26 Seconds More

I love the early days after winter solstice. The darkest days have passed, and people everywhere are celebrating having made it out of the dark side one more time. 

The light wins over darkness, as it always has. That's not hopeful, but a fact we can count on every day from now until June.

It is happening slowly, only seconds per day at first, but as we head into the sun the pace will pick up, as will our moods.

Today's length of daylight is 26 seconds longer than recent our shortest day. 

Daylight will be a full and glorious shiny half minute longer than solstice tomorrow. 

And so it goes.

Bring on the sun - its heat, its life-giving powers, and its antiseptic qualities.

Rural Social Distancing

 Good thing birds don't have the coronavirus, because on my last bike ride I saw more of them than humans. Birds don't have it, right?

On a 15 km ride, I only saw 2 humans. They were out in their yard doing some spring cleaning. 

I passed them at a safe distance, and waved instead of stopping and hugging and kissing and handshaking and doing some "moist talking" at close range. 

Of course, I wouldn't have done that before, either.  

I stopped at a pond. The cattails were opening. They looked like fuzzy white-molded hot dogs on a stick. 

The breeze was just strong enough to blow their seeds off in wispy puffs.

I stopped by a new park on one of our local lakes. No people. More birds. 

The park was an old Department of Natural Resources property that was used to store materials, and fix vehicles and equipment. There was an office building on site as well, which had been torn down since the last time I was here.

There was also a new strategically placed picnic table in a cleaned out area. It proved to be the perfect place to take a break, relax in the sun and take a drink of water.

No people. Lots of birds. That is rural social distancing in a nutshell. Nothing to worry about, because the birds don't have it, right?

In the picture above you can see a spruce grouse crossing the road. 

"Why?", I wondered. 

Maybe it was social distancing. 

From me.

Breaking News: Glorious Sun Rise This Morning

Sunrise from home at 5:46 AM this morning - the proverbial crack of dawn.

A sunrise is a majestic thing to witness. Here it comes! 

Heat. Hope. Light. Life. 

Each morning we have an opportunity to welcome a new, fresh day in which anything could happen. The possibilities are infinite. But we need the sun to make it all happen.

A recent solar eclipse made headlines recently, like eclipses always do. But what a dark and foreboding thing, the sun disappearing in the middle of the day. 

Total eclipses aren't even that rare. Approximately once every 18 months (on average) a total solar eclipse is visible from some place on the Earth’s surface. 

Like a sun set, an eclipse is a more somber, cautious moment. They have a hint of dystopia about them.

Sunrises, on the other hand, the moment when the sun comes to us instead of going away, are full of hope and joy. They are utopian. An inhale rather than an exhale.

Imagine a morning the sun didn't rise, or an eclipse that didn't end, and you begin to feel how our ancient ancestors felt about the sun coming up every day. 

A miracle!

Still, sunrises rarely make the headlines, even if they are as striking as this morning's was over my little part of the world in Digby, Nova Scotia, Canada.

I have enjoyed the sun rise over pristine and remote mountain lakes in the Rockies. Sitting on the porch of an Ashram in Rishikesh, India, I watched the rising sun begin to bake the Ganges River valley as the previous night's cremations smoldered on the banks. 

What I have learned over the years, is that there hasn't been a sunrise I haven't felt deeply, and with gratitude. And that goes for watching the sunrise this morning right from the comfort of home.

Have a joyous light-filled day.

Spring Joins Us Together

Replica of H. D. Thoreau’s 150 sq. ft. cabin at Walden Farm, where the author was born in 1817.

"The setting sun is reflected from the windows as brightly as from the rich man's abode; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there, and have as cheering thoughts, as in a palace." 

- Henry David Thoreau

Spring weather comes slowly to the Atlantic coast, but that today is officially the first full day of spring is undeniable. We have not had our first robin or hummingbird yet, but I have been watching the Sun slowly move from its winter resting place in the south toward where it is today - setting directly on the western point of the compass.

As the Sun continues its path north things will warm and our days will stretch out in a joyous northern celebration of not having to worry about your tongue sticking to cold metal objects any more.

Light, heat, and life return. We made it through another winter.

Spring/Fall equinox is always a special event, in that it creates a brief global photonic equality. Equinox means "equal night" which also means equal day. On the day of an equinox, daytime and nighttime are of approximately equal duration all over the planet.

It doesn't matter who you are, or where you are, you enjoy the same sunlight as everyone else today.

That joins us all together, and I like that.

Happy spring/fall, everyone.

