Tuesday, October 30, 2007

here's a few shots---aqui hay unos fotos--of my friends in trujillo---de mis amigos en trujillo. i'm hoping piero and and his family can see these! estoy esperando piero y su familia puede ver estes fotos! i love all of you! te quiero muchisimo--laura













































Monday, October 15, 2007

catching up on posts both personal and in regards to stoves and such. i have been bad about writing and miss everyone! it seems i am always "catching up..." with one thing or another. it's hard for me to do nothing. however writing keep me on track. :>) fall is here and i love the crispiness of the air, apples, and the leaves crunching under my feet. altho i am cold, love to turn the heat on, or can be found buried under blankets! steve and i saw a fantastic show at cozmic pizza, the tiptons. five women, lead by amy denio, four on saxophones and one drummer and each quite impressive. check out billy tipton on wickipedia as to their namesake. it was great and i even bought a cd.

work is OK and a necessity, it seems. it would be fine if i wasn't such a softie and so affected by the personal-ness of it all. which is why i love it too, so go figure. another issue for me is eating my dinner at a reasonable hour. i get cranky and it doesn't help to be hungry or have a headache from needing to eat. and yes, the car will need to be replaced; so, you are looking at a car-aholic! i don't need it all the time but do need it some of the time. and bob, (the world's greatest mechanic) has lined me up with a little pick-up for next to nothing. the long term money thing is almost handled. i should say more accurately the decision is made, which was the hardest part.

we'll be headed to virginia and new york in november. a project will be to sort the photos and music files to do a mini presentation at North Branch School who so generously donated pencils for the kids in sipascancha. we have drawings to pass on from the kids there as well. should all be fun. also sorting photos for my peruvian friends for christmas presents and soon to send money onto quintin and paulina for their ceramics. i am giving thought to making a calendar with the photos. i have had to put the non-profit thing on hold due to finacial bullshit right now. i am bummed. certainly could be worse off, but this is important to me. on the stove front, i read and try to keep up to date as far as stove and fuel topics go. i receive letters from a list that includes renowned researchers in appropriate technology, primarily stove and fuel related. an education to say the least both in advances, the players, and differences in opinion about testing, etc. geez, i had no idea. like i say i was happy to see smoke coming out of the chimney and not into the young lungs of all the kids. and i will admit some is way over my head, however it's exciting to discover something that may apply. (for example, those briquets!) then i send things on to pave for her to consider in her proposals. (i wish she had the time to peruse the internet like i do!


estoy tratando que coger arriba en mis comunicaciones. los dos, profesional y personal. lo parece este es siempre...que escribir me ayuda mucho que hacer las cosas mas importantes y que ponerlos enfrente de mi mente. si, oton~o esta aqui y me gustan las hojas secas abajo de mis zapatos y la clima mas fresca. tambien estoy fria y usando mi calefaccion y uno puede encontrame abajo de un monton de frasadas! esteban y yo fuimos a un concierto de un grupo se llama, the tiptons. muy bueno con cinco mujeres, cuatro tocan saxofonos y otra mas bateria. ayaya, muy bueno y compre un cd.

el trabajo esta bien y necesario. la sola cosa es yo, y mi habito que estar personal con las problemas de mis pacientes. pero este es el razon tambien lo amo. loca, si? tambien otra problema es que tener mi cena cuando trabajando. aveces, estoy muy ocupada y no puedo ir, pero no puedo trabajar sin mi comida tambien!! como se llama puedo estar un grun~on! tengo que comprar otro carro y con la ayuda de mi mecanico yo encontre un camion pequen~o! y no muy caro! apparentamente yo un carro-alcoholico...pense de solo mi bicicleta pero la verdad es yo necesito mi carro aveces.

