energy

There are 21 posts tagged energy (this is page 1 of 4).

Posted to Ontario Barn Preservation – Cars in Barns Are Barn Finds

This is the post I wrote about old cars being found in even older barns, for the Ontario Barn Preservation newsletter, January 2023.

Cars in Barns Are “Barn Finds”

I like to photograph old buildings, farm houses and barns included. I’ve met a lot of people who also have an interest in old places. Not everyone is about photographing them. Some will salvage, some will vandalize. As a general rule I choose not to do either. But, there have been times I saved plants from a garden at a house long abandoned. Once, I brought back a green Pyrex mixing bowl which I found way out in the field as I was walking back after photographing an abandoned farm house. Sadly, that house has been demolished now, but I still use the mixing bowl. I have never vandalized, or left garbage around. Take only photographs, leave only footprints.

There are people who especially look for cars, vehicles other than farm machines, in old barns. Some of them just want to see the old cars, some want to try buying them from whoever still owns the barn and cars, and others wreck them. They call them barn finds.

Ethan Minnie explores a barn which has several cars. Sadly, this location has been publicized and vandals have found it. Ethan knows what kind of cars they are. Another view of the same location from Freaktography.

It would be nice to know the story behind all these cars left, neglected and abandoned. I did find that it was someone who won the lottery and bought a lot of cars. Then went bankrupt. But, why not sell the cars rather than go bankrupt, or just leaving them all there? It seems there must be more to the story.

A Few Links to Barn Finds:
Hotcars
Driving.ca
Barn Finds

Most of the videos about barn finds don’t include a story, or give away the location. At least I hope they avoid letting others know where they found them. It’s not just about trespassing but respect for whoever owns the property and everything in/ on it. Even the vehicles themselves. Dust and animals will happen, no one should deliberately cause harm, to vandalize.

If you’re interested in cars, especially old cars, you can find a lot online about barn finds. I’ve seen people posting photographs and videos from Canada, the US, Europe and Asia. You may have a car or two in your own barn. I guess some people intend to fix them up and sell them, or showcase them. At some point, when its covered in a thick layer of dust and animals tracks… it might be time to find a buyer for it, as is. Let someone else treasure it and (hopefully) have the time, energy, and resources to get it on the road again.

I have a problem with keeping books, thinking I will make use of all that information… some day. I do understand hanging onto things, cars, books, or any of thousands of other things we value.

Posted to Ontario Barn Preservation – Wind Farms

This is my post for the Ontario Barn Preservation newsletter for April, 2022. My first couple of newsletter posts were a bit bland. But, I’ve started thinking of more interesting topics, I think. So I’m going to re-post them for myself here at my own site.

Spring has me thinking about wind farms.

Ontario has wind farms (wind turbines and wind power farms). To me they seem to be a good way to have the land pay for itself, especially if it is no longer being farmed in other ways. But, others don’t like the wind farms at all. Some claim they are noisy. But, we parked beside one on a country road, turned off the car and listened to it turning. There seemed very little noise. I think the main concern are birds flying into them. People are coming up with solutions for this but nothing works 100%, so far.

If you have thought about having a wind farm, there are a few things to consider:

  • Average wind speeds. The location needs enough wind, year round. You can use an anemometer to measure wind energy. Keep track of the wind over the year and see if you have a good location.
  • Location regarding access to roads for maintenance, transmission lines (if you plan to sell energy back to the power company), bird migration patterns, air traffic and radar signals (check with the government offices), water in the area (a tall structure needs a solid base to build on).
  • Even if this is a DIY project you need to get permits. You will need to know all the above for getting a permit.
  • Construction of a turbine requires, among other things, an electrician to set it up. They also require regular maintenance. They may not be trouble free but once a wind turbine is up and working it does seem practical for generating power and income if you sell it back to the power company.

Canadian Renewable Energy Association – Wind Energy

David Suzuki Foundation – A post about Gunn’s Hill Wind Farm, Ontario’s first wind community. Located in Oxford County.

Henvey Inlet – the largest single-phase wind project in Ontario. Generates enough clean, renewable energy to power approximately 100,000 Ontario homes.

Wind Concerns Ontario is a province-wide advocacy organization whose mission is to provide information on the potential impact of industrial-scale wind power generation on the economy, human health, and the natural environment.

