Greening up my world

I was stunned when I saw my power bill yesterday -- in a good way. It has to be the lowest bill this house has ever had in a July, just $56. The KWH used this year was 17 per day compared to 27 last year, even though the average daily temperature was two degrees higher THIS year at 77.

After the new windows, roof, siding, furnace, and a/c over the past six years, my energy bills had already dropped significantly. More than one-third after the windows alone. I set the a/c at 78 when I'm home, and the heat at 68. I thought I'd maxed out my ability to reduce energy consumption and still live comfortably. But this summer I've made a concerted effort to utilize open windows and capture cool night air. Some days the a/c doesn't kick on until 4 p.m.

It's something we've forgotten how to do -- keep the house cool without a/c. I remember in the 50's I didn't know anyone who had air conditioning in the house. People used strategically-placed trees, awnings on windows, opening and closing windows at just the right times, with shades and draperies to block out heat from direct sun. Late afternoons were spent outdoors on the shady side of the house. We acclimated to the temperatures and found ways to cool down when things were the hottest.

This year, I decided to use some of those techniques again since I work from home and can easily do simple things like open and close windows and shades. Sitting at my desk with its north-facing window, many mornings I need a sweater as the breeze is quite cool. I've thoroughly enjoyed many more hours of fresh air flowing through the house (even though the downside is having to dust more often). Even this week, with temperatures near 100, I may go to bed with the house closed up, but when I wake up at 2 or 3 a.m., as I often do, I'll walk around and open windows then. When the temps drop into the 60's at night, you can collect a lot of nice cool air in the house which will last many hours into the day.

I'm a little nervous to see my July water bill, however. The yard is fully landscaped for the first time ever, and everything is getting watered with a new sprinkling system. I have no idea how my water usage compares to the past. The June bill was so low, I didn't exceed the regular monthly usage which applies year-round. But June was extra cool. July has been hot and dry. Still, most of the yard is in drought-tolerant, low-water plantings with the annuals mostly clustered around the patio where I like to hang out. I apply the tough love principle on the lawn and drought-tolerant areas. They get water, but they aren't allowed to become lush. The landscaper set each watering station to 15 minutes, but I backed them off to 12 each. I water early in the morning only, but on some particularly hot evenings, I'll manually cycle through all the stations after sunset, giving them each a minute or two of water to cool down the parched plants and earth. The bonus is that the temperature drops for the entire yard and house at the same time. I do water every day, which I know is not recommended. But I live on sand and water is not retained in the soil. Watering for longer periods does no good as it drains off rapidly. It's the nature of where I live. I do give the newer trees some deep watering once or twice a month, however. The established trees don't seem to need it. I'll report back on the July water bill when it arrives in August.

I used to feel a little guilty about occupying a rather large house and yard by myself, and yet requiring heating and cooling just the same as if a whole family lived here. But when I see the results of my efforts at reducing energy consumption, there is no need for guilt. I realize it's not about the size of the space I occupy, but how I utilize resources to make my life comfortable.

I didn't do this all overnight. It has taken about six years for me to get to this point. But I think this is proof that if people care and if they really want to do it, we could all drastically reduce our need for fossil fuels while we improve our environment. Of course, the cost savings is a happy bonus.

(Just as an after note, since I work from home, I consume far less fuel for my car. I also conscientiously recycle, which has become more convenient with my city's curbside recycling program. And I carry those reusable grocery bags with me when I shop. These are just a few other things I'm doing to help green my world).

The McCartney Concert

"And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make."

I want to write this while still basking in the afterglow.  It was a thrill to be among the 40,000 fans at the Paul McCartney concert last night.  We were there! By "we" I mean three of my sisters and one brother-in-law, my son and his wife, two of my friends and their husbands -- those are the ones I know of.  We didn't all sit together, we were scattered about.  Where I was sitting, the seats were wonderful -- I had a great view of the stage.  I knew this would be good, but had no idea how truly fantastic it would be.

From the time McCartney took the stage around 8 p.m. until he exited at 11-ish, he was singing, dancing, playing all kinds of instruments, telling stories, and entirely positive and upbeat.  We all felt that he really was thrilled to be performing for us.  And the band members, too.  Each one appeared to not only be really into the performance, but also truly having the time of their lives doing it. 

I feel infused with so much positive energy today, I am practically floating.

And speaking of the band, really, what a sound from the most basic group.  A drummer, a bass, a lead guitar, and a keyboard -- and Paul switching off with every tune.  The band did the backup singing too.  The synergy of the group was marvelous.  You could tell they liked being together.

This was an event I've waited for for 46 years.  I've been a Beatles fan since there were Beatles.  The experience was everything I expected and more.  And now it's a memory, but it will be among the treasured memories of my lifetime.

And one thing I take away from the experience is the importance of producing positive energy in our lives.  Paul has certainly suffered tragedy and trial.  But he emerges smiling and happy, and then proceeds to make thousands of people around him feel happy too.  I have a desire to do the same with my small life -- to greet each day with a positive energy that feels good to me and influences those whose lives touch mine that day.

So you think you've come a long way, Baby?

Feminism is a four-letter word in today’s American culture. It’s exploited by right-wing zealots to scare conservatives into opposing all pro-female thinking lest their daughters become lesbians and have abortions right and left. In Utah in the 70’s, we proudly declined to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment that would have given women equal rights under the law. Many believe women already have such rights and the ERA was never needed (or so they say).

But discrimination can be subtle. I was reminded of this yesterday when I accidentally locked myself out of my America First Credit Union account by entering the wrong PIN number online and needed to call the credit union to get it unlocked.

I was asked numerous specific questions about myself and my account, all of which I had expected and freely answered. But my customer service agent still seemed hesitant. And after putting me on hold, returned to tell me she was now going to ask me questions unrelated to my account, taken from information that is in the “public record”. And she proceeded to ask me questions about my late ex-husband’s extended family—things like where was this one born, and where is this one living now.

I was stunned.

I told the woman questioning me that in the first place, I didn’t know the answers to her questions. That not only have I been divorced for three years, but my ex-husband has also been deceased for a year. I only ever met a few of his extended family and have kept in touch with only one - his brother.

Why would I be expected to know this information in order to prove WHO I AM?

I wanted to know why questions that were selected from public records did not relate to me personally, but only to someone to whom I was married. She could only explain, after consulting with her supervisor, that this was a service that the credit union uses and that many other banks and other types of businesses use it as well – the credit union has no control over the questions selected.

All I could do was to register my complaint that such questioning disrespects women. That we are people and customers in our own right and not just auxiliaries of our sometime-husbands (even if we are still married). I have had this same credit union account for 45 years, since I was a teenager. I was even an employee of that credit union for a number of years (they could have asked me that question). To think that after all those years, that an account in my name could only be unfrozen by my ability to answer obscure questions about someone else.

It probably isn’t the credit union’s fault. And maybe no woman ever complained before this. As I said, discrimination is subtle. But it’s still wrong. I don’t know if my complaint will reach any ears that can do anything about this particular issue. But if you’re a woman and you’ve ever been married, just know that random questions taken from public records, intended to allow you to prove you are who you say you are, may very well not be about you at all.

Equal rights for women, indeed!

Crown thy good with brotherhood

As the immigration debate advances, I hope we think of these words.