y hay planes que ir al virgina y nueva york en noviembre que visitar las familias. recuerdes los nin~os de aqui ? ellos daban lapices por los nin~os alla en Sipascancha? asi, nosotros queremos presentar una programma sobre peru y que dar pinturas de los nin~os de alla. y en pronto yo puedo mandar el dinero a quintin y paulina por sus ceramicos. y estoy arreglando fotos que enviar a todos mis amigos alla como mi promesa. tengo que esperar un poco que pagar por un abogado que ayudarnos con nuestras ONG. esta frustrando porque es importante a mi que hacer esto, pero el razon es dinero. y si tambien estoy tratando que aprender mas sobre cocinas mejoradas. hay un listo aqui (en el intenet) de ellos estudiando cosas que mejorar las cocinas, tambien el medio ambiente. todo muy interesante y un poco arriba para mi que entender a veces. pero cuando yo encuentro cosas applicable que bueno, y si, me gusta enviarlos a pave por su proyecto. por ejemplo, las briquettas! y otra cosa, amiga rossana, escribime antes de tu viaje a lima sobre las vitaminas, porfavor.

ok, entonces, no mas. amigos, siempre saben todos estan en mi corazon y mente. te estran~o todos! escribime, si?
Here are few shots of my new house! (fotos de mi casa nueva!)


521 N 8th (si, la direccion, pero tu puedes enviarme a este:

PO Box 1643, Springfield, OREGON, 97477 USA





front room/dining room
la sala







the kitchen
la cocina





more of the kitchen

mas de la cocina







the other side of the front room

el otro lado de la sala









outside, in need of work!

afuera, y lo necesito trabajo!







the bathroom with the tiniest tub i have ever seen
e ban~o pequen~o











and my bedroom,

y mi dormitorio



Thursday, October 11, 2007

here is a post i am hoping my peruvian friends will have a chance to check out, hence the translations that will follow. so, Steve is involved with the recycling crew out at the fair and the following photos of their compost operation may be interesting to Pave as she writes up her project for not only more in the way of stoves, as in the form of a place to construct the combustion chambers of ceramic, but also a site that manages waste. collected at the country fair site is food waste, paper plates, paper, vegetable based "plastics" along with chicken manure and water. on site it's sorted and layered with the manure and water. (and related to waste management, but from yet another angle is something i read of the Legacy Foundation and Richard Stanley involving briquet construction, no less in Cusco, of a mix of 40% grasses, 30% potato stems and 30% eucalyptus leaves. and, the Legacy Foundation is in Ashland of all things! i'm arranging a way for her to visit the site in Cuzco now and i would like to visit too, but stateside!)
estoy esperando mis amigos en el peru pueden leer esto! particularmente pave! esteban esta trabajando con un grupo aqui en un proyecto que hacer organica (abono) de un mixto de basura (organica) como comida, papel y vasos y botellas de un material vegetal y combinando con caca de pollo y agua. si pavela puede leer esto es posible que pensar de este idea en su proyecto?? tambien hay otra cosa quiero compartir contigo sobre un combustible de materiales organicas. apparentamente hay un proyecto en Cuzco donde hay briquettas de hierbas, partes de las plantas de papa y hojas de eucalipto..interesante. este trabajo es de Richard Stanley y su organizacion se llama Legacy y esta cerca de mi en el estado de Oregon! espero pave tiene un oportunidad que pensar de los dos en su proyecto? el minimo es que tu puedes visitar donde hay las briquettas en el cusco. tengo la infomacion y puedo llamarte.
Pictures of the oregon country fair compost operation:
fotos del oregon country fair operacion de material organica de la basura:

here's the new site, big roomy and airy and most important lots of shade for the good folks who sort what shouldn't be in the compost. aqui el sitio nuevo y bueno por el espacio, y mas importante afuera el sol por la gente que estan separando los materiales.
here's an example of a collection box that are placed through out the site and labeled for the public as well as the fair family. un ejemplo de un contenedore que collectar los materiales organicas.
heres the steamin' pile about 6 weeks later. some points had temps of greater than 160 degrees. aqui 6 semanas mas tarde y con tempuraturas de mas 160 grados (F).
Steve manning the bobcat! esteban esta manejando la maquina que girar el monton de organica.
i will direct you to check out the work of Richard Stanley and the Legacy Foundation
Agro Residue Briquettes
Fuel Briquettes From Around the World
Legacy Foundation micro-enterprise-based briquetting technology.

















































































































































