The First Lizard of Spring (2022)

 Woohoo! This one came much earlier than most AND it's not a Mediterranean gecko! (Although, I'd be just as excited to see a gecko - after the big freeze we saw almost no geckoes last year.)

For those of you who don't love the herpetological version of Where's Waldo, let's try that again.

No, I don't see many these days, so I was thrilled to see this tiny horned lizard.

The little brother and I went for a mountain desert bike ride at at Mae Simmons yesterday and saw the newborn horny toad. They were extremely common when I was a kid, but pesticides, fire ants, and cats have decimated the little anteaters. These days I am lucky to see two per year, so I'm thankful for each one I see.

May you (and the little guy in the pics) thrive and prosper! Be well, friends!

Stacking Up the Tubs

In the garage I have a storage tub. At any given time I have 3-4 bikes I am working on and I throw all the parts intended for those bikes in the tub. For an indecisive guy like me, it takes a while to gather all the just-right parts to make the bike the right kind of useful or beautiful or both. When (I think) everything is there, I get to work on that bike.

In my computer I have two file folders. One is 2Wheels Maybe and one is for Mesquite Hugger. Blog posts are a lot like bikes. They turn out better when I take time to curate, polish up, and pre-assemble the parts. They work better. Occasionally, they even inspire others a bit.

Lately I've been delving into a new hobby - making videos. This morning I realized that videos, too, are bikes and blog posts. I fill the video tub with images, videos, audio clips, ideas, and storyboards. I am none too good at it, but the videos are getting better. Getting better is better than being good. Striving is better than satisfaction.

Today, I realized that this has been the pattern of my adult life. And I can look back at a shop full of projects that have never made it past the curation tub. Tub after tub has been pushed aside for another type of tub and the curation for another project.

For almost two decades, I 've been a practicing and fairly faithful Christian. Even though I am fascinated by a few Old Testament prophets, I've devoted most of my energies to the New Testament where a savior devoted His time to caring deeply for the poor, the sick, and the marginalized; to teaching and modeling stewardship; to serving others rather than filling tubs with treasure for some day.

Me, I've been curating - reading, studying, praying; but I haven't been putting the pieces together, yet. I'm not sure what the project is, but I am praying that it serves and cares and inspires and glorifies without gathering dust.

May your project tubs lead you to a better place and may they bless countless others along the way.

Squirrelitos!

In my office at work, there is no window. It once was a closet, but it's been converted into a pretty nice office with two doors, two desks, and zero windows. As spring has approached, it's been a little tough staring at walls and doors and desks.

During this time of social distancing, however, I am working at home. At home I have a window facing the backyard. In the backyard is an old elm with a cavity that usually holds nesting birds, but this year the squirrels moved in first.

Ever been mooned by a squirrel?

Initially, I noticed a little face and thought it was an owl, so I grabbed the camera, zoomed in a bit, and then realized it was a squirrel face. A few minutes later, another face appeared. So my wife and I set up camp and came to realize there were four. By the next day, they were venturing out a bit and we realized there were six.

My wife took these pics - she's a much better photog than I.

For those of you who just can't get enough, here is a video of the little rascals venturing out onto the branch for (what we think was) the first time.

 

 Six little squirrels for six minutes

Yep, that's it. I just wanted to share a little fun, natural beauty.  May you know health, wellness and a little peace in these unsettling times.

Thanks for stopping by!

The First Lizard of Spring 2020, Random Pics, and a Covid 19 Message

The first lizard of spring - Mediterranean gecko we disturbed when dismantling the front-yard planter

The last pic of the Food is Free planter (with wildflowers!)

Follow the link above to see how and why we built the planter. It has yielded 5 years of great veggies and flowers with very little maintenance and very little water. We will still be using this type of irrigation on our front-porch planters. (More on that later.)

Hail a week ago

Sunrise

The bike commutes have been peaceful and enjoyable. For the month, I'm over 100 miles with no one-way trips exceeding 5 miles. Even better, we've had time for some family bike trips

Sunrise another day

Huge cactus flower (spotted on a dog walk)

Three cardinals came by

Our daily squirrel

My mockingbuddy

The adventure of Jeep Wheel and Robin!

The robin explains social distancing

The dogs have been pretty stressed

Life has been good in our little bit of isolation, but it in no way makes light of our current viral pandemic. We keep looking for more and better ways to serve and take care of the people around us, especially our neighbors who are more vulnerable and those brave souls in the medical profession. If you are fortunate enough to ride this out comfortably, please remember those in your community who are struggling to keep food on the table and struggling to care for families not accustomed to being home around the clock.

In hard times like these, people have the potential to be their best and their worst. Please choose well, be well, and be healthy.

Pray hard and work hard friends.

As always, thank you for stopping by.

Coronavirus/Covid 19 PS.

