solarium sun

a series of photos from 9am to 3pm. the solar gain is probably fairly minimal on one of the shortest days of the year. we are picking up in the morning and evening so things should improve from here as the move up our way.....

the solarium starts

as i was talking to Lloyd at Frank N Stein and mentioned i had to think about heating for my house for the declining years. right now i use wood i collect when people want to have it removed. i have salvaged enough to stay warm for the past few years. i don't want to burn wood and i don't know how much i will be able to salvage in the future. (i would only burn it when someone would otherwise burn it up in a big pile out in their yard for no good reason)

so Lloyd (still in charge of dreamland security!) starts talking about passive solar and asking me questions about my house and drawing it on paper and that was it!
i went home and started planning this space. i have taken out the tree that needed to come out. the plans are being made. Steve is researching the design and has come up with some great ideas. we will dig down so the space will continue the roof line and be down a couple of feet. is that passive geothermal...hmmmm. anyway looks like something in the 200 square feet range is where we are now. the orientation is not perfect. we will be looking for ways to maximize what we have....here are some photos of the site, the sun situation (mostly midday) and the winter garden (taken jan 15th-23rd)


and there will be plants growing thruout the winter.......this is going to be FUN!!!!!

school of assasins

you can rebrand it but if it quacks like a duck....

wake up america!!

.........The School of the Americas (SOA), in 2001 renamed the “Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security Cooperation,” is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Initially established in Panama in 1946, it was kicked out of that country in 1984 under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty. Former Panamanian President, Jorge Illueca, stated that the School of the Americas was the “biggest base for destabilization in Latin America.” The SOA, frequently dubbed the “School of Assassins,” has left a trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned.

Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of Assassins.
full post

just for fun...catch up What geeks eat.....

i just caught up with this post and i enjoyed it so much!!!!

Jubilation, sleep and a celebratory dinner

The last few weeks have been a blur. Working full time at a new job, knocking on doors for Obama, calling people in swing states, reading 538, Huff, and RCP with an obsessive zeal and all the while trying to avoid the hype. The 2000 and 2004 elections were sore spots on my psyche and I didn’t trust any of the polls that came out near the end. On election night I was prepared to stay up all night…no sleep until a winner was called or at least until we knew how bad the outcome was going to be. When the Pennsylvania returns came in I was comfortably numb. ...

......full post

raw apple cake

this is a great recipe...the photos were take over a couple of batches... this recipe is quick mix and bake and lots of variety in ingredients always come out good

Raw apple cake

apples
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups chopped nuts (can also use part seeds, my favorite unsalted sunflower)
2 ½ cups flour (any combination of types)
2 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

mix dry ingredients…

blend together:
¾ cup oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

and add to dry ingredients (sometimes I add ½ cups of raisins or such and will add
another egg and a little more oil to mix easier)

in a greased 9 x 13 pan bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven