Plate Rack in Progress

The simple plate rack is coming along nicely. I essentially finished the woodworking yesterday. It's really just a box with sides, top and shelf held together with nails, and with pegs for the plate rack. I realised that the two rows of pegs called for in the instructions would only support full-sized plates and not saucers, so I added a third row in the middle.

Today will be for painting.

New Project - Simple Plate Rack

My sweet wife found this plate rack in one of her books, liked it, and showed it to me. I ran across the perfect materials yesterday in a corner of the garage/shop, so I decided to go ahead a throw one together. If we like it, I can always make a more finished piece.

Here's a shot of my Shopsmith set up as a drill press to drill a double row of holes for the dowels that hold the plates. I like the picture because it shows a few other interesting items in the background.

Here are the main parts of the shelf: top, bottom and center shelf on the right; sides and dowels on the left. Not shown is the face trim. I should be able to finish the carcass tomorrow evening and it'll be ready for paint Saturday.

Quartz Mountains

This weekend we climbed the New Horizon Trail at the Quartz Mountain State Park in southwest Oklahoma.

Pigsticker

My new (old) mortise chisel arrived today. I like it.

Not to Worry

I'm still around ... just doing other stuff. I'll pick this back up soon, I promise.

What Saturdays Are For

Saturday we spent about 3 hours paddling around Lake Lugert. We launched at Hicks Mountain, skirted the edge of the lake to the southeast, then struck directly across the lake toward the boat ramp on the north shore. It took a while to go across the lake, but we were just leisurely paddling along, stopping every once in a while to chat and take photos. There were lots of folks on the lake, but most were skiing, tubing and pleasureboating near the shorelines. After crossing, we spent a little time watching some folks launching their sailboat, then headed back toward Hicks Mountain.

Yep. That's what Saturdays are for.

It's Simple, Really

I just finished reading the book, Radical Simplicity, by Jim Merkel. I don’t make it a habit of critiquing the books I read, and these comments are not meant to be a review of the book. However, I find the subject very interesting, both theoretically and practically, and the book raised issues that my mind is still processing.

The basic problem is generally understood and accepted – that the resources of our earth are limited, and that our present rate of consumption of those resources is unsustainable.

Merkel explains the problem and his proposed solution by quantifying resource availability and usage in terms of ecological footprint (EF). Accordingly, all local, regional and global energy systems (food, fuel, housing, consumer goods, etc) can be described by their EF. For example, the EF of a head lettuce would be the amount of surface area of the earth that is required to produce it, including growing space, fertilizer, water, storage space, energy to process and refrigerate it, and the fuel required to package, transport and market it. The materials, energy, and time invested in that head of lettuce can be expressed mathematically as a specific amount of surface area (square feet, yard, acres, etc) of the earth. At earth’s present population level there are about 4 acres of surface area available for each human being. The problem is that in the most industrialized parts of the world, such as North America, the average human consumes the earth’s resources at a level of about 26 acres per person. Obviously, that level of consumption is unsustainable.

Merkel is a former engineer, and not surprisingly takes a mathematical approach to solving the problem. Basically, his solution consists of 5 steps:
(1) Calculate your personal ecological footprint using a set of tables and formulas presented in the book.
(2) Determine what you want your personal ecological footprint to be, and reduce your consumption to match that figure.
(3) Calculate the minimum amount of income you can possible live on. (This figure is somehow related to EF, but I missed the connection. The author’s minimum figure was about $5000 per year).
(4) Reduce your expenditures and increase your savings until the interest on your savings matches the minimum income amount you calculated. You can then quit work and live on the interest from your savings.
(5) Get in touch with nature by spending lots of time in wild areas.

I see several flaws in Mr. Merkel’s specific approach:
(1) Most people are not engineers and don’t want to spend days or weeks calculating their personal EF down to the hair on a gnats butt. Besides, he’s already told us that our average EF is about 26 acres – an enormous value.
(2) I don’t want to become so obsessed with money as to be willing to track every penny like a miser. Life is about more than money, and I refuse to give it undue attention, or allow it to rule my life.
(3) The idea of retiring early and living entirely on earned interest is appealing on the surface, but is doomed to failure on a large scale. It could only work for the first few million of us. The idea is based on the expected continuation of our current economic system, which itself is based on and fueled by our consumptive lifestyle. If every person were to quit work and live on earned interest, the system would collapse.

Don’t get me wrong. I firmly believe that living simply and responsibly is good for individuals, families, communities, and the planet. However, I do not believe that the concept of simple living will be accepted by more than a few individuals. There are just too many opposing ideas that we hold dear. Down deep, most of us believe that:
(1) progress is sustainable,
(2) everyone in the world should (and can) achieve and maintain the same standard of living enjoyed by those in the most industrialized nations,
(3) if we don’t use the resources, someone else will,
(4) technology will solve the problems associated with earth’s limited resources,
(5) the gap between rich and poor is normal and natural, and we can’t do anything about it,
(6) we’re entitled to all we have because we’ve earned it.

