Recycle and Reuse your Electronics

As you can imagine, we affluent few in the United States go through quite a bit of electronics, not only because we have so many (think of how many TV's and computers the average person owns) but also because we get rid of and buy new ones so frequently. We live in an era where everything gets thrown away rather than lasting long enough to hand down to ones children for generations.
To get an idea of the amount of electronics we go through, here is some statistics from the EPA,
1.9 – 2.2 million tons obsolete
1.5 – 1.8 million tons disposed
345,000 – 379,000 tons recycled,
just in the year 2005. As you can imagine, this number has likely increased since then.
Why should we recycle our electronics rather than putting them in landfill?
This information is taken from GreenerChoices.org
• Computer monitors with cathode ray tubes (CRTs) contain four to eight pounds of lead on average. The EPA has identified electronic products as the largest single source of lead in municipal solid waste.
• Printed circuit boards in computers, music players, and other electronic devices contain toxic metals such as chromium, nickel, and zinc.
• Batteries in the computer may contain nickel and cadium.
• Relays, switches, and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) may contain mercury.
• Plastics used in many computers also contain flame retardants that are toxic and persist in the environment. Studies suggest they accumulate in household dust and in the food chain, and they have been detected in some fish.

To top it all off, I have come to personally realize that some electronics don't even make it to the landfill, but rather these toxins are dumped right in our own community environment. While hiking in the Douglas State forest, there was once a railroad bed for the Grand Trunk. Much work went into the carving of this railroad bed to make it as flat as possible despite the hilly Massachusetts landscape, hence many steep valleys were dug into the hills to enable the train to pass on level ground.
This steep valley dug for the railroad just off my street south of my house has become a dumping ground for all kinds of things that people didn't take to the dump or recycle. Instead, for whatever reason, they dumped their waste in the State Forest.
And there it lies, leaching its toxins into the soil and destroying the view. It makes me so angry.
So, I've decided to fix it, the best I can. I pulled out some computers already, and there are a few more. Conveniently, the 1st Congregational Church is having a recycling drive on the 5th of September. I'm still working on how I'm going to come up with the recycling fee.
I've talked to some people and they said I needed to talk to the Douglas State Forest people, since its their land. I'll have to get on it this week.
I only pray that I will be able to find the means to turn this ugly sin against the environment into resources so that new products can be generated without mining more and more materials out of the ground, then lessening the horrific impacts of America's insatiable demand to new stuff...

Historical Typos...

Even history books have typos...well, I'm assuming it was a mistake.
Today's adventure started while I was in the midst of typing out on my computer a local history book by Lucius Marsh, who wrote the book on a typewriter in the late fifties but never had it copyrighted or printed and so all the copys that exist are just photocopies that are three hole punched and put in binders. Worse, he organized his history by location, as in, he thoroughly covered the individual history of each house in Douglas. The histories are then organized by location along the street they are on, then the streets are organized in the book alphabetically. Needless to say, if you need information about a person's life, you have to know all their street addresses. Actually, just the location, since there weren't street numbers.
Therefore, I have undertaken the great task of typing it out on my computer so that it can later be provided as an electronic resource rather than a fat three ring binder and one can just hit Ctrl+F to search for a persons name, or event, or object, such as "axe-shop", as the axe making industry was very influential in the town of Douglas.
However, today as I was going through the book I noticed that it stated that Paul Dudley, an ancestor of mine, was born in 1776 and died in 1857. Which is rediculous, since Paul Dudley was in the Revolutionary War, and I'm quite sure he didn't fight off the Red-Coats as an infant. Also, we have documents that show his widow was recieving money from the Government from Paul's involvment in the Revolution in 1843. If Paul died in 1857, why was his wife a widow in 1843?
After being utterly frustrated with Lucius Marsh, I checked his source, which was Emerson's History of Douglas, published 1879. I found that Marsh did not make the mistake, Emerson did! Emerson's book shows the Paul Dudley died in 1857 at the age of 80 (hence born in 1776ish considering he died in February and was born in August). This same history book records that Paul's first son David was born in 1788. Emerson either actually thought that a man from the colonial era married and had his first son at the age of 12 or didn't look over his work.
Frustrated with both sources, my mother went online and found his marriage was in 1782 (if we beleive Emerson, that would have been when Paul was 6 years old) and confirmed that he was a Private in the Revolutionary War. But, alas, no record of his birthdate.
So, out to the cemetery we went! My mother and I went a few hundred feet out of the house to the Douglas Center Cemetery, found Paul Dudley's grave, and found that he died in 1837 (notice that's just one digit off the earlier number) at the age of 80. With this new date, it means Paul was born in 1756. Therefore, he fought in the Revolutionary War in his 20's, was married at the age of 26, had his first child at the age of 32. Which sounds a lot better.
Message: always check for typos, always check your sources, and if you want to be sure to be accurate, check your sources for typos. Or better yet, just use common sense to figure out if you've made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, including reputable historians. I would love to be able to inform Emerson and Marsh of their mistakes, except they're dead.

