Sandy Graham's Blog, page 2

Fossil to Sun in Seattle

Prior to 2017, my thought of solar power on the Pacific coast boiled down to “forget it, too many cloudy days and there would be no significant payback through the winter months”.  An article introducing net metering changed that. It described how the power company would bank credit for surplus power generated during warm months to be used to pay for shortfalls in the cloudy ones. And it claimed there are enough clear days in the Seattle area to do that. Frequency of baseball games with the roof open supported that claim.

We decided to investigate solar power and a little internet browsing allowed us to home in on two installers, each with over ten years experience in our area. The first one contacted, Sunergy Systems, sent a man out to survey our situation. He quickly identified optimum panel locations on south and west facing roof surfaces. Once on them he used a device that measured tree locations and heights that might shade the panels. This data was later fed into a program that computed expected power generation throughout a year.

Past power bills gave an indication of our annual consumption. Relating that to the generation data resulted in a recommendation of 26 panels, 17 facing south, 9 facing west. The second installer contacted came to much the same conclusion working from satellite images. Probably the openness of our roof allowed that shortcut to succeed.

There was a choice of three solar panel manufacturers: a California company (Sun Power) on the high end in cost and performance, an Oregon company which was mid-priced, and a Washington company which was the lowest cost and also benefitted from a higher State rebate for power generated. In the end, we opted for SunPower even though data showed it would take ten years to pay back the initial cost. SunPower enjoys a good reputation for reliability and standing behind their products. And the higher efficiency of their panels seemed important in our climate.

Cost quotes from the two installers for our configuration were essentially equal. We chose Sunergy Systems simply because they seemed more professional and they had no marginal reviews. I liked the fact that they are employee owned so they all have an incentive to perform. It proved to be a good choice. The two men who did the work were friendly and clearly competent. Our panels are on roof surfaces facing away from the street. After they were mounted, the man who installed them noticed that their top edge could be seen from the street. Instead of leaving them that way, he insisted on lowering them all to keep them out of sight.

The coup de grace came when the inspector took one look at the control units and said he could see this was a Sunergy installation. He related how they use Sunergy jobs to train new inspectors on how it should be done. Our choice of SunPower was also validated a year later when a micro-inverter on one of the panels failed. Their automated monitoring detected the failure. Since they had experienced other failures of these components, they had improved the design. They sent replacements for all our panels to Sunergy, who replaced them at no cost to us. In fact, it was done while we were out of town since they had no need to get inside. We were and are sold on the Sunergy Systems/SunPower combo.

The first two years we banked enough power to cover the winter months. That satisfaction prompted us to look at our gas consumption. A gas furnace/air conditioner combination was targeted when the air conditioner left us baking for four days during a hot stretch. We opted for a high-efficiency heat pump which drove our gas bill down to about ten dollars a month. We also replace our conventional water heaters with tankless units.

The solar panels were supplying 99% of our energy needs. That is, until we decided to abandon the gas pumps with electric cars: a Tesla and a plug-in hybrid that uses about one gallon of gas per month. Only problem with that, the extra load meant we were not banking energy during the warm months. The irritation of paying for electricity during the past two winters grated on us. The answer was to go back to Sunergy Systems and add ten more panels. The simplest solution would have been to add them on the west facing roof. However, I had built a detached shop specifically oriented to catch sun earlier in the day and more effectively during winter months. As a side benefit, the panels improved the appearance of the shop’s architectural shortfall. Sunergy Systems dealt with the added complexity without complaint.

The original panels were on a pace to pay for themselves in ten years. The additional panels will stretch that out but the satisfaction of knowing the sun is providing for the energy we use makes that more than worthwhile.

Two very minor uses of gas remain. Our lawn tractor forces me to head off periodically to the gas station in the Tesla. It’s kind of fun to note the second looks while waiting in line. Perhaps people hope to see me jam a pump nozzle into the charging socket and are disappointed when I drag a jerry can out of the trunk. We also have a small gas furnace that augments the heat pump when outside temperature falls more than a few degrees below freezing. We live in a rural area prone to loss of the grid during storms. After a week of running on a small portable generator years ago, we invested in a natural gas backup generator that automatically powers twelve circuits. One of them runs the gas furnace so we can heat the house as well.

A purist might ask why not install battery packs and go off the grid entirely. Two PowerWall units could replace our backup generator if we could tolerate a cold house when the grid goes down. Significantly more storage would be needed to support the current demands of range, water heaters and Tesla charger. It’s just not economically viable today. We happily join forces with the power company, giving them about twenty dollars a month to fill in our gas and electricity needs. Increased house value and enjoyment we feel from producing more energy than we use, make solar power a wonderful investment.

