My Compartment Filter Made Me Sick

This past Sunday on the way to church I started feeling bad. By the time Sunday School was over I felt fine and totally forgot all about not feeling well. Then on Monday, before the sun had even risen, I hopped into my car for the hour long drive to Kerrville. Since it was once again a chilly morning, I turned on the heater. Then just like the morning before, I started feeling bad. I started thinking of what might be going on. For instance, I analyzed what I had eaten for breakfast the past two days. Just about the time I started feeling like I might throw up, it hit me. Maybe the cause was my car heater. I immediately turned off the heater, which produced instance relief from the need to gag. I would drive for the next 45 minutes without any heat. Since it was in the low 40’s F (7c) outside, I was pretty cold when I finally arrived in Kerrville.

After stopping for some hot tea (my favorite hot beverage), I dropped by my auto repair shop. He turned my car on and looked under the hood but found no obvious problems. My fluids all looked good and everything sounded fine. After a brief discussion he asked me if I had ever changed my campartment filter (also called cabin filter), not to be confused with the air filter. I own a 2006 Toyota Rav4, which I purchased in 2009. I had never heard of this filter.

As it was explained to me this cabin (or compartment) filter is just like the AC/heater filter in our homes. It occasionally needs to be changed. All air passing through the car’s ventilation system and coming out the vents into the car, basically the air we are breathing, first passes through this filter. Not all cars have such a filter (the mechanic checked to make sure I did). I am guessing that all or at least most new cars have this filter. I decided to have the filter changed. I was shown my old filter which was covered in a thick coating of dust. My total cost was $60.

I have no idea how long I have been breathing bad air in my car. I do know for the past few months whenever I turned on the AC the air smelled dusty. (Sunday was the first time in a long time I felt the need to turn the heater on.) I had complained to a few backyard mechanics about the dusty smelling air, but I was ignored (probably because none of them knew cars have a compartment filter). Clearly the air in my car has not been good for some time. Since very few folks seem to know about this filter, I have to wonder how many people are out there breathing air full of dust, mold and other allergens, but the air is not bad enough to cause the driver to head straight for their auto repair shop?

My ventilation system is now providing me with cleaner air. The big question is do you have a cabin/compartment filter? And if so, does it need to be replaced?

I'm Now A CoCoRaHS Volunteer

I grew up in Sacramento, California and the weather seemed like a pretty consistent event. If it was raining at my house it was guaranteed to be raining all over Sacramento and I assumed it was raining similar amounts. This was the days before satellite assisted weather reporting and so I really knew nothing about weather patterns. I only knew it rained all winter and was sunny all summer. That was the reality for all of us children. When I was in the fifth grade my teacher put up a bulletin board that read “April Showers Bring May Flowers”. One boy voiced what we were all thinking, “how dumb is that, everyone knows it doesn’t rain in April”. Well, it almost never rains in April in Sacramento, but I would learn later in life that for much of the country the weather is not so predictable.

I now live in Texas where it can rain all year or not rain all year. It can be raining on one side of the house and sunny on the other side of the house. I once was with a friend driving by the entrance to the San Antonio Airport. It was coming down so hard we could barely see out the window. It was one nasty storm. I couldn’t wait for that night’s weather report to learn how much rain we got. I just knew it had to be several inches. So when the weather man reported we had received no rain at the airport, not even a trace, I couldn’t believe my ears. The freeway I had been on was less than a mile from the weather collecting data station but not a drop had fallen there. That is Texas for you. It is also the reality for many people across the country.

Recently I learned about CoCoRaHS, which is short for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network. CoCoRaHS is “volunteers working together to measure precipitation across the nation.” CoCoRaHS is free to join. All one needs is an official rain gauge and the willingness to daily record your rain/snow totals when home.

This morning with the help of the County CoCoRaHS Coordinator and her husband, my official rain gauge was installed. They also took a GPS reading of my location, since the map software CoCoRaHS uses put me in the middle of the highway. Anyone can visit the site and check in to see how much rain has fallen in different areas. For instance I am in Edwards County. My location is TX-ED-22. I am the 22nd person to volunteer in Edwards County, but I am aware of a few more people who will soon be joining the force.