For those looking for a no-nonsense explanation of coronavirus questions, our family has found this interview with Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, very helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A3jiM2FNR8

Lubbock: Responding to Climate Change Locally 7-27-19 (with 7-29 update)

My absolute favorite local group for combating climate change is the Lubbock Chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby. If you're curious or serious about limiting the effects of too much carbon, they are a great place to start. And...

...they are having a program on Saturday, the 27th.

Find the printable flyer here

May we work together to make something happen. I hope to see you there!

Update (7-29-2019)

Here is the Daily Toreador article reporting on the program:

Gillette, Lubbock Community Discusses Climate Change Effects on West Texas

Saturday Ramble: the Week

We had rain this week, thank the Lord! Lubbock was drying up and desperately needed the moisture, but it came with high winds and even a few tornadoes in the area. Lots of damage. Many people will be cutting and hauling branches, repairing fences, and figuring out how to fix things or who to call. But the rain was sure nice.

 Yesterday I saw a Model 3 and a Chevy Volt, but...

...the most exciting green car I saw was...

...an older Prius with a DIY solar panel setup. Intriguing. Was it charging the traction pack? The 12 volt accessory battery? Something else? DIY green ingenuity always gets the juices flowing.

No progress on the Huffy klunker this week, but lots of dreaming.

The most exciting cargo bike news this week was the arrival (in my awareness) of the new Mongoose Envoy cargo bike. It comes in at half the price (or less) of a base model Yuba Mundo. Is this the birth of the accessible cargo bike for the masses or just a serious threat to the small manufacturers who've been carrying the torch so long?

In regional news, I was very excited to see an Electrek post about our neighbors to the west:

You go, New Mexico! (Click here for article) Woohoo!

Here in Lubbock, the steadily increasing stream of pedestrian and bullet-based deaths continues. More painful statistics and meaningless death.

At our house, on the other hand, our household grew by one and we are thrilled!

May you be blessed and encouraged, and may we find better paths!

Okay, I admit it. (The Personal Carbon Reduction fight at 50)

As the Mesquite Hugger, I don't have the fight in me I once had. My beliefs haven't changed, but my desire to fight has been rather flighty. As an environmentalist, as a Christian, and as a human being, I still want a better, safer, healthier world for all, but my arms are sure having a harder time holding up a protest sign.

Yes, I'm still on a quest for personal carbon reduction. Reducing the world's dependence on petroleum and coal will not solve all of our ills, but it's a big step in making a more livable world where we can all live and breathe, and maybe even hate each other less.

Getting older has a few perks - my wife bought me a powerful new PCR tool.

(Thank you, my love!)

I turned 50 this week. And true to form, I've been introspectorating my role in this life a little too much. These days I devote a lot more time to keeping the bills paid and caring for the people around me. (To be fair, they've been working at taking care of me more too.) (I've also had the attention span of a gnat with a bad caffeine habit.)

For the fall season, I am pushing to be healthier and stronger. Less gas, more pedaling. Less solitaire, more Steinbeck. Fewer carbs, more Seeger, Guthrie, and Ochs. Less computer, more compassion. Less batter, more Bible. (You get the picture.)

All this is to say I'm not dead yet and I'm working out to get back in shape for the fight.

May we pedal, compost, reduce, re-use, heal, and fight our way to better place.

And may you know peace.

A Brief Walk in Mansfield, TX

On a work trip this week, I snuck out of the hotel for a quick walk. Here are some photos:

A huggable mesquite!

 May you sneak away often!

Saturday Morning Ramble: Setting an Example

Who's watching you?

From this morning's walk

 

No, this is not one of those Snowden CIA FBI Homeland Security paranoia questions.

It's a question for you in your everyday life. Who around you is watching what you do? A more important question, though, is what are they learning from watching you?

One of the most important people in my life is an nine-year-old with autism. And he is brilliant, but being nine and autistic means he has a 100 mile per hour brain traveling in six lanes and in five different directions. At that speed, you tend to miss a lot. Subtlety escapes him.

I have had to learn that reassuring looks and gestures mean very little. I have to (very literally) have him look me in the eye and then reassure him with words - at least twice. And if I want to be a good influence, I have to explain my actions.

I am one of the primary influences in his life. It is one of the hardest roles I've ever tried. He keeps me mindful.

But that's not what I wanted to write about today. This is the Mesquite Hugger blog. It's not the Big Brother blog. (It's also not the Big Brother Is Watching You blog.)

Who around you is watching what you do?
What are they learning from watching you?
What do you want them to learn from watching you?

I want them to learn to treat others well - all others. Whether it's interpersonal, professional, or even environmental, I hope to set an example of working to make life better for people, for places, for wildlife.

If you're still reading this, you are probably here because you would like to make the world a better place too (or you're waiting to see if this turns into another electric cargo bike post.)