A Year in Hermitage

Hermitage: A place of religious seclusion

Guess that’s not quite the word I looked for, unless the “religious” is removed. Perhaps “A Year of Hermitry” would be better. Spellcheck, my arch enemy says no, nor “hermitary existence”, but it will allow “herniary existence”. Sorry, Spellcheck, I speak not of hernias here. Let’s settle for a year of secular hermitage. Well, ten months at least.

Permit me one small rant before I leave the damn pandemic subject. For those who still say 300,000 Americans did not die from a virus that doesn’t exist, let me claim once more that the world is not flat, and they did not tumble over the edge. What they did do is die unnecessarily. To see why, compare our leadership with that of New Zealand. They have reduced new infections to zero and have suffered a grand total of 26 Covid related deaths. Before the cry of it’s easy on a small island (or two) is raised, their death rate is 5 per million people, America’s is over 770 per million and still climbing! Here endeth the rant.

I feel for people who need social interaction and even more for families with young children. Conversely, I feel lucky to be a closet hermit, content to dwell in my own little world, often with no more than a computer for company. Makes me a poor companion for my wife much of the time but she compensates with careful excursions into the virus infected world. If only everyone exhibited her social responsibility, the world would be normal again by now. Oops, a little more rant slipped out.

In ways it’s been a productive year. A new second orchard now exists. We look forward to a second year of apple production and hopefully the emergence of pears and plums. Our experiment with almonds appears iffy but walnut and hazel nuts are growing well.

On the computer front, it’s been a fruitful year as well. At least in my programming endeavors. Novels are a different story and I almost regret entering the world of political novels. Back in 2015 I published “Ickee Mushta” which essentially foretold what happened in 2016. Unfortunately, events overwhelmed the story rendering it obsolete. In an effort to remain flexible, I tried the Dickens approach of writing a serial novel a few chapters at a time. Some of you followed them, but its popularity paled into insignificance next to Charles’ efforts.

Then, in 2019 I decided to pull Ickee off the market, rob much of its plot and carry the story forward under the title “Eclipse of Our Soul”. Publication resulted in an ominous thud, which appeared to be caused by the number of pages to be read before the real action began. That led to a second edition with sixteen early chapters removed. Not long after publication, I pulled it too off the market, partly because it was too late to influence votes in November and because of the increased risk it placed on my family due to the escalation of “crazies”. Lastly, I recast the book as narrated by the ghost of Anne Frank to emphasize the parallels between today’s GOP and the Weimar Republic. Now I’m more aware of the pitfalls of this approach and am discarding it also. See what I mean about a political novel? Still, there’s one more attempt left in me.

In what little time was left this year, I helped a friend convert the rough draft of a secret book into a more finished product, almost a ghost-writing exercise. In summary, it’s turned out to be a busy year in hermitage. However, I fervently hope this next year is infinitely better for you and indeed for all of us.

Destruction Rolls On

There was a time when elected senators were accorded only slightly less respect and honor than governors. Men of strong moral fiber, integrity, and ability to represent the needs of their region and all its citizens thousands of miles from the national capital. They travelled for days, sometimes weeks, to sit in session with colleagues from across the nation to review legislation with an eye to ensuring all were treated fairly.

Judges were elected based on their experience, knowledge of the law and ability to follow it impartially. Only the best rose to the highest court. Judges and senators provided the backbone that put civility into their civilization and the Roman Empire flourished as a result.

It’s logical to ask what could stop such a system. Some historians give credit to nomadic hordes eating away at far-flung empire boundaries, but a more insightful explanation is destruction from within. And nowhere was it more evident than in the senate. Lobbying led to special interest pandering that led to greed. Citizens’ needs were pushed aside to facilitate personal gain. Promises to constituents became empty in the search for the wealth slipped their way from the rich to whom they now swore allegiance. The welfare of the Empire no longer mattered, its defense weakened by neglect and loss of support from a disenfranchised public.

Plato was right in his belief that democracies are destroyed from within, degenerating into authoritarian or dictatorial regimes until revolution reverses the cycle again.

Two thousand years later a new nation was formed, patterned after the glory days of Rome. It was also called a republic, gave the vote to male citizens considered capable to vote responsibly. The capital even copied Roman architecture.  Noble ideals were embedded in its constitution, a constitution which was to be the final authority on how the nation was to be governed. Like Rome, these noble ideals only applied to accepted citizens, not their slaves nor the displaced original inhabitants of their territory.