Nova Scotia: Canada's Stormiest Province

On my way home and the sun is still up!

I didn't know it when we decided to move to the east coast, or for a while after arriving here, but I discovered recently that Nova Scotia is the stormiest part of Canada. And Canada is huge. What a distinction - it makes for some very exciting weather moments.

Much to my annoyance, conditions for the past 2 or 3 weeks have not been conducive to snowshoeing. Or biking, or hiking. Or being outside generally, or even out of bed. Winter can be like that here.

Our weather has been going between snow, sleet, ice pellets, freezing rain, and straight out downpours. Gale force winds often accompany this plethora of precipitation, frequently getting close to 100 km/hr gusts or more.

The worst part for me is not having enough snow to turn the backyard woods into a snowshoeing playground. This is my favourite activity of any season. So pristine. So quiet. So not happening much so far this winter.

Instead of playing in the snow I have been taking out my seeds and admiring them. I have been whispering words of encouragement to them, for the time when the weather starts heating up is near. But we will have more winter storms before then, no doubt, and that makes me happy, too.

Yes, there is a porcupine up in that tree cavity. I followed its tracks right to this spot.

It snowed over the past two days, an event that I welcomed with my nose pressed to the inside of our windows in anticipation. Even though it was blowing hard, and some places have no snow while others are drifted in deep, I assessed that it would be good enough to get out.

Today I had an energetic 2 hour immersion into the forest. It was fun. I walked, I ran, I jumped, I floated across puffy clouds of powder. I was ageless and free. It is not all bliss, I also try to keep an eye out for wildlife as well.

My wildlife list for this new location is growing. The last time I was out, about 3 weeks ago, I saw a large owl. Today I was fortunate to see a porcupine occupying a cavity in a big old tree. I would love to add a bear photo to my portfolio. A bear at a distance, that is.

The best part of today's outing was that I went out and got back well before the sun set. That's different. In this part of the cosmos, it is all about the sun returning and lengthening days up until June. What a beautiful stretch we are entering now.

Owls are very elusive, but they are always around, barley visible.

Soon winter will be over, and the snowshoes stowed away for another year. Then, it will be time to witness summer in all it fevered fecundity.

And summer storms.

Fossil Fuels vs A Renewable Future

The people have spoken, and they want a measured transition off of fossil fuels and on to renewable sources of energy.

A monumental tug-of-war is raging between an elite small group of insanely wealthy fossil fuel pushers and a growing number of regular people that favour more enlightened clean alternatives.

This is one battle that the people will eventually win because our lives depend on severely curtailing the carbon economy. We can see that the tide is turning, regardless of what the MSM tells us (or doesn't tell us). Things are looking up for green energy.

Already there are more jobs in renewable energy in Canada than in the tars sands, the dirtiest oil source in the world.

Investment in renewable energy is up globally. Locally, my tiny town of Digby, Nova Scotia is becoming known as a centre for research and development in wind and tidal energy. Wind farms are popping up like flowers in the spring.

The municipality owns and operates a biodigester that processes biomass (including material from green household waste) to create methane used to generate electricity.

Increased investment in renewable energy is good news for the green economy, the environment, everyone's health, and future generations.

The future is bright... and clean - the transition has begun.

A New View On Life

The recent full moon rising over the forest outside our living room window.

Our new home is giving us a new view on life, and one which we are enjoying very much so far. I think that what we see out of the windows of our homes affects the brain and quality of life. I am happiest when I can see nature when I turn my attention to outside.

A far-away view from my home is essential. I like a vista that my eyes can saunter over as I enjoy a hot beverage at sunrise, or while I cook or do dishes at the end of the day. 

I don't want to see straight lines and 90 degree angles, nor steel, concrete, and pavement. Or traffic. When I look outward I want to see wildlife, big skies and glorious sunrises and sunsets.

Every window in our new home is an idyllic painting full of light and colour.

Once while living in the big city I looked at a cheap apartment in the basement of a 10 suite 1950s building. The bachelor unit had one high window - it looked out at the blank brick wall of the building next door 3 feet away.

As I looked around I wondered how long it would be before I lost my mind if I actually lived in this marginal location. Or would it be motivation for meditation? I didn't stick around to contemplate that one.

I ran to the street, lungs gasping for air and my eyes searching for a more enjoyable, expansive view.

The view looking north east toward the Bay of Fundy and Annapolis Valley.

