I was taught as a kid to turn off lights when I leave a room and not stand in front of the refrigerator with the door open. I was also taught to idle my car to warm it up on cold mornings. I stopped that 5 years ago when I got a Volkswagen TDI because I read that it was bad for a diesel engine to run while the car was not moving, particularly if the engine was cold. When I was out with Bonnie on the bike last week we passed a truck idling. A few days later, in the same drive, a car sat idling. It made me wonder if idling the engine was necessary for gas engines and how much greenhouse gas is added to the atmosphere each year just from people “warming up” their cars. In fact, the engine should only be run for 30 seconds before driving. It is also best to turn off the engine anytime your car will be stopped more than 10 seconds.
May snow
Yesterday rain mixed with sleet and snow. This afternoon six inches of wet snow. Not a big snow for this time of year (it is not unusual to get 1-3 foot storms in April and May), but I was surprised after last weekend’s warm weather.
45 min bike ride with Bonnie this morning … before the snow. 45 min good pace swim at noon. Not a bad except when compared to the 3 hour road ride that was scheduled.
Other things to do at the Dunes
It is really not as fun as it looks, but this was my first time on a board (12 years ago) and barely moving was an ok speed. That particular board was railed, which made it ok for the sand, but vicious on groomed snow.
This morning I tried riding my mountain bike while wearing my walking boot and I took Bonnie out for a short run. She is very fast for a little-ish dog and had lots of pent up energy today.
Water conservation
If you think high fuel prices are bad, what if you turned on the faucet and no water came out? A neighborhood in town spent much of the summer like that a few years ago. Not being allowed to water your lawn everyday may seem like a hardship, but it can get A LOT worse. Read this for inspiration to conserve water now!