If you want to find out where in your own county volunteers are, you can simply go to the CoCoRaHS web site and click on the map to find your own county. Then see where totals have been reported. And if while there you want to know how much rain has been arriving at AOCCCI, click on “MAP” on the top menu bar, then “Station Number Maps”, then under “Map Location” choose Texas and Edwards county Once the map pops up just look for station TX-ED-22. Once you know where AOCCCI is located on the map, under “Map Type” you can select “precipitations” from the drop down menu. There you will get a map showing the rain totals for all the stations in Edwards County who reported that day. You can also change the date to see what the totals were for any date in the past.

If as you have been reading the thought has crossed your mind that this sounds like fun, then may I suggest that you visit the CoCoRaHS web site and learn more about it. It really does not matter if you live in the country or a large city, the more people recording their precipitation totals, the better. This is more than just a fun hobby. This information is being used by climatologists, hydrologists, emergency managers, engineers, and more. It could even save lives. So if you think this is something you would like to do, then check it out.

And finally, I took some time this afternoon and looked up Sacramento County in California, where I grew up. It rained a few days ago and there were lots of people reporting rain totals. As a child I might have thought everyone was receiving the exact same amount of rain every day, but one look at that map told a different story.

Serving God

I never chose to move out here for myself, but to serve God. This past summer I have been having lots of opportunities to do just that.

One way I have been serving God is by sharing the bounty in my garden. When I planted that garden last spring I dedicated the garden to the Lord and asked him to make it bountiful so I could share with those in need.

This has been a tough summer to try and have a garden. Texas has been in a severe historic drought. It has never been this bad ever. The dry conditions have allowed our temperatures to sky rocket. While much of the country was just beginning to thaw out from winter we were already hitting triple digits here (100f = 38C). Because of these conditions many folks never even bothered to plant a garden. Those that did often had poor results. For instance, I do not know of a single person in this county who managed to grow tomatoes. They all had the same problem—no flowers. I planted tomatoes but in my case the plants got eaten before they got big enough to even think of flowering.

I may not have had any success growing tomatoes, but God did answer my prayer. I have been harvesting zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, arugula, mesclun greens (for salad), and basil all summer. Nothing else I planted grew but I have harvested so much squash and cucumbers that I have shared with quite a few people. Most folks are in shock that my garden has produced anything. I really believe I have had a harvest because my garden was dedicated to God with the purpose of sharing and so God has blessed it.

I just planted a fall garden. I have no idea if anything will grow but if I do get blessed I will be sure to share with others.

Before I owned my own car I use to get occasional rides from friends. Now I am providing that service to one of my neighbors, who I have become good friends with. This elderly couple lives about 3 miles from me. The husband gets all his medical care at the Veterans Administration (VA) clinics and hospital. He usually goes to the clinic in Kerrville, which is an hour east of us. Last month they wanted him to have some special tests that can only be performed at the VA hospital in San Antonio. They do not know San Antonio that well but I do. So I said I would drive them. I have now driven them to the San Antonio VA several times. On one occasion it was for exploratory surgery and all three of us had to stay overnight in a hotel. He has several more scheduled appointments at the San Antonio VA hospital which I will be driving both of them too. Every trip to San Antonio is always a full day affair.

Besides these tests, last month the husband had a mild stroke on a Sunday morning. It affected his ability to speak and understand what others are saying. I was at church when the husband finally was able to ask for me and his wife called. I rushed to their house and managed to talk him into letting me drive them to the VA hospital. He was admitted that evening, upon which his wife and I returned home. We made the 120 mile (193 km) drive back to San Antonio that Monday and again that Wednesday. He was released on Wednesday but he still had a doctor’s appointment that Friday. So I put 1000 miles (1,600 km) on my car just that week.