In our previous home on the west coast we were among the last North Americans to watch the sun set. Now we are among the first to watch the sun rise. After years of witnessing sunsets from the comfort of our home, the sunrises we see from home now have the power to draw us out of bed at ungodly hours of the early morning.

It is difficult to witness the spectacle and not feel invigorated for the rest of the day.

Linda birdwatching in a sunbeam at one of our bedroom windows (before
we moved our bed in from the van).

Our kitchen window makes doing dishes preferable over using the dishwasher.
This is a spot in which I don't mind lingering as the sun sets.

Our neighbour mowing his hayfield with his son along for the ride.

I was doing dishes a few days ago and watched my neighbour mow his hayfield. The next day I watched him collect the hay into bales. The day after that, and every day since, I have been entertained by a woodchuck whose burrow was exposed when the grasses were cut low.

I have never seen a woodchuck anywhere before, let alone from the window of my home. It is a whole new, and exciting view of life here on the east coast.

Formerly Free Fruits of The Earth

The fruits of the Earth belong to everyone. Equally.

Everything used to be free. There are the good things, which are still free for now, but you will pay dearly for most everything else.

It's pretty hard to do anything without having to spend money. You have to pay to work, pay to play, pay to eat, and pay to sleep. If they could figure out a way to measure and charge you for the air you breathe, you would be paying for that privilege as well.

One thing I really don't like to pay for is to sleep. You even have to pay a nightly camping fee in the back country of national parks, seemingly far way from the tentacles of civilization and the economy.

Things are set up so that you probably have to break the law to sleep for free regardless of where you are. Until recently, it was illegal to be homeless in Victoria, BC Canada because it was illegal to sleep in the open anywhere in the city.

Private property. No trespassing. Do not enter. No overnight parking. Go away and spend some money.

In 1754 Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote on the "horrors and misfortunes" that humanity suffered as a result of the invention of private property. In Discourse on Inequality he wrote,

"The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said "This is mine," and found people naïve enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows: Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody."

I am sure the Genevan philosopher would be horrified at the misfortunes suffered by humanity today as a result of "Mine, Mine, Mine-ism".  A small group of humans claim they "own" the fruits of the earth, and the rest of us have to pay to access "their" resources.

Next the greedy will say they "own" the fruits of the Sun and the Moon. And the atmosphere. They will want us to pay them dearly for these formerly free fruits.

But let us not forget that the impostors are wrong. The fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the Earth itself to nobody.

Improvements In Green Energy

Improvements to alternative energy sources mean that many are competitive with standard harmful sources.

With a little imagination, a willingness to do things differently, and armed with efficient and affordable methods, there are few reasons for continued reliance on scarce and dirty fossil fuels.

Sustainable small scale energy generation projects, coupled with energy conservation practices, can go a long way to reducing our reliance on centralized generating stations that often have a monopoly in the areas they operate.

Solar, geothermal, biofuel from rotting waste, wind, and micro-hydro and others are all ways we can take advantage of improvements in green energy technology at home. Residential energy use is very important, and accounts for 22% of consumption globally, about as much as the entire transportation sector.

Most of the power generation (90%) in British Columbia is from hydroelectric generating stations. The rest comes from two gas-fired thermal plants, and one combustion turbine station.

This is where my electricity comes from. Hydroelectric
is considered green, but has it drawbacks, too.
Photo: Jordan River Dam

Our grid power is generated locally in a hydro station on nearby Jordan River, just up the coast. While our household does not currently generate any of our own power using alternate sources, we are very careful about conserving and have lowered our consumption over the years.

Good thing we are using less because as of April 1 this year the price of electricity will be going up 9%. Similar increases are planned for the next several years, and that is no joke. It is time for some new and improved solar panels and a small wind turbine... once we have a yard in which to put them.

Do you know where your power comes from? Are you using any alternative energy sources, either grid power or on your own? Do you have plans to incorporate green energy in the future?

"Respondents to the survey strongly supported policy options to promote sustainable fuel substitution, but less than 1 percent actually signed contracts to pay a premium for ‘green electricity’ when given the opportunity." 

- The Residential Energy Efficiency Project in Waterloo Region (REEP) 1998

Illegal Solar Laundry Drying Apparatus

"If we all did things like hang out our clothes, we could shut down the nuclear industry."
- Helen Caldicott

Since when was using a clothes line to dry your clothes considered a radical move? Since you had to engage in civil disobedience and contravene local bylaws in order to enjoy your free laundry drying apparatus.

Such anti-clothes line laws are coming up against the fact that you just can't beat the cost and simplicity of using abundant sunshine and fresh air to gently coax the moisture out of our clothes.