What do I think is the long-term global ecological outlook ? Whether I like it or not, if I think realistically, I have to accept that:
(1) most people will continue to over-consume the earth’s limited resources until those resources become essentially depleted, or prohibitively expensive,
(2) there will always be a group who will exercise a measure of control over whatever resources remain,
(3) the rich will get richer, but there will be fewer of them
(4) the poor will always be with us, and there will be more of them (us)
(5) history will remember this present age as the apex of average standard of living
(6) the universe will survive - the ebb and flow of life will continue
(7) humanity will survive:
(a) we’re not as smart or powerful as we think we are
(b) we’re not in control of the universe or our destiny
(c) successive generations will face their own unique challenges
(d) humanity is not defined by the level of technology – stone age people loved their children as much as we love ours

So, what should I do personally?
(1) live simply because it’s the right thing to do – for me, for others, for the earth,
(2) recognize that most other people will not agree with me,
(3) remember what makes us human – although our relationship to the earth and it resources is important, materialism is secondary to spirituality,

(4) teach by example – we already have plenty of preachers,
(5) enjoy life.

Patio Cover Update

I know you've been waiting with bated (baited ? ) breath. The exterior of the patio cover is completed, along with a new roof on the entire house. I still need to install the soffits, ceiling, lights and ceiling fan, and do the painting and trimming. But it's usable now, and it's really nice here in what is normally sunny (but recently rainy) SW Oklahoma.

One of the fun things about building projects is that they sometimes provide justification for new toys ... er, I mean tools. Today I used my new Dewalt reciprocating saw for the first time. It's really nice. Didn't take long for me to become comfortable with it.

Here's a pic of how nicely it works. You can see a row of rafters, the ends of which I needed to cut off. It was the perfect tool for the job.

Freewheel 07 is History

Freewheel 2007 is over. We had 8 good days of riding, camping, cold showers, small town atmosphere, friendly folks, and guilt-free food. The bike is still in its box, and the camping gear is still in the bag, but I did get the grass mowed before returning to work. It'll take a few days to get the pictures and notes sorted out. I'll not bore you with a daily journal of the trip like I did last year, but I may post a few pics this week.

Freewheel 2007 Begins

Tomorrow morning I'll head off to Comanche, Oklahoma to start this years Freewheel Oklahoma cross-the-state bicycle ride. We'll ride from Comanche to the Texas border and back tomorrow, then Sunday morning we'll start for the Kansas border, which we're planning to reach next Saturday about noon.

If you care to know where we'll be each day, you can check out the Freewheel website at http://www.okfreewheel.com/.

I plan to be back online around June 18. See you then with a report of the trip.

On the Road Again

Took a nice little ride this morning. The weather was brisk and cool and humid, with dark clouds overhead. It didn’t rain, but it was humid enough to feel a little clammy. I rode north to the Wichita Mountains and Lake Lugert, and further to the Lodge at the lake. Climbing the hills to the lodge was good for my legs, since I’m trying to get a little work in preparation for my upcoming cross-the-state ride.

I can’t look at the mountains without thinking about the history involved; the native Americans who live there for generations, and the forays the white soldiers made into the “wilderness” back in the 19th century. It all seems like it wasn’t that long ago, but so much has changed.

The lake is finally full again after a six year drought. Water is actually spilling over the dam. The river is full from the spring rains. I like it. Can’t wait to get back out in the kayaks again soon.

Saw lots of wildlife today … lots of wooly worms on the road. I guess they like the warmth of the asphalt. While I was going through the mountains on the way to the lodge I had three vultures swooping near my head. Don’t know what was up with them. I also saw some cottontail rabbits, a jack rabbit and a big bird that looked like a brown pelican.

Patio Cover Day 6

Installed the felt (some folks call it tar paper) over the bare decking on the old roof. Today's effort was all about precaution ... the felt is not a necessary part of the finished structure. The new hip roof of the patio cover (hereafter abbreviated as pc) will cover and protect all of that section of the old roof when completed. But I needed to install the felt simply to prevent water damage to the house in case of a deluge before the pc is completed.

I've been studying the weather closely for the past several weeks, and have determined that it's pretty hard to predict exactly when the mother of all thunderstorms will happen. That's always the case during the monsoon season here in SW Oklahoma. The forcast is for a chance of t-storms tomorrow, so I think we're protected.

If we can get good weather Sat and Sun, I'm predicting a roof over the pc this weekend!

By the way, this pc is costing more than we expected. It's already cost me my favorite pair of jeans. See what happens when you scoot around on the roof on your butt for two days!

Patio Cover Day 5

On day 3 my wife and I put up the joists you see in the above picture. Day 4 was a bust due to rain.