Thursday, October 04, 2007

How nice to wake up to a message from my son, josiah! and i had awakened immediately thinking of him! ahh, the synchronicity of it all; i love it! there are times i wander around in the middle of my little life and those boys of mine come to mind! i should say SONS. on my dresser i have one photo of them as little guys, josiah all chubby, and mica, with his sweet little smile and in his brother's arms and another as adults, still their arms wrapped around each other. i came here in a big way because of them so they could be closer to where their dad lived. and here i am some 20 years later. they live in another city. i am here. life leads us in all these directions. i miss them sometimes and wished we lived closer. yeah...

i'm pretty much all settled and now developing my little routine here in springfield. i have lots i want to do and it will come to pass when it's time, i'm sure. for example, it would be nice to go out in my yard and drink my coffee. simple, huh? however, the previous residents had dogs that never shit anywhere but out in this little yard. so, you can imagine. i must get over this feeling that my little yard is next to toxic. and there is no outside spiquet!! i could at least spray it away. i want it to get a little dry so i can rake it all and remove what waste there is and maybe put down some mint compost. hmmm. sounds nice. well, not dry enough today though.

i am in the middle of trying to better deal with my long term financial thing. ugh. i was going to take care of it prior to the peru trip but didn't and now it simply has to be done. i would be happy with, at the minimum, raising my consciousness a bit about it all. the problem is that i have let a variety of things prevent me from dealing with this, or at least learning about it. the truth is i just do not speak this and it is such an effort to wrap myself around investing. let alone the future. so, at the minimum, learning and taking some responsibility will be good.

so, the car is in the shop. maintenance. josiah suggested this morning that my car would not last forever. imagine that. the truth is a near-stranger gave me this car now 4 years ago!! it has served me very well. i otherwise have such a love/hate thing about owning a car. i mean first there's the money, either upfront or payments, insurance, etc. (i like my money to go to other stuff.) and i do believe i could set my life up around not having a car. for instance, right now, it's just fine. i have my bike and am close to work. and it isn't impossible to ride from my place to steve's if i wanted to. so, in my head anyway, it looks possible to not own a car. however, the flip side, when in the car, goes like this: i think, "geez, i am always in this car....i hate driving....it's so isolating...i get angry easier. blah blah blah. yet, doing this wouldn't be possible if i only had the bike. would i figure it out and just get better at being a non-car owner? i will wait and decide once i have spoken with the mechanic!

so, oatmeal is cooking. then i'm off for a walk in my new neighborhood.

Monday, October 01, 2007

i'm back!

back on track, back on line, back in springfield in a new place, my lumbar strain seems healed from a work injury, and all just in time to stay on schedule with my plans. it's as if i planned it that way. ;>)

so, yeah the house is cool. at first it didn't seem so, but as with everything all the wrinkles have worked their way out. it's tiny and cozy, and just perfect for me. and if feels so good to rein things in and get focused and feel a bit more centered. and as i say all of this is just in time. i was feeling a bit crazy.

tomorrow i will get to send 250$ on to Alberto and Ricardina, residents of sipascancha, for her beautiful weavings i was able to sell here. i had promised them the end of september and everything is sold and the money ready. that feels good! and in one more month, money will go out to quintin's family. i have a few things still left to sell. and in one week, i can pay a good chunk (2/3) of what i owe a good buddy who helped me out while in peru'. and instead of in november as i had planned, it'll be in december we'll have the money to see a lawyer about making our work in peru a non-profit.

i got to talk to pave the other day and she will be sending me her latest proposal, which is not only in regards to more stoves, but to better management of waste. she will be sending it my way and i'm hoping we can begin making plans for our work next year.