Wikipedia – List of Wind Farms in Canada

The Wind Power – See more about wind power from around the world.


Image from Forest History Society of Ontario.

How to Find a Real Haunted House

There are haunted house attractions around Halloween. There are old houses which people claim to be haunted and run tours in them. But, how do you find a real haunted house?

Start by just searching online for local ghost hunters, paranormal researchers, paranormal societies, and anyone offering tours of your city or town. You might find a local ghost walk or haunted tour, if your town or city is big enough to have some tourist businesses.

The local museum and library will also know about houses in your area which have a history of ghosts and hauntings.

Look for online networks with people who photograph old houses, haunted houses or historical places. You can find a haunted house by networking with other people who are exploring, looking for the same things you are. (Urban exploration is a good way to find abandoned and/ or real haunted houses).

How to Stay in a Haunted House

First, decide if you really do want to do this. If you tend to easily freak yourself out, this probably isn’t a good idea for you. It’s too easy to convince yourself there is a ghost, either because you want there to be ghost or you just enjoy scaring yourself in some way.

Don’t go alone. For one thing, you will appreciate having a witness if you do find ghosts or something haunted. It’s also great to have a second opinion about everything you see. Not everything is a ghost just because you don’t know how to explain it.

Bring all the gear you need to navigate around. If you go at night, traditional but less sensible, bring a flash light.

Don’t forget to enjoy yourself.

You may get a spooky feeling, but isn’t that what you were looking for? Don’t forget the objective. If you’re frightened, calm down. Become more analytical than emotional. Think of yourself as a scientist.

Keep notes about what you see, feel and hear. Take along a digital camera.

Make plans for doing something afterwards. Get a coffee along the way home. Give yourself a time and place to wind down.

How do Places Become Haunted?

There are places you would expect to draw ghosts, or keep them. Places like hotels, hospitals and prisons, where tragedies, dramas and big, life changing events and crowds of people hustling and bustling through – those are the places you would think to find a few ghosts haunting the building and the grounds.

Yet, some common, every day and random places can be haunted, or have people who have seen something, felt something or reacted to something.

People leave an impact on a place, even long after they are gone and no one quite remembers what happened or who it happened to any more. That energy sticks to a place. Like walking into a room when people have been arguing, you can feel the charged atmosphere and the sudden drop when things go silent.

I think this is what haunts a place, the charge of energy and the sudden drop. It’s as if all that energies charged up, was never grounded or allowed to ease off and dissipate Instead it was frozen in place, as it waiting for something else to happen to let it release the charge.

Each place has it’s own story and it’s own mood. Just as no two people are the same, no two haunted places will be quite the same either. If you find a place you think is haunted find out what you can of the history of the place and it’s people. Don’t let what you discover bias you as you explore, however. You might only find just what you expect to find that way and completely miss something really unexpected and unusual.

Links to Get Started With

 

old house

Digital Content Skills

Have you looked at any of the jobs/ careers mentioned below? Even fiction writers have gotten to work in non-fiction if they run their own sites, social media and anything else online. Consider putting some of your energy and skills into a different kind of paying job. 
People who know how to write well for digital media — websites, intranets, social media, blogs, e-newsletters, search engines — have amazing career opportunities.
Many jobs now demand digital content skills: corporate communications, technical communications, web writing, journalism, advertising, publishing, marketing, content marketing, public relations, content management, content strategy, digital strategy, service design and government roles. 

Nine digital content skills: can you tick them all?

People who write for work must know how to:

  1. attract online readers

  2. improve search rankings

  3. use metadata and keywords

  4. follow web accessibility standards

  5. use a content management system properly

  6. write for mobile devices

  7. write plain English

  8. write for Google Translate

  9. publish on multiple channels.

Prompt for December 7 | Project Reverb

Victory Laps: What was your biggest accomplishment of 2013?

via Prompt for December 7 | Project Reverb.

This seems like a repeat question.

One big accomplishment (on a personal level) was getting rid of this fungus (or whatever it really is) on my face for a week. I’ve had it since the Spring this year. Got rid of is about a week and felt delighted. But, it has come back again.

Thinking about it doesn’t make me feel better. So I’d rather not put much time and energy into typing about it now. I have had it looked at, at least three times so far.