Here on day 5, if you look closely you can see that I ripped the shingles off the house where the patio cover will intersect. It took all day. (well, yes it took nearly an hour to get ready because I had to unbury my extension ladder from where I had it stored because I knew I wouldn't need it ... until now). But as I was saying, it took all day because there were two layers of old shingles to remove, and they were brittle and stuck together from many years of sitting in the baking Oklahoma sun.

My wife and I loaded them all into the back of my pickup where they now sit waiting to be unloaded at the dump.

If tomorrow goes well, we'll have a new layer of felt on the old part of the roof, and a good many of the rafters put up for the new part. So far so good.

Patio Cover, Day 2

Oh, you missed day 1 ? Dang.

Oh well, here you can see the basic size of the patio cover. Nothing very spectacular here. It will be your standard hip roof patio cover.

You'll be able to tell more about it as it takes shape. I know you're breathless.

Cycling content: I went for an early ride this morning before church. Rode about 16 miles to the little neighboring town and back. Nice ride ... no wind, perfect temperature, new bike ... it couldn't have been better. Even found a wrench on the road.

Guitar Overdose

If you like guitars, be careful. Too much viewing of the pics below could result in fatal drooling.

I dropped by a guitar shop here in Wichita today. They had exactly what I needed. And a whole lot of really nice stuff I don't need.

Whole racks of Gibsons ... J45s, Hummingbirds, les Pauls ... you name it.

They also had some really nice hand-made instruments, along with some of the mid-range brands. In the back there were banjos, mandolins, classical guitars, dobros, and even a dulcimer.


Nice place to browse, even if all I bought was a $15 music stand.

Cows on the Overpass

While travelling across Oklahoma on my way to Wichita I pass this sign which reads "Chisolm Trail ... East Branch Crossed Here". Every time I see it I wonder how they got all those cows across that overpass.

First kayaking of the year

Yesterday we were finally able to take the kayaks out. The weather was absolutely wonderful … 80 degrees and a light breeze. We launched onto our local lake, and paddled around for more than two hours. I was surprised at the number of boats on the lake this early in the year. We saw several fishing boats, a couple family party boats, and a few speed boats (one pulling a ski-boarder). As far as I could see there were no other human powered boats on the lake that day.

We have quite a few small and medium sized lakes within easy driving distance, so we’re looking forward to enjoying them all this summer.

Absent, but busy

It’s been a while since I last posted, and there’s been a lot going on around here. We enjoyed a trip to Texas to visit the in-laws a couple of weeks ago, and last weekend we reconnoitered a nearby lake with the expectation of soon hitting it with our kayaks.

We ordered the majority of the materials to build our patio cover, and it now sits in the garage where my wife’s car usually sits. I built the forms and poured the concrete for the post pillars, but the actual framing will have to wait until after my trip to Wichita next week. Hopefully, by then most of the April showers will be past.

Last week our DSL modem bit the dust. My wife spent a couple days troubleshooting the system with the help (or hindrance?) of on-line support, and ended up ordering us a new modem. It arrived yesterday and she installed it and had us back up and running before the evening began. It seems to be rock-solid and fast so far.

On a personal note … It was forty years ago today that my father died. He had just turned 39 years old, and I was not yet 16. It’s strange to think that he’s now been gone longer than he was alive. And after all this time I can still remember the way he walked, the sound of his voice, the feel of his hand on my shoulder, even the way he smelled. If my own children remember me the way I remember him, my life will have been a success.

Everyone Loves a Surprise

When I got back to my hotel room after work last evening I found this in my room.

If it's not immediately obvious what that is, I'll tell you. It's a Candy Bouquet Easter Basket bubble thingie. And I like it. It's got candy and blue plastic grass and two blue stuffed monkeys and a ribbon on top. I can't help it if you've never seen an easter basket in a plastic bubble.

You see, my wonderful little wife is so sweet that she just can't keep from doing nice things for those of us lucky enough to be a part of her family. She's constantly showering me, the kids, the dogs, the grandkids, friends and fellow bloggers with thoughtful expressions.

I like it so much I'm gonna wait till I get home to open it so we can sit on the bed and eat the candy together.

**********

Here I am in Kansas without even a jacket. It was in the 70's when I left Oklahoma, so I didn't even think about it. But now it's snowing! Bummer.

Oh well, at least I'll be heading home in the morning.

Catch-Up

Been busy, lazy, committed, out of town, indisposed, apathetic, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah ...

Here's a picture of the Mustang my son recently purchased. It's his first car purchase (his others came from ol Dad) and he's rightfully proud. It's a guy thing.

Here's a pic of my Randonee that I promised in my last post. It's ready to ride, and I even rode it to work (once).

Been working in the backyard lately. First we removed the 24-foot pool. It's going to live at my daughter's house. Then we disassembled the deck. The deck posts have now been removed, but the holes are waiting for me to fill them.

Haven't had a chance to get the kayaks out yet, but we did stop by the local lake to see if the water level has risen any (didn't look like it). My beautiful wife took pictures of the lake while I took pictures of her. I have my priorities.