folks spend far more than this.

My family has two vehicles, and this has always bugged me. We have small children though so we do sort of need the van, but I'm thinking perhaps we could go car-lite. However, the commute to my boring job is straight up a steep hill and I don't relish biking that every day. The ride home is a dream though. I just need to bite the bullet methinks and try it for a couple weeks, but our hills are much like San Francisco's. Then of course there are the brutal winters, but where there's a will there's a way. Anyhow, I think having just one car is a decent middle ground that just about any family could do. Being car-free would be a dream though. One could still rent a car occasionally rather than pouring money down a toilet. This is one example where the environment and pocketbook could both benefit. The book is worth your time, and won't take much of it either. There are lots of ideas and examples that will at least challenge your car addiction.

A Blustery Day!

Well we just had a pretty spectacular winter storm up here with gale force winds off the big Lake just 10 mph shy of hurricane strength. The 2 feet of snow wasn't particularly spectacular but the drifting, blowing, thunder and lightning was breathtaking at times. The whole city was pretty much shut down for a day and a half, and it sure is nice to slow down for a bit. Cross country skiing through the fluff is great, and in this stuff it is especially exhilirating to ski the rivers downstream cascading down frozen waterfalls all blanketed in snow as you descend 700 feet to Lake Superior. The flying Elvis's descending from 10000 feet couldn't have a better view!

My Favorite Spa

I enjoyed this last weekend with good friends at the most unique vacation spot on earth. It's a 6 mile trek through the backcountry to a primetime destination smack dab on the border with Canada. My secret abandoned shack lies right on the river demarcating the northern extreme of our country, and I have literally tossed a rock out of the lower 48 from the front door. The peace and quiet is unsurpassed as are the stars, and the endless terrain to explore is rich in history and beauty. Don't worry, we're not breaking and entering. The powers that be are aware of this, and could you pass up an opportunity to burn wood in this woodstove? This year our supply of firewood reached halfway up the window. Plenty of heat for candlelight reading.

The canyon you see to the right is about a hundred feet deep. The pictures are a couple years old, and this year we were able to journey down onto the frozen river in the spot shown. There was an amazing turquoise frozen waterfall we walked behind believe it or not. The picture does it no justice as it was captured from a distance. On the left is Canada, and the right is the United States. The trees on the edge of the cliff are actually a pretty nice size.

Never stop adventuring into the many works of creation, of which only some are landscape, and into knowledge of the creator Himself.

An Interesting Gent

I am totally bummed, and am faced with further confirmation of one of my axioms: strike while the iron is hot. If something is worth doing, do it now. Why wait? For a couple years now I've wanted to talk to an elderly gentleman who walks the main street near me in rain, snow, sleet, shine, or even fire and brimstone! I mean the guy is a fixture here. You used to see this guy with his walker virtually any time of the day on his part of the street. The reason is he did the stretch 3 times a day, and at 91 years old it took him a while to complete it.

Last month I finally got the courage to ask if I could interview him for an article in this local newspaper I submit a once per month piece. He said ok, and I sat on it for a month because I wasn't in a rush. Now as background, the reason I thought he would be so interesting is because when I spoke with him about a year previously I noticed his accent. Judging his age I thought there was a good chance he came to America after WWII.

I spoke with his wife today, and turns out he was a German Jew, and had fought in the War with the Brits and came here in 1947. Unfortunately his health is failing now though, and he doesn't want to be put in print. I am certainly not a journalist, and just write a minor column. Journalism seems to have a bad rap though. I can't even imagine the stories this man could tell, or the wisdom that must bubble up to the surface like a geothermal feature at Yellowstone. I still hope to meet him as a friend and not write about it. If only I had called him right away last month he likely would have been more amenable to this. We really can't take this generation for granted. As they depart they take so many stories, knowledge, life experience and real wisdom with them. Unfortunately most of us just don't care.

Those crazy libs!

This weekend I went to a Living Green conference. Over these last few weeks I have suddenly had an insatiable desire to explore many issues that have typically been paramount in the world of liberals. As a conservative, and a Christian at that, it has always seemed like that was "their" thing. I've always respected my liberal friends, and found them to be interesting, but their issues hadn't gained any traction in my mind or soul.

