Solar Power reimbursement, beginning tomorrow at 8:00 a.m.

I will send an email to Rocky Mountain Power containing my filled-out Utah Solar Incentive Program Capacity Reservation Application Form.  Yep, that's what it's called.

Over a month ago, my hubby and I decided to check out getting some solar panels put on our roof.  We're already trying to reduce our impact on earth by building a house with a radiant roof barrier, ground source geothermal heating/cooling, and xeriscaping instead of a lawn.  We've always been interested in solar, but didn't have the money to add that when we were building our house.  Then  manna from heaven drifted down in January, enabling us to go forward.

I called our neighbors with solar power for a referral and then called the contractor they used to come out and give us an estimate.  I followed him around in my (broken ankle) boot and watched with trepidation as he climbed up onto our flat roof, tromped around on it, and then jumped down.

"Don't break anything," I shouted.  He laughed, because the jump was only about 4 feet on that side of the house.

He told me that the parapets were high enough to hide solar panels over the living room area, which would give us room for about 3700 watts.  The next day he emailed a cost estimate:  $19,000!

At first hubby and I said it was too much.  Then we checked into energy-efficient credits.  A residential energy efficient property credit from the feds amounts to $5,730 and from the state of Utah, $2,000.  And if Rocky Mountain Power picks my email in their lottery tomorrow, we will get an additional incentive of $4,960.  Wow.

One problem with Rocky Mountain Power:  they say the lottery is open from 8:00 a.m. March 1st to 5:00 p.m. March 14th.  However, our contractor says that, judging from past experience, it is REALLY over at 8:01 a.m. on March 1st.  Only one minute is needed for all the allotted applications to be chosen.  So tomorrow morning I will be sitting in front of the computer with my forefinger poised over "send" and my eyes on the computer's clock to strike 8:00 a.m.

The whole procedure is fascinating.  We will be plugged directly into the grid.  On days when we use all our available wattage generated and need more, we will be sucking electricity into the house.  On other days when we generate more than we use, Rocky Mountain Power will be sucking it back.  Once a month, we will see our energy usage and bill decrease by at least a third and once a year they will issue a check for the amount of energy they bought from us. 

What I found surprising was that solar panels are most efficient at 65-75 degrees and lose efficiency at higher or lower temperatures.  I also got to see the contractor do a solar shade analysis.  He brought out a convex dome that shows the surrounding trees, mountains, houses, etc on the edges of the circle.  He set the dome on six corners outlining the future solar array and analyzed the solar shade at those points.  From what I can gather from the application information, it looks like we will have no shade at all on the roof.

One of the neighbors I talked to above monitors and records his solar generating and energy usage daily.  He puts all the data on a website he created.  I don't think he'd mind if I shared his website:  http://www.casteyanqui.com/ev/solar/index.html

If you take a look at it, you will be able to see his solar panels, and the charts and graphs he made detailing the ins and outs of his energy usage.  In comparing his solar panels with ours, we will have the same manufacturer, model and inverter but will have fewer (16 compared to his 36) panels.  According to his website, his total generating capacity is  8,280 watts while ours will be ?? because then you get into the math. 

According to our application, we will have an estimated 6068.8 annual kWh (kiloWatt-hour) production before the inverter, which has a 95.9% efficiency level.  This reduces our energy generation to 5820 AC kWh/year.  Then you multiply by the number of modules (16) and efficiency per module and get 3,438 Watts (per day, I guess).  At least all you electricians will know what I'm talking about!

The bottom line is that our solar array should save us about $550 per year at current prices.  It will only take us 20.5 years to break even (without winning the lottery) and 11.4 years if we win.  Wish us luck!!

Update:  even 8:00 a.m. on the dot was too late!!

Decisions for the Year of the Dragon

On January 23, 2012, the date of the Chinese New Year, I began my diet.  Over the past 2 months, inactivity combined with eating well, eating junk, and drinking wine expanded my waistline, stomach and rear end.  I had finally taken my boot off the day before to weigh myself and UGH--I had gained over 5 lbs and 2% in body fat since Thanksgiving.  Even the jean skirt I wore almost every day began to tug at my waist.


January 1st, being only one month after my ankle surgery, came too early for me to get motivated for change.  I was really mad that my classes would begin on January 2nd, knowing that for the next 9 weeks I would be teaching nonstop.  Teaching online classes is a all or nothing proposition and--because my last set of classes ended on Dec. 4--I didn't get the break I needed.  I was still in quite a bit of pain, and sitting in the easy chair with my foot on two pillows and my laptop and one or two cats on my lap became a daily routine.

In increments, my pain decreased, and the time periods standing and walking increased.  On the day of the Chinese New Year I was ready to get my life in order.

# 1  Lose weight.  Beginning on the day of the Chinese New Year, I weighed myself, took my measurements, and began my diet.  I reduced my calories to about 1200 a day by cutting out chocolate chips, tortilla chips and most carbohydrates. I can't let go of the wine, though.  But at least I changed from white wine to red wine.

