Paul Merrill
Smart Car Denver is closed.
They tried. America just wasn’t ready for a car that was much smaller than a Toyota Prius but did not get as much fuel economy.
I was sad. It’s a fun car. I would never buy one, but the idea that someone could was a good thing.
Some have asked why I scaled back my blogging since March or so. The short answer is that I have less free time these days. I’m in the midst of getting Greener Grass Media off the ground, and my spare minutes are precious.
My hope is still to give you at least two or three posts a week here. Some weeks I may get back to five. Thanks for your loyalty!
You can read this blog by RSS too – and then you’ll know when I’m posting here, without having to check back.
My daughter Rachel drew this recently. I thought you might enjoy it, as I did.
I love the head-as-heart.
And I thought that it was interesting that this is my thirteenth “Fun for your Friday” – and it falls on Friday the 13th.
Ikea is opening up a store about 8 miles from our house on July 27th. The heating and cooling system has some environmentally-friendly aspects that are unparalleled.
I love so much of what they sell. Cool. Sometimes inexpensive. Often high quality. But I know that many of their products were built with laborers working under non-ideal conditions in China. And Ikea has had some problems with the rights of workers in their factories outside of China.
Alternative to that? Not much. If we all bought fair-trade everything, we wouldn’t drive any car. Or watch any TV. Or enjoy using any computer.
On way forward is to do some things to make a difference. Buying fair trade coffee or chocolate is a small thing, but it will impact the farmers who worked hard to get you those beans. Maybe some day the fair trade movement will extend to furniture. And cool lights.
About two weeks ago, we had maybe the final spring snow in our part of Denver. I was fascinated at how snow fell on the kids’ trampoline. Was it wind currents that blew snow off that part of the surface? Or was it sheltered by a nearby tree?
A scientist could have told me. Or they could have done a 6-month study on what caused the snow dispersal pattern. Or maybe a 6-year study.
Hey friends.
Today, I’m writing over at the blog on my business site, Greener Grass Media. I post something there once or twice a week. I’d love for you to visit. Even if you’re not a business person, I think you’ll find some useful ideas.
This may be the last time I’ll mention that here, as I understand it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Finally, if you would like automatic notification of when I post something there, start using an RSS reader. Here are some simple instructions on how and why. The difference is that you’ll start by clicking the button on your browser I’ve shown below.
My friend Johanna reminded me that things tarnish with time. Even beautiful Cadillacs.
So as I rode my bicycle past this 40 year old pickup, I remembered that the original owner loved it the day he drove it off the Chevrolet dealer’s parking lot. He had a great time taking his wife or best friend for a ride. He waxed the red paint with great care a few months later. He spent more at the car wash each month than his friends spent on their kids’ birthdays.
And now it’s sitting in a parking lot, having not been driven for at least 15 years. Sad.
This little saying is on my bicycle shoes.
I don’t agree.
There are times when it’s appropriate to follow. We sometimes have to admit that others know more than we do about certain things. We follow. We sometimes must realize that another has been before us. They probably know the way better than we do. We follow.
Even bicycle racers know that you must switch off leading in longer races. If you break the wind for the riders behind you, you’re using up more energy than they are. You must let them lead part of the time to share the energy load.
Leading is great. But not all the time.
A gentleman not far from my house has a Firebird in his garage. It’s a shelf for things to rest on during their journey to other destinations. And it harbors a major dust collection.
My guess is that it’s a source of guilt for him. Every time he sees the car, he thinks, “This weekend, I’ll start renovating it.” The weekend starts and he realizes he has lots of other things to do. The weekend finishes and the Firebird has been neglected. Again.
If I knew Mr. Firebird owner, I might suggest that he sell the car and give up that dream of restoring it. He’d then free up a slot in his garage – less snow removal on snowy mornings for the car in the driveway. He’d release some cash to be used in whatever fun or worthy cause he can come up with. And the Firebird might end up being restored by the new owner.
My point? Give yourself permission to get rid of that project you’ll never do.
I took the photo with my phone’s camera; thus the poor quality.
