The Wind at Our Backs - BionX

Although I am a believer in the theory of "work where you live or live where you work", I have to admit in practice it isn't always possible.

Growing up in St Thomas, I walked or cycled everywhere. I could always get to school on my own steam and even come home for lunch. To the library, movie theatre and band practice, to swimming and tennis lessons, I was independent and active.

In Toronto, thanks to a convenient public transit system and our weather-hardiness, Robin and I were able to get to and from work, shop for groceries, garden in our allotment and generally enjoy the City without a car.

Small communities are a different matter altogether, especially in a country as big as Canada.


Prepping for our move back home and anticipating the dreaded job search, I took a map of St. T and drew a circle with a 6k radius. This was the maximum I felt I could comfortably cycle to and from a job every day - a distance a little less than that which I was at that time cycling daily for work. Gladly, surprisingly, all of St. Thomas proper fell within my pencil line.



What I didn't take into consideration was home ownership; you can't bring home drywall, or a sink, on a bike. And from getting to work on snow or rain days, trips to the hardware store or garden centre, Port Glasgow or Port Bruce and dinner in London to shopping in the Covent Garden market, collecting friends from train station, and checking-in with our doctor in Toronto, there are many places you can't get to by peddling.


Blanche DuBois was onto something when she said I have always relied on the kindness of strangers.

Whether we seem sadly in need or possibly due to an abundance of positive Karmic energy, we are surrounded by amazing friends, neighbours and family who understand our deep commitment to the environment and our decision to work and live within cycling distance to most everything we need on a daily basis.

And for those times when we don't need a car but the journey length seems unmanageable, electric or power-assist bicycles are our best option.

During our research, we investigated a number of variations on the electric bike theme, ranging from a folding mini-bike with a heavy battery pack (very pedestrian) to a moped-type vehicle which manages to qualify as a "bicycle" by the cosmetic addition of pedals thereby avoiding licensing / safety by-laws (fraudulent).

We settled on an amazing product called BionX, purchased at First Cycleworks in London.

The owner was completely jazzed about BionX and quite clear that this system is all about pedaling, albeit with a little help. He had answers to all of our questions and even delivered the bikes to us. (that's right - you can't pick up your new bikes, on a bike). T his Canadian made product consists of a kit designed to retrofit your existing bike by replacing the standard rear wheel with one containing an all-weather, magnetic, brushless motor. This motor, connected to a light-weight rechargeable lithium battery pack mounted on the vertical down-tube, works to support your pedal power rather than replacing it. With the battery removed, your bike doesn't look like anything special (or worth stealing) and we were able to mount our usual trunk (crate) on the back.

As you pedal, the BionX reads your thrust exertions and can give you your choice of 35%, 75%, 150% or 300% proportional power assistance. It's like having the wind at your back, even uphill. And when you brake, the system automatically cycles into Generating mode, briefly recharging.

On our first big test, we cycled comfortably from St. Thomas to Port Stanley to Sparta and home. This 50k trek was quite a feat for a couple of guys who are more two-wheel commuters than cyclists, and it was manageable and enjoyable. Presently, we charge the battery by the conventional plug-in-outlet means, though you can switch to "G" mode while riding downhill and charge. Eventually, we could recharge using solar power.

I'm still using my old bike to make the 6k commute to and from work each day but it's great to know we can still get to the farm, even the beach, on our own steam.

Big thanks to the folks who keep reminding us why we love living here and who improve the quality of our lives by their generosity.

Now, if only I could convince them to take a ride in my Bionx sidecar ...

It Takes a Village ....

... to redo our bathroom, apparently

I guess folks were smaller in 1950 because our bathroom is literally one yard wide, from wall to tub edge. Factor in an average sink at 24-28 inches and you're inhaling just to step in. Actually, it's more of a shuffle (beware the door knob).

I've never agreed with the concept of making streets wider because cars are getting bigger and I guess I feel that way about my living space too. Whenever possible, if you've got lemons then make lemonade - don't install a pop machine.

And so we decided to work with the 8ft x 3ft space we had. We wanted something as no-toxic and environmentally sensitive as possible, befitting the age of the house and done with minimal waste. We started to spread the word - we needed help and lots of advice from friends, and patience from ourselves.

I've always been a vinyl shower curtain kinda guy though I was increasingly concerned about the plastic smell that I was always inhaling. Following a suggestion from neighbour Laura, the old curtain was relegated to the garage as a tarp and we found a liner at the $ store made of polyester (polyester is a synthetic polymer made of organic or inorganic compounds). As Laura said, if every hotel in the world uses it, it must be a design that works.
It not only keeps the shower water in the tub and dries quickly on the rod, it's easily laundered and can be hung outside on the line.

