Let the sunshine in

The weather is getting warmer here. We're hitting the high 80's this week and we'll be seeing the high 90's within a few weeks. And with the high temps will come the fires. It's almost guaranteed; all we need is a north wind combined with high temps and the firebugs crawl out from the rocks to do their best to destroy all they can.

The bad news around here is that we have to conserve water at a greater than expected rate. Because this area was consuming water at a higher than average rate, we are expected to cut back by almost 1/3; 32% to be exact. Well, the back lawn is gone now and we've cut back on flushing. The front yard is looking less than lush. It probably looks bad enough to keep the self appointed 'water vigilantes' at bay.

A few more weeks and water worries will be memories for 13 days as we travel down the Oregon coast with my sister and brother in law.

The time I spend with the rehab therapists is not doing much. The pains and singular neuropathy come and go unpredictably. The surgeon that did the first two surgeries told me that I would probably have to live with the results. He removed the crippling pain and for that I'm grateful. I will be seeing the neurologist next Friday with hopes of solving the balance issues...and the neuropathy. Marijuana will be the next and probably last hope for finding a pain stopper that doesn't have all the side effects that the legal opioids have.

We decided to join the many neighbors around here by installing a solar power system. The process began today when measurements , photos and angle of the sun were taken and recorded. It takes about 2 months for the whole process and after it is complete, a switch is thrown and my electric meter will begin to turn in the opposite direction while I sell electricity to the power company. I will have a 20 year lease on the system and since I'm almost 75 now, the chances of my seeing the end of the lease are pretty slim. But I can hope! In the meantime, my lease costs me $149 a month and twenty years from now it will still be $149 a month.

Solar power installation in California is 14% ahead of the nation with 3 dedicated solar power plants in the desert south of here. 23 states still have no solar power utilities and no plans to build any. Solar cells are popping up on roofs all around here and the power companies and their stockholders are getting nervous. But where were they when it became apparent that solar power was viable? Heads were in the sand.