The husband’s speech is improving daily but he may have kidney cancer. We should find out next week at his next doctor’s appointment in San Antonio. I promised them I would be there for them and I intend to keep my word.

I am also keeping busy these days trying to learn Dreamweaver, which is web design software. I have viewed some tutorials during the past few months and have learned a lot but still need to learn a lot more. Designing web sites is a very tedious and time consuming activity. It is not easy at all, especially when using new software. I have just begun the process so I do not expect to have the new site finished for some time now. Most likely I will still be working on it next year.

Mohair

As I sit here at my computer it is the beginning of a new day. I will admit this day is beginning a little earlier then I like it too. I have been up since 3:30am. A nap will be required later today. The sun has yet to rise and I have already read my Bible (Jeremiah chapter 50), eaten breakfast, made a few posts of facebook, and done a little research on the word xerophytes (A plant adapted to living in a dry arid habitat). Once the sun comes up I will be out the door to feed the cats and do some morning chores before it gets too hot. When I have decided I have done enough for one day, I will then take my shower, have a morning snack and probably then lay down for awhile.

Yesterday a friend and I made the hour drive to Kerrville. We each came with long lists of places we wanted to visit and items we needed to purchase. I always make these trips with grocery lists from other neighbors. When you live so far from the stores, you plan accordingly. We petered out before we got everything done that was on our to-do lists, but we had a productive day and bought a lot of what we needed. The main reason we wanted to go yesterday (Wednesday) is because that is the only day the Kerr County Produce is open to the public. They sell vegetables at wholesale prices. We always stock up. After putting our vegetables into the ice chest, we walked over to two different thrift stores where we both found items we needed. I found a great basket for carrying vegetables from the vegetable garden to the house for only $1.25.

Kerrville is an hour drive east, but Rocksprings is exactly 15 miles NW. This is a very rural area and ranching is the main industry around here. I often see cattle, sheep, and goats grazing no matter what direction I drive. Unfortunately due to the extreme drought all are suffering. Many folks have been forced to sell off their livestock due as feed is very expensive to buy and there is no grass for the animals to graze on. Rocksprings is considered the Mohair capital of the world. Mohair comes from Angora goats and due to the rocky conditions here, this area is great for raising goats. Until the 1980’s Edwards County had more Angora goats than anywhere else in the world. After the Mohair became less profitable, many ranchers diversified and so today there are many breeds of goats in the area, along with the sheep, cows, and other animals. But wool from Angora goats and sheep is still big business here.

A few weeks ago I was with a friend and we wondered into the Priour-Varga Wool & Mohair Inc. I had my camera with me and after asking for permission, I took the enclosed shots.

Life continues here on the ranch.

Today I paid to have some oak trees surrounding the cabin trimmed and leaves swept off the cabin roof. Water had leaked through the cabin roof and hopefully now the wind will blow the leaves away, preventing the leaves from acting like a sponge that allows water to seep through the seams of the metal roof. I will have to wait for another rain storm to see if this fixes the problem.

This morning I drove into Rocksprings and spent a few hours volunteering in the Library. For over a year now I have been scanning all the children’s books looking for those which need to be updated for the reading tests given to the school children. Rocksprings is so small that the school library is also the public library. For such a small library a lot goes on there and it has won awards.

After I left the library I went by the church to pick up my reusable water bottle which I left in the sanctuary last Sunday. When I arrived I spotted four turkeys outside the side door. The secretary told me there use to be huge flocks of them outside. This Texas drought is really hurting everyone, especially the wildlife.

After a quick visit with the church secretary, I drove over to the Rocksprings Visitor Center which is also home to the Devils’ Sinkhole where millions of bats take up residency each year, except for this year. They are blaming the drought for the lack of bats. Volunteers take folks out to the Sinkhole to watch the bats exit the sinkhole at night. They also take people during the day for hiking and birding tours. A good friend of mine is one of the volunteers and I spotted her car so I knew she was working there today. I had brought some lunch with me so I ate it there and socialized with her. It was an enjoyable afternoon.

