Saturday, July 31, 2010

Aransas Bay’s Calmer Days

Not so choppy today in Aransas Bay, behind San Jose Island. Water clear, small wind. Hot sky.

Water Street

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Positive Mood Changers

My wife's getting me out to listen to/dance to some good Americana music.

Grandkids, kids.

Pretty & conversant women who understand and love life, and aren't narcissistic.

Listening to 92.1 FM, New Braunfels, Texas.

Listening to 89.1 FM, San Antonio, Texas.

Listening to "Come on People, Smile on Your Brother, ...", Hotel California, Jessica, Roy Orbison, Raul Malo, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, old Bob Dylan music, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, the Groobees, Adam Carroll, Jim Lauderdale, Zack Walther, Ryan Bingham, Wade Bowen, ... .

A long swim.

A long bike ride.

Mom's cooking.

Gilda Colley's pastry.

Tapioca pudding, well-prepared flan, Dona Nilza's avocado pudding, homemade ice cream, good strudel, well-made capirotada/bread pudding.

Betsy's venison backstrap.

Barbequed barbado lamb like Johnny Hoffmann prepared.

George Carlin.

Richard Pryor.

Joe Maddox's jokes.

Linda Gunn.

Marvel Maddox.

Larry Serold.

River bottoms in the Hill Country of Texas.

Rio.

Ouro Preto.

Gramado.

Santa Fe.

New Orleans.

Getting a real breakthrough in learning about: "conservation and development of resilient and sustainable community" / becoming a better "Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecologist".

Learning.

A particularly thought-provoking essay / short story / book / TV documentary / movie /radio piece.

Nature.

Simple living.

Success after lots of planning, community organizing and hard work.

Zubrowka.

Good--or even average--red wine.

Coco Loco.

Brasil.

LITTLE THINGS WE CAN DO TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD

I worked up this sustainability list one morning during Earth Week after my wife requested it for her students. (Of course it is not really different from many such lists which have been developed by numerous others.):


Eat healthy and exercise regularly. (Truly integrate this into your workday and lifestyle.)

Experience the real world—your yard, open fields, farms, ranches, parks—and stay away from TV, computers, cell phones, video games & other electronic gadgetry. Get physically, intellectually & spiritually in touch with Nature, the Land, Community and People—the very young and Elders.

For short trips: walk, run, ride bikes, or skateboard.

For long trips: car-pool. … Take a train or bus.

Help your family start a garden. … Maybe an organic garden.

Volunteer to help with community gardens or your school’s garden.

Buy something at the Farmers market—and get to know the farmers.

Encourage your family to mulch-mow … and to mow, water & fertilize the yard less. Use locally-adapted native vegetation, and introduce vegetable and fruit-producing garden areas into the landscape.

Compost all leaves, grass clippings, food scraps, and other organic matter.

Buy less, reuse neat old things, and recycle.

Carry a cup for drinking.

Keep air conditioning and heating systems off. Open windows. … (At least keep thermostats low in the winter and high in the summer.)

Help caulk cracks around windows, door and in other leaky areas of your home. Place weather-stripping around doors.

Use less water. Take shorter showers, catch water & and use in the sink, help family fix dripping faucets, etc.

Put a bucket/tub in your shower to collect the "warm up" water & overspray. Use it in your garden.

Use rain barrels to catch roof run-off. (Your plants will love the soft, low mineral water.)…

Completely turn off lights/electricity users! (Use power strips!)

At stores refuse plastic bags. Take your own “cool” bag.

Hang your clothes to dry out on a line & let the Sun/wind do the job.

Prepare to be an educated & responsible ecological-friendly voter who is active in community.

Work/have a career in “jobs” that help others & enhance ecological systems. (Sustainable livelihood.)

Work on a farm, ranch, summer camp and/or park system for the summer &/or after school.

Learn about ecological, carbon, water and energy “foot-printing” & life-cycle analysis.

Encourage peers and adults to be truly responsible in using prescription drugs, alcohol, etc. … Work hard at discouraging addictive drugs such as nicotine (smoking, snuff/smokeless tobacco, etc.) and other such drugs.

Learn about your family and community/regional history.

Learn about the flora and fauna of your backyard, nearby vacant lot and local community. (Natural history.)

Go for a walk with a small child and teach them the names of birds, other animals, trees, other plants, mushrooms, and other biota (cyanobacteria, bacterial disease symptoms) that you see along the way.

Read, write and do arts and crafts of some type. Do “hands on” projects and keep your mind challenged with mathematical and other puzzles, problem-solving, and critical & creative thinking.

Work for real enduring Peace and Justice.

Conserve, help the poor with “hands up” … and stay debt-free.