In spite of our best efforts searching websites and showrooms, visiting the Habitat Re-Store and various warehouses and junk yards, we couldn't find a small pedestal sink. We wanted one which would originally been in place and would therefore be in scale with the bathroom. Finally, acting on a tip from our friend Robyn, we contacted a place in Toronto's west end called Addison's Inc. and the resulting visit found Laura driving us, and our new sink, back to St. Thomas.

I never liked our medicine chest. We simply didn't have enough products to fill it and the brass and mirrors were too shiny for me. In removing the behemoth I uncovered the original cabinet, recessed into the wall. It was fairly small and the door had been removed but I loved that we were able to use the original shelves; shelves that had once likely held a straight razor or possibly flat blades, tonic, Noxzema, bobby pins.

Our new pal Lisa, who did the majority of our woodworking (baseboards and trim, cutting and fitting the bead board panels, shelf making) and all of the caulking, created a beautiful mirrored door fashioned from a picture frame she stained and sealed. Hinged and equipped with a magnetic closure, the inside of the door is painted grey chalk board for secret messages or reminders.

Our vinyl flooring had done its duty for as long as it could and it was now our obligation to replace it with a healthier choice; healthier being somehow from a renwable source or nontoxic or recycled. After some research and an endorsement from Dan we followed my original instinct and chose Bermuda Blue linoleum. Made from lineseed oil, cork and wood flour, and backed with jute, linoleum (and its young sibling Marmoleum) is still made by following the basic recipe from the 1860's. Up came the plastic floor and in came Nick, the lino guy from Elgin Flooring.

Similar was our approach to the toilet. The old one was from 1978 (every tank has a date stamped in it) and it had become a three-flusher. Not only was it inefficient (I had put bricks in the tank to force it to use less water), it occurred to me I was 15 and watching Charlie's Angels when it was installed so it was definitely due for a sequel. The toilet was removed, along with the old sink and the remaining tiles from the wall (necessitated by the removal of the old vanity) and in came the Carson from Ambrose Plumbing to install our new sink and an efficient, tall toilet (thanks for your help Jackie!).

A few coats of low VOC paint from Mike at Para Paints and our old privy really feels like a beautiful room befitting the house, not just a place with running water to get your business done.

Our bathroom is now efficient and very low in toxins, the holder stocked with 100% recycled toilet paper from Cascades, and our tankless water heater is ready to go; it’s an integral step in the plan to make our home healthy.

So thanks to Laura (especially, but not only, for the RENO cake and use of her bathroom) and Lisa (wow), Robyn, Dan, Nick and Carson, my folks for delivering us dinner and holding their tongues during our speachifying on "recycled this" and "eco that", and to Jackie and Mike.

We now have a beautiful bathroom and will qualify for a $100 rebate for the toilet as part of our Energy Efficiency Evaluation.

Candy Tongue, Tattoos

When we moved to St. Thomas last year, we were moving towards something, not away from something. Yet we did leave behind some pretty special bits of our lives.

Such as my pal Lisa.

Now here's a gal who likes things the way she like things and if you dare to ask "why?", you'd be wise to take a seat.
She's got a knack for making me split-a-gut.
I've never laughed so hard, and for such a long time as we did that one particular time together, and all it took was a highlighter and a ceiling fan. That's how it is with Lisa - even getting your change back at a store can end in tears. It's hard to explain; it's a kind of magic.

I remember another time together when we encountered an old-style screen door on a store in Toronto's Queen West. Admittedly it was an odd sight, a porch door in such an urban setting, but Lisa was completely stumped (and a squirrel could have got it opened) - I don't know what was funnier, Lisa's mystified look as she gingerly opened the creaking door, or her look moments later, leaving the store, when she got flummoxed all over again.

But I'll pull this back from sounding like a eulogy and take aim at the target - I big thanks for all the belly laughs we've had and the many still to burst out.


a tattoo haiku
candy tongue tattoos by neil hubert

The candy tongue tattoos
were kind of a hit -
Whilst sitting Miguel who is 9, I suggested
We should each get a tongue tattoo
courtesy of my friend Lisa
(who you've not yet met)

He was so excited,
he wanted to wait
to show his mom,
who was away in Spain,
for another week hence
(likely drinking Mateus and thinking about him)
so I said
We'll do them closer to her date of return
and I forgot.

now I can't find them
for I think he put them in his pocket
likely sticky now
from running and splashing
laundering and wringing
but still fun, though not on the tongue
our candy tongue tattoos

not for candy tongues

Investing in Tomorrow

One of the things that prompted me to quit smoking years ago was my realization that the day would come when I would have to quit.

I stepped out of my denial and stopped doing something I knew wasn’t good for me.

