Seems like raising kids is like living in a murky fishbowl with your small fry. All the fish are swimming around, not able to see very well what they are each all about. They just can't get a handle on where they are going and what is up ahead of them very well. And they certainly don't know what has caused the blurry vision. Yet, those on the outside of the fish bowl can see each of the fish swim by individually and collectively when they wear their polarized glasses. Maybe the parents need to get outside of the fish bowl once in a while to get a better perspective of what's going on inside the bowl .
We went on a 20 mile bike ride with Michael's running buddy this morning. Michael went on to do another 10 miles, in preparation for his ride to Key West next week, when he plans to bike 90 miles a day. Obviously, this will be a trip without me. I'm not a masochist the way people who are long distance runners and bikers are. Four mile runs and 20 mile bike rides suit me just fine and I don't feel any sense of guilt for not achieving more. But, I'm sure I'll hear some exhaustion in Michael's voice when he checks in with me each day.
I heard from a man, who worked for Headwaters Recycling 10 years ago, yesterday. He has been in contact with the present head of the company and will send me information about their recycling operation. They work on a co-op concept and formerly didn't collect plastics. But they are operating in many small communities in Montana for the cost of $2 a household and they would collect weekly. So I'm anxious to hear what their program looks like. Do they now accept plastic, in addition to glass and aluminum?
So we would have two companies interested in our plastic. That's good. They need to have some competition. Plastic sells for .10 a pound right now. That is a huge amount and I want to be sure to contract with the company that will give us the best return. We need to weigh all the pros and cons of each company. Right now I feel that we hold the cards and have some dealing power. The gal at the recycling business here in Florida said the best advise she could give me was to be sure to get the best price we can and don't let anyone take advantage of our eagerness to find a market and buyer. I'm ready to hear about their offers and demand the best deal for the community. Hoo rah!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Recycling project explained
For thoses with who have been dragged through every detail of this project for the past few months as it has developed thus far, please bear with me. I need to bring all others up to speed.
Once I determined that there was a need for developing this recycling program and I began to field opinions, I was overwhelmed by the number of people in the community who really wanted to be able to save our landfills from over flowing with plastic. Actually, I had started with the idea of recycling glass. However, after hours of research into this direction, I found that not only is recycling glass very difficult and costly for a town remotely located as ours, but glass really isn't the problem for our environment that plastic. Where glass, which is only sand, is ground back into the soil, plastic actually swells in the landfills, taking up more room over time.
From that point I was able to get 12 people in the community of like minds yet with varied expertise's on the subject together to discuss the feasibility of implementing the project for Lewistown. They were overwhelming in agreement that this should move forward and that I should continue to manage the project.
The problem with this, however, is that now I am in Florida for the winter and can't have hands on very easily. Everyone reassured me, that in fact it, would not be difficult for me, with the access of technology available today. Oh sure, easier said than done and they aren't the ones doing it. They are great cheer leaders, but not the greatest movers and shakers at getting things done.
So, after many phone calls and e mails I don't have a sense that I ahve made a great deal of progress. I was reminded that this is a marathon not a sprint. It feels more like I'm on a treadmill, actually, but each day I push ahead a bit more, with a little more knowledge about how to get the job done.
Once I determined that there was a need for developing this recycling program and I began to field opinions, I was overwhelmed by the number of people in the community who really wanted to be able to save our landfills from over flowing with plastic. Actually, I had started with the idea of recycling glass. However, after hours of research into this direction, I found that not only is recycling glass very difficult and costly for a town remotely located as ours, but glass really isn't the problem for our environment that plastic. Where glass, which is only sand, is ground back into the soil, plastic actually swells in the landfills, taking up more room over time.
From that point I was able to get 12 people in the community of like minds yet with varied expertise's on the subject together to discuss the feasibility of implementing the project for Lewistown. They were overwhelming in agreement that this should move forward and that I should continue to manage the project.
