It's a Thin Line between Advocacy and Mania

Spent the day Saturday attending different events for Cal Lutheran Orientation (a truly wonderful day staffed by truly wonderful people.) Because of the irregular schedule for individuals like myself, I drove the car, and used the car for errands between events.

So, there I was at my credit union and a couple of big box retailers driving the car short distances, looking for parking spaces so I don't have to walk too far, and feeling a bit of self-loathing for shunning my goal of not driving a car on the weekends.

Today, I made amends with my goals through biking to the post office, Home Depot, and by meeting up with my wife for lunch.  Total trip was 5.3 miles and 41 minutes, and was easily biked.

The whole experience made me think about my reactions to  recent TED (Technology, Education, Design) talk I ran across on the Reddit biking forum.  A brilliant woman named Mia Birk (who served as a bicycle transportation coordinator for the City of Portland during their last-decade bike transformation) talks about that experience at http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxPortland-Mia-Birk-Peddaling .

Of course, I was inspired by what she had to say, especially as she discussed trying to get people to just leave their car at home for one trip per week.

Here's where the mania comes in...it just so happens that I will be in Portland in two weeks to attend a higher ed risk management conference.  I am deliberately staying a couple of extra days to visit some peer institutions, and also plan to really take in the bike culture while there.  So, I think, "wouldn't it be awesome to meet this woman and maybe show her a campus map at Cal Lutheran and get a couple of ideas to promote bike advocacy on campus and generally just let her know that I am a fan of her work?"

Google quickly reveals that she has a public Facebook page, and I think, "she wouldn't have a public Facebook page if she didn't WANT to be contacted".  So, I sent her the following message:

My name is Ryan VanOmmeren. I am in charge of planning at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. I am also a long-time bicycle commuter and becoming more of an activist as a citizen of Thousand Oaks, CA.

I just happen to run across your TED talk, and I just happen to be traveling to Portland the week of 9/11 (university risk management, URMIA). While in Portland I had planned to make some observations regarding biking, and after I saw your TED talk, thought I'd inquire if I could stop by with a map of our campus and get your thoughts. I promise to at least buy your book in return  I promise I will limit my visit to whatever time-frame you have available.

I am also going to attempt to friend you on Facebook, so you know I'm for real. I have a few bike related posts on the page, and I have a link to my fledgling blog where I identify my personal goals regarding bike advocacy. I am a huge believer in your thoughts regarding just making a couple trips per week by bike.


No word back as of now, and fortunately, no restraining order either.

How Much Backyard to Feed a Family of Four

Ran across this great "infographic" (is that really a word?) on Reddit.com.  Source is actually a solar power advocacy site, http://howsolarworks.1bog.org/

Bottom line is, assuming daughter goes off to college and we are only feeding two people, we would need 44,525 SF of land to have a chance at living off the land.

My three garden boxes total a whooping 120 SF, so according to this, I'd need 1,113 of my boxes for my wife and myself to be able to survive.  

Returning to the original premise of the blog, one of my goals is to eat one meal per week from the garden.  Again, working the proportions, this means that I would need 1,060 SF of land, and I'm short by a factor of about 10? 

However, the reality is I really am getting a meal a week.  In fact, easily had three meals (with food leftover) this last week.  I suppose I'm a little heady with this being primary harvest season, and I'm forgetting all the zero yield weekends in February, but still, if I get three meals per week during just eight weeks of primary harvest season, I'm obviously at 24 meals...not so far off from the 52 meals per week goal.

So, goal from here...track meals for a year.

Today's Biking

Biked space mountain this morning.  Was joined by work-friend Nate, a very good rider who nearly made it through the entire ride without putting a foot down.  Also had numerous spiders trying to have us join them.  

Back to Veggies

Leading off with today's harvest:

Quite a few more zucchini ripening on the vine, I'm keeping my eyes out for unlocked porches.

Started some onions one week ago.  No sign of germination, but I'm not yet concerned.  Meanwhile, the broccoli I planted a few weeks ago is being EATEN!  Replanting today.