On tomorrow I will begin Week 3 of my diet.  So far I have lost approximately 3 lbs., and 1/2 inch from my waist, stomach and rear end.   I hope I will eventually get back to my normal weight, where will I fit into my clothes and have more energy.  Perhaps I will push past that goal to lose some of those 15 pounds I've been carrying since I had the kids.

# 2 Reduce my workload.  Beginning with my next class, I am going to teach one class at a time.  I have been teaching 2 classes at a time for about a year now.  As I said above, teaching online classes is all or nothing proposition.  I spend 7 days a week online which really bites chunks out of my creativity.  After grading 32+ assignments and rating 32+ student's class participation every week, I don't have any time or motivation to begin a writing project.  For example, I started this post 3 weeks ago and it took me this long to finish it!


#3  Heal myself physically.  I've just dipped my baby toe into that path.  Now that finally got out of the boot and into an ankle brace, I can drive, shop, do my own errands and get into the hot tub!  A regular stretching and exercise routine is on the horizon.  I've been doing range of motion exercises for my ankle and stretching my back and neck already.  But I'm going to add more yoga stretches,  vigorous household chores, and walking daily.

#4  Heal myself mentally.  I added up all the stresses I've gone through in the last year and it reaches into the severe stress category.  Two family deaths and a major injury top the list.  I haven't had a chance to process everything yet and need the time to do so.  Therefore, I'm going to take a long break before I start another class, and stop listening to and watching the news. I need to decompress, spend some time daydreaming, get something done around the house, relax, and do some creative writing.  Wish me luck on that last one.

10 lessons learned in 2011

This year has been a difficult one for my husband and I--two deaths (my brother and my mother-in-law), a broken ankle, and a sleep apnea diagnosis.  But I came away from these experiences with some valuable lessons that have hopefully made me a wiser person.

Lesson 1:  I can't change anyone but myself.  (My alcoholic brother's death came about because of his condition, which I had spent years trying to change.  However, I eliminated using a CPAP machine by wearing nose strips at night, doing throat exercises, and sleeping on my side).

Lesson 2:   Agree to disagree, especially when discussing hot topics such as politics and religion.  (Conversations go smoother).

Lesson 3:  It's OK to take the time to goof-off--it may lead somewhere completely unexpected (this blog).

Lesson 4:  Take better care of myself (wear hiking boots--not tennis shoes--when hiking, and use trekking poles).

Lesson 5:  Don't try to keep up with the kids (hurrying to catch up was part of the reason I broke my ankle).

Lesson 6:  Look at every day as a gift (yesterday a broken ankle, tomorrow ?).

Lesson 7:   Appreciate the small things (a cup of coffee in the morning, a glass of wine at dinnertime, warmth on cold days, my kitties on my lap).

Lesson 8:  Let things go (who cares if the dishwasher is not loaded perfectly? The dishes will still get clean enough).

Lesson 9:  Not everyone will like me (no matter how hard I try to be a "good" teacher, I still don't get all 10s on my class evaluations).

Lesson 10:  Be more patient and less demanding.  (The cats will sit on my lap on their own time and my husband will be a much more willing slave)!

Self-publishing

I finally finished searching photos for my children's poem and putting them all into a Power Point presentation.  Hopefully I attributed all the photographers properly!  I only had to buy one photograph's rights (for $1.40--not bad at all!).  In fact, if I registered on that site, I could submit some of my photos and put them up for sale.  Maybe I should check into that.

I also haven't heard from one of the other photographers about one of the best photos.  I may have to cut that one if I don't hear from him/her soon.

Anyway, now I'm going to research self-publishing that poem with the photographs.  Should be interesting.  If anyone has any publisher recommendations, please let me know.

I figure that a children's book would be an easier sell than my murder mysteries.  And, although I have successfully written about 20 short stories (some of them still unpublished), do people really buy short story collections from unknown authors anymore?

Bone healing

When I got my staples out on Wednesday, the doctor remarked that I was healing fast.
That's good news because I did a lot of research on how to speed up bone healing and followed (most of) the advice I found.

Speeding up bone healing:

1.  Mobilization is, of course, important because the bone fragments must remain touching for new bone to be produced.  My fracture, before surgery, was not stable and the grinding noises I heard when I shifted my foot were actually the sounds of bone fragments moving against each other.  Gives me the shivers when I think about it! 

2.  Cold therapy.  Inflammation occurs in the first stage of bone healing. It draws blood to the area, which clots and protects the site so that early bone repair can begin.  However, long-term inflammation traps fluid in the area, which inhibits circulation.  Not a good thing.  Cold therapy is the best way to reduce pain and swelling temporarily.  Taking NSAIDs for inflammation should be avoided or minimized (see below).

3.  Stop smoking.  Smoking alters the blood flow to the bone so it slows healing.  Fortunately I don't smoke, so I didn't have to give up that habit.

