Clean Drinking Water: Misplaced Trust

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Mark Zeiger

For the first 10 years of our marriage, Michelle and I lived in apartments. If we add our college years, that would be 14 years. I never felt comfortable living this way. The idea that we depended on the integrity, common sense, and sanity of other people for our very lives concerned me.

One person making a bad decision in an apartment building is all it would take for disaster to strike. The myriad household accidents that could lead to building fires or worse is magnified by the number of people living in the building.

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Posted in Self Reliance | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Of Groundhogs and Grouse

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Mark Zeiger

It is February 2nd, Candlemas, and one of my family’s longest-standing pseudoholidays, Groundhog Day.

A couple of years ago I described how my family, led by my father, used to make a big deal about Groundhog Day (see Groundhog Day, Alaska Style). These days, I mostly try to make a point of watching the Bill Murray/Harold Ramis movie about the day (paid link), which I really enjoy, and perhaps listening to John McCutcheon’s hilarious little song about it (paid link).

Beyond that, I have to admit, as I have before (see The Circle Turns Toward Spring) that even while my family accepts February as the start of spring, and enjoy Groundhog Day, we really look to a different creature to act as our harbinger of spring. That would be the sooty grouse.

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Posted in Local Wildlife, Seasons & Celebrations | Tagged , , | 4 Comments