In the last few weeks I’ve gotten some certifications and joined a new group. I was certified as a Monarch Way Station. And the monarchs ahve indeed been landing in my garden and finding protection and food. I was also certified as a River Safe Home by the county. I got my seal yesterday in the mail. It is a simple series of questions about chemicals and practices to protect the river, and then you provide your contact info.
I also joined the Huron River Watershed Council, after doing the annual swim with them. And I began the process to decrease my sewer assessment by being a river safe home, having a cistern, and having removed cement walks and pads and put in pavers for their permeability. the required documentation for the last two is slowing me down, but I’ll get there.
I used to have turtles as pets, and I have a soft spot for this reptile more than any other reptile.
So I really loved this video of a tortoise persistently attacking a cat!
I found it great fun yesterday to note that my speedometer was about to turn to 75,000 miles just as I approached the Mill Creek Bridge in Dexter, currently under construction. I had taken that path to avoid construction on Jackson Rd. which I was guessing would create more delays.
Just as I was on the partly demolished bridge, the reading was exactly 75,000 miles. A milestone in my trucks long (13 years now) life. Woo hooo! And a lovely and meaningful place to have it, as the damn is recently gone.
The moment was lessened a bit to discover Island Lake Rd. was ALSO blocked (totally) by construction and there was a very long detour to N. Territorial, with a driver tailgating me nearly the entire time. Touching the brakes, slowing down, pumping the brakes, the behavior was unchanged.
Finally, we were hit a crawl with two hay trucks in front and as the two cars ahead of me pulled out to pass and I was about to the car behind whipped around me and I had to pull back in to avoid hitting her. She pulled into a drive a few miles later on, having accomplished no increase in speed or efficiency after such reckless and distressing driving.
But I’d like to celebrate anyway — 75,000 miles with only about $3,500 of maintenance and no accidents, and many many tons of stuff hauled and moved to the benefit of me, my family, my friends, my neighbors, and more!!
I think it’s important to mark these sorts of moments, awareness and appreciation.
I don’t think I’ll get another 13 years and 75,000 miles form the truck, but any vehicle that is over a decade old is a good thing — although I think I’ll revise that thought and say we might as well retire as many vehicles as possible that get less than 20 MPG. Maybe even 25.
A few weeks ago I was treated to a teetor totter ride while being interviewed by Homeless Dave. I’ve been thinking of a theory of teeter totters every since.
I grew up with them, although it was often a cruel and sadistic ride where you had to be prepared for the other person to jump off at any time, or the lessor evil of being “bumped” as theylet their end slam into the ground while you were vulnerable up in the air. I think that is why I didn’t seek it out in adult life.
But carrying on an adult conversation while on a teetor totter ride is actually a pretty profound thing. I think it would be the ideal place to have a disagreement, or resolve a conflict.
Think of the metaphors and the physical set up –
You’re sitting face to face.
Nothing is static, you are in constant motion.
You have to take turns.
You do have to trust the other person.
Your perspective and point of view keeps changing.
You are both moving through space - sometimes grounded, sometimes in the air. Both are very different.
You’re outside (usually).
You have to be balanced.
The rhythm can change, but it is by mutual agreement.
Those are the ones I can think of, there must be more. Ideas?
The next time I have a disagreement to resolve or work out a conflict I think I’d like to do it on a teeter totter.
But I understand most of them have been removed from the playgrounds for safety reasons. The “teeter totter” by my house is a fake — four people can sit at once, no one has to move in conjunction with anyone else, each seat is spring loaded, there is no danger (if you fell it would be a few inches onto thick mulch) and no mutuality. It does nothing to sustain or nurture a relationship or conversation.
I’m looking for a U-pick place, that uses organic or sustainable practices. I called the Blueberry farm in Dexter, and they sprayed with Malathion just last week. I’m just not OK with that product so near picking time. We used it a lot when I worked for the Botanical Gardens, so I’ve had a lot of exposure to it. It has a lot of toxic effects, detailed href=”http://www.chem-tox.com/malathion/research/”>here and here and summarized nicely as part of that second link:
2. Is the spraying of malathion harmful to my health or my family’s health?
Short-term exposures to high levels of malathion can affect the nervous system causing a variety of symptoms, including headaches, nausea, dizziness, weakness, cramps, diarrhea, excessive sweating, blurred vision and increased heart rate. Repeated skin contact with malathion has been associated with skin rash (allergic reaction) in some individuals exposed to malathion in corn syrup bait. Short-term exposure to high levels of petroleum solvents can cause irritation of the eye, skin, nose, throat or lung. Vomiting or central nervous system depression may occur if very high levels of petroleum solvents are ingested. There are no studies examining whether the use of malathion to control mosquitoes has caused any long-term health effects in humans.
Malathion is applied at very low concentrations to control mosquitoes. It is unlikely that adverse health effects will occur as a result of this use for most people, but some individuals may experience health effects. For these reasons, individuals should consider taking steps to minimize their exposure to malathion if it is applied to control mosquitoes (see question # 10).
3. Is malathion an “endocrine disruptor”?
“Endocrine disruptors” are chemicals that interfere with endocrine system function. The endocrine system consists of glands that produce hormones that act together to guide development, growth, reproduction and behavior, and to maintain normal organ function. Our knowledge of the relationship between exposure and endocrine system effects is still developing. Some chemicals that act like the hormone estrogen (for example, DES) have been reported to cause long-term effects in mice born to mothers who ingested low levels during pregnancy. This area of research is the subject of intense scientific inquiry.