Get thee to a nunnery?

There are a great many things I admire about nuns. Their devotion to God, the simplicity of their lives, the self-sufficiency of their convents, lifestyle that always values people above material things, and their constant prayer and service to all those in need. My interest in them was sparked primarily by an old article in Yankee Magazine entitled, "The Hidden Life of Nuns". However, being protestant, that's not much of an option. Though their are a few protestant convents (see the article in time, "Religion: The Protestant Sisters") but in general the protestant church has some issues with the concept of monks and nuns, mainly that most protestant denominations teach that one should be in the world to serve and witness, not apart from it. I think that this is still a possibility for nuns, I guess a group of protestant nuns could be called "nuns who get out a lot". They would still live a self-sufficient and simple lifestyle, devoted to prayer and service, but would make a point to get out into the community to serve it. Perhaps even take in the homeless and needy into their convent (assuming they had the space) and those housed their would help with the upkeep as they were able.
Overall, these theoretical protestant nuns would be sure to have plenty of opportunities to interact with and thence serve the community in the world through their prayer and work. They would teach in the community, help the needy, make and sell goods for the upkeep of the convent or to donate to charity, and care for creation by living a self-sufficient and simple lifestyle. They could even carry rosary beads, only to remind them of things to pray for rather than traditional Catholic prayers such as Hail Mary, and would not have a crucifix but rather a simple cross as the Heidelburg Catechism states that the church should never create images of God (in fact, it also forbids pictures of Christ even for the education of children, which makes most Bible coloring books and felt board kits for Sunday school in violation of the Hiedelburg Catechism, but that's a debate for another day). All the same, what I mean to get at is that the theological differences between Catholicism and Protestantism should not prevent protestants from taking this brilliant concept, the idea of having a life devoted to God rather than a family or other obligations, from Catholics and adapting their own means.
Maybe someday I will start an order of protestant nuns, in my effort to live a life devoted to God and to devote my dreams of running the Dudley farm to the service of God.

Farmers Market

This past Saturday I went to the Douglas Farmers Market in downtown East Douglas by the E.N. Jenckes Store, where the Historical Society is located. I just love the vibe down there, all the farmers, historians, and fellow persons who care about the well being of the environment and our little locality that is the town of Douglas. It's quite wonderful. There are fresh eggs, all kinds of produce (blueberries are in season) and honey. I found the honey especially exciting as I want to have some bee hives someday in the future.
While I was there I mentioned my newest source of income, selling decorative firewood down by the side of the road and collecting the money in a coffee can. So far people have been honest and I have made 35 dollars on this little side project, hence I have had to go out in search of more viable birch trees to prune. The old birch on top the the hill which frequently gets struck my lightning has been my most recent subject. I will leave most of the tree there however, it is a beautiful tree and the whole concept of it being struck by lightning every few years is pretty unique.
In pursuit of a bit more side income, I may bring some of my wares (as well as some of my mothers homemade things, she too has a blog betsyblueberry.blogspot.com and an Etsy shop) to the Douglas Farmers Market. I have taken up a new craft, I am now making garden hods. I have only made one so far. They are made from scrap wood from our garage and galvanized wire. The one I have made I took the liberty of stenciling the farm emblem on it as this one we will keep to collect produce. Hopefully I will be able to put a few more together in time for Saturday's market. I encourage all for who it is feasible to stop by the Douglas Farmers Market on Saturday, 8 to 1, and support a more sustainable world by supporting local producers.