Clothes get beaten in the harsh artificial heat of a machine, and age prematurely. Line dried clothes will last longer, and smell divinely fresh without chemical additives. Plus, the UV rays of the sun are antiseptic, and will burn all the micro-yuckies left after washing, right out of your clothes and bedding.

Line dried clothes both feel and smell better, and hanging the laundry can be an enjoyable, meditative activity. Comparing sunshine dried clothes to those dried in a machine is like comparing a lovingly prepared home cooked meal with fast food.

An energy-hungry dryer may be faster, but it consumes 6% or more of the energy used in an average household. This is not an insignificant amount as energy prices continue to rise. So what is not to like about the free, elegant efficiency of the lowly clothes line?

"It is unsightly and has a negative effect on property values." What? Apparently my righteous clothes line can lower my neighbours house price by up to a whopping 15%.

Since when does having smart, responsible citizens trying to do the right thing in your neighbourhood detract from "the kerb appeal of the community"? If that sounds lame to you, it is because it is lame.

But people know this, and the desire to save money and lower carbon footprints means that line drying types are fighting back against the insanity.

They are engaging in civil disobedience and refusing to lower the undies, the sheets, and all the other colourful protest flags flying proudly from their backyard lines.

The clothes line may represent a life North Americans left behind in the 1950s, but it is a life to which we seem destined to return.

So go ahead - be a rebel with a cause and engage in the radical use of your free laundry drying apparatus.

Fight the power, and have sweet smelling clothes while you do it.

Off Grid Housing

Romania's entry to the 2012 European Solar Decathlon
produces 20% more power than it uses

My dad once accused me of being "so damn independent", and I guess it's true - I do enjoy the challenge of taking care of my own needs.

I would rather grow a garden than go to work to make money so I can pay someone else to provide my food. I don't mind being dependent on other people, because we are all dependent on each other, but I don't want to be dependent on corporations which, despite laws to the contrary, are not people.

I also don't like being dependent on a large, centralized power generation and distribution system run by number crunchers in expensive suits. When this system is the only game in town, and there are few to no alternatives to turn to when rates jump by 50% or more, I feel less like a valued customer, and more like a vassal.

It is time to break out of the Middle Ages, and quit paying tribute to the feudal corporate conglomerates that currently control power distribution in most parts of the world. Corporations are not people, and we therefore can not depend on them to provide our basic needs - they only care about profit, and not us or the best interests of the planet.

What we certainly can depend on, is our nearest star, the Sun. This massive, flaming ball of gas constantly washes the globe in enough free and abundant energy to meet all our needs. Our sustainable future will take advantage of this fact to bypass damaging private power production using coal, gas, and nuclear. It will enable each of us to become our own power producers.

The first U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon took place in 2002, and takes place biennially (the next one is Oct. 2013). The free-to-the-public event "challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency."


The purpose of the Solar Decathlon is to:

• Educate students and the public about money-saving opportunities and environmental benefits presented by clean-energy products and design solutions.
• Demonstrate to the public the comfort and affordability of homes that combine energy-efficient construction and appliances with renewable energy systems available today.

The first European Solar Decathlon (modeled after the US event) was in 2010, and another is taking place this year. One entry for this year's competition is generating more than electricity - it is also producing a lot of interest in small, simple, energy self-sufficient homes.

Romania's entry (shown above) is so efficient that it creates 20% more power than is required by the house. The student team wanted to keep a simple, traditional design in mind for their prefabricated high-tech house. Building materials include engineered wood, along with regular timber and steel. The outside walls are pre-built including insulation, and are load-bearing, allowing the inside space to be free of supports.

To further increase efficiency, all of the technical infrastructure such as the heating and cooling systems, and the energy converters, are in one tech room. In Romania, the house produces 9501kWh/yr and consumes 7508.11kWh/yr.

The building decisions allowed the Romanian team to keep the home's interior simple, open, and bright, while maintaining a small environmental footprint. The prototype cost $149,000 to build, but in time the team hopes that their sun-powered homes can be made for about $86,000.

My dad would have liked it if I had leaned on him more, for that support is what good fathers provide their children. But he would have agreed that leaning on large, profit-hungry, non-human entities for basic needs is probably not a good idea.

He would have also agreed that it is time to take advantage of the freedom and independence of off-grid housing  using the free and abundant energy that the Sun provides as nature's gift to all life on earth.

No Mischief Monday

"The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson