July 2024: Critters, Flowers, Skies

 

Thanks for stopping by! I pray you are well and thriving.

A Mesquite Hugger Focus

 Welcome back, friends!

I see and hear God in nature. Like Elijah, I am fed by ravens - and lots of other local creatures, plants, and skies.

Every action I take to preserve or protect wild things and wild places is an effort to preserve God's grace, God's visibility, and the divine beauty of His creation. On those rare occasions when I have heard His voice, I was in or was observing nature.

Nevertheless, I am male and I am human, fundamentally selfish and lazy. I crave adventure, things, and comfort.

My original goal in Mesquite Hugger was to be a reporter, to share the natural beauty to be found in West Texas, but I did not steward that vision well. Mesquite Hugger became a place to learn how to protect and care for this God-given blessing.

And I did not steward that well either. This became a blog that worshipped the tools used to combat natural and environmental destruction. And even that I distilled into a focus on wheeled things that don't run on petroleum products.

And like any spiritual endeavor divided in focus, I let that worship splinter into another blog where wheeled things are sought are worshipped.

Since that split, Mesquite Hugger has floundered to find its focus but really hasn't done so. In the interim, it has become a place to sporadically find many photos and few words featuring that original West Texas beauty.

(The other blog has floundered as well and hasn't found its footing or an audience, but it has found my adoration for all things pedal-powered - mostly bicycles.)

So, what's next?

This spring I hope to bring Mesquite Hugger home to a place that celebrates natural beauty and its creator. I want it to be a place where you can find words, photos, and videos all focused in that mission.

(I will also endeavor to keep that focus while avoiding the worship of pens and keyboards and cameras, of bikes and cars and batteries.)

I want this to be a place where you can experience that natural beauty and those moments when wonder gives way to joy long before you even know you had an emotion.

As always, thank you for reading. May your winter melt into a glorious and awe-filled spring!

Fossil Free Friday Minipost - Crazy EV Trike in Dallas

Just wow! Batmobile looks, long EV range, solar-paneled rear wing, wheelie bars, can be used as a dragster or a daily rider! (And the thing is surrounded by lots of glorious mesquite trees!)

 

 

I ran across it on Dallas Craigslist. There's no price. There's obviously a lot of time, money, and (possibly) love in this wild machine.

 

 

 

 

May your ride be swift, quiet, low-carbon, and far from boring!

Lubbock on a Bike: Two Great Videos for Bike Commuting

It's been a carbon news whirlwind for me lately. All of the news about Exxon cover ups and Keystone pipeline shenanigans and a little bill called Keep it in the Ground. It's given me a lot of motivation to strengthen my own quest for personal carbon reduction. And the biggest part of that is transportation. It's been a good week for that - I rode a bike to work four days this week. My body is a little tired but my spirit is greatly lifted.

In case you crave some of that good feeling but do not know where to start, here are two videos to encourage and educate your inner cyclist.

 

How to bike in the city (tips for the bicycle curious)

 

This video, by the way, is from Grist

 

If you've been hanging around here much, you know that I am a bit obsessed with hauling stuff on a bike and hanging out with my favorite canines, I offer you this video from Mind the Gap:

 

URBAN BIKING: The Art of Carrying Things by Bike

And in case you are looking for cleaner forms of transport but the bike is just not the answer for you, here is a great (and very comprehensive) Green Living Ideas article to let you know what's out there.

Green Living Ideas: What is Alternative Transportation?

May your spirit be lifted by the way your body is transported, and may your carbon be reduced.

Vintage Electric Car Profile: the almighty Sebring-Vanguard Citicar!

Buy the shirt here

It's a gross oversight, the ever-present thing you never notice. A few years back, five of us found our way to the Pate Swap Meet. Swap meets are areas of great temptation for my crowd. And there is always a story of the one that got away. This one is a whopper for me.

Click here for Wikipedia's extensive Citicar/Commuta-Car entry

You see, the ever-present symbol for the vintage electric car around this blog is the Sebring-Vanguard Citicar. When I hear the term "electric car," my brain goes straight to the little Floridian wedge and then adjusts itself back out to things like Leafs, MiEVs, and Teslas. And there was a not-so-lovely pink Citicar for sale at that swap meet. (There was also a non-running Allstate Jetsweep like Bo Diddley's that got away too, but that's another post.)

 EVAlbum.com has several entries for Citicars/Commutacars/Commutavans

Grizz and I went by a few times to check the Citicar out, but we never caught the owner present. The last time we went by, it had "sold" written on the windshield. And we were a little bummed. As time passed, the little bit bummed became the very bummed. "Hey Grizz, do you remember that time we had a chance to buy that Citicar?" Grizz sighs and shakes his head. It's not often that you have a chance to bring the archetype home. Through a lack of persistence (and a fear of the look on our wives' faces), we let the little electric doorstop get away.

 Photo from Isaac Hale

On rare occasions, I post a Vintage Electric Car Profile, and they are pretty popular. The little Zagato gets a fair amount of traffic, so does the Kewet. I usually feel a little fraudulent when I post things like those. I have never actually seen a Kewet or a Zagato. I've never seen a Kurbwatt (but I really want one!) And I realized today that I have never profiled THE vintage electric car - the Citicar, the highest produced American electric car until the Tesla Model S came along. And I have seen one in person. I lay on the ground and checked out the motor mounted to the differential. My hands ran across the not-so-smooth pink paint. I stuck my head inside and checked out the rough and spartan interior.

Buy the ad here

Keith did not make it to coffee this morning. He told me that he woke up in the middle of the night and his mind swam with all the possibilities in building the motor for his next project - an old Vespa Rally. And I knew the feeling. I remembered a night where my brain swam with upgrades for the little, pink slice of American cheese: an upgrade to 72 volts, or maybe even 96 volts of lithium batteries, an Alltrax contoller, and what motor? How scary would the little beast be at 96 volts? Would it be fun to park near a gas pump and point and laugh at people? Would it do wheelies? Could it sneak up on cats and squirrels like the electric Vespa does? Would my poor wife dis-own me?

It's probably a good thing it got away. Like several other projects, it would gather dust in a corner. But I was that close! That close I tell you! Snagit, here comes another sleepless night.

May you find your green chariot of choice and give Mother Nature a break!

Another Milestone: 10,000 views

10,000 views of the Mesquite Hugger blog - it will happen today or tomorrow, and it astounds me. I am thankful to each of you who reads this little blog from our flat and dusty place.

So, what's next? Stay tuned for

• updates on the electric bike kit which is now at my house but is not yet installed on the bike - it's killing me!
• for an entry on our visit to the Earthships in Taos and other cool surprises from Northern New Mexico.
• for updates on the vintage electric scooter projects.
• for every random creature that wanders through my line of sight.
• for winter energy saving tips.
• for lots of other cool stuff about working to make this world a better place.

Until then, get out there and do something that helps us all to breathe a little easier and to create a little more hope for those around you. May you indeed be the change you want to see in the world!

Thank you!

Another Mesquite Hugger Milestone: the 300th Post!!!

First and foremost, THANK YOU! For everyone who takes the time to read this blog, thank you! Thank you! Thank you to the loyal readers who read every post, and thank you to those of you who just pop in once in a great while.

Second, I apologize. I apologize because I am being lazy on this post - we are having a flashback post today. I have picked 5 of my early faves and the one that explains what headed me down this environmental path. I hope you enjoy them (and this blog) as much as I enjoy writing it.

Number 3: That prairie dog just said you're fat!

Number 8: Professing vs. Practicing

Number 9: Hang Time! (Or Who Needs Fluffy Softness?)

Number 10: Mesquite Beans!

Number 19: How far do you live from _____?

 Number 24: 11 September 2013 - Brace yourself - it's a long one and there are no pictures or links.

May you have a better day!

PS. If you have comments, requests, etc. that you do not care to post publicly, please shoot me an email: spraycan440 at gmail.com

Your chance to see tiny houses from your not-so-tiny living room

The overactive brain has been rather pinballish lately. So I have been seeking background noise on Netflix. Yesterday I found some background noise so good that it became my foreground noise, snagit!

The background noise in particular is Tiny, a film I have been wanting to see for several months now. (You may remember a previous post about it.) It focuses (mainly) on a young couple in Colorado who decide to build a tiny home and the trials and triumphs they face. It also sidebars with several interviews of other tiny housers. Intriguing stuff.

May your tiny dreams be huge! (Or something like that.)

Roll Out the (Rain) Barrel (Mark Your Calendar)

Happiness is a rain barrel!

(http://www.hoklife.com/tag/rain-barrel/)

A day late and a gallon short, so to speak, I learned that on Tuesday night Brad Lancaster, author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, gave a talk here in Lubbock. You can click on the title and visit his very informative website that is designed for people who live in areas of  very little rainfall to harvest and conserve our most precious natural resource. Snagit!!! Please check out the site.

While you are there, you can also check out a book on a subject that is near and dear to the Mesquite Hugger heart and stomach: Eat Mesquite.

For another local opportunity for you to learn about rainwater harvesting (and to use tools!), mark your calendar for the Make and Take Rain Barrel Workshop Saturday, April 12, 2014 here in Lubbock. If you want a rain barrel but do not have the tools, skills, or place to make one, this is your chance to work with others and make it happen!

I hope to see you there!

May your barrel runneth over!

A Self-Powered Pickup on Two Wheels

Not being (financially) rich is a blessing for me. First, it forces me to find cheap and creative solutions to expensive problems. Second, it keeps me from running off and blowing all of our hard-earned money on somebody else's hard work and creativity.

That somebody else for today's blog entry is a guy named Neal Saiki.

Neal, among other things is the co-founder of Zero Motorcycles. At this point in time, Zero is probably your best option if you want to go out and buy yourself a new electric motorcycle, but don't ask for Neal if you drop by the factory. (And it's very hard to drop by the Zero factory - I tried last year.)

You will find him down the road at his new place - NTS Works, where they build some extremely cool and functional electric cargo bikes. Pricewise, they are in the same range as the cool cruisers featured on this blog back on January 8th (link at the bottom). But there are a few major differences. The NTS bikes are not built to be beauty queens or showpieces. They are built to do work and to be two-wheeled trucks. And one of the NTS bikes is built to feed itself. All you have to do is park it in the sun.

If we had the hard earned money just sitting in a pile at home, I'd be throwing that money at Neal as soon as I finished this blog post. If you follow this post through to the NTS website, be sure to check out the very high-powered and compact solar panel and how little the price difference is between the solar and the non-solar models. And check out their interesting and appealing approach to battery warranty. And, just bask in the glory of the functional coolness. (Sigh.)

Now for those of you who sigh like I do and don't have the pile of money to throw at Neal, here are a few Instructables to help you run out and build your own cargo cycle.

And here is the January 8 Mesquite Hugger post.

And here is the original Derek Markham article  from Treehugger that led me to the NTS Works website.

May you be inspired whether you throw money at Neal or not.

Mesquite Beans!

Any recipe that involves a pickup sitting in the hot sun catches my eye. Roll up your windows and roast yourself some beans!
http://www.everythingdesert.com/apps/blog/entries/show/7718812-harvesting-mesquite-beans

Enjoy and let us know what you make!