Despite this imperfection, the nation grew strong and a world war made it a global leader. It became a beacon of freedom for downtrodden people in other countries. It even made some steps toward freedom and equality for the downtrodden within its border. Until the rot that ruined Rome set in and nowhere is it more evident than in the senate. Integrity has fallen victim to greed. Partisan actions are taken with impunity. And it carries over to the judicial branch. No longer can citizens rely on the justice system to enforce the Constitution. No longer can they expect an administration to look out for their welfare. And like Rome, the destruction rolls on.

In a little over a month, the fate of the American Democracy will be decided. Either it will fall entirely or be given a slim opportunity for survival. Slim because the issue is not simply one party versus the other. A complete overhaul of American culture is needed: conciliation rather than partisan politics, human respect for each other in place of racism, universal welfare instead of economic inequality, civil responsibility eradicating lawlessness. A formidable mountain to climb yet clearly preferable to the dark age that lies in the other direction.

Come Back, Republicans

Many of my friends are Republican. I was too in my earlier years (pulled for Goldwater in 1964) and even today respect many of what might be called traditional republican values. In fact, “traditional” is a key word since the GOP platform no longer includes them. It’s become focused on maintaining and even aggravating our economic inequality.

Apart from the adverse effect it has on almost all Americans, this focus has precipitated a dangerous move toward dictatorship (often made less frightening with the name authoritarianism). Rise of the Trump cult has so many parallels to the rise of Hitler one cannot deny paths and goals are the same:

Create an economy which is hard on the average citizenBuild distrust in the existing governmentSet up a mouthpiece to rant at rallies and generate a cult followingCondone the shift of government powers to the ensconced leaderFoment hate against minorities and blame the problems on themSet up an effective propaganda machineUndermine judicial and intelligence service oppositionCreate disturbances to justify domestic troops and militaristic actionsReplace elections with conveyance of power

The goal is to seize power over the nation and cement control of the economy for the benefit of a small segment of the population. Sound far-fetched? Couldn’t happen in America.

It is happening in America! The GOP leaders have become today’s Nazi’s.

And as many are beginning to say, the presidential election this November has become a decision of democracy or dictatorship. And it is a time for traditional Republicans to decide if the party they are loyal to is still the party loyal to them. Or is it time to tell the GOP leaders, we don’t want dictatorship but rather a return to traditional republican values and a democracy based on consensus and compromise.

I know this sounds rather radical, but when one is old enough to have witnessed the fallout from World War II and grown up taught about the Nazi rise and fall, it is too obvious to ignore. That motivated my latest novel, “Eclipse of Our Soul” since I prefer to think the pen is not only mightier than the sword but assault weapons as well. The book shows what can happen today and contains my plea to return America to the light of a better path. Come back, Republicans, to that brighter road.

Mid-Summer Yard

Time to pan the Pandemic and talk of other things. Mid-summer heat does in many flowers but not all. Our lace-cap hydrangea is in full glory.

[image error]

Bee heaven in the hibiscus.

[image error]

This little fellow was asleep when the rest of the lilac bloomed.

[image error]

A lot of these showed up this year. What are they?

[image error]

Our second orchard is off and running.

[image error]

With a walnut in the rear.

[image error]

Nothing beats the plant world for calming the soul.

Transgender Hair

[image error]

Coming out of hibernation prompted this change. Actually, the Before picture represents my best effort at grooming the mop after three months at home. It was tempting to keep it on the pretense it makes me look more like an author. However, children running away screaming at the sight was convincing evidence that its time was up.

Warned the woman who has cut it for over thirty years to bring in a hedge trimmer. She failed to heed the advice and ended up with pain in the wrist of her cutting hand.

Until recently, hair on the left side insisted on displaying an outward flip which may have been a women’s fashion craze thirty years ago but was an irritation now. As the photo shows, it finally reached a length where it could be forced back in. After wading through the hair on top, she said, “You know I never realized it before. Your hair naturally wants to go the other way and would prefer a part on the right side.” Tthere’s a little evidence of that in the After photo, which shows it has the beginning of a rebellion at the tips.

Told her I didn’t want to buck the tradition of men’s hair parting on the left and flowing to the right. We agreed I must have transgender hair and I am in denial.

The Silent Eclipse

Silence – the author’s worst enemy. Months go by writing, editing, revising, editing, editing, editing until finally there’s no alternative but to release a book. With print-on-demand these days, the word publish no longer is accurate.

