What Bugs You?

"What pisses me off, is that more people aren't pissed off" Bill Maher.

Speaking of Bill Maher, If you haven't seen "religulous", I found it online. Check it out with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy.







We've had these bugs on the construction site for two years in a row. I can't say I've seen them anywhere else.... by my standards, this is a huge bug. It sounds somewhat like a helicopter when it fies by.

Honeymoon Sales Tax

I really think the HST could be a good thing. I'm on record saying that the GST was a bone-headed tax to begin with. Why have another separate bureaucratic money grabbing entity when we already had one? I call the HST, the Honeymoon Sales Tax cause once in place you'll never get screwed as often in your whole life. If Gordo had said... "times are tough and this tax will be used to prop up our social system until better times come around", I'd have a whole lot more respect for the man... and I'd shut up and pay up.

A two billion tax shift to give his corporate cronies a break?... I don't think so Gordo.

I signed Bill Tieleman's Facebook HST protest page.... but what I really want, is to rid our government of liars.... Here's my thought process. As a public employee, we're all Gordo's boss. As a boss I don't want my employees to be liars. What I don't get is, he'd proven himself a liar during his last two terms and yet some 46% of BC voters "hired him" in May. Now (some of) those voters are outraged at the current set of lies. They seem somehow surprised. They must be the same voters that canned electoral reform. I'll be asking my MLA, Don McRae if he has the balls to stand up for his constituents, or must he bow to the emperor Gordo... stay tuned.

(Cheesy Travolta video explains the hst)

Hello Mr. Mcrae,My wife and I moved to the Comox Valley three years ago. We are currently building a new home and intend to retire here. Like a lot of other BC'ers, who to vote for in the last Provincial election was a conundrum indeed. I think it's common knowledge that a large number of voters held their nose and voted for "the devil you know". It certainly appears now that some voters would vote otherwise if given the opportunity today. Much of the dissatisfaction (as I'm sure you're aware), stems from the blatant disingenuousness of Mr Campbell. Each BC resident, is in a way, an employer of public servants. Most employers would not put up with employees that habitually lied to them. I fear the writing is on the pink slip for Employee Gordon Campbell. As a constituent of yours, I would like to know your thoughts on the leadership of your party and the direction in which you leader is taking it. If you'll excuse my bluntness I shall ask, will you represent the wishes of your constituents by standing up in the legislature and demanding honesty from everyone there, including the leader of your party? Thanks for your public service.
Regards, Dave.
(I hope this email is not answered "auto responder")

See the following answer....I guess the answer is "No" he won't have the balls to hold Gordo to any kind of ethics.... should we expect any different? As his assistant says: he will "make decisions that he feels will be the best", not what his constituents feel is best, hmmmm. Regardless of your political beliefs, please email your MLA and demand honesty in government. It's the least we can expect.

On behalf of MLA Don McRae, thank you for taking the time to email our office. Don is aware of your email and has asked that I reply on his behalf, as he is in Victoria preparing for the opening of the legislature on August 25, 2009.
When Don made the decision to run for MLA for the Comox Valley he made a commitment to be the best MLA he could be. He is prepared to listen to all of the issues and make decisions that he feels will be the best, not only for the citizens of the Comox Valley, but also for the Province of BC. Don appreciates hearing from constituents such as yourself.
Thank you once again for emailing our office.
Dianne Lineker
Constituency Assistant to
Don McRae, MLA
Comox Valley Constituency
Phone: 250 703 2422
Fax: 250 703 2425

Out on Bale

We've had a great stretch of weather... It brings out Island living at it's best. Sienna won't come to work with me while it's this hot, but she loves the beach outings. The ocean is the place to be, as the lakes are just too warm for swimming.

Saturday evening we went to see Los Rastrillos at the hall. An all ages show.... and as usual no Denman dance complete without Kids and a Border Collie. We were a slightly smaller crowd than the one in the video.

Straw Bale House Update: About half of the exterior walls are now "baled". We've started at the back of the house.... the idea being that we'll make all of the learning curve mistakes on the least visible side. We'll do one complete wall, then move on to the more visible areas. Once the bales are stacked and the cracks between them "stuffed", the walls are given a final plumb (fine tuning) using a sledge hammer. Then it comes time to shave the walls (to make them less hairy of course) and knock down any unsightly straw bulges. It was challenging to find a tool capable of shaving the flax straw. We tried weed-whackers, hedge shears and even the electric chainsaw with dismal results. The flax straw is just so fibrous that nothing seems to be able to shear it. During a visit to a hemp bale house a few years ago, that builder said that he'd had a difficult time with the same sort of problem. The problem has been solved by mounting an undercut saw carbide tooth blade onto my angle grinder. The result is a very dangerous, (but effective) tool.

Once the wall was sheared we attached 2" square stucco wire, (which I'm told is not "code") anchored to the plaster stops and window bucks. Cedar window trims are then screwed into the bucks. Pretty much the same procedure will be done to the inside of the same wall, then the wire mesh on either side of the wall can be "sewn" together. This is accomplished using a customized baling needle which is capable of either pushing or pulling baling twine through the 18" walls. See design detail from http://www.strawbale.com/ I used a 3/8" aluminum rod (cost- $6) and a cutting wheel on my angle grinder to make the 45 degree grooves into which the twine fits.