How to Behave Like a True Princess

princessOriginally written for HubPages sometime in 2013. What does the idea of being a princess mean to you? Have you written about a princess (in a fantasy world or the modern world) before?

If you want to be treated like a Princess begin by acting like a Princess with poise, grace and pleasant manners.

The word Princess comes with so many labels, from a spoiled brat to a graceful lady. Assuming the Princess you want to be isn’t the spoiled brat, how do you become the lovely fairytale Princess admired by so many?

A real Princess isn’t a dainty little thing. She stands on her own feet and makes the world (or at least her own local world) a better place. Contribute an example of how to behave better so others will see and do the same themselves. Keep your poise, don’t get flustered or impatient too easily. Use your best manners and be polite – treat others as you wish to be treated yourself.

Still, a Princess is not a doormat. She stands a little above, on her pedestal. Not so high that she can’t join in and be apart of everything going on in her kingdom but still, she holds herself to high standards and she is proud of what she is and what she does.

Don’t rest on your laurels or think you know all you need to know. Take lessons in etiquette manners and ballroom dancing too.

A Princess with some education can make a career out of being a Princess. Become an etiquette consultant, a protocol specialist or even someone working with the Embassy of your own country or in a foreign country (if you enjoy the travel).

How to be a True Princess (or at Least Feel Like One)

  • Decide on your kingdom. Your room, home, or your neighbourhood?
  • Who are your subjects? Your friends and family?
  • Communicate well. Don’t speak too quickly and use a smooth, calm tone of voice.
  • Dress like a Princess. Be proud to look pretty and elegant.
  • Resist buying cheap, wait until you can buy quality clothing, furniture and accessories rather than finding yourself with something which doesn’t suit you.
  • Wear nightgowns to bed so you can sleep like a Princess too.
  • Design your bedroom, your most personal space, to be your Princess oasis.
  • Find an especially beautiful mirror which lets you see your whole Princess self: a refined, classy woman.
  • Enjoy flowers, even if they are artificial, they will brighten up your space.
  • Take care of your hygiene, keep cleaned, trimmed and well groomed.
  • Work hard, do your best to set a good example and show how wonderful a Princess can be.
  • Work to keep a good attitude, be happy and your kingdom and subjects will be happy too.
  • Keep your standards high when it comes to your own decorum and good behaviour.
  • Keep your mind open, be tolerant of other opinions, view points and ideas.
  • Be generous with your time and energy – give to charity when you can and volunteer to help.
  • A Princess attends functions, dances and balls. Make sure you are out to see movies, go ice skating and other events you enjoy.
  • Practice good posture, standing straight and tall with your shoulders slightly back.
  • Practice making an entrance and exit, not just from the room but vehicles too.
  • Practice how you sit. A Princess keeps her knees and feet together, especially when she’s wearing a skirt.
  • Walk with a light step rather than clumping around or dragging your feet.
  • Don’t hold onto negative things and emotions for too long.
  • Do things that make you happy, follow your bliss as they say.
  • Love yourself. Be kind to yourself.
  • Be grateful for what you have and thank people who help you. Show appreciation.
  • Create your own Princess crown (or tiara).
  • Learn how to gracefully curtsy.
  • Experiment and develop a Princess laugh.
  • Learn how to give a royal wave when you are on parade.
  • Host a Royal Event to show off your beautiful gown, your crown and your graciousness.
  • Read fairy tales. Write and draw your own story about your kingdom.
  • Be kind and generous to others and be true to yourself.
  • Have a fancy tea party and invite friends and other Princesses too.
  • Smile, bestow your smile generously for your subjects and others, even those who are not in your kingdom.
  • A Princess can be excited, exuberant even, but she does it graciously and with poise.
  • A Princess is never a poor loser or a gloating winner.
  • Sometimes being a Princess is all in the details: watch your fingernails for dirt and make sure your shoes are not scuffed.
  • Princesses respect the Earth. Don’t litter.

Be a classy Princess, never become snobby or act as if you’re better than everyone else. Don’t expect special favours but be thankful when you get them.

How to Curtsy

Begin by respectfully lowering your head.

Hold your skirt out sideways just enough to give you room to bend your knees.

Slowly lift your right foot and place it behind your left foot.

With one foot forward, and your upper body straight, bend your knees. Lower your eyes.

Rise up smoothly and slowly.

Princess Links