The Big Tidy 4

Twice as Good

I have been involved in something like The Big Tidy in years gone by but have never reached the fourth week. Really, I think I'm twice as good as I used to be... about giving things the toss at any rate.

Want a 35-year old Lite Brite?

Too late!

Link to The Big Tidy

Photo GH

The Big Tidy 3

Is Tidying Up a Tradition?

 ["Ready to head out the door"]

I believe I have to do an activity 8 - 10 times before it becomes a habit. And I won't call an activity a tradition until it is a valued habit, beneficial to my own household and society as a whole.

So, The Big Tidy (throwing out stuff) is still a long way from being a habit or tradition. But I've been at it for three consecutive weeks, I feel good, and I still have tonnes of stuff to take to The Goodwill, curb, or any unguarded dumpster!

["What CDs am I tossing? You're too late!"]

Wanna small chair? Green pair of shorts? Book about Vietnam? Too late! Too late! Too late!

Link to The Big Tidy

Photos GH

The Big Tidy

Better Late Than Never

["Three boxes, three hockey sticks, yadda yadda"]

I feel that some of my old, 99%-forgotten-stuff has just gotta go, not to make room for new stuff but so I can reach other stuff. George Carlin knows what I'm talkin' about.

So, I embark on a new adventure this week. I call it The Big Tidy and I hope to be done by the time I reach 85 years-of-age. Then I'll take the next two years off and relax. Catch my breath.

Link to My Morning Smile

Photo GH

The Way We Roll 3

Un Oeuf Dur

 ["Un oeuf dur - hard boiled egg - dressed up a bit"]

It's Boxing Day and the house is quiet, so I'm boiling two eggs.

I can't remember the last time I checked a recipe book in order to make a special meal. The last time was likely shortly after the first time. Same is true for most of the people I know. Brilliant cooks, keeping things simple.

["Leftover diced chicken, bit of onion, on hearty toast and PB"]

["Strips of old cheese and some fixings"]

Keepin' it simple. That's the way we roll.

Link to The Way We Roll 2

Photos GH

Conservation

Conservation Quiz Answer

What happened to the California couple who scaled back their watering during the states's drought?

All is revealed in the photo below:

Three things. 1. The correct answer to yesterday's quiz was 'D'. (We have a winner and a California committee is - right now - determining if there will be a prize or not.)

2. If you live in California and are under emergency orders to conserve water it is still okay to water your lawn. In fact, you'll be slapped w warnings if you don't. Similarly, in Canada, if you hear the water level in the Great Lakes is declining, one should continue to water lawns thoroughly, wash cars with lots of soap (then rinse), fill swimming pools right to the top, take lengthy showers, flush twice, and stock up on bottled water. Everything's fine. We'll just create more fresh water.

And 3, the news clip left me with questions. Are there other barriers to conservation of vital and limited resources, e.g., water, fossil fuels, peace on earth? Do such barriers constitute a Catch-22 or Catch-44?

Link to Conservation

Photo of London Free Press news clip by GH

Gord's Gourmet Hot Dogs

'Tis the season to BBQ and pack in enough sizzle, carbon fibre and nitrates to get one through a long winter. During my morning walk I saw Home Hardware's line up of BBQs sitting all in a tidy row (freshly dusted too!), from cheapest to most expensive, starting at $169, and ending 'way up there'.

I'm not looking to buy because I already have one, close in price to the cheapest, but my heart started to race because I was hungry and stomach juice fired up three thoughts:



   I'm going to BBQ tonight

   My gourmet hot dogs and stir fry taste won't taste
   any better on the shiniest, widest, most expensive unit

   Actually, nothing cooks better than
   my charcoal-fired double Hibachi!

Dusted off yer Hibachi lately?

Link to The Athens Block

Photos GH

Live Small: "love your stuff?"

According to a Metro article, if you love your stuff you're going against the growing trend toward 'less is more' and 'experientialism'.