Straw Bale Construction

Straw Bale House Update: The back of the house (which served as the learning curve) has been "baled". What we've been calling the "catwalk", (a box-beam built above the living room windows made to suspend the bales) is being filled in. Below the living room windows another box beam will form a very long window seat. The picture of the window seat also shows the electrical box detail. The wiring runs within a chase at ground level with the bales on a "toe-up" seven inches above floor level.
Working with the Flax Straw has been challenging. It is extremely fibrous and hard on the saw blades (not to mention the skin on arms and legs) The big advantage to flax is the oil content, which makes it extremely rot resistant.

Kari is off on vacation for a few weeks and is being indoctrinated into the strawbale brother/sisterhood. Not exactly a relaxing vacation.

Port McNeill - bean there

straw bale house update:

I've pretty much finished the wiring rough-in except for the kitchen. The kitchen design will have to be finalized before it can be wired. Jesse, ( the electrician in the family) has given it an inspection and has given his approval.

At long last it's time to bale. With my small trailer I can "shuttle" 20 bales of straw at a time from the barn (where it's stored) to the building site. I'll bring the bales to site as needed, as storage is at a premium. The garage is currently filled with 2x12 cedar which will act as plaster stops (top and bottom of the first floor). The wiring in the bale walls has proven challenging. With several attempts to remedy, I think I've come up with something the inspector will approve of.

Let's say that I'm a farmer... maybe a bean farmer. I'm a very experienced a bean farmer with a triple "A" credit rating. One day the government says that I can't grow my beans anymore. I must buy them from other farmers in the area and re-sell them. The other farmers in the area have no fields in which to grow beans. The Government allows the farmers to clear some publicly owned Old Growth Boreal Forests in which to grow their beans. The new farmers have poor credit and they have to pass these costs on. At harvest time, I'm forced to buy the beans at a much higher price than I can grow them myself. Further, I am not allowed to store, freeze or can the beans to sell in the off-season. I must sell all my beans at harvest time, which creates a glut in the market and drastically reduces the market value. I am forced to sell the beans at half of what I paid for them. How long do you think I can stay in business? Would you vote for the government that mandated this practice? 45% of BC residents did just that.

It's only a matter of time before BC Hyrdo is sold off because it will no longer be profitable. (or you'll be paying double to stay on the grid)

Took a quickie trip to Port McNeill on Friday. The highlight was the world famous Burl. The largest burl in the world. Hey, I've saved you the trip.

say what?

Kari & I have what's called a "blended family" with 6 kids between us. At some point in time, each and every one of them asks the dreaded question. "Have you smoked pot?"  What flashes through your mind over the milliseconds that follow, ranges from complete stone face denial... to a bad impression of Elmer Fudd... abbada-abbada umm.

I can't remember the last time I smoked pot. That may be because I smoked enough to

 destroy any semblance of a long term memory. Does admission of the deed condone the use to your children? And if so, is it any more (or less) of an event as their first drink?  

My wife has never smoked anything.... ever.  To her, my voiced opinion that underage drinking is the same as underage pot smoking is met with furrowed brow.  I think both should be avoided until there's some evidence present within a brain that they can make an intelligent decision. Teenagers in general fall into the category of questionable decision making... along with most adults (+ something I'm still struggling with).  

The one straggler still at home recently insisted on asking some pointed questions on this matter. "It'll effect your long term memory", I say. "You don't want to turn out like me do ya...?"  By the time I get downstairs, I've forgotten what I went for.... surely it was the (effects of) pot.  

Where else to turn for unbiased information, but  the Internet? OK, so google "marijuana memory loss"..... this looks interesting " Could Marijuana Substance Help Prevent Or Delay Memory Impairment In The Aging Brain?  ".Huh?  Not what I expected. What's my excuse now?

  

"Why isn't it legal like beer and wine?" she asks. "I heard that California is going to pay off all their debt by legalizing pot and taxing it."

"I dunno" I say. A little investigation turns up a home grown (no pun intended) documentary, The Union. It proved to be informative viewing for the whole family and answers all the questions, like why isn't it legal. 

Oh Deer!

I met up with this little guy on the road to the (new) house. As soon as I drove close, the mother made a dash for the bushes and this guy quickly lay down, spread-eagle on the road. After a few moments, he timidly got up and gained his wobbly balance. A few days old at best, he didn't have the ability or instinct to run away and posed nicely for the camera. (yes, mom came back for him)

straw bale house update: The weather has been spectacular to say the least. Often reaching the mid 30's by early afternoon. We've switched to an earlier start to the day in an attempt to escape the late afternoon heat. There's just a few final touches in preparation to baling. The soffits are nearly completed, with just the dormer portion to go. I devised a continuous venting system....(mostly stolen from a design I saw on the Denman Island Home & Garden Tour... see video below) The electrical is about 1/2 done. All the switch and receptacle boxes in the straw walls must be placed as the courses go up. The electrical inspector seems to OK with the wires being buried prior to inspection.... I did get busted for having the wrong speaker wire though.... who knew speaker wire is covered in the electrical code?

The good weather along with some smoke (from a forest fire on the mainland) has made for some nice sunsets. We're looking forward to sitting on the deck with this view.... minus the scraggly trees (which I shall call "standing firewood"for now).