tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343122535318547716.post5480049690594448537..comments2024-02-25T13:25:26.434-08:00Comments on Owl's Farm: Washing Up and Turning OffOwlfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15373358232893937182noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343122535318547716.post-72930678614665201962009-04-14T17:09:00.000-07:002009-04-14T17:09:00.000-07:00We're obviously behind downunder re use of phospha...We're obviously behind downunder re use of phosphates as you have to check out the brand as to whether they use them or not. No wonder we suffer from blue green algae in our lakes and waterways (what's left of them)<br /><br />Spent the weekend away from city lights and had a wonderful view of the Milky Way. It was incredible.Cathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06108190825415005078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343122535318547716.post-69836648513070607012009-04-06T08:04:00.000-07:002009-04-06T08:04:00.000-07:00I do envy you your view. My kitchen window looks o...I do envy you your view. My kitchen window looks out on my neighbor's yard, and her Tudor-style house which actually looks a bit like Kelmscott Manor, the home William Morris loved and wrote about in <I>News From Nowhere</I>. But a little peach tree is growing up, and volunteer photinia, sheltering my view. When I add a bird feeder and clean out the iris bed, I won't see pheasants, but probably birds and butterflies--about the best I can do in the fringes of suburbia.Owlfarmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15373358232893937182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343122535318547716.post-30444110855743976792009-04-05T09:34:00.000-07:002009-04-05T09:34:00.000-07:00Kudos for a wonderful post. I'm with you on washi...Kudos for a wonderful post. I'm with you on washing dishes by hand. By sheer coincidence or fate, I've never had one in any house I've lived in, nor have I ever wanted one. Washing dishes is downtime for me, and I love to stare out the kitchen window. Staring out the window is better than it could ever be, now that I live in the countryside. Often, some pheasant or other wild game greets my eyes.<BR/><BR/>And I will say, you can see the stars forever out here. I don't know if I could ever live in the city again! :)<BR/><BR/>P.S. I love your kitchen sink! ;)Girl Tornadohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07289862625817473671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343122535318547716.post-31433616305810289872009-03-31T20:24:00.000-07:002009-03-31T20:24:00.000-07:00In 1994 we were living in the San Fernado valley a...In 1994 we were living in the San Fernado valley at the time of the Northridge earthquake. All the lights went out and all the people came out. Most of the children and many of the adults said they had never seen such stars before. Yes we do see them at the cabin. Two more months and the road will be plowed, I can hardly wait.Martha Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343122535318547716.post-39902564117770993372009-03-30T07:35:00.000-07:002009-03-30T07:35:00.000-07:00I didn't expect much, this being Texas and all, bu...I didn't expect much, this being Texas and all, but the local news made kind of a big thing about turning off the skyline. They organized skywatching parties and some astronomy buffs had telescopes out on hotel roofs and such, but I don't imagine anyone could really see anything. My daughter, who lives down in the thick of things, was out walking her dog at the time and didn't notice anything unusual. Maybe she just wasn't looking at the skyline--just being mindful of dog poop.Owlfarmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15373358232893937182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343122535318547716.post-61349580156937488872009-03-29T14:36:00.000-07:002009-03-29T14:36:00.000-07:00My reading of Earth Hour is that of a mass demonst...My reading of Earth Hour is that of a mass demonstration, rather than another dark skies initiative. Turning off lights is just a simpler thing to do than not driving to work and probably more practical as a show of political will. It makes numbers in the next morning's paper and that's the value of it.<BR/><BR/>Yeah, I miss the milky way too. I wish my sister had not sold her cottage in Quebec. <BR/>Crap.Geoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00746384276552087232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343122535318547716.post-1461820671157615372009-03-29T13:45:00.000-07:002009-03-29T13:45:00.000-07:00Martha: Glad you came by the Farm. I envy you your...Martha: Glad you came by the Farm. I envy you your cabin, though. I had one in the Ouachita Mountains in Oklahoma for awhile, and I miss it. I guess it was all the camping I did in my otherwise miss-spent youth that created my antipathy for dishwashers, as well as living in countries where they didn't exist. But if one fills a tub with hot sudsy water, washes the dishes, dumps the tub, and rinses them in another tub of hot water, depending on the size of the family, there can be substantial water savings. Plus it's kind of nice.<BR/><BR/>Geoff: The 2007 date is what tipped you off, wasn't it? I used that particular article to show that Canadians have been at it for awhile (I could have used a more recent one from Manitoba, but this was more general and gave some good reasons).<BR/><BR/>Y'know--some things about my family's former country I'd rather not know about. Like a lurking affinity for bowel-cleansing agents. On the Serenity forum they'd make merciless fun of this, so I'm not going to mention it. <BR/><BR/>Earth hour is just a means of calling attention to the absence of night sky in highly-technologized countries like ours. I'd give almost anything to be able to see stars other than the usual suspects. I miss the Milky Way something fierce. We didn't light candles or anything (and didn't really turn off the TV--although we did pull the curtains), but went outside to see if anybody else did. Of course not.<BR/>Crap.<BR/><BR/>I'll bet Martha can see stars at her cabin!Owlfarmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15373358232893937182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343122535318547716.post-59116549642829827462009-03-29T10:45:00.000-07:002009-03-29T10:45:00.000-07:00That link you posted to the Canada story is two ye...That link you posted to the Canada story is two years old. Health Canada has slowly been reducing phosphates since then and hopefully we'll see the end of them in 2010. The current enemy is bowel cleansing agents (heh! I almost typed enema!) <BR/><BR/>http://health.lifestyle.yahoo.ca/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=17460&news_channel_id=2041&channel_id=2041<BR/><BR/>Earth Hour is a stunt I'm on the fence about. Ideally, turning off lights and lighting candles doesn't make much sense to save the environment, but I've already got into a debate with a friend on the issue. He has a point but I argued he was missing the big picture. History is filled with stupid stunts to get people to change their ways.Geoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00746384276552087232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343122535318547716.post-51774337858979208572009-03-28T21:38:00.000-07:002009-03-28T21:38:00.000-07:00Now you have given me a challange. I have no disw...Now you have given me a challange. I have no diswasher at the cabin and of course while camping as we have been doing for the last week I wash up using as little water as possible. But at home I have grown used to the dishwasher, lulled perhaps by those suggestions that it uses less water.Martha Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com