That's pretty much how I feel about the state of our environment; I figure why should I wait for the nasty to happen when I could be proactive and make some changes today that will ease my adjustment to the inevitable?

We've had a few generations now of opting, out of ignorance or laziness, for waste rather than conservation, speed over good stewardship.

Our era of convenience carried a steep price and the planet has begun collecting on our debt. We burned a lot of fuel, quickly cultivated and consumed a lot of inexpensive food, and destroyed countless acres of ecosystems; the very systems we need to help cleanse our toxins.

I think we need to realign our perspective on cost and value.

Today’s organic tomato costs what a tomato would have cost my great-grandmother, long before we could mass/fast grow everything. Organic food is the real cost of responsible agriculture, and it's why we should be willing, whenever possible, to spend a bit more, short term, because the long-term benefit is well worth it.

And so I’ve realized another wish on my Energy Retrofit Master Plan – our tankless water heater.

Viewing our gas bill last month, I noticed an announcement from Reliance for a new lease product, the Rinnai On-Demand Water Heater. Robin made a call and a week later our old tank was taken away as the new system was installed. Hot Water on Demand (we sometimes call it instantaneous hot water) is a tankless system which heats water as you require it buy coiling cold water, through tubes, around a heat source. Our hot water consumption is already pretty low due to the fact that we generally wash our clothes in cold water and have an ultra-conserving front-loading washer, so the amount of gas we'll now be burning will be minimal (with this new generation of systems, there isn’t even a pilot light on when it’s not heating water).

Like our organic tomato, I expect we'll be paying more for our monthly rental fee (up to $31) and, though we can't tell the difference in our day-to-day life, I know it's the kind of change that makes a big difference for the future. To lesson the impact of the installation charge and new monthly fee, we will qualify for $200 in provincial and $200 in federal grant money as part of the Energy Efficiency Evaluation inspection we had last October.


I’m no longer afraid of the future since becoming an active participant in the change that will form it. We should all make our own positive choices today, because we know if we don’t, the choices will be made for us.

I know my grandparents would be proud.

Canadian Living – Go Green Issue

Further to my rant about how we respond to, react to, and respect each other, I've had my share of applications that were sent off with my best intentions, to which I never received a response. Off they went, on a one-way journey accompanied by a succinct cover letter, leaving me to wonder if my email or fax went to the right place. Ironically, many of these were to apply for positions in the touchy-feely social science field. Maybe not so much ironic as revealing.
I experienced this recently when I contacted Canadian Living Magazine which, upon reflection, likely has more to do with how we view criticism and responsiveness than with business etiquette.

I can't help but be a bit annoyed when reading any publication containing the word Canada or Canadian, when I feel the point-of-view being cultivated is more regional than national, speaking only to a select few. And so, after much thought, I sent an email to Canadian Living Magazine (I'm still waiting for a response) ...

May 1, 2008 - Canadian Living Magazine

Your Go Green Issue accomplished one of its goals without even the use of good content. A fan of the magazine and a pretty “green” guy, I almost bought the issue without even looking inside, based simply on the cover.

Fortunately I was able to borrow my neighbour's copy because, sadly, I was disappointed.

I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s beginning to feel “green” is becoming just another marketing program – I don’t need to be told to change my light bulbs or buy an Energystar appliance. It’s time for some remarkable leadership, and Canadian Living could certainly be a strong leader.

I appreciate you are trying to “do your bit” by greening an issue, and of course there are some really good bits (particularly the green communities and green warriors features), but you do seem to be living in a mythical, perhaps kinder, world where shopping more carefully is going to make enough of a difference.

To me, the magazine reads like Canadian Living Magazine is in the wake of a movement, rather than cresting the wave. And I know you can do much, much better.

I think people are preparing to make bigger changes, but are lost as to how to start or are overwhelmed with the pressure to adopt new technology.

May I suggest some ideas for your next green issue, based on my own attempts to do my bit;

1) follow a typical home in each province as the owners convert from fossil fuel to solar or turbine power. Perhaps include a condo or apartment which used roof-top solar panels to power the exterior lighting, partial hallway lighting and laundry machines.

2) show how a typical Canadian can convert their grass lawn to a drought resistant, dog friendly, mow free carpet of clover or indigenous fescue. Include a bit about push mowers for die-hard grass lovers

3) advise how a home can be retrofitted with a grey water recovery system; using shower water to fill the toilet tank, sink rinse water to hydrate potted plants or your veggie garden, and water from the rinse cycle of your clothes washer to water your trees and shrubs (a bit of soap can help roots to absorb!)

