well... I said I wouldn't get into this...

but it came to me...

I think everyone in this group at least tries. We try to get good information. We try to make positive changes. For my part, I try to buy items that will last. I try to buy it from a local vendor, or even better, a local manufacturer. With audio, it is rare to score anything locally, which is sad. But as a family, we don't eat fast food or eat out at all (rare exception is a pizza). As we drink primarily water, we don't drink from plastic bottles with the exception of milk and orange juice. We buy maybe a case of cola a year. We recycle. But does that mean much? I am not so sure.

As you might have heard on the news, Memphis had two straight days of violent weather. The sirens went off perhaps eight times over the weekend... days.. nights.. constantly... As a survivor of a direct tornado hit on my home as a child, I have respect for these sirens. These storms came with *lots* of rain, luckily. Rain diminishes their power. After watching a car take the turn in front of our house and having the water flow over their hood, we wanted to see how our neighborhood was draining. So during a short break between storms on Saturday, my eight-year-old and I went on a hike to go see how the runoff was affecting the river. What we found was astonishing to me.


What was cruising down the Wolf River (which will be in the Gulf of Mexico in a matter of a few short days) was at least one part trash to one part sticks or limbs. This made me very sad. JP as well. We go hiking here often. To think that we are screaming about supporting industry in third world nations that have terrible pollution control when we cannot even educate Americans how to get trash to a trash can, much less a recycle bin, was disheartening.


Part two of this was me spending an hour or two trying to repair our third printer this year. It was poorly designed with a power cord inlet that had no strain relief to a very thin circuit board. It was designed for perhaps ten plug in cycles. I spent my hour repairing it because I could. Most people cannot repair this, and none of us should have to. In the end, the power now comes on perfectly, but the rollers are warped. I will have to go by another plastic monster tomorrow. Does anyone make a ten year printer? I tried to buy quality with this one. I tried...


This last picture gives me hope. Nature has always found a way. This new "way" may not include us, but that is fine by me. Check out this snake. He is happily resting on our floating trash. And, yes, we watched our step much more carefully after seeing this little fellow...

Peace,
Me