People who write for a living invest in marketing help: publicists, blog tours, purchased reviews, book signings, interviews, videos, anything which will grab attention. Even then, with the sea of books available, profitability is as elusive as a polar bear in a snowstorm  You know there might be something big out there but it’s lurking out of sight.

Those of us able to treat creative writing as a hobby tend to shy away from the labor of marketing. Don’t think for a moment that we lack interest in sales. We simply hope the book will sell itself with a gradually widening audience. The reward is more about the pleasure of learning others appreciate your effort than money it brings in. Of course, the money would be welcomed too if it ever showed up.

In November, I released “Eclipse of Our Soul” with hope for an enthusiastic response. It was a growing up novel that transitioned into a heart-wrenching political story. A couple of friends gave positive feedback. Beyond that, there was mostly silence. A hundred free eBook copies given away to Goodread’s readers generated two ratings (both 5 star) and no reviews. Pretty much an author’s nightmare.

What went wrong? The story evolved from an earlier book, “Ickee Mushta” which, while prophetic when released, became obsoleted by events. I was enamored with the challenges facing opposite personalities coming together so rather than make “Eclipse” a sequel, I kept the growing up part in the new novel, somewhat condensed into roughly the first sixteen chapters. Bad idea!

In the cold light of objective reflection, I’ve concluded it simply tires readers before they reach the real story. So, last week a second edition was released with sixteen fewer chapters. The first chapter sets the stage for the plot and away it goes. For those of you who trudged through Part 1 of the first edition, I beg your forgiveness. What remains is a gripping yet heart-warming piece of political fiction to be enjoyed by sane people and cursed by the Trump cult.

[image error]

Afraid? Not My Teacher!

There’s too much media coverage of COVID-19’s physical toll, too little on its mental toll, particularly on young minds suddenly deprived of classmates and playmates, left wondering why adults wear masks and shun each other. Recognizing this, a friend, Doctor Michael Martin wrote the following words and passed his valuable perspective to his children and grandchildren:

Afraid? Not My Teacher!

In October 1957, when I was in the 8th grade in a small town in CT, the Soviet Union launched a satellite, Sputnik, into earth orbit. In the US it was as if that small spherical object, not much bigger than a couple of basketballs, had cast a dark shadow over the land. People were afraid. My homeroom teacher, Mrs Newbury, was having none of it. She told us with no fear in her voice, “Don’t you worry! Our boys will put up a satellite that will fly higher and last longer.” And in February of the next year, they did!

After 9/11, I remember seeing people on the news, crying and afraid, not knowing what to tell their children. I know what Mrs Newbury would have said-“Don’t you worry, our boys will track down and find those responsible.”  And they did!

There have always been dangers in the world. In Cave Man times there were Saber Tooth Tigers roaming around. Children and their families had to be careful. In the middle ages there were terrible plagues long before there were doctors or hospitals or treatments. In 1918 a particularly virulent form of influenza spread over the entire planet. Again there were no effective treatments. In 1929 a severe economic depression gripped our country and the world. In December 1941 our country was attacked. My father, a college student at the time, along with millions of other young men and women enlisted in the armed forces. Their lives were disrupted in a way they could never have imagined. Many never came home. It took courage and determination. They rose to the occasion. It had to be done.

Now we have been attacked by a tiny invader of a different sort, the corona virus. It has spread across the land casting another dark shadow. This virus is a new one. Doctors have very little experience in how it should be treated. But I know what Mrs Newbury would say-“Don’t you worry, our men and women in science, medicine and research will learn about this new disease and develop a vaccine and treatments.” And they will.

If you are a young person today wondering what to do with your life-here’s your answer. Study hard. Enter fields of science, medicine and research. Plan to serve your country in any one of several different ways. Rise to the occasion. It will take courage and determination. You can be at the forefront of the fight. It will not be easy. Launching the satellite and tracking down the terrorists responsible for 9/11 was not easy. But they got it done.

Our lives have been disrupted in a way we did not expect. Use this time to catch up (remotely) with friends and family. Read, exercise, develop new interests, start home projects, make plans about what you will do when this is over. And remember, life on our planet has always been perilous. Although the virus has spread, most of us will not get sick and most of us who do will not be terribly ill. Sadly though some of us who are sickened will die. It’s scary to think about but there is a difference between being scared, so scared you don’t know what to do or say, and being concerned, cautious and using common sense. Mrs Newbury knew that. Stay home for now, practice social distancing, wash your hands thoroughly. Make plans. Big plans.