Speaking of onions...this is the type of thing that just fascinates me.  Planted onions in the spring that did pretty well.  However, when the onions were just at about golf-ball size, we had crazy high winds that flattened and then killed the onion greens.  After that process, because of my lack of discipline, I lost track of where the all of the onions were planted.  Now, the onions are re-emerging (probably four months later) with new greens and restored growth.  

Off from Veggies for a Second

Trying my hand at profundity:

Suppose you have a painting in your attic that was given to you years before.  At the time the painting was given to you, you were told that the painting was done by a hobbyist, and is essentially worthless.

You decide to donate the painting to your church for a garage-sale fundraiser, and in the course of making the donation, you learn that the painting is not worthless, but is actually worth $100,000.

Do you still donate the painting?  If you do, you are in the situation that you had planned to be in before, meaning you no longer have the painting.

I suppose most people, including myself, would not donate the painting, as our heads would be filled with thoughts of the great things that could be done with the $100,000 (which would all probably focus on the accumulation of material things).  And what motive would I have for keeping the $100K?  I am afraid that it would be deep dark greed.

Week of August 8th, Recap on Informal Goals

Informal Goals:

1) Grow at least one meal per week.
2) Not drive a car on weekends.
3) Not drive to work at least three times per week.

Goal 1 -- Had "Cream of Garden Harvest" soup three times last week, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.   

I loosely follow the recipe at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/cream-soup-base/detail.aspx

Recipe is especially great for using up the zucchini.  (Was talking to some acquaintances Friday evening who classified zucchini as being "obnoxious").

 Goal 2 -- Did not drive Saturday or Sunday. Rode single speed conversation (look, no gears...well, one gear in front on one in back) to nursery and movies.  Wife is a great sport regarding the movie ride.

Goal 3 -- Off work Monday, rode bike home on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Thanks to neighbor, friend, and coworker Jay for transporting me and bike in every day.

Mountain Biking

Today's mountain bike ride...9 miles of what we call Space Mountain.  This is my favorite trail, as it offers enough uphill to get a workout, enough technical challenge so that I can improve every ride, and it's within a mile or two from the house.  Brush had been cleared from the trail since my last ride two weeks ago, which was a pleasant surprise.  Time to the top, 36:42.

This is my ride partner coming around the last turn at the top.

August 12, Pumpkin Disappointment & Next Great Broccoli

The raised beds I love.  One in the foreground, two near the playhouse/shed.  The beds were planted in Spring, 2010.  Previous to the beds I grew tomatoes at some various patches around the house and had a little success with planting pumpkins among the ivy hillside seen just to the right.

Speaking of the pumpkins, they are my favorite thing overall to grow.  I make pies (while boldly disregarding seed type between jack-o-lanterns and food pumpkins), and I have made a little soup.  Overall, however, I simply like growing pumpkins.

This year, however, has been a bitter pumpkin disappointment.  So far, two pumpkins on the vine total, and not a female blossom to be seen.  Joke I'm telling family and friends is that I have a well-attended pumpkin fraternity party in the backyard.

Meanwhile, leaf miners are everywhere.  They apparently can be controlled by an organic product called Spinosad.  I am plotting my next move.

Meanwhile, I planted some broccoli seeds in preparation for winter.  I am delighted that all the seeds have germinated, looking forward to getting these in the ground.

Finally, a shot of today's harvest.  I've been picking all week, so it doesn't look like much.  Had enough to make soup on Monday and Thursday, and gave away a few tomatoes and  zucchini.

August 09, 2011 - Bike Post #1

I resemble that remark!

Blog Started

August 08, 2011 -- Day before my 48th birthday.  Feeling a little old, but note how a hiker at Space Mountain asserted that I've got a long way to go before getting old the other day.  Anyway, starting this with an inauspicious post regarding zucchini. Above zucchini are from same six-pack purchased at local Nursery (Alpine Nursery in Newbury Park) a few months back. Picked both, along with other zucchini and tomatoes on Friday.

The darker green, grocery-store quality zucchini was from a raised bed filled with bags of gardening soil.  The other from a bed filled with a bulk mulch-native soil mix I purchased from Carlson's in Thousand Oaks.  Believe the green comes from additional nitrogen in the soil.