Eating and Growing

So I start this week off pretending that I am not sick again.  I'm not going to write about how I caught the cold from my son or wife, don't really know who, or how my head feels like it weighs 50 pounds and is full of snot.  No, instead I'm going to write about how much fun our son is becoming.  While every toddler has his moments that he freaks out and throws tantrums, we have yet to truly experience a really tantrum from our son.  He had one a little over a week ago, but it wasn't that bad and he really hasn't had one since.  Perhaps it is because he is learning quickly that my wife and I won't give in when he is screaming, we just let him scream.  Perhaps it is because he has nothing that he feels the need to throw a tantrum over, I don't know.  I am just glad that it isn't a regular occurrence (although I will never rule out that possibility).  On the contrary, most days he is just a little happy go lucky little toddler that loves to entertain himself, play with his toys, and engage my wife and I when he wants to.   It is amazing to me to watch him engrossed in an activity to the point where he doesn't even know that I am watching him.  The other day after I changed his diaper and was getting rid of it, I came back out to see him kneeling on the floor with one of his books open in front of him.  He wasn't flipping quickly through it like he used to, rather, he was just kneeling, looking at the pictures on two pages for a few seconds before turning the page and staring at those pictures.  This obviously didn't last for too long, but it was really cool to see him just studying the pictures in one of his books.  Overall, his patience when it comes to reading books is growing.  Even just a few months ago, he used to bring a book over to my wife or I, plop himself down in our laps, and allow us to read maybe one or two pages before closing the book and running off with it.  Now he will actually sit in our laps and wait till we finish a page (most of the time) before turning it and letting us read the next one.  Its not just books that entertain him, but any kind of toy.  The other toy that he really likes is his mega blocks (Lego's on steroids).  He doesn't have that many, but he loves to put them together, occasionally changing the arrangement, and carry them around the house.  I would love to see what is going on in that little head of his, but one day soon I am sure he will be able to tell me. 

He is even getting better at his two puzzles that he has.  One is an actual five piece puzzle with two numbers on each piece, each piece being a different color.  It is a really simple puzzle where you match the colors the the board they fit into.  The board they go on even has two handles so that you can carry it around.  The other day we were playing in his room when he brought the puzzle over to me for a little help in getting the pieces in the right spots.  For the most part he does really well getting them where they go, just not necessarily turned the right way so they fit perfectly.  Every time he attempts it, though, he gets closer and closer.  After we got all the pieces in, I asked him to point out the number 3 (each piece has two numbers, from 1-10 on the five pieces).  It was pretty apparent that he didn't know what I was asking, so I pointed the number out to him.  As soon as I did that, he started pointing to the other numbers, in completely random order, and as he did, I would tell him which number it was.  We must have gone through the numbers for about 5 minutes.  By the time we were done and I asked him what a specific number was, he would at least get close with pointing out which one it was.  After that, all he wanted to do was carry the puzzle around with him, trying not tip it over so the pieces fell out.  He did pretty well with that.  The other puzzle he has and enjoys is not really a puzzle, but rather a board with different colored cats and dogs on it.  The cats and dogs have specific spots that they fit into and he is also getting really good at putting those pieces in the correct spots.  All in all, he is learning quickly about the world around him, his blocks, books, and puzzles, and is not even 17 months old yet.  I don't know when toddlers start learning this kind of stuff, but it is amazing to watch it happen.  Most of the time, he is simply a joy to have around.  There are obviously times when he is trying and frustrating, but those times quickly fade away when he is happy and active. 

Even when it comes to daycare, he is a little independent young boy.  While all the other children he is with in his age group have a need to play with other children, he doesn't.  He is perfectly happy most times just playing with toys by himself.  That isn't to say that he doesn't play with the other children, he is just perfectly fine occupying himself.  For the most part, I think it is a good thing.  While it is good to know how to play with other children, I feel it is important to be able to occupy yourself and not feel the need to have others around in order to play or do stuff.   We shall see how he turns out as he grows.  And speaking of growing, he is an absolute monster when it comes to eating.  He can just pack in that food non stop.  He has an enormous little growth belly going right now that I am a little afraid as to what it will mean in terms of his height.  He has already sprouted up quite a bit in the past few months and if all the food he is eating means anything, he will probably grow another 6 inches over the coming months.  Every day he eats more and more and is probably already eating what a 3 year old would eat.  Every morning he starts off with scrambled eggs, usually about 2-3.  About an hour or so later, he has a banana.  Then comes the cottage cheese, the yogurt, the almost full can of fruit, his lunch of veggies and whatever else we give him, then more cheese in the afternoon, more fruit, then dinner.  He is a little monster.  Just in the mornings, he usually ends of finishing his eggs before my wife and I do and we usually give him a little more from our plates.  Simply amazing how much food can fit into that little (well big) belly of his.  Yet despite his big belly, the rest of him is thin and lean which leads me to believe he will be growing soon.  He eats very healthy and is super active and I am kind of scared as to what this will mean down the road when he becomes a teenager and has a voracious appetite that we probably won't be able to satiate.  I guess he will just have to get a job so he can pay for his own food.  Oh well, on that happy note of food, I need to get going to get the little man up and breakfast started.  Till tomorrow, carpe diem!

