Sustainable

Fixing a Broken Heart

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2014/02/28 - 11:08am
in
Repaired Strong Mountain Bike Frame

The heart of a bicycle is the frame. The fork, wheels, bars and stem, saddle, pedals, etc. are vital, but they all build upon the frame. I've ridden many and owned a few bikes over the years and have determined through trial and error what I like to ride. I was despondent last fall when I discovered a crack on the chainstay of my mountain bike. I found a loaner bike to ride and pondered the fate of my well loved hardtail...

From Merry to Mulch

Submitted by TimJFowler on Tue, 2014/01/14 - 10:25am
in
Christmas Tree Recycling

Ours was a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and I hope yours were too. With the passing of the holidays it is time to clear our the decorations, especially the more flammable ones. The family loved having a fragrant and green Christmas tree in our home.

Thinking of Trains at Christmas

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2013/12/20 - 4:58pm
in
Vintage Train Christmas card

A model train under the Christmas tree is nostalgic decoration. Actual trains running through New Mexico (like the Southwest Chief and Rail Runner Express) have a definite history, but do they have a future? That depends on decisions made by the NMDOT in the newest New Mexico State Rail Plan. While you're enjoying a holiday break you may wish to send the NMDOT your thoughts supporting rail travel in New Mexico.

Our Jeans Keep Us Warm

Submitted by TimJFowler on Mon, 2013/12/02 - 6:01pm
in
Garage Ceiling Insulation

A few years ago we insulated our home's attic which made a huge difference in our heating bills. At the time we didn't insulate above the garage because I thought it was unconditioned space. But, the walls between our kitchen/living room and laundry room are poorly insulated - allowing lots of heat transfer between the house and garage. That makes the garage "indirectly-conditioned space" and in dire need of insulation.

EcoMommyo Reads Michael Pollan's "Cooked"

Submitted by EcoMommyo on Thu, 2013/11/14 - 9:06pm
in
Cooked by Michael Pollan

Oh how I wish I was a highly paid journalism professor at UC-Berkeley. Then I would be blissfully unaware that people have accents in this great nation of ours and have long Sundays of no errands to stand around watching meat braise. AHHH, that would be the life.

Instead we ate leftover fish tonight and roasted vegetable salad and cleaned a few more things out of the refrigerator. Now I'm sitting here watching Glee, thinking about eating graham crackers for dessert and reveling in the fact that we got EcoBaby to eat brussel sprouts. Life's little victories.

Sabor de la Tierra

Submitted by TimJFowler on Tue, 2013/11/05 - 12:12pm
in
Vivac Tasting Room and 1725 vineyard

When you think of New Mexico the phrase Goût de Terroir may not leap to mind. But, if sun, soil, and water influence the flavor of chile peppers, then grapes are similarly affected. While New Mexico is better known for chile, the vintners at Vivác are making wine with a taste of place. Perhaps Sabor de la Tierra is more appropriate wording.

Why I Garden #38

Submitted by TimJFowler on Sun, 2013/10/20 - 4:35pm
in
Olla and encircling root bowl

A tale of a full moon, a hard frost, green tomatoes and eight dirty ollas.

Why I Garden #37

Submitted by TimJFowler on Wed, 2013/09/18 - 12:09pm
in
Purple Asters - Machaeranthera bigelovii

Folks around Santa Fe call these flowers Purple Aster when they pop up in late summer / early fall. Apparently Aster bigelovii has quite a few pseudonyms including Bigelow's Tansyaster, Sticky Aster and more scientifically Machaeranthera bigelovii or Dieteria bigelovii var. bigelovii. Regardless of what they're called we have a few of these self-seeded native wildflowers growing in one of the beds around our home.

A Riddle Hovering in the Garden

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2013/09/06 - 11:26am
in
Hyles lineata - White-lined Sphinx Hummingbird Moth

Our garden attracts a good variety of insect pollinators, including our honeybees. For the past week we've had a new variety of showy, large moths in the garden. They flit about like hummingbirds and are bold, relatively unbothered by human attention. A quick 'Net search revealed that our garden guests are Hyles lineata, the White-lined Sphinx Hummingbird Moth. Of course, now I need to check the tomatoes for hornworms.

Don't Kill Your TV

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2013/08/23 - 12:42pm
in
Recycle (Don't Kill) Your TV

Recycle it instead. Yes, we FINALLY got rid of the big old CRT TV. We had added a digital converter box and kept on using the old, but functional, tube TV for years. A good friend pushed us into the digital TV era with a hand-me-down, but quite decent LED digital TV (I'm not a luddite, really!). This left us with an electronic white elephant to kill recycle.

Syndicate content