Effects on some endocrine glands and changes in some hormone levels were reported in laboratory animals given repeated oral doses of malathion. The amount of malathion given to animals in these studies, however, exceeds the amount humans are likely to contact from the spraying of malathion.
Is there a u-pick place near Ann Arbor that is no spray or organic? Anyone know? Or a wild blueberry patch?
And just to be clear - The Onion is SATIRE. Wonderful, lovely satire. I’ve had friends e-mail me in alarm or outrage after watching some of their stories…
But there is always a grain of truth in satire…
I just had a “riding lesson” that was really spatial dynamics on horseback (and off). It was also a bit of horse whisperer secrets revealed. I like how I ended up feeling, I like what I learned about sharing space with horses.
I’m very oriented with dogs and dog training and operant conditioning. Horses are different. I tend to think of reinforcement, with people (students and clients especially) and dogs. Any chance I have to note (mark) and support positive behavior I’ve been practicing really hard for 10 years to do that. It is a critical part of my work - teach people how to let go and move energy, mostly by noting when they do it so they can be able to do it more consciously.
Michael says no, don’t do it with horses. What I heard him say is just make them do it, and they are supposed to obey. But the communication with them is so very very subtle. We were practicing having them move without touch, without contact, and to stop the same way. It was all body movement, blocking, intention, and clarity. I had this massive work horse trotting around the ring just by the position of the whip and my body. And when I shifted to block him (but from a distance greater than 10 feet) he would stop cold.
It is interesting to extrapolate this to human behavior and instincts. We are more like dogs than horses, I think, but some of it still applies. Then of course I got on the horse and tried to be that subtle and effective from that position. Keeping my heels down, tension and action in my legs, posture stays straight, and I had to keep stopping from grabbing on to the saddle horn. Why not? Michael said if you start to rely on it and you’re thrown, you’ll grab harder and end up under the horse. Not a good place to be.
I don’t really have any intention or interest in doing lots of riding, but I’m fascinated by the therapeutic benefits and the relationship between people and horses. And there is a lot of pelvis movement and contact, with my fibroid tumors still being an issue I’m interested in moving energy through that area in new and different ways. Horseback riding certainly does that — and it is all done with the sitz bones (ischial tuberosities) in close and active contact with the horse.
I don’t know. I can easily look at a dog and have a strong sense of what it is thinking and planning. I can easily anticipate their moves. It came quickly, naturally, and late in life. Horse I’ve never really felt that for - although a tiny bit more tonight after 2 horus of listening to Michael talk and demonstrate and then put it into motion for me.
When I got home Nala smelled me carefully. She was pretty excited to have some horse smells brought into her house. But then she saw/smelled the new rawhide I bought for her and that took precedence. I thought so.
Let’s say that for the USA, WWI began in 1917. And the Vietnam war began in 1965. There are other dates that could be considered, but those are good enough.
I was born in 1959, which means that I was born 42 years after the start of World War I. People my age now (49) would have remembered the war.
But wait, it gets more surreal. If the Vietnam war began in 1965, that was 43 years ago. Someone born now is as distanced from Vietnam as I am from World War I. Which for me did take place in another era.
Will it matter that we have film and TV and other media from that time? And that life spans are longer?
I suppose as I slide into the “6 months until 50″ mentality I’ll discover more ways to feel old and awed at the passing of time. This comparison came from a simple cartoon, I think it is called Arlo and Janis.
And I wish we didn’t define eras by wars that we fought, but fromt he peace that we found. I wish.
So I met an old friend the other day and I asked him “How’s the bus driving going? Do you still have that Sesame Street route?” and he said, “I just quit!” “Why?” queried I.
He said this:
“I stop at my first stop and I open the door and in comes this enormous woman! ‘Hi!, My name’s Patricia,’ she says. I say ‘Great, back of the bus.’
“I close the door and I pull up to the very next stop, I open the door and there stands a mountain range of a woman who struggles up the steps and says ‘Hi. My name’s Pat.’ ‘Great,’ says I, ‘Back of the bus, and don’t sit on the same side as the other lady!’
INSERT DESCRIPTIONHappy birthday, big boy.
“So there I am driving with the back of the bus scraping on the road when I pull up to the next stop. I open the door and standing there is a man swathed head to foot in purple velvet. He comes on the bus, curtseys and says ‘Hello everyone! My name’s Ross, and I’m special.’ ‘Great, sit towards the front, will ya?’
“Next stop, open the door and there is a disgusting individual. He comes onboard and heads for a seat so I yell at him ‘Hey! This is a friendly bus — we all introduce ourselves on this bus!’ ‘Well, if you must know, my name is Cheez, Lester Cheez!’ and he goes to his seat.
“I’m driving along when the bus starts to bouncing up and down and rocking back and forth I look in the mirror and I see Pat running up the aisle. ‘Mr. Driver! Mr. Driver! It’s just so disgusting! That Lester Cheez, he took off his shoes and he’s rubbing at his feet!’
“‘That’s it! I quit!’ I said, and I walked off the bus and never went back!”
“What? Why?” I asked my friend.
“Well, I figure that when your livelihood depends on Two Obese Patties, Special Ross and Lester Cheez picking bunions on the Sesame Street run, it’s time to look for something else.”