[Stuffaholism Kills, Feb. 5 by Paul Sullivan]

A trendspotter says we have "too much everything" but are evolving and "starting to value experiences over things."

I say, be warned. Buying experiences may be nothing more than another sales pitch for the next new thing.

Live small. Enjoy authentic surroundings close at hand.

Walk slow, enjoy the view.

Photos by GH

More Live Small and Prosper 

The Workshop: "no, this is the last project, 2013" (2)

["A birthday gift for Reg. He knows what it is"]

On Boxing Day, while some people were shopping for the latest and cheapest deal at their local malls, I was in the workshop boxing up a metal plate that I'd removed from my dining room's baseboard after lunch.

The very last bit of that job involved tapping four 1/2-inch nails into place, to hold two thin strips of wood down that said 'a small handful of people in the world know what this is... and Reg W. is one of them. gah 2013'. Some will look at the project and wonder what Reg - and a few others - know about furnaces that they don't.

["The plate held two chains that controlled temperature"]

From my FB page:

     Margeaux Collyer (writes) The two tunnels on the
     mount act as "guides" for chains which regulated air
     flow to and from the furnace. Me thinks!

Smart cookie that Margeaux. Pull one chain or the other - connected to levers in the basement - to control draft and flow. 

Reg told me about it one night a few years ago. He is a 'modern' man and wins a prize.

Photos by GH

Please click here more from The Workshop

Letters to the Editor: "walk it off"

John Manning writes a zinger. He thinks the public sector is on its way to killing off 'all private enterprise.'

["London Free Press, December 3, 2013"]

I can understand his anger if job loss hit him hard or rising expenses (car, gas, groceries, rent, etc.) are crippling him. But if he's doing OK he needs to realize it's not the public sector that is the chief culprit. He needs to go for a walk.

["And if private sector kills off jobs, there
will be fewer families who can pay for goods"]

Walk to the Kelloggs plant on Dundas east, London, home to 550 jobs that will be gone by the end of 2014. Walk to a growing list of other shuttered industries we once had. Walk to single-family farms around his home town to determine why the families have gone elsewhere, perhaps into nearby cities for social assistance from the public sector. And think. Maybe the following culprits will come to mind:

     mechanization in the private sector 

     downsizing in the private sector 

     the search for lower wages in the private sector

     the thirst for higher profits in the private sector

     low corporate taxes, low responsibility levels to workers

["Fresh air and ideas needed"]

Walk it off, John. Maybe the light will come on.

Photos by GH

***

Please click here to read hammer the public sector?

Design Flaws: "a better solution re bike lanes"

London does not need to design or build many new bike lanes. The city is already covered with them, they're in just about all sections of the city, they are staring us in the face. They are called unused or under-used city sidewalks. They just need to be painted blue. Blue for bicycles.

["Red and blue go so well together"]

This brilliant cost-saving idea came to me while reading a recent letter to the editor. It says, in part:

     "...there's far less risk of injury to cyclists and
     pedestrians involved in a sidewalk collision than
     that of a car and cyclists, due to many simple
     scientific facts such as speed, mass, etc. and
     therefore, the safer option (sidewalks) should
     prevail until a better solution is found."
     [by K. Swallowell, Nov. 30, London Free Press]

I thought, better solution? I've got it. Why, there's almost no risk of injury at all if riders and walkers are on opposite sides of a street, e.g., cyclists on their designated blue sidewalk (aka bike lane) and pedestrians on the other one.

What makes this a brilliant solution to the 'we need more bike lanes'/'bicycles on sidewalks' debate?

Several things:

     There are under-used sidewalks in all corners of
     the city because most people travel by car. 

     A car's speed and mass make streets unsafe for 
     bikes. But, empty sidewalks are often steps away.

     Sidewalks follow almost as many desired routes
     inside the city as busy streets.

     The city does not have to paint half the sidewalks,
     just certain select routes through town.

     Putting bike lanes on busy streets seems like an
     expensive design flaw to me.

["My idea saves tonnes of dollars, but makes sense!"]