I now realize that I have intentionally not educated myself on these issues beyond perhaps to argue against them. One case in point is global warming. The evidence is overwhelming that this phenomenon is occurring, accelerating, and is rapidly painting the backdrop of our young century. I'm still on the fence regarding the human role in this, but it does seem likely that we play a major role in this. This has nothing to do with our politics, but what is right and wrong. I urge you to explore this issue in depth in an unbiased fashion, and make up your own mind. Engage the issue as an informed citizen.

My wife and I are also members of the Whole Foods Co-op here. I just can't get enough of this stuff. These really radical liberals make a lot of good points especially with regard to food actually. I find that going green when it comes to food consumption by buying locally whenever possible, organically, and from small family farms, is deeply compatible with true conservatism. We believe in local control, and don't want to be controlled by government or big business. Check out the extremely entertaining short movies at themeatrix.com for a good introduction.

I've got much more to say on this, but I'm experiencing a real metamorphosis when it comes to my thinking on many of these issues. It's really a lot of fun, because we should never settle for the status quo. We should embrace being challenged and acknowledge when we've been wrong on various matters. There's still a lifetime ahead. Godspeed.

An Adventure in 15 minutes or Less

Being that I work deep within the bowels of corporate America in a maze of cubicles, which viewed from above would look like a waffle maker fit for Paul Bunyan, I crave the living natural world while chained to my desk. My two guppies, Walden and Mr. Miagi, help as they swim around their gold fish bowl around a plastic bonzai tree. (Someday I'll bring a picture. Last month we celebrated our 1 year anniversary together.) My plant, which thrives on their waste water, is also a minor balm for my ailment. The overwhelming grayness of everything else, though, and sheer raw boredom are a bit too much for these friends to combat though.

It's actually interesting to stand up and watch the disembodied heads floating betwixt the sea of cubicles. They are a real picture of just how disengaged we are from so much that matters and "the real." Don't worry, I'm trying to suppress the bitterness with joys large and small. A little bitterness is like a little arsenic in your water.

Anyhow, these last 2 days I've really enjoyed a nice walk during my afternoon break. It's been a bit chilly in the teens w/a breeze, but a comfy hat makes everything cozy. Yesterday I just completed a simple circumnavigation of the big box on dirty pavement through endless parking lot. I loved it, but todays hike was even better. It was windy with constant snow falling, but it was the kind of snow that falls all day but never accumulates anywhere except on your windshield. Once again, the hat is the key to comfort. All you naysayers of winter need to not worry about your hair so much and put on a hat. Perhaps that'll be a topic some other day.

Back to my adventure, I decided to bushwhack through the woods and up over the rise. The huge building I work at is actually on the edge of my city in the northwoods. Well a little bumbling through woods then brought me to a cross country ski trail, which I was shocked had actually been groomed for skate skiing. This has been a terrible snow year, so this is impressive. The whole experience was so relaxing, and I was winded a bit too. I was even inspired to write my name in the snow for the first time this year, and with excellent penmanship! I bet I was the only white collar worker in the country to partake in this ritual today, and twas so unique because I work in a huge corporate setting with about 1000 other pawns (each with their very own 9 digit employee id). This whole time I didn't have a watch. I never carry one. Yet I managed to return to my desk with 31 seconds to spare!!! Yes, everything is watched pretty closely.

Dove

So the three of you reading this have got to read this book. It is amazing and captivating. I've been pretty obsessed with it actually these past few days and plan on running out to find the National Geographic issues back in the late '60s and early '70s that feature this true story. It's about the youngest person to ever sail solo around the world; 16 year old Robin Graham (semi colon or colon appropriate here? I hate semi-colons.). He sails old school too without any modern equipment such as GPS, but uses a sextant and charts to plot his position daily.

