A Bicycle Built for....................YOU?

This week, it appears that oil is taking a turn for the worse. Bad for the oil moguls. Good for the general populace....... Oil is now almost 25$ off or less than its high of a week ago. This means that all of the by-products of oil - including gasoline - will also come down in price. Of course, if you live in Connecticut - you know that our gasoline prices go up faster and come down slower than the other 49 states. We don't have an understanding of why that phenomena is - just that it IS.....

The price of oil and its counterpart - gasoline - has forced some changes on all of us. Certainly, no one's paychecks are going up commensurate with the price of consumables. So, we must all tighten our belts a bit in many places.

As a single mom of two very active kids, it is difficult at best to get the kids everywhere they have to go when they need to be there. To do so without the assistance of a gasoline-powered vehicle, harder still. Yes, I could trade my current gas-guzzler in for a hybrid - with college for one child looming, I really cannot afford to do so - especially not a hybrid which is significantly more initially. And, of course, NOT using a car is NOT an option. At least not most of the time.

There are those times, though, when the errand I am running only involves me. And it may be only to pick up one or two things. So, this winter, I went to the local discount store and purchased this:














A nifty little invention - and in PURPLE too - this dragons FAVORITE color!
I also purchased this other little dynomite thing to go with it:
Neat, aren't they?

So - I suppose you are thinking to yourself - "Gee, self, that kinda looks like more work than I wanna do." Or perhaps you are thinking, "and HOW do you bring milk or bread back from the store???"

Well - to answer the first question - it is a lot of work. But its GOOD work! Note the headphones on the helmet? I can put my very favorite tunes on my mp3 player, clip it to my shirt, plug the headphones in - and - INSTANT RADIO! Dragon Style! The headphones are on the helmet - NOT on my ears so I can hear the tunes I want to hear and still hear traffic!
Start small.... just around the block at first. And then expand in ever-widening circles. It does not take long - even for this ancient dragon - to get accustomed to pedaling 8 miles or more in any given day. I get to "take time to smell the roses" - I see things that I would NEVER see in a car. It DOES take me longer to get to my destination - but I get there - and in better shape than when I left.

So....you are still wondering about transporting things?............... I was too. For a long time. And then I bought a camera - and I wanted to be able to take it with me - because I enjoy snapping pictures. But, I have a BIG camera - not one of those neat little compact things..... And what about taking a blanket to the beach? And sunscreen? And my water? And then it hit me - a backpack! For just a few dollars, I purchased a pink (there WASN'T any purple GRRRR) backpack. I can fit EVERYTHING I could ever want in it! And, when I want to run to the local sub shop and pick up a sub, I can empty the beach towels out and there is plenty of room for subs...... Same for running to the corner store for bread or milk.

For the times that I actually use this two-wheeled vehicle to provide transportation (as opposed to riding for exercise or enjoyment), I really do not save a lot. But, when combined with other methodologies, a definite savings can be recognized.

And that is all for today.
More to come.........

Energy Crisis - Who Is To Blame

Many years ago, I was in an organization that worked hard to pin blame when something went wrong. End result: when something goes wrong, everyone knows who to blame. I have also had the experience of being in an organization that worked to get the problem fixed when something went wrong. End result: the problem got fixed.

In this time of crisis - and make no mistake - this IS a time of crisis - we can blame the speculators - after all, their speculations can drive the price of commodities in the market artificially high. Currently, this translates to higher prices for heating our homes and driving to work.

We can also blame the de-valued dollar. As of this morning, the exchange rate for the American dollar in the European market is $0.62 (that would be the "Eurodollar" - the currency that OPEC has talked about using as currency of choice for their oil going forward). Therefore, the prices of the things we buy is greater.

We can blame the environmentalists for pushing measures through Congress which do not allow us to drill for oil in many places where drilling would not only be possible but profitable.
We could blame "Big Oil" for raking in huge profits across the last few years and laughing all the way to the bank.
We can blame the Bush administration for its magical manipulation of the economy to support "Big Oil" - a community to which Bush and many of his constituents belong.

We can also blame the Iraqi's who refuse to push their output of crude much higher - that supply and demand thing - the greater the demand, the higher the price.

We can even subscribe to the "conspiracy" theory - whether you believe its a plot to support terrorism, or a plot for monetary gain by the already fabulously wealthy oil magnates, or a plot by the environmentalists to force alternative energy on America.
Any and all of these ideas have been put forth and are entirely possible. I find most people subscribe to one theory or another.
We can blame ALL of these groups and theories and, I'm sure, a great many more. End result: eventually - everyone will know who to blame.

None of this, however, addresses the problem we have - our immediate crisis: Higher energy costs. Each and every one of us is affected to some degree. We have higher home heating costs. We have higher cost of goods and services brought on by higher cost of transportation and general day-to-day cost-of doing business. We have higher cost of gasoline and petroleum-based products.
These are the facts we must live with now and into the foreseeable future.

In coming posts, I shall attempt to address energy related issues from various perspectives. I will share information as I find it and as it becomes pertinent.
Stay tuned and thank you for reading.

A Change of Venue

Possibly even a change of atmosphere. Darkness has enveloped me enough.
This blog has traditionally been my blog for venting.
Time for a change....... to step into and STAY in the light!
Now it is time for MotherHenDragon to see what is out there in the world...........what new and exciting opportunities are available.
My newest venture has been photography - and I have managed to capture the spirit of a great many of natures finer moments. I shall share many of those as time goes one.
Join me on my new adventure, won't you?