4) follow a family as they enjoy a normal work and play week, utilizing their power assist, Canadian made electric bikes

5) show where to buy and how to install a simple solar panels which can be used to power exterior lights, charge your electric mower or bike, perhaps even run your grey water recovery landscape irrigation system (now that’s efficient!)

6) have a tankless water heater installed in a home and compare it’s efficiency with a traditional tank heater.

7) profile a house / kitchen / bathroom as it is renovated without using any new materials or appliance or paint (accommodating a reconditioned gas stove, installing a 50’s bathroom using fixtures from a Habitat Re-Store or salvage yard, utilize re-tinted paint, use flooring ends or reclaimed linoleum)

8) compare the various types of heating stoves (wood, pellet, corn, gas) and analyse the results based on self-sufficiency, sustainability, pollution etc.

9) profile a “green” office (I worked for a property management company which used recycled copy paper, had banned bottled water, got Autoshare on-site and generally set a good example to tenants and the industry)

As well, we have enough home-grown talent and Canadian made products to keep it a mostly Canadian, greening the red and white, kind of issue.

Please accept my criticism and suggestions in the spirit in which they are intended; living in Canada is a wonderful, remarkable, progressive experience and Canadian Living has the talent and vision to spread that experience around.

Keep producing beautiful, inspiring magazines!

Best Regards

I’d like to know who decided “only qualified applicants will be contacted”, because I have a question for them -

Why?

Why can’t all applicants be contacted?

Is it because it takes a minute or two; about the time it takes to cover your mouth when you sneeze, or say excuse me when you bump someone.

Is it because we don’t need to; like when we accidentally litter and don’t return to pick it up, or only signal a turn when we know there’s another car around?


Well I think all applicants should be contacted.

Thanks for applying.

There, I just did it.

15 seconds; maybe add another 15 to hit the email reply button. Worse case scenario would be 2 minutes to respond by phone.

I guess my point is, I don’t know who made this decision on my behalf, and I’d like to put it back on the agenda.

I move a motion that we all respond to anyone trying to communicate with us, if even just with a nod or smile.

Call me a Pollyanna but maybe there’ll be a little less frustration and alienation in the world.

Which brings me to my latest “only qualified applicants” moment …

Two Great Ladies

We lost two great ladies this week;

One passed quietly, surrounded by loved-ones;

One went in a blaze, having been abandoned, neglected.

Margaret Jean Kerr (Dobie)

Margaret Kerr, Mrs. Kerr to me and thousands of others, was my kindergarten teacher who died this week at 91.

Many of us have fond memories of our first teacher, and my connection to Marg extends beyond teacher/student, as I remember her kindness to me during a difficult time early on in my life.

Our paths crossed several times over the next forty years, most recently last September where I had a moment with her at a church event. At ninety, still living in her own home, poised and assured, she welcomed me back to St. Thomas, and asked me if I'd found happiness in my journeys, to which I responded I had. Later, when I heard she wasn't well, I wrote her a note, sending a big warm hug, returning the affection and comfort she'd given me long ago; comfort I carry with me today.

I hope she was able to feel that hug. While writing it I realized that a moment of kindness can support a soul for a lifetime, as hers had for me.


Alma College
1871 to 2008

When her doors were opened "to the daughters of the worlds elite" in 1881, Alma College was really more of a dame than a lady, offering a liberal arts program and athletics alongside her domestic science, elocution and fancywork (stitchery)

You could catch a glimpse of one of the pointy slate towers almost anywhere in town (keep in mind, most of St. Thomas is no taller than a three story home) and most everyone has their own "Alma" connection.

Apart from those who attended school there or raised a family in the staff accommodations, there were weddings in the chapel and graduations in the amphitheatre, swimming and music lessons. Many were extras in the two movies filmed there. The Alma College International Alumne Association continue to meet, though this year will be bittersweet, now that the inevitable, predictable moment has arrived.











I remember rehearsing a play outside in the amphitheatre, and performing on the small stage inside. The deserted, ruined estate was always part of the tour for our out-of-town guest, who mirrored our amazement that something so beautiful was left to rot; our own Mrs. Haversham, right to the end.

Gutted by it's current, owners, it's downspouts removed to, some have accused, accelerate foundation deterioration, the site was left to the hands of vandals, nature and the elements.

Alma took only minutes to burn to the ground, as much the result of arson as deliberate neglect. Though a couple of bored kids sparked the final flame, her days were quickly coming to a close; her fate was sealed with a demolition order granted shortly before the fire. And in spite of our "saw that coming" attitude, it was shocking to see such a cruel finish come to such a gracious lady.

So, two proud figures of St. Thomas history are now relegated to the world of lore. I, for one, will continue to celebrate both, privileged to have been a witness, and will continue telling my stories.