     Blue paint is cheaper.

     We could likely get it on sale at Wal-Mart.

     I'll paint the Wortley Rd. sidewalk myself (west
     side, from Askin to Elmwood) for free.

What do you think about this idea?

How long would it take people to develop new habits re sidewalk use?

Where can we get blue paint at the best price? : )

Psst. While we're thinking about design flaws. Does any brand of peanut butter come in shorter, wider jars? I hate having to work so hard to get the last bits of pb off the bottom of these tall ones.

Photos by GH

***

Please click here to read dusted off your bike yet?

Grey Power: "putting money aside" (2)

I see red flags when I read certain statements in a recent Stats Can report about Canada's aging population because, although I wasn't mentioned by name, it relates to me and millions of others my age, i.e., 65 and up. (My D.O.B. is Sept. 1949, so 65 is just around the corner). Some red flags have to do with green.

As reported in the London Free Press (Nov. 26):

     ...as the so-called baby boomers age there will be
     fewer people in line after them to pay for their care.

     "There's a kind of an intergenerational difficulty in
     that," (emeritus sociology professor) Beaujot said.
     "As we're preparing for a society that will have more
     health care costs, we should have been putting
     money aside for that."

See the red flags? More people will need care. Fewer people will pay for the care. Where will the money come from? We should have been putting money away long ago, personally, provincially, federally (i.e., governmentally). We should be saving now.

Like many others I'd like to be 20 again. Long hair, polyester bell-bottoms, wide Paisley ties, bright yellow shirts with long pointy collars, platform shoes, 25 cent glasses of beer. Oh yeah, take me back this minute. But could I stand the cost of the steps needed to prepare for the future? It would be tough sledding, for certain, so I don't blame young people today for not wanting to bear rising costs for an aging class at the same time they're trying to get their own educational needs, apartment, house or new family in order.

Provincial and federal governments may feel they have their hands tied. Large red flags like current debt loads, low tax climates ("Cut costs, cut taxes or else!"), struggling economies and rising costs (in more areas than health) don't make a pleasant mix. We seem to be facing an unsustainable situation now and a more troubled one in the future. Magic pill? It can't appear fast enough.

The large number of red flags makes me think we are a country at war with itself, and with that image comes reminders of what Canadians did 70 - 75 years ago when faced with an all-consuming calamity, World War 2. We shelved our business-as-usual approach to life and sacrificed - for a time - much of our energy and wealth with the hope to vanquish a determined foe. The same type of push is needed today.

More to follow.      

***

Please click here to read putting money aside (1)

Live Small: "dusted off your bike yet?"

["1951 Dream Machine gets very good gas mileage"]

As transit fuel prices rise toward new heights we will find ourselves falling into two distinct groups. Winners and Losers. (All will learn to deal with the consequences).

["Can you think of other winners/losers?"]

Dust off your bike.

Photos by GH

***

Please click here to read The News: "as gas prices continue to rise"

The News: "As gas prices continue to rise..."

The days of cheap fuel for transportation are gone. You may have seen the signs.

Signs like the following:

     Gasoline $1.34.9 per litre

     Oil $113.50 per barrel

But nothing like this:

["Image  found at www.fineartamerica.com"]

39.9. Get real. Soon we'll all be considering our options, e.g.,

     car pooling

     sharing a car between friends

     driving fewer miles per week, month, year

     walking, cycling, buying a smaller vehicle, etc.

I say grab a dust cloth and go back to the 1950s.

["This 1951 CCM dream machine pays for itself"]

["Maintenance fees are almost non-existent"]

Your legs, wallet, environment, sense of reality and accomplishment and more, will thank you.

Photos by GH 

***

Please click here to read The News: PenEquity development, London

It Strikes Me Funny: I'm a Food-E (2)

     "I'm thinking about transitioning from three meals

     per day to four. Not because I want to eat more food

     but because I want to eat less. I don't need more food.

     Just ask my stomach." G.Harrison, Aug. 3, 2013

I eat too much food. I'm conditioned to eat three meals per day - and everything on my plate (likely by Anglo-Saxon ancestors) - and the three meals are getting BIGGER each year. I must do something radical to break the spell. 

["Even this tuna slider looks big to me," says Robin]

At lunch time last Saturday I was handed a hamburger the size of a small car. It was excessive with a capital E. I knew at once that I didn't want to eat it all because I hadn't been chopping down trees since breakfast, hadn't been doing much of anything, so I just didn't feel very hungry. I had to decide what to do besides eat a big hamburger I didn't want, and a reasonable plan soon came to mind.

I said, "This looks great." And while dressing up my burger I cut it in into halves and saved some for later in the day. 

I felt I'd made a good decision at the time and no one seemed to mind. The day progressed, I ate the second half about an hour before supper, and when that meal was served I didn't feel the need to eat a lot of food. However, I did feel something else. I felt pretty good that I ate small portions for supper because I used part of my lunchtime meal as an afternoon snack. All in all, I think I ate the right amount of food for the day, not more than needed.

Transitioning from three meals per day to four may work for me as I try to eat less food per week, i.e., become less of a food-E. We'll see.

What do you think?

Photo by GH

***

Please click here to read It Strikes Me Funny: Food-E (1)

the hits keep on comin' 4

"However."

However, it seems our global income is taking a hit as the years go by and as global damages increase, as if exponentially.

["Weather-related damages and costs are increasing quickly"]

Nielsen asked, "How long can we cope with weather-related economic losses?" Then he added, "If global income increases more slowly than the losses, it is worthwhile to calculate how long the money will last."

That makes sense to me, but I've never seen many instances of people in a position to know or care, e.g., insurance companies, government officials from local to federal levels, economists, or financial wizards, explain what the future may hold related to economic or financial health if we continue "business as usual" both economically and environmentally.

Nielsen continues re 'how long the money will last' (page 103, The Little Green Handbook):

To estimate this period I have analysed the data for weather-related economic losses and for gross world-product (GWP), both expressed in 2001 US dollars.

Preliminary examination of the data shows that the prospects are not encouraging, because the losses are increasing much faster than income. As we have seen, global weather-related losses per decade increased from $86 billion to $474 billion, or 450 per cent, in the last two decades of the 20th century. However, GWP increased from $291 trillion per decade to $386 trillion, or 33 per cent, during the same period. GWP is still greater than the weather-related losses, but the losses are increasing much faster, and in time they might match global income. That would mean global bankruptcy.

... The two calculated curves cross in 2045. If about that time we decide to repair the damage there will be no money left for anything else.

Dr. Nielsen does not mention which countries will fare better or worse or who will suffer the greatest blows amongst the rich and poor, but he does go on to say the following:

global bankruptcy could occur earlier than 2045, for two reasons. First, the costs of weather-related damages might drain global resources to a critical level, even if they are lower than global income.

The above statement reminds me of details related to a recent air disaster. A jumbo jet filled with passengers came in for a landing at a reduced speed (according to black box data and recorded conversations in the cockpit), i.e., at substantially fewer knots per hour than required for a safe landing, and the jet dropped too quickly out of the sky. The plane suffered great damage and two passengers were killed upon impact.

Second, we also have to consider the cost of other natural disasters... (i.e.,) the so-called great natural disasters. They do not happen often, but they are responsible for enormous economic losses, and their number has increased from about two per year in the 1950s to 9 per year in the 1990s. (pg. 104)

In the wake of recent flooding in Alberta, blows to the economy of one of Canada's richest provinces and government promises to send a billion in relief funding (likely a small portion of what will be needed for all repairs), there may be a growing concern about how long we can cope with such damage, economically and environmentally.

["Are governments studying important, recent data?

Will they keep their citizenry fully informed?"]