The problem with this, however, is that now I am in Florida for the winter and can't have hands on very easily. Everyone reassured me, that in fact it, would not be difficult for me, with the access of technology available today. Oh sure, easier said than done and they aren't the ones doing it. They are great cheer leaders, but not the greatest movers and shakers at getting things done.
So, after many phone calls and e mails I don't have a sense that I ahve made a great deal of progress. I was reminded that this is a marathon not a sprint. It feels more like I'm on a treadmill, actually, but each day I push ahead a bit more, with a little more knowledge about how to get the job done.
Monday, November 28, 2011
A new dimension-Recycling
My "public" has been clamoring for me to post on my blog, so I am once again actively blogging. The main reason I hadn't written for months is because I was just too busy living my musings to have time to write them. Isn't that what life is suppose to be about? Sure I have dabbled in watercolor painting, actually taking great pleasure in my efforts. And I continue to put health and fitness high on my priority list, but you can only say so much about routines that don't really change that much from day to day.
I have been looking for many years to find my niche, where I can make my impact on my small corner of the world. Then it came to me. When reading the letter from the House of Bishops to the congregation about our responsibility to the environment, I came to the conclusion that there is something that I can do that actually isn't being done, but really needs to be done. When ever I have thought there was a place for me, I found that there were others already involved and had that area covered. Just serving as another helper on some bodiy elses project isn't my idea of finding my place in the world. But, no one has done anything about increasing the recycling capabilities of Lewistown, our summer home.
So, there is my mission for my little tiny corner of the world. We have begun a project to recycle plastic in Lewistown and the surrounding area. This will be a model program that can be used in similiar communities in size and distance. So, in addition to my usual sage thoughts, I will be sharing the progress, disappointments, and efforts I go through to get this program off the ground this year. If anyone has any suggestions or expertise to share to help me, it would be greatly accepted. I'm starting from ground zero and my learning curve is huge.
I have been looking for many years to find my niche, where I can make my impact on my small corner of the world. Then it came to me. When reading the letter from the House of Bishops to the congregation about our responsibility to the environment, I came to the conclusion that there is something that I can do that actually isn't being done, but really needs to be done. When ever I have thought there was a place for me, I found that there were others already involved and had that area covered. Just serving as another helper on some bodiy elses project isn't my idea of finding my place in the world. But, no one has done anything about increasing the recycling capabilities of Lewistown, our summer home.
So, there is my mission for my little tiny corner of the world. We have begun a project to recycle plastic in Lewistown and the surrounding area. This will be a model program that can be used in similiar communities in size and distance. So, in addition to my usual sage thoughts, I will be sharing the progress, disappointments, and efforts I go through to get this program off the ground this year. If anyone has any suggestions or expertise to share to help me, it would be greatly accepted. I'm starting from ground zero and my learning curve is huge.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy Fourth of July
Our Fourth of July parade is over! We had a few glitches, but over all I think it went well. We had everything ready so all we had to do was slap the streamers, etc. on the truck with some masking tape when the truck arrived at the parade site. We had to be the most colorful float. Small but so festive looking.
The problem came with our feeble sound system. Not that we didn't give it a grand try. We had a recording of Judy Garland singing Over the Rainbow, but decided at the last hour almost that we wanted some Sousa music. We tried everything we knew without luck. So we were going with Judy on our little CD player. We cranked it up and got nothing out of it after everyone gave their opinion of what went wrong. (It worked fine when we got home). So we had to ditch that idea. As luck would have it however, Betts had insisted on this humongous bell that we had added to the float. So all was not lost as we rang the bell all the way down Main St., waving our streamers and passing out candy and flyers welcoming to our church. As it turned out anyway, the frontiersmen with their muskets were right behind us so it took the big bell to compete.
The problem came with our feeble sound system. Not that we didn't give it a grand try. We had a recording of Judy Garland singing Over the Rainbow, but decided at the last hour almost that we wanted some Sousa music. We tried everything we knew without luck. So we were going with Judy on our little CD player. We cranked it up and got nothing out of it after everyone gave their opinion of what went wrong. (It worked fine when we got home). So we had to ditch that idea. As luck would have it however, Betts had insisted on this humongous bell that we had added to the float. So all was not lost as we rang the bell all the way down Main St., waving our streamers and passing out candy and flyers welcoming to our church. As it turned out anyway, the frontiersmen with their muskets were right behind us so it took the big bell to compete.