There are several crazy moments in monster storms while he bobs around in his teeny 24 foot boat, but it's not primarily about sailing around the world. It's more about all the places and people he meets, especially his wife who was also a drifting discontented baby boomer who Robin met in the Fijis. Neither one of them wanted settle for conformity in a plastic world, and the story is inspiring for us all. It's a reminder never to lose that child like wonder and naivete of the world and its creator. Most of us lose it over time. Tis a pity.

A Walk Through the Neighborhood

Virtually everyone reading this column is aware of the benefits reaped by the local economy when we buy our goods through locally owned small businesses. The big box corporate retailers, of course, take their profits back to their headquarters in distant lands much like the old East India Company of the colonial days.

Though this is common knowledge, these retail powerhouses continue to thrive and grow over the hill from Duluth, as evidenced by the soon to be constructed Super Wal-Mart in Hermantown. Clearly people in our area need to get the best deal they can to survive on our small incomes, and this is understandable. However, I would like to encourage the use of local businesses for what they can do for you, and not as some sort of charity.

I live in an older neighborhood among homes just oozing with character that are between 80 and 100 years old. It is a pleasing walk through this old neighborhood with children playing on every block and among the enormous maple trees pushing up sidewalks as they provide ample shade. Within a half-mile of my house I am able to purchase a fair amount of my household’s necessities and run a few errands.

My favorite stop is the local hardware, which has a surprisingly large selection. I get amazing service at this 3/4ths of a century old fixture in the community. The staff greets me by name, and they are experts in just about everything. I walk in there with a befuddled look on my face and tell them I need some sort of round dealio to fit over the oblong thingamajig to take care of such and such, and they lead me to the exact location of said obscure object. Knowing I am short on money, they tell me that an inexpensive option will work fine for what I need.
I constantly go there for help with problems in my aging fixer upper, and when I moved here I wasn’t handy at all. As each project has presented itself they provide me with loads of free advice without any condescension while helping me find what I need in ten minutes or less.
Time is a valuable commodity. It is not always necessary to drive up over the hill for the pleasure of fighting crowds while aimlessly pushing a massive Hummer-sized shopping cart through aisles bursting with merchandise towering over my head.

Instead I promenade through our enclave to the beat of my own self-satisfaction for single-handedly saving our local economy and the future of our neighborhood businesses. Heck no! I enjoy the short stroll to get what I need and get home with enough time left on a Saturday to get my project done and still spend some quality time with my family.

Furthermore, in that big box hardware you inevitably spend more money as you fill that cart up with more basement fodder than you need. The drive home then provides time for buyer’s remorse and stewing in grumpiness. When I leave the local hardware, in contrast, I have an inevitable smile on my face. My dog also departs with a smile because they give him some love and a tasty treat. If there are only about 4 Saturday’s a month, why in the world would you spend them in your car driving to distant retailers receiving what is seemingly the worst service possible (only to have it bested the next time you go)?

Returning to our walk, 75 feet to the east brings us to the post office, which has been staffed by the same friendly gentleman for many years. A quick saunter from there allows us to pick up some necessary items at the pharmacy, rent a video, and buy a couple yummy donuts for a price disproportionate to the pleasure they provide as we continue on our stroll. Shucks, there’s even a home and garden gift shop, barbershop, chiropractor, Sammy’s Pizza, and several other small businesses on the main drag
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The best part is that while we get some necessary shopping done, our family enjoys a nice walk together. We return home in high spirits as we had the opportunity to enjoy our community every step of the way. I’m also convinced that we spend less money because we buy what we can carry between us and stash in the stroller.

I have always considered the option of living in the country to be ideal, but living here these last couple years is slowly causing me to reconsider. It is wonderful to be a part of an outstanding community being blessed with nice neighbors and a variety of welcoming small businesses.
Most of us are not going to stop patronizing the big boxes cold turkey and that is fine. Please consider enjoying more of your local businesses though, because they offer you the savings of time, torture, torment, and occasionally even money. These places are run by people who enjoy their customers and are passionate about what they do. I have a feeling that for most folks an enjoyable day off from the salt mines doesn’t include an hour of driving around and several more fighting a sea of strangers as you all race each other to check out lines as if they were so many toll booths.