One Man's Quest For Power - Wind Power

Baltimore resident, David Powers, got tired of hearing the industrial hum of his generator. It interfered with the camping experience he wanted to create for his family. Listening to that drone drown out the sounds of nature finally got to him and he began tinkering with using a small wind turbine to produce the power needed for his pop-up camper.

First he set up a turbine in his backyard, which didn't thrill his neighbors. The 28 foot tower and turbine cost about $80, including the motor and rotor he bought on eBay. The wind supplied enough energy to power the campers lights, refrigerator, oven fan and water pump. He had success.

On his next trip to their favorite campsite at Assateague State Park in Maryland. The constant breeze on the island spun the turbine and created enough energy to power up the camper's two 13.8 volt batteries. Next time, Powers plans to increase the turbines efficiency by using fiberglass blades.

He's happy with his decision and hopes to inspire more campers to try innovative solutions for power - harness the power of nature while connecting with nature - much better than dragging out the gas generator and filling our parks with enough noise pollution to make everyone think they pitched their tents on a construction site.

If you'd like to more about building your own wind powered turbine, visit http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_wind_tips.html to learn about how they work and http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/how_to_build_yo_1.php for directions to build your own.

In Praise of Farmers

Lisa Kerschner and her husband Ike love growing food for real people. They are the owners of North Star Orchard in Cochranville, PA. In 1992 they started with a 4 acre piece of ground. By 1996 they added another 6 acres and today they farm 20 acres, in all, producing fruit and vegetables of all varieties to sell at their local farmer's market.

You probably won't see Lisa driving around in a new Mercedes or sporting a Rolex. There are no windfalls in farming but in her recent article in Newsweek, Lisa tells about the meaningful life she's found tending the land and providing one of civilizations three basic needs - Food.

Better yet, she and her husband sell homegrown, sun-ripened goodness. The pears and tomatoes are full of flavor and color - not the bland product what you find in the grocery store that's shipped in from industrial farms from around the world.

I know exactly what she means when drawing this contrast. Every summer, my father has a vegetable garden. It's small, about a half acre but on that small plot he grows corn, okra, beans, cabbage, lettuce, squash, tomatoes...I could go on and on about the varieties he's tried. We always had fresh food and in the winter we ate the vegetables my mother had canned or frozen during the harvest season. I never appreciated it until now.

Our world is facing a food shortage. I heard yesterday that rice is being rationed by some of the large food chains in the US. A majority of our population does not know how or lacks the resources to grow their own food. We are at the mercy of industrial farms, big business, and government regulation. That's the downside.

The upside is we can change that. If you have a yard plant a few vegetables. Most are so easy to grow with a little care and simple knowledge. No yard, plant tomatoes in pots. Lobby for responsible farming that produces sustenance for people, not fuel for cars or food for consumer products (cattle). I'm not advocating that everyone become a vegetarian but if just half of the land around the world that is now being used as grazing land and acreage to grow food for the cattle were converted to rice, wheat, and millet, I believe we could solve the food shortage dilemma.

Lisa says she loves going to the farmer's market and interacting with the people who buy and actually eat the food she grows. It must be so satisfying. I remember the look on my parent's faces when they'd give away bundles of vegetables to their friends. They knew they were giving away something of great value. Not only does their gift feed the bodies of people they loved but it feeds their souls when they grow and share something so important.

Next time you meet a farmer, say thank you..honor him or her. They certainly deserve it and I believe, in the coming years they will become more important to us than our banker or doctor.

Las Vegas Writer's Conference - Big Success

Every spring I look forward to attending the Las Vegas Writer's Conference. Each conference grows in quality and prestige. The 147 attendees lucky enough to get into this sold out event rubbed elbows with a handful of literary agents and editors and picked the brains of faculty flown in from all over the country.

This year felt different to me. Conferences were always about the search for an agent, a gatekeeper who believed in my work, as I like to think of them. Last year I was lucky enough to be introduced to such a person and sign with his agency. No butterflies or involuntary fits of nerves for me this time. I didn't have to convince anyone of anything. I'd crossed that threshold so I enjoyed the lectures, made new friends, and volunteered with the conference staff.

As I watched my fellow writers charging the gates of the publishing industry with their latest polished bio and synopsis in hand, I realized that they ( the writers/my friends) hold the true key to the gate. Hard work, confidence, planning, and preparedness are the notches in the metal needed to find the right fit with the right agent...and yes, luck and timing figure in somewhere too.

The best thing about this year was the encouragement I was able to give to other writers on the verge of discovery. One agent asked me, "So who do I need to talk to while I'm here? You know what they are writing." Floored that he would seek my advice, I pulled myself together and pointed him toward a few writers with manuscripts I love. I hope it helped. I hope their dreams come true because next time I fly to New York, I want a buddy on the plane with me.

On the personal front, I had a moment at the end of the conference where I just had to sit down and take stock of how far I've come. Because of the hard work of my fabulous agent, my manuscript is sitting on desks, waiting to be considered by editors in 10 of the largest publishing houses in the country. This little girl from a small town in Georgia had to take a deep breath and shed a few tears of joy. No matter what happens from this moment on, I'll hold that feeling inside my heart forever.

If you are reading this and you write...don't give up! Keep writing, keep honing your craft, keep persevering and your magical time will come. Case in point is the author of the recently released children's book Granny McFanny. Lewis Kimberly is my dear friend. Last year she pitched her idea for Granny McFanny to Stephen's Press and debuted her new book on the first night of the conference. Dreams do come true!

By the way, my preschooler has been running around the house for the last few days yelling, "Granny McFanny for President!" Buy the book for a child you love and you'll understand why this is so adorable.