Friday, July 1, 2011
My painting hiatus
Need to get back to my watercolor painting soon. I notice I'm losing my artist eye. I haven't been noticing the different shapes of trees and the individual aspects of each flower. I fleetingly noticed an interesting sky today, and wondered how one would capture it. But didn't take it the next step further to figure it out. How I enjoy riding along looking at the countryside and observing it with a more critical eye. I appreciate the world in a different way than ever before. I'm itching to get out and try some al fresco painting here in Montana. Not that it will be any good but how inspiring to try it, anyway.
Maybe I'll fix Michael a special breakfast in the morning for his birthday. Not biscuits and gravy, though.
Maybe I'll fix Michael a special breakfast in the morning for his birthday. Not biscuits and gravy, though.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Can't let you down
I know. If I don't post regularly enough, then I'll lose my huge fan base. Even when I have no words of wisdom to share. I've just been so busy, I haven't had time to think about sageful thoughts. Ok. Right, how busy can you be, being retired. Actually today is the first day in a long time that I can actually say I have some down time.
I keep making more stuff to decorate the float truck. Last time we won first place, but we didn't get a trophy or anything. This time I understand there are trophies for the winners. So I'm throwing everything I can come up with at it. Wouldn't it be something to have a trophy to show off at the church? Wish us luck.
Yesterday I made covers for new pillows for the couch.My sister helped, actually.) Michael helped pick out the fabric and he really does have good taste. Then I put the same trim on top of the dining room drapes, which really ties it all together nicely. Sure does give a whole new look to the place and have to say a great improvement.
Michael's birthday is Saturday. He'll be 65. I can finally cancel my health insurance. I bought him two small watermelons, some beer, a thermometer and a massage. Ok, so he bought them. But I told him those are all for his birthday. Aren't I just sooo nice?
I keep making more stuff to decorate the float truck. Last time we won first place, but we didn't get a trophy or anything. This time I understand there are trophies for the winners. So I'm throwing everything I can come up with at it. Wouldn't it be something to have a trophy to show off at the church? Wish us luck.
Yesterday I made covers for new pillows for the couch.My sister helped, actually.) Michael helped pick out the fabric and he really does have good taste. Then I put the same trim on top of the dining room drapes, which really ties it all together nicely. Sure does give a whole new look to the place and have to say a great improvement.
Michael's birthday is Saturday. He'll be 65. I can finally cancel my health insurance. I bought him two small watermelons, some beer, a thermometer and a massage. Ok, so he bought them. But I told him those are all for his birthday. Aren't I just sooo nice?
Monday, June 27, 2011
Just who was Dad, anyway?
My niece is in town for a few days. She has been the spark we needed to start finding out something about my dad. His birth certificate has a different name on it than he knew as his name. Not only that, his birthday is different on it than he thought it was. His mother was very secretive about any information about the family. He had no other living relative that we knew of other than his mother and she never remarried. So we started on Ancestors.com, looking for some solid facts.
We found someone who matches up pretty closely with the facts we have who was a boarder with a family at a very early age. Putting pieces together, he may well have been put in foster care after his father died when he was probably 3 years old. His mother must have had to go out and find work somewhere before she was able to care for him on her own.
So the search will continue until we get some truth about his family. It is interesting how there were more skeletons that stayed in closets back then than there are today.
We found someone who matches up pretty closely with the facts we have who was a boarder with a family at a very early age. Putting pieces together, he may well have been put in foster care after his father died when he was probably 3 years old. His mother must have had to go out and find work somewhere before she was able to care for him on her own.
So the search will continue until we get some truth about his family. It is interesting how there were more skeletons that stayed in closets back then than there are today.
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