Last week I finally got around to loading Dreamweaver onto my computer. Dreamweaver is web design software. I really need to create a new web site but finding the time to do so has been a challenge. First step is learning how to use the software. Every night this week I have been searching the internet for tutorials on how to use Dreamweaver. So far I have not found anything that is useful. The librarian gave me an idea of where to look (youtube) so maybe this evening I will find something that is actually helpful, something very basic.

I have been working on a raised bed for strawberries and last week I finally finished it and planted the strawberries. Hopefully next year I will have lots of yummy strawberries to eat and share.

Overall the garden has not been very productive. This drought and intense heat is really taking a toll. I am not the only one having problems. None of the neighbors have had any success growing tomatoes. The plants are a good size but no flowers. The only success I have had is growing summer squash, which is doing well. I have picked enough yellow squash and zucchini to share with several folks. I am hoping a fall garden does better.

The intense heat (over 100F or 39c daily since early May) and severe drought, not only is affecting the garden but the wildlife is suffering too. The deer really look anorexic. There is just nothing out here for them to eat. A lot of hunters and ranchers buy corn and hay for the deer and other critters, but with rising prices many are can no longer afford to do so. These animals must eat so they go after anything they can find. I planted a couple rhubarb plants but someone ate the baby shoots. The plants died after that. I also purchased and planted a yucca plant (for fun) and again the baby shoots got eaten. It is pretty hard to kill a yucca plant so when I saw new green shoots sprouting up I placed a cage over the plant to protect it. I am guessing cotton tail rabbits (which I have seen hopping around) ate the yucca and rhubarb plants. They probably are guilty of eating some of the other vegetable plants I planted in the garden. My next outdoor project is to make the garden rabbit proof. An 8 foot fence around the garden already makes it deer proof.

A friendly reminder, I am not out here just for myself. This ranch was purchased so others in need of a place to live due to Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and/or other medical issues have a place to live while seeking God’s healing. The spare bedroom in the house is now furnished and available.

Far View Lodge Corn Relish

I have been busy but until this afternoon I had not realized so much time had passed since my last post. I apologize for my negligence.

The past couple of months I have spent a lot of time working outside, but mostly in the early morning. I had barely turned the calendar to May when summer hit and hit hard, reaching temps in the 100’s on a daily basis. You might have heard that Texas is in a terrible drought, which is part of the reason this year has been so hot. Without moisture in the ground there is nothing to keep the temperature down. Last summer, which followed a very wet spring, I do not remember the thermometer ever hitting 100. This summer we are all praying for rain and relief from the heat.

Finding ways to conserve water is a must. The well here is pretty deep so hopefully it will never go dry but there are ranchers out here whose wells have dried up and so they must pay to have water hauled to their property for their livestock. Conserving water is a neighborly thing to do.

All air conditioners produce condensation and must be drained away from the unit. My AC drains into a 9 gallon galvanized tub. I use a lot of that water to water the 2 baby olive trees, but I always try to leave some for the wild life who are suffering from this drought too. Food and water is very scarce right now and I have seen critters at night coming for a drink of water. Even the bees hang around that tub drinking.

Other ways I try to conserve is by only running the washer when I have a full load. I leave buckets where dew dripping off the roof can fall into them. I also have invested money into rain barrels and gutters so when it does rain that water can be saved to water the garden when it doesn’t rain. I also am saving most of the dish water. I purchased a dish pan to wash dishes in and then dump the used water into a five gallon bucket, which I carry to some plant(s) to water. Occasionally the water is just too dirty or oily to be thrown on a plant but that is rare. It is amazing how much water is used just washing dishes. Today alone I dumped about 5 gallons on a native bush I want to save. Without the dish water I could not justify watering this bush. I have a future goal of replumbing the house so water going down the drain, also known as grey water, goes straight to water trees, instead of to the septic system.