Nielsen makes an excellent point about what is needed to determine an answer today:

The first 10 - 20 years of this century will be crucial in determining whether weather-related economic losses will lead to global bankruptcy. The cost of damage is increasing rapidly, and the additional sets of data will make the analysis more reliable. (pg. 104, TLGH)

Though accurate information may be long in coming from worried insurance companies and national governments, we should make every effort to stay informed while - at the same time - cleaning up one economic and environmental mess after another.

Photos by GH

***

Please click here to read the hits keep on comin' 3

first world problem: bachelor boy vs the freezer

I'm buried in food. I can't keep up with the supply unless I eat 6 meals per day.

See, my wife is visiting her mother for a few days and before she left she gave me grocery money, a tidy sum I will try not to spend because, shortly after she left, I discovered we have approximately 400 pounds of food stored in kitchen cupboards, the refrigerator and freezers. Why do I need to buy more food? I say, I don't.

["I found frozen soup - worth $1.00 - in the basement freezer"]

I know I'll soon have to buy bread. TP and toothpaste but just about everything else I need is already on board. How long will the grocery money last? I think at least two months. (My wife won't be gone more than a few days, but I'm just saying...).

Do you think you're buried in food? Why do we keep so much on hand? For a surprise family reunion of forty people? When is that ever going to happen?

["The frozen soup, purchased at a church bazaar last

year, was delicious. So was the hot dog bun w cheese"]

This is a first world problem, right?

Photos by GH

***

Please click here to read Hibachi to the rescue

10% unemployment is coming

The Corporation of the City of London is not the only center of a depressed region in Ontario but it is the one closet to my front porch. 9.6% unemployment figures in March may be telling us that political and business priorities may not be working, may not be healthy for a growing number of London's citizens (and likewise in other faltering regions).

[Photo of London Free Press, April 6, 2013] 

A few thoughts cross my mind:

London may break the 10% unemployment line by mid-spring. Action is required before more families suffer degradation.

Mayor Fontana's election of 10,000 new jobs sounds so far-fetched, rooted in nothing resembling reality. Did anyone actually believe him?

Many job creators are not using their low corporate tax rate to create new jobs. Some record high profits and then hire off-shore staff.

If the job-creators do not create jobs, government should do so. Higher corporate tax rates may be in order to stimulate the economy before more families fail.

["Why high unemployment?" London Free Press, April 6]

More people now graduate from school to face the bleakest of prospects. If big business (Harper's job-creators) and governments don't create jobs soon, 11% unemployment is next.

What thoughts cross your mind?

Photos by GH

***

Please click here to read about 'Thing$ going North$$'

live small, eat less

We are eating too quickly.

Slow down and enjoy the view.

Toon by GH

***

Please click here for more 'live small'

Money Matters: Less stressful times for many

Financial analysts spot small problems while the majority of average Canadians face really big ones.

[From 'Alison on Money', Jan. 29, METRO]

Alison says "setting up an automatic contribution plan will help you deal with this stressful time (i.e., RRSP season)." Meanwhile the average Canadian family is up to their eyeballs in debt and has no money for an RRSP contribution plan.

Someone other than a financial analyst has to soon deliver a series of new messages to help average Canadians avoid financial stress.

Try these on for size while we wait for government and business officials to prepare their notes:

Downsize the North American Dream

Buy or build a much smaller house 

Buy a much small car

Buy 50% fewer furnishings for your house

["I'm still waiting for a store like this in Old South, London"]

Buy Canadian and keep more jobs at home

Learn to cook more of your own meals

Include nature walks on your entertainment schedule

What other messages does the average Canadian need to hear in order to avoid financial stress or ruin?

Photos by GH

***

Please click here for more Money Matters

Live Small: I like 'Hello, Gord'

The $3,099 espresso machine is too rich for my blood and the fingerprint recognition technology seems a bit cold. ("Sure, I can make you an espresso but show me some ID first!")

I prefer walking over the The Red Roaster in Wortley Village and hearing a warm human voice.

"Gord, you're lookin' good this morning."

(I sure am.)

Photo from Nov. 17 London Free Press

***

Please click here for more Live Small