The Straw Bale House

Yes, you did read the title correctly, there is such a thing as a straw bale house and I have decided to build such a house in Vermont on my property when finances allow.  Obviously, I won't be building the house up there anytime soon, but I found it to be a fascinating idea is low impact to the environment and relatively easy to build.  How is such a house even feasible and durable?  Well, to answer the second part of the question first, there are straw bale houses built over two hundred years ago that are still standing.  I don't necessarily know if anyone is still living in them, but they have them both in Europe and the United States.  What originally turned me on to the idea was a blog series that was posted on the NY Times online about green building and the story of a group who embarked on building a straw bale house.  I read through the article and was quite surprised at the beautiful outcome that can be achieved when built properly.  The straw bale house is not just meant for small dwellings, but can also be used in conjunction with post and beam construction for larger dwellings as well, I think the largest picture of which I saw was about 5200 sq. ft.  For smaller structures, the straw bales are the primary support in the walls being capable of carrying the roof load.  Perhaps the most attractive part about the building process is that you can get the straw bales anywhere that farming occurs.  A big draw for the straw bale house these days is that it actually helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions by keeping the waste hay and straw from being burned by farmers as it normally is.  By baling it and using it as a building product instead, the carbon dioxide is kept neutral and not pumped into the atmosphere.   But that is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to benefits to be had from building with straw bales.  Perhaps the next best part is that they can be used in any climate, although depending on where you live will dictate the type of finished surface you will have to use on the exterior.  Normally, it would be a earthen stucco on the exterior, but in moist climates I believe that lime is used as well to decrease the chance of water invading the bales. 

Still not sold on the idea?  Well, good, because I am not trying to sell anything here, just passing along info.  In any case, perhaps the greatest draw for me is that a house built with straw bales is 75% more energy efficient than a house built using standard methods.  With the tight binding of the bales and the increased thickness compared to standard walls, there is little or not air movement within the bales and as such they can do a much better job of keeping a house either warm or cold.  The tightness of the bales also helps to reduce the possibility of rodents or insects getting in, although that obviously also depends on a tight seal on interior and exterior walls.  Want even more benefits?  In wind tests, straw bales houses have been shown to exhibit no movement in winds up to 75 m.p.h. and in winds over 100 m.p.h. there is movement of only about a 1/16th of an inch.  I would say that is pretty sturdy.  They are even approved for construction in California as they are capable of shifting in an earthquake without falling down.  So what is the use of all this information?  I find it fascinating personally, especially since I have never heard of a straw bale house before about a week ago.  The fact that it is 75% more energy efficient than a standard house is the biggest draw for me as I would want to utilize this technique in Vermont where winters can get very cold.  This winter, as I have randomly checked the weather, temperatures have often times been in the single digits and teens with wind chills far below that.  An energy efficient house means that I would have to spend less on heating and cooling than I would have to otherwise, an enormous draw due to the set back nature of my property as it is.  I also am quite fond of the idea of using locally sourced products for the building.  Technically, I have enough trees on my property up there to build myself quite a large house, but frankly, I like the trees and would much rather leave as many of them as possible and only cut down what I need to in order to build the house itself.  I would cut down some extra trees for part of the structure, but the more I can leave standing, the better.

Despite the fact that I will have an energy efficient house up there once I am done with a forest full of trees around me, that still leaves me with a few issues that would need resolving.  The first would be electricity.  I have a small stream running through the property that runs fairly continuously throughout the year, albeit a lot lower during late summer/early fall, and I have toyed with the idea of coming up with a small hydroelectric system to create a least a small amount of electricity.  That combined with an enormous bank of batteries would be a start, but I would need a lot more in order to sustain a house.  As part of my property is on top of a hill, I could always utilize part of the higher portions for solar power, clearing out an area that could be used as a solar panel field.  The last possibility before paying a utility company to run lines a quarter mile up a trail would be wind power.  However the last possibility is the least likely to take hold as Vermont is very fickle about anything that interrupts the view of foliage and could potentially take away from their tourism dollars.  I would like to be able to survive "off the grid", it will just take some ingenuity, time, and obviously money to get there.  I can make it happen though, I hope.  I am not worried about water as there is a natural spring on part of my property that I can utilize along with a filtration system.  That would leave waste to be taken care of.  From what I know about the property, there used to be a septic system in my clearing that I have, however, I don't know how long ago that was or if it is even viable still.  That will take some money to figure out, money that I don't have right now.  So for now, I will plan away, dream of my straw bale house, and one day look towards retirement in the woods of Vermont, which with global warming should achieve the climate of Connecticut by the time I move up there.  In any case, if your still skeptical about what a straw bale house looks like or what it could look like, google images of straw bale houses and I think you will be amazed as I was. 