And be thankful there aren’t any Saber Tooth Tigers roaming around. That would really be scary.

Virtual Virality

I’m 81 and a little overweight. (MY wife sometimes forgets to include the word “little”.) Nevertheless, these are the attributes coveted by COVID-19 which naturally leads to some concern on my part. Recently, I found myself very short of breath and, not wanting to recognize I’ve been a computer potato for weeks, began to suspect the virus. Two mornings I woke up with a tightness in my chest and took a while to amend that to further down than my poor old lungs could possibly have sagged. Frequently my forehead feels warm but turns out to be normal. All these false signals have brought on the realization that it’s time to be more positive. In fact, it reminds me of the story of the big brave Dutchman. If you’ve heard it, skip ahead.

The Dutchman lived in the early 1800’s, A giant of a man, strong as an ox but a gentle soul. He loved the sea and as he often did, signed on with the crew of a sailing vessel. Their voyage started uneventful, modest winds and decent weather. That ended off the coast of Morocco when a crewman fell from the rigging into the water. Unable to swim and with shark fins not far away, he appeared doomed. The Dutchman leaped into the ocean and reached the man barely ahead of the first shark. He punched it in the nose, grabbed the drowning man and with powerful strokes swam back to the ship.

Crews cheered and the Captain thanked him for saving the man. He simply shrugged and said, “It’s nothing. I’m the big brave Dutchman. That’s what I do.”

The journey continued until one day they found themselves becalmed in a hot, equatorial expanse of glassy sea. For days they sweltered, water supply dwindled, men were fading fast. The First Mate lamented that they would all perish if they didn’t get wind soon. The Dutchman said, “I’ll get us out of this stinking hole.” He climbed into a dinghy and with a rope attached to the ship started to row. Gradually they began to move. He rowed hour after hour until finally they felt a first breeze. When the wind picked up, he climbed back aboard a hero again. Once more, he shrugged it off. “I’m the big brave Dutchman, it’s all in a day’s work.”

After months at sea, they were returning up the coast of France when a violent storm struck suddenly. Sails were torn, rigging snapped, the ship pitched wildly. The Captain shouted, “We need to get the topsails furled or we’ll broach.” Only one man ventured forth. The Dutchman yelled over the howling wind that he would do it. He climbed through shredded rigging to the very top of the mast, furled one sail, then a second, third and fourth. The ship was now safe but still rolled in the heavy sea.

Sizing up his situation, the Dutchman thought the easiest way down would be to drop into the water and swim back aboard. He would carefully time it for when the mast carried him out over the side. But when he let go, he mistimed it and hit square in the middle of the deck, crashed right on through it. Aghast, crew-members screamed, “The Dutchman’s dead!” as they ran to the hole and peered down. A hole in the lower deck as well revealed the Dutchman spread-eagled in the bilge. He finally opened his eyes and when he saw them all wailing up above, he called out, “Calm down. I’m the big brave Dutchman. I’ve been through hardships before.”

I hear you groaning. Point is, I need to be more like the big brave Dutchman, stop manufacturing imaginary symptoms and descending into the realm of virtual virality.

Cooldemic

We are victims not only of a pandemic but also a media induced panic aggravated by inept and confused leadership. (How’s that for political correctness?) Please review this information first disseminated by Japan and more recently picked up by the Stanford Hospital team. It shows how concise and rational information can turn panic into a responsible solution.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – CORONAVIRUS

If you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold 2. Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose.This new virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed by a temperature of just 26/27 degrees. It hates the Sun.If someone sneezes with it, it takes about 10 feet before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne.If it drops on a metal surface it will live for at least 12 hours – so if you come into contact with any metal surface – wash your hands as soon as you can with a bacterial soap.On fabric it can survive for 6-12 hours. normal laundry detergent will kill it.Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses. Try not to drink liquids with ice.Wash your hands frequently as the virus can only live on your hands for 5-10 minutes, but – a lot can happen during that time – you can rub your eyes, pick your nose unwittingly and so on.You should also gargle as a prevention. A simple solution of salt in warm water will suffice.Can’t emphasis enough – drink plenty of water!

THE SYMPTOMS

It will first infect the throat, so you’ll have a sore throat lasting 3/4 days 2. The virus then blends into a nasal fluid that enters the trachea and then the lungs, causing pneumonia. This takes about 5/6 days further.With the pneumonia comes high fever and difficulty in breathing.The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind. You feel like you’re drowning. It’s imperative you then seek immediate attention.The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind. You feel like you’re drowning. It’s imperative you then seek immediate attention.