Monday, March 29, 2010

Crusty is Now Alby

Crusty's new name is Alby and he already met their dog, hissed once and now they're ok together. His adoptors think he's very special and he's already occupying their laps. Isn't that great news? He is headed in to the vet tomorrow.

I'm just thrilled he got such a great home, makes the toilet fiasco of last night no big deal. As a result, I didn't get to bed very early, taking it apart late as I had to. It's functioning perfectly now. I do think it was caused by the missing sponge. The good thing about the event, was that I got that toilet sparkling clean while it was apart!

We're having a warm storm. Warm temps, decent winds, torrential rains. Someone I know has a friend who is a weather geek and he added me to his forecast list. He said we could get some very intense thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and hail out of a system moving in, and to be on the watch for funnel clouds. I think that's with the next system coming ashore.

I am trying to finish all indoor projects, like vaccuuming out all the heat vents, not fun stuff, but goes with spring cleaning.

I try not to worry about my brothers, but I can't help it. They're men. Losing jobs or even employees is very tough on a male psychee. I do not want my brothers to go under. One brother told me in a brief conversation that he brought all his personal items home from work because he is unsure when things might go south very rapidly at his workplace. My other brother has had to lay off employees which bothers him immensely. He sees them as family. He is trying to find jobs to bid on, but it's sort of a dry barren landscape out there for contractors these days.

I could live homeless and be ok, but I don't think my brothers could, especially my older brother. I shouldn't worry about them and I try not to. I just try to think of ways I could help if either ends up losing their livlihoods completely.

I know if my younger brother goes under, since he owns this house I rent from him, I could lose a place to live. But I don't worry about that, because it is out of my hands. Just in case that happens, I'm getting ideas together and reducing any unwanted stuff I have here.

I've been working on a pop up frame idea that fits over and into the back of my car, that could convert it, with little effort, into a very nice living space. I'm also working on ideas for easy up very comfortable large-tent size temp houses, that are lightweight, fit together easily, include a floor, insulation, windows, slope roof for rain harvesting, and add on cooking/heating area. Tiny, complete, cheap, comfy and mobile.

Our economy is kind of a tough thing. It depends on people buying a lot of things they don't really need to live. And also on making things you do need so that they fall apart quickly so you have to buy another one of the same. Otherwise, if people buy only what they need and those are really well made items, money is not going to be spent and so there will be no jobs for the masses of people out there.

We really don't need that much to live. Water, sewage and garbage disposal, food, shelter, power, transportation, clothing, but not that much clothing, ability to cook, wash clothes, and medical care for bodies, eyes and teeth.

Transformations in power production and supply, i.e. creative systems, invented, built and installed by private industry, might really gung ho the economy. Same goes for transportation, even sewage disposal and rain water harvesting systems. Such private systems would not only boost the economy with jobs, but lessen tax loads on citizens opting out of public water, sewage and monopolized power utilities. Reduced demands for public water and sewage would free up city services and reduce their costs. They also just might be far easier on the environment and create all sorts of rippling good things.

The above paragraph is the result of me surfing the web last night looking for ways to fix the toilet. I stumbled across many sites about rain water harvesting, for garden and yard use, and even for drinking. Also, delightful uses for gray water, which otherwise, goes down the drain to the river or treatment center, in watering crops and fruit orchards. I found more sites about compost toilets and wondered if a business might start picking up and composting human waste. One site had toilets that automatically diverted urine, to a bucket, that then, diluted one part urine to three parts water, was used as a natural nitrogen fertilizer for yards and gardens.

Vertical gardens using walls of dirt interwoven into garden fabric and mesh, makes gardening possible in tiny areas.

I found alternate house material construction sites, like Honey Houses, so named because they look like beehives, once finished, make from rammed earth bags. These long tube bags are rammed full of clay and sand, or just dirt, or, anything available in the area, to create stable attractive houses, plastered, once finished, inside and out.

I was heartened to see all these creative sites, where ordinary people are doing these things now primarily because its cost effective and saves them money. They make sense, too. I'm going to make shoes out of an old tire. I found a video showing people making their own shoes. The rubber of a tire makes a great sole.

The fundamental issue, however, of people doing for themselves, and re-using, is that jobs are lost. We live in a human overpopulated world and if we don't buy stuff, people lose their jobs and their ability to feed themselves and yet they continue to reproduce.

3 comments:

  1. yeah!! i hope everything works out well and they are patient with the new addition.

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  2. Hoping things work out well, too. Are they going to let you know how the surgery goes?
    Oh, and I'll take three pairs of old rubber tire shoes...

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  3. Remember, I'm already getting you the Lovable Loo composting toilet for your birthday and now you want rubber tire shoes too? Man alive, you're getting so darn greedy. How about the vertical wall garden, do I have to send one of those also? Shipping costs are an issue here. Soon, I'll be having to hire some hot delivery driver and his truck to get it all out to you. I suppose that does create a job. Stimulating!

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