Solar Light Update

Remember our inadvertently humorous attempt to save money by using a solar night light?

Here's an update.

This is similar to the light that we bought only the brand was "Patriot."  Initially, I was very disappointed.  We left it outside for two days, and then tried to use it.  It never seemed to have quite enough juice to get all the way through the night.  During the wee hours of the morning it would start to slowly fade in and out.  It reminded me of some kind of homing beacon for an alien spaceship.

Then we left on our five-week vacation.  I left it charging in the sunroom, where it would be out of the rain but could still get some sunlight.  That appear to have been just what it needed it, because now it works very well.  Even when I occasionally forget it put it out until noon or when it has been cloudy all day, it is still going strong in the morning.  So every morning I set it out on the back porch, and every evening I fetch it inside.  When the light is facing up, I set it on a soft cloth so as not to scratch the solar panel.   I suppose it is silly, since the savings are negligible, but we've got it so we might as well use it.  It's not like my time is incredibly valuable.

I think the light is designed to be attached to an outdoor building.  It would probably work just fine there, although it does not turn on just because it has gone dark -- you have to flip the switch.  It's about the power of an ordinary flashlight.  If the "real" light is on, you can't really tell that the solar light is on.  So it works great for a night light, but you couldn't read by it or anything.

My conclusion about solar power up to this point is that it's not yet the sort of thing that pays for itself very quickly.  Over time?  Presumably.  Useful for off-the-grid adventures, like camping?  I'm sure it would be.  Pay your utility bills for the next 30 years all in one fell swoop?  I'm guessing so.  Worth looking into if that's what you want.  But right now, electricity is still awfully cheap.  I'm going to keep using a solar light, though.  It is a little thing.  But that's okay.

Triumph! ~or~ A Laborous Labor Day

I couldn't take it any more.

I had to clean my studio.

I did all of this in one day, and I hope it inspires you to dream seemingly impossible dreams!

Here's the before:

and the after

Here's another before and the after.

The little black box on the left side of the after photo is my "to be filed" box.  Rather than pulling out boxes every time I have to put something away, I plan to put it in the box.  When the box is full, I put stuff away.  (Of course, I have delusions that I'm going to stop accumulating stuff.....)

These are some more "before" photos:

And finally:

Bring on the creative play time!

Update: Growing Potatoes in Straw

Remember our attempt to save space and grow potatoes in straw?
The Magician decided that the green tendrils coming out from the sides were starting to wilt and it was time to harvest our potatoes.
What followed is best depicted in pictures:

Oddly enough, the (now rotten) potatoes that were the original seeds, the tendrils with the leaves, and the tiny potatoes were not even adjacent to each other in the straw.  I thought that was weird.
I thought the potatoes would be nasty, but they actually tasted just fine.  The straw went into the compost pile.
Would it have worked if the pile had gotten more water?  Could we have left the potatoes in longer and had them get bigger?  Is this the strangest use ever of an unwanted laundry hamper? 
I'm calling this experiment inconclusive.

Labor Day & Balancing Rocks

On Labor Day I spent four hours balancing rocks at a nearby park.  It was great except that now, two days later, my thighs are really, really sore from squatting for that long!!  Here are some pics:

Calling All Failures: Part II

This is a continuation of a post I made earlier about how failures are "non-narratable"-- i.e. stories our culture does not allow to be told.

As I said in that post, there are exceptions.  But even a book talks about failure still has passages like this:

One of the best entrepreneurs I have ever known is a friend and business partner of mine.....  In describing what an entrepreneur does, he said, "There are three parts to putting a business deal together.  One is finding the right people.  Two is finding the right opportunity.  And three is finding the money."  He also said, "Rarely do all three pieces come together at the same time.  Sometimes you have the people, but you do not have the deal or the money.  Sometimes you have the money, but no deal or people."  He also said, "The most important job of an entrepreneur is to grab one piece and then began to put the other two pieces together.  That may take a week or it may take years, but if you have one piece, at least you gotten started."  In other words, an entrepreneur does not care if two out of three lights are red.  In fact an entrepreneur does not care if all three lights are red.  Red lights to not prevent an entrepreneur from being an entrepreneur (Kiyosaki, Before You Quit Your Job xx-xxi).

See what I mean?  Thou shalt go for it, regardless.  If you are the real deal, you won't fail.  Of course, I realized that my complaint is not very realistic.  Naturally, the people who are successful write books and the people who are not successful do not.  If they did write books, and no one would want to publish them because no one would want to read them.  I realize that.  I guess what I'm driving at is the implicit assumption that dreams and passions are meant to be followed regardless.

But the only people who get to talk about the subject are people who have succeeded because of their dreams and passion.  The people who failed and whose failure was a disaster for those who depended on them don't get to talk.  (Unless they want to comment here, on this blog post!)

I know exactly what I want to do, but even in my most generous calculation it doesn't look like it would be lucrative.  (Maybe $3,000 a year, in a good year.)  And that doesn't seem fair to my spouse.  On the flip side, my spouse would probably be doing something very different and equally non-lucrative if it weren't for me!  And so we are responsible instead.  And we count our blessings, which are many, but we still wonder.

So when is it selfish to follow your dreams?  If I reject the absolute idea that dreams must always be followed, on one hand, and also the idea of that one must wait until there is absolutely no risk until pursuing one passion, at what point does the dreamer get the green light?  My beloved and I actually have a little joke about this.  He says, "When the house has paid off and we have $100,000 in the bank.  Then you can start."  But the interest from $100,000 would not replace my salary....

Ergo for right now I will be grateful for my good job and the security which it brings.  I'll be glad that my spouse and I can discuss finances and dreams.  I will hope and plan and take some little steps in the direction of what I want.  And I am going to try not to live only in someday.  But in the back of my head there will always be the reckless voice that wants to just take the plunge and worry about the consequences later, like the typical heroine in the American Entrepreneurial Fairy Tale.

Sunday Thoughts On Monday

I'll keep it short and simple:  Sunday as a day of rest is a good idea.

I actually wanted to do schoolwork-reading, but I forced myself not to, and I'm glad.  I really think more people should try it.  I've gotten pretty strict with myself about it over the years (no housework except emptying the dishwasher, for example) and it really helps my sanity.

Plus I got some time in my studio!  (More on this project later.)

Croatia: The Town of Supetar

Here are some shots from Supetar, a small fishing/touristy town on the island of Brač, across from Split on the mainland.
 

 

 Here's St. Peter's church, where the evening Mass schedule changed without notice...
We started calling it "island time."

 Here I am with my in-laws:

 The sailboat-racing teams held a contest to see which team could hoist a girl up to reach the ball fastest.