As you roll through your day, please pay attention to how you're living, how you're treating others, how you're working to get by and how you're working to improve, and who sees you as an example.

What actions do you want to be caught doing?

May your actions make the world a better place and inspire others to do the same.

A small saturday ramble

Olla Tomatoes

I woke up this morning and lay in bed fretting over the state of the world and our house. I said a prayer. I kissed my wife. I got up. Plugged in the rechargeable lawn mower. Then I grabbed the re-usable cup and pedaled off to the local coffeehouse.

The compost bins are doing well. The plants in the food-is-free planter and the olla planters are doing great. The tomatoes are amazing.

We've made it a week as a single-car household. Work is going well.

I find myself with less and less to write about.

How about you?

May you have a wonderful day!

Fossil Free Friday - Cargo Bikes in the Media (WooHoo!)

[This one is for those of you who've been going through Mesquite-Hugger-Cargo-Bike-Post withdrawals]

 

What you'll find in this thrilling episode:

• a new Yuba (that's not a longtail)
• a review of an old friend - the Radwagon
• and a bit of Xtra teasing

 

The New Yuba

 

Yep, Yuba did a big ol' reversal by offering a new bakfeits-style cargo bike - The Supermarché. This is the first Yuba I've seen where the load goes in front of the rider. You can learn more and see it in action on Wired or you can check it out on the Yuba site. (Me, I still want the Yuba Boda Boda V3 stepover or a plain old $999 Yuba Mundo.)

 

Check it out on wired.com

 

Even if you're not really interested in that particular cargo bike, the Wired video still does a nice job of going over what a cargo bike can do and how effective it can be in helping us drive less, pollute less, and spend less. Good stuff!

 

The Radwagon

 

And then there's the $1599 Radwagon (now with free shipping!) If you've spent much time around here, you know I have a big ol' crush on the tangerine banana bike from Seattle. Check out the recent article in Men's Journal:

 

Men's Journal article here

Since I am married to a lovely woman who really, really

wants a Ducati Monster, I had to include this quote.

 

PS. Rad Bargain alert: Radpower has the

Ballard Bag on sale for 1/2 price right now. 

 

The Xtra bit of news...

 

...is that I received an email from Xtracycle this week, and it contained some very Xciting words: New Bikes Coming Soon. I am staying tuned and will let you know!

 

Your Xtracycle random montage

 

May ditching your car become more and more common and may we all breathe easier and curse a lot less.

 

A Cool Project Is Born: Lubbock Pedal-Power Water Pump

Grizz and I are stoked! We have been invited to help out on a very cool project right here in Lubbock. And it's a project we've talked about a great deal but we haven't actually tried - yet!

As you know, we love bicycles here at Mesquite Hugger. The bicycle is a very simple solution to a lot of complicated problems. Speaking of which...

Check this one out in great detail at permapai: Bicycle Pump Power

Beth (our favorite of all Lubbock gardeners) asked if we would help put together a bike pump to help with rainwater irrigation over at the Heart of Lubbock Community Garden. Can you imagine a cooler project for the likes of us? Nope, me neither.

So, Grizz and I have been scheming on the best way to go about this. We have a few old bikes around we thought about using, but then we'd need to build a platform to stabilize the bike. Then we realized that there are bikes around that would make an even better pump station - stationary bikes!

Here comes the Request Part

If any of you Lubbockites happen to have an old stationary bike lying around unused that you would like to donate to a very worthy cause, we could definitely put it to good use. We are looking for something similar to this:

My mom had this exact same exercycle when I was a kid!

I only posted this pic because I think Randy

may be my Tennessee doppelganger.

We could also use a rotary pump or parts of a pump that we could adapt for the project. If it has to spin to operate, we'd love to find a way to adapt it for the bike water pump.

If you have a stationary bike or a pump you'd like to donate, please email me from the contact portion of this page or contact Beth through the Heart of Lubbock Community Garden Facebook page.

And if you want to get involved with the HOL Community Garden, there is a spring cleanup day happening this Saturday at 12:30 (February 4), so swing by and get yourself involved.

To learn more about the garden, check it out on one of these three platforms:

https://www.gofundme.com/lubbockcommunitygarden

https://www.instagram.com/lubbockcommunitygarden/
https://www.facebook.com/heartoflubbockgarden

For those of you who want to build your own pedal-powered pump, here are some more resources to check out:

Instructables: Portable Bicycle Water Pump

(Have I mentioned lately that I love Instructables?!!)

A little different approach from Make Magazine.

Community Garden: Blog Drill Pump

To sum up, this project involves upcycling, rainwater harvesting, bicycle-power, local food,

petroleum-free power, and spending time with good people. Beth, thank you for inviting us!

May you find yourself in the middle of something worthwhile, and may we all be better for it. See you in the garden!