Cutting the Wrong Things

Our federal government has a problem; they are infatuated with themselves and feel they can't do any wrong.  Worse, they feel entitled.  We are know only a few days away from more spending cuts taking effect in our federal government, supposedly across the board, yet I don't hear of any politicians taking cuts to their pay or their benefits.  They are cutting everything else; the military (which should be), and all other government jobs except where it concerns themselves.  Yet despite these cuts, government spending is still on the increase, which in my mind, does not make any sense.   Despite the fact that politicians aren't cutting anything in regards to themselves, they are also not making cuts to the big three vacuums of government money; Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  There has been partisan bickering over what to cut, decisions to be made that haven't, and the people of the United States are left to deal with the repercussions, all while the politicians in Washington keep on living the same, getting their pay, their lifetime pension after serving only one term, and their health care benefits.  Where does this leave the rest of us?  I'm sure for a lot of us, it leaves us wondering if our politicians are actually in touch with reality and willing to take steps to make changes that are unpopular, even if for the better in the long run.  So how can we fix this problem?  There are numerous ways, but one of the first ones is to look at the jobs that the politicians hold in Washington.  An elected official is supposed to be a public servant, one who takes the job for the good of his fellow citizens because he/she knows that they can make a difference and actually wants to, not a highly paid worker who vies for the job because of the pension and benefits associated with it.  Perhaps we should start the cuts where they need to be started, with the pay and benefits of those in office.  They should show us that they are actually willing to make a sacrifice and not just tell the rest of us that we need to make a sacrifice when they can keep on living the good life.  A politician was never meant to be a life long position held, but rather a temporary one after which they went back to work in the private sector.  So much for the ideals of our founding fathers. 

Lets move on though, because I have thoughts and they need to be let out.  I have talked about this before and lo and behold, I will bring them up again despite the fact that some of my friends would completely disagree with me.  We need to make cuts, or at least immense modifications to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  They consume more and more money every year with no benefit to our economy and decreasing benefit to its recipients.  In fact, spending on those areas is due to increase with Obamacare taking full effect next year.  Those three programs, as they are currently structured, are not sustainable and if not taken care of within the near future, will eventually lead to our economic demise.  With people living longer, collecting Social Security for longer, and relying on Medicare for longer, it is no surprise that it will bankrupt our society if we keep on funding it the way it is currently structured.  Yet no one wants to tackle these issues in a meaningful manner or even admit to the fact that they are broken systems that will eventually be the root of our demise.  So much for forward thinking.   There comes a point in a politicians life when they must weigh the needs and desires of their constituents with the needs of the country as a whole and if the needs of a country as a whole trump those of the constituents, then they need to be able to make the tough decision and look to the future instead of focusing on getting re-elected.  Yet none of them do that.  Their whole concern is with getting re-elected and pleasing their constituents even if it means bankrupting the country down the road.  Yet even more can be done to cut spending that we are not addressing.  This comes with the military.  While military spending is already being cut, we need to make bigger cuts in that area as they are perhaps the next largest recipient of funds from our federal budget after the big three.  There is no need for the size military that we have and we need to make large moves to reduce its size.  There are no world wars going on, there are no direct threats of invasion from other countries, there are no world issues that "need" our attention.  For all our promotion of democracy throughout the world, other countries have to desire democracy in order for it to work, it can't be forced on a people.  All foreign aid should be greatly reduced and that money put towards improving the livelihood of those within our own country.  While poverty and starvation are definitely worse in other areas around the world, we have our own issues that we can't resolve in terms of poverty and starvation and we are not doing enough to help those in need within our own borders.  Its time to focus inwards instead of outwards.

Lets look at this one more way.  Government is run by special interests.  While there are cuts being made, larger cuts are being made to programs that have large special interest groups lobbying against them.  Is it fair?  Absolutely not.  But unless we change the culture in Washington, then nothing will change.  Large corporations and industries with billions of extra dollars to spend will have their areas supported while others flounder.  There are no areas of government that can't be bought out for the right sum of money.  As sad as that is, it is true. While it is a good thing that the government is shrinking in size due to the cuts being made, the fact that spending is still increasing is troubling.  Cuts are being made in every arena; local, state, and federal.  Yet with cutting going on and spending increasing, there is no other way to fund programs than to increase taxes or fees.  They can call it what they want, but we can all be sure of paying higher taxes and larger fees to fund the inevitable programs that will be our detriment.  I for one would gladly forgo receiving Social Security if it meant that our economy wouldn't be bankrupt in 30 years.  Would I be singing a different tune if I needed those services?  Probably, but perhaps that is where they programs need to be directed towards, those that actually need it versus those that both want and need it.  While the percentage of people who have valid retirement plans that can fund their health insurance and life through retirement is much smaller than those that don't have one, perhaps those people should be not be eligible to receive Social Security and other benefits.  That would save a lot of money right there.  All these ideas mean nothing unless action is taken towards changing them.  Unfortunately, I don't see that happening any time soon.  Instead, we the people of the United States will get led along like sheep to the slaughter all the while being told we are going to a better place.  Yeah right!  OK, I'm done ranting, any thoughts on the matter out there?