So, the holidays have arrived and you are not sure if you want to
go green or stay with tradition.  Well, Focus Organic has worked to
ensure that it will be your easiest decision of the season.  Following
this holiday guide will give you peace of mind.

There are steps that can be taken and gifts that can be given to reduce your
impact this holiday season, and it’s not as hard as it might seem. Following
steps you would follow on any other day, such as turning off your lights,
unplugging electronics when not in use, and walking, biking, or using public
transportation when possible, plus some tips especially for the holidays will
help to make this year’s festivities more earth-friendly. (more…)

I’M STILL STANDING, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!

I would like to let you all know that I am still standing after IKE
came to town.

Ike started hitting us during the early morning hours.  Around 8:20
a.m. lost electricity.  Then the winds and rains started gearing up
for a rockin and rollin day. (more…)

I am going off topic today thanks to my satellite company deciding to cut me off
for a 24 hour period yesterday. Since this was my first experience with paying
hard earned money to be unjustly punished, pardon me while I rave on!

Yesterday morning, I poured my first cup of coffee, posted my article and went
back to correct something when I received the deadly web acceleration error.
Since I had not rebooted my laptop or reset the modem in a while, I cold booted
both of them. Everything lit up like a charm. I tried accessing the internet
and again received the web acceleration error. So, Stupid me, decided to call
customer support to find out the nature of the problem. (more…)

(This is a long one kids, so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy)

January 2008

Two architect students from the University of Kansas’ Studio 804, drive
4 1/2 hours to determine if Greensburg would be a viable candidate for
their annual project to build a house using architecture as a way of turning
around neighborhoods. They are concerned about committing here because of the
distance and time. Studio 804 is composed of 22 graduate students, all
graduating in May. The students go out and seek funding for the project, but
it seems they seek from the effected community itself, (gee, thanks). Back
at the University a Studio 804 meeting is held with the 22 students and their
professor discussing if Greensburg can really go that green, can the town
pull it off, the project’s not a charity, it needs funding, can the town (more…)

Our decision to go underground with the electrical was two fold:

1 – safety – nestled underground, no dangling wires for tree limbs, the wind, storms,
or nitwits to knock down. Just need to record the location, (nitwits are uncanny!)

2 – the view – one more time, – the view. All those who can’t wait for the day
that every stinking over-head wire goes underground, please raise your hands.

Going underground is by no means cheap. The power company will gladly do it for you, but,
get ready to give up your first born and a higher education for the rest.

Since we don’t have kids, this is the way we got around the expense:

We bought a “temp” pole for around $175. It comes with the weather head, meter box, and a large
circuit breaker box with double 100 amp main breakers, all installed. These are used for
mobile homes and new home construction sites (hense the name “temp” poles). We set the pole
in the NE corner of our property near the power pole with our transformer. So from main box
to RV breaker box is nearly a 100 foot run.

We dug a trench 2 feet deep to lay the electrical line. Paid $300 for 100 feet of 6 gauge
copper and that was cheap as they were out of 8 gauge. Threaded it through 1 inch pvc.
This was a rushed process, afraid to take a bathroom break, or God forbid, let dark catch
you half done. Because as sure as the sun will rise, that whole run would be unzipped and
nothing left but air in the trench. I can just imagine the little jerk, waiting in front of
the metal recycling place, sitting on my copper wire, sipping a hot cup of coffee, grinning!
Copper is so high now I swear they can smell it.

The whole time we were laying this expensive copper to hook up to an expensive power grid
the free wind was blowing the hats off of our heads and the free sunshine was still making
us squint through our sunglasses. We vowed to ourselves that if we ever get to the point
of getting the everyday necessities accomplished that we were going to build that wind-turbine.
That non-polluting energy generator and if we can ever find cheap solar panels, no roof on
this acre will be safe!

We vowed to get off of the grid or the grid will be paying us. Put that in your coal
burning power plants and smoke it.