4. Eat food high in calcium and take supplements.
Foods high in calcium (copied from http://lesann.tripod.com/healing%20fractures.htm )
Type of food Amount        Milligrams of Calcium
Non fat yogurt 1 cup 415
Sardines (Atlantic with bones) 3 oz 372
Collard Greens 1 cup 355
Pink Salmon (canned with bones) 6oz 334
Skim Milk 1 cup 302
Calcium Fortified Orange Juice 1 cup 302
Bok Choy 1 cup 250 
Almonds 3 oz 198
Turnip Greens 1 cup 200
Soy Beans 1 cup 180
Broccoli 1 cup 180
Mustard Greens 1 cup 150
Black Molasses 1 tbsp. 140
Great Northern Beans 1 cup 140
Non fat Baked Beans 1 cup 130
Tofu 1 cup 130
Navy beans 1 cup 130
Corn Tortilla 1 tortilla 120
Kidney Beans 1 cup 115
Okra 1 cup 90
Acorn Squash 1 cup 90
Spinach (Cooked) 1 cup 74
Orange 1 med. 60
Raisins 1/4 22
Peanut butter 2 tbsp. 18

Also take extra calcium supplements and Lysine, which increases calcium absorption.

5.  Follow the doctor's advice!  Don't put weight on your fracture until the doctor tells you.  

6. Stay positive.  A positive attitude helps your body release "feel-good" endorphins that support the immune system and trigger natural painkillers.  Stress and negativity release cortisol, which interferes with healing and increases inflammation.  

Bone robbers:

1.  Caffeine.  I've read in several places that caffeine increases calcium loss through urine.  But I just can't give up my 2 morning cups of coffee.  Me bad. 

2.  Alcohol has the same story with a different twist.  Alcohol is supposed to slow bone formation (I will leave out the technical details).  Although I like a daily glass or two of wine, I stopped drinking alcohol for about 10 days and now am only having one glass with dinner.  Life is for enjoying the moment, right?

3.  NAIDs--like Ibuprofen, aspirin, Motrin, etc. decrease inflammation and thereby inhibit the first stages of bone healing.  Since I seem to have a high pain threshold and hate taking drugs, it was easy for me to get off medication ASAP.  The Lortab they gave me at the hospital did not agree with me, Tylenol is hard on the liver, and Ibuprofen is hard on the kidneys.  So good-bye drugs!  Unfortunately, I still had to give myself daily shots of Enoxaparin, an anti-coagulant, for 10 days after the surgery.  Definitely not fun!

Mry broken Ankle

How I broke my ankle

When leaving the trail,

I hopped on rocks,

like a frog jumping

from lily pad to lily pad,

to circumvent

the Desert Crust.

A dull brown melding

of bacteria, moss and lichen,

Desert Crust forms

micro peaks and

micro chasms across

unbroken ground.

When left alone,

a splash of water

turns Desert Crust green.

It gradually grows into

inch-high windbreaks

that hold down the loose sand.

Hopping on a wobbly rock,

I rolled my ankle,

falling back

instead of forward

because I shouldn't crush

the Desert Crust.

After all,

busting the Desert Crust

takes years to mend

while my ankle should heal

In about three months.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I broke my ankle the day after Thanksgiving.  A plate, 6 screws and 17 staples later, I feel like Jimmy Stewart in "Rear Window."

But instead of breaking my leg chasing after an action shot, I broke my ankle hiking.  (Walking out 5 miles with the help of my daughter, son-in-law and husband was something I would not like to repeat). 

Instead of being wheelchair bound, I sit in my easy chair with my foot elevated and a cat on my lap.  And instead of being a photographer, I am an online instructor who loves to write.

Inspiration for a story has not struck me yet--but I found a new goal.  Instead of spying on the neighbors, I am searching the internet for zoo animal photos to accompany a children's poem I wrote a while back.  I'm also spending time on the internet educating myself about crutches, fractures and bone healing.

Since November 25th, I have had nothing but time.  So I've been sitting in my easy chair--as you know already if you saw yesterday's post--and educating myself about crutches, fractures and bone healing.

At the emergency room, I received an ill-fitting boot (my heel would not go down) and crutches set at the wrong height.  So my first piece of advice is ask for a bigger boot.

My second piece of advice is make sure the grips on your crutches are at hip level and the pads are 1-2 inches below your armpit.  If your handles are at hip level, your arms are bent at a slight angle when you are using the crutches.  My crutches were not adjusted correctly and my arms were straight when I used them. Because of that, I ended up with left shoulder pain.

Also, having clearance for your armpits helps you avoid clothing getting caught up in the pads.  I don't think I have enough clearance there, so I probably should do some major adjustments from the bottom to the top.

But do I want to go through all that effort?  Tomorrow is my doctor appointment--I will get the 17 staples out and perhaps be able to start walking and thereby lessen my dependence on these &%$# crutches!!!