About three weeks ago my foot came in contact with a chair and though I never got it x-rayed, the evidence pointed to a hairline fracture. It must have been a small fracture because I have healed very quickly, which is a big praise. At first I had a tough time watering my garden. I could put some weight on my foot but this land is very rocky and every step that was not flat footed hurt a lot. I had no choice but to use a cane or something to keep me from falling, such as a hoe. One of my neighbors came to my rescue and on several occasions came over and thoroughly watered everything for me. I am most appreciative.

Like every Saturday, I got up early, fed myself and then as soon as the sun had risen I was out the door to feed my cats. Once that job was done, it was off to the garden where I dumped the kitchen waste onto the compost pile. I then watered everything. There is a faucet by the gate door, with a splitter on it. When I turn on the faucet, half the water goes to a soaker hose which waters the main raised garden bed. The other half of the water goes into a hose which I take around the garden to water individual pots and the corn field (about 8 feet by 8 feet). With this set up it does not take that long to water the entire garden.

After I was done watering, I grabbed the necessary tools and cut down 3 small cedar trees and located a rock of the right shape to use as a border I am building in one corner of the garden for a raised strawberry garden bed. Hopefully by next weekend that garden bed will be completed, including transplanting the strawberry plants. Hopefully next year I will have my first strawberry harvest.

This afternoon I have been busy in the kitchen. First I made corn relish. I first came across corn relish while on a two week camping trip with my mother during a summer break from college. We traveled through the Four Corners area visiting many Federal Parks. At Mesa Verde National Park we ate many of our meals at the Far View Lodge where corn relish was always on the table. I really loved the relish and upon returning home my mother encouraged me to write the chef and see if he would give me the recipe. I was thrilled when I received a reply but taken aback when I read the recipe-which fed 100 people. Obviously I was going to have to do some math and see if I could reduce the quantities to something more reasonable. Here is what I came up with:

Far View Lodge Corn Relish

3 cans of corn (about 5 cups)
½ cup diced green onion
½ cup diced green bell pepper
½ cup diced red bell peppers
1/3 cup white vinegar
¼ cup sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ teaspoons celery salt
¾ teaspoons dry mustard

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Allow ingredients to marinate a few hours for best flavors.

I also made zucchini bread which I baked in the solar oven. The solar oven produces really moist baked goods. I love it. Baking does take longer than it would in a conventional oven, but it is sure nice baking foods without heating up the house. The only problem I have had is it can get very windy here and wind can tip the oven over. So I can only use it on days when the wind is 7mph or less.

I am now enjoying the fruits of today’s labor.

A Day of Shopping

When you live out in the country every trip to town is planned. It is a 15 mile drive to the nearest town, Rocksprings. Rocksprings has a few stores I can shop at, but for real shopping one must drive an hour to Kerrville. Yesterday as the sun was just coming up I picked up a neighbor (and her dog Lucky) and we made the trip to Kerrville. By going together we saved money on gas and had each other to keep company.

First stop, we dropped Lucky off at the groomers to have all her fur cut off. It is starting to feel like summer here and the poor dog has been hot.

Texas prefers one’s car be inspected in the county where it is registered, but often in these rural counties there is no one licensed to do car inspections, which is the case for me. The TV in the small waiting room at the shop was tuned to a Turkey Hunting show. As soon as the male customer’s car was done and he left, we grabbed the remote and changed it to something more to our liking—the Food Network. After my car was finished we found two carnations on the dash board.

Next we headed out to the dirt store. Okay, that is not the name of the place, but that is what I wanted to buy. This land produces rocks, not good gardening soil. To grow a good vegetable garden one basically has to buy gardening soil. After looking around at a few sources, I decided on the place I wanted to purchase it and yesterday wrote a check. This morning a dump truck arrived with that precious soil. I have already started hauling some of it to the raised garden bed. A lot more needs to be hauled over before I can start planting my first vegetable garden. I am praying for a bountiful crop to share with others.

After a few more stops, including getting groceries, we picked up Lucky, who was thrilled to see us, and headed home. The entire trip took over seven hours to complete. But that is life when one lives so far from the city.