Iudicare vivos et mortuos; the living and the dead

Successful gardens grow, and thank the Lord that ours has been successful indeed. I've gotten to taste a few of the cucumbers I started in May, and honestly, they are the most delicious cucumbers on the face of the earth. Also, Mama's beans, tomatoes, and peppers have really taken off and nearly overgrown the raised bed. We used some of her basil the other day to make pesto for our pizza, and that too, was the tastiest pesto I have ever had. Mama also made some raspberry cheesecake from raspberries that grown in our patch. The patch however, has become severely overgrown.
A raspberry patch such as this needs to be clear cut every three years to ensure new growth and cut out overgrowth. The last time I clear cut ours was before I went to Iowa for college, so it needs a good clear cutting this fall, I have already begun to cut away weeds, overgrowth, and old growth just to reach the ripe berries which the patch contains. Once again, the berries were quite delicious and all the cheesecake was eaten in the same day (no small feat for a household of three). There is just an inexpressible joy that comes from eating food that one has grown oneself, on ones own land. This is the same land which my ancestors grew their own food on 300 years ago. Through the miracle that is decomposition, the Lord has continued to bless us with good produce all these years in our pathetic New England soil. The death of each plant in the gardens is not in vain, for without it, there could be no new growth, no new life.
Speaking of decomposition, my mother and I went back to the cemetery today to document more graves. This place just down the road is where most of my ancestors who lived in our house and worked our soil are laid to rest. We document graves to honor them and their work, to remember them. Their hard work and faith are not to be forgotten, for all that are buried there, not just our family. There they lie, their heads to the west so that when they sit up they can see the coming of Christ from Jerusalem in the east. No, I'm not superstitious, I don't actually believe Christ will rise in the east (though there's no reason he can't) but it's a rather awesome mental image. For I do believe in the resurrection, that the believers will rise.
The title comes from the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, which both state (with slight variation):

Et ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Patris omnipotentis,

inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.

he ascended into heaven,he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and from thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Hanging Laundry

In my continued effort to serve God and save the planet, I am glad to find that my family already participates an an age old tradition which conserves an immense amount of energy. On of the largest energy consuming appliances in our homes (and the largest household electricity consumer in the country) is our dryer. What people do not realize, is that living without an electric or gas powered dryer is possible. Dr. Sleeth recommends in his book, "Serve God Save the Planet" he suggests the use of the revolutionary, "solar powered clothes dryer". In other words, the outdoor laundry line. In addition, the chore of hanging laundry is a good way to do work with ones hands and accomplish something, which is very good for the psyche. Never mind the wonder of the smell and crisp feel of fresh laundry hung on the line.
Oh, and in the winter, a good laundry rack will do the job, especially if the house is warm and dry from being heated with good old bio fuel such as wood in the stove.

An age old task, drawing water.

I think most of us reading this blog understand the significance of water. We all took 6th grade science and hopefully remember that water is necessary to support life on earth. We understand the wonder of the water cycle and how water is one of the few molecular compounds that actually expands when frozen, which allows freshwater life in northern climates to survive the winter and renews these water bodies each year.
We also hopefully understand the need for fresh water, for drinking and cleaning, both necessary for human survival. Throughout the ages when shortages of fresh water, or droughts, occur there is almost certainly a loss of human life and an economic toll in that area. We no longer blink at the statistics when we are told how many people die because of a shortage of fresh water around the world. Either by dehydration, starvation, or water-borne diseases, all occur because of a shortage of fresh water. Even in the United States, aquifers are becoming dried out with all the water drawn for crops in the west, more saddening however is the amount of water lost to Southwestern lawns and golf courses each year. Just in case anyone needed a reminder of how greedy we citizens of the US can be.
Throughout the Bible, a theme of the importance of water reemerges throughout the text. When Abram and Lot separate, Lot chooses to live in the Jordan Valley near Sodom because, "Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar" (Genesis13:10 ESV). Us Bible readers know just how well that turned out for him... When the Lord (or the three men) visits Abraham to promise him a son, after bowing down the first thing Abraham calls for is water to be brought to wash their feet (Genesis 18:3 ESV). After Hagar and her son Ishmael are exiled in the desert, they run out of water, and Hagar puts her son under a bush so that they do not have to watch one another die of thirst. God speaks to her and promises that Ishmael too will be made into a great nation. "Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water" (Genesis 21:19 ESV). When Abraham's servant goes to find a wife for Issac, he prays that God will show him the right woman by a spring of water when she offers to water his camels, hence he meets Rebekah as she comes to water her sheep (Genesis 24: 10-21 ESV). In the famous Psalm 23 the good shepard, "He leads me beside still waters" (Psalm 23:2 ESV). The woman of Samaria (prostitute?) met the savior at the well when he asked for a drink of water, and he in return offered her living water (John 4).
So what is it that each one of us can do to save fresh water for those who are in need? Use less, only do full loads of laundry or dishes. Put a brick or a full water bottle in your toilet tank so it uses less when it flushes. My favorite, gather rain water in a large cistern (like a 55 gallon drum) to use for watering gardens and other task that do not require clean water. By gathering rain water, you save it from flowing into the rivers and oceans where it is no longer fresh, instead of using up the fresh water in aquifers. Then you too, can go gather water at the cistern, as Christ and the people of the Bible did. You never know who you will be leaving a little more fresh water for.

Then they also will answer saying, "When were you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?" Then he will answer to them, saying, "Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me" And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:44-46 ESV)