Saturday Dusting

I thought this was an interesting little factoid from my Mother Earth News newsletter this morning - " When you leave a room, turn the ceiling fan off, since the heat from its motor will actually warm the space." Makes sense to me. When living in a climate that can get really, really hot, any little thing that adds to that heat is a good thing to be aware of so we can make it stop!


While there are lots of claims for most efficient ceiling fan designation, I like the Sycamore fan, from Australia (what a surprise, not American) While a space-age modern look is usually not part of my MO, for some reason, I like this. But I'd like it better in periwinkle.

Is anyone making fans in America? To answer that question, here's another little factoid from an article about the last company making fans in America. At the top of the page - on American made fans - was this announcement:

ATTENTION: The last company still making fans in the US, Marley Metal Engineered Products, has recently discontinued their American-made models. There may still be stock available through distributors, so the article below may still be relevent, however once this stock is depleted there will no longer by ANY ceiling fans made in the US. Please write Marley MEP and ask them to continue making their US models, the Gillespie (model 994) and the Porch Fan (model 994PF). Their contact information:

Marley Engineered Products
470 Beauty Spot Road
Bennettsville, SC 29512
843-479-4006
http://www.marleymep.com/
meptechsupport@marleymep.spx.com

The article is well worth the read. So many people seem so confused about why so many manufacturing jobs don't exist in America anymore (the figures are really pretty stunning, if you are interested, which, likely, you are not, bringing us to..). The REASON so many Americans are out of work, that factories have shut down, that we sold out is because Americans don't want to pay for decent wages for good products. Oh!!! It's about ME??? I can't blame someone, like the Government who also makes a hell of a lot of money on these export/import laws along with nice political bennies? Well, that's true too, but if the American people stood up and shouted, 'We want items made in America and we'll pay for it!'and then actually did it...well, Wal-Mart would be in a hell of a lot of trouble. And since the mom and pop businesses are pretty much wiped out now, what's a person to do? Oops! too late. But at least whine for the right reasons.

Oh dear...a diatribe and the sun hasn't even cleared the hill yet! I think it's time for tea.
Ahhhhhh. That's better. Lovely, the amazing, magical, soothing properties of tea. Tea invokes calm and memories and I seem to have dropped coffee from my daily routine in favor of it in this last year or so. Give me another seven years and I may become in reality the mellow person those who don't know me well think me to be. I might have to move onto the houseboat and lash myself to a buoy somewhere in the middle of the sea to do it, but stranger things have happened.


One more email tidbit of note and then it will be onward with Saturday, no matter what yours might bring. For many, it is a work free day, that is, the thing you go to that supplies income in your life. For many others, it's the same as any other day and that work bit must be seen to. I'm fortunate enough to like going there most of the time, and I hope you are too.

Next weekend, while I might or might not get to be an extra in a Johnny Depp movie being shot on the big island, the Puerto Rico JazzFest will be going on. Of course, it is really the Heineken JazzFest, but if you haven't noticed by now, I tend to call things what I want to call them. Where would we be without our alcohol sponsered events? Isn't that weird? Am I weird for thinking it's weird? Maybe if some wine company sponsored it I wouldn't find it odd in the least...

One very cool thing is that the JazzFest will be held in the Tito Puente Ampitheatre, not the Heineken/Toyota/Pfizer/McDonald's Stadium. By the way, don't click on the JazzFest link unless you want to be propelled out of your chair dancing.

Oh, there is one other tag-a-long. Yesterday at the veggie guys', they had more of those incredibly good green seedless grapes. I bought a lot of them since I'd read about blending them. Into the blender went one bag full (minus what I'd snacked on during the day). I'd also bought a bunch of bananas, so in went two of those. A couple of ice cubes and wa la...my mouth was singing the happy joy song! Like an excellent milkshake, but no milk. I had enough leftover to follow my tea this morning. Between the jazz on the jazz site and this drink, I think I can just fly into work on a grin.


Have a lovely Saturday. I intend to do the same.