Keeping the Focus Low

Weight = 178.6 lbs., down again

Coinage = $2.41, all the money spots were hitting

Best Find = a "base quarter" found at the bottom of a newspaper stand; sometimes it pays to keep the focus low.

Observation = found a curb book by John Prebble, “The Lion in the North.” Prebble was an active writer of fiction and nonfiction principally about Scotland.  As a result he “exerted a powerful influence on the way Scots view their history.”  Daily exercise combined with daily reading of serious literature is said to delay the aging process.

MoneyWalker

Unrequested Favors

Weight = 179.6 lbs.   Not bringing the weight down as rapidly as hoped following the gluttonous vacation over the Easter holidays at Destin, Fl.  Still too much Easter candy in the pantry.

Coinage = $.63   Another off day for money walking.

Best Find = A dime and penny scatter along the curb just before the walk ended.  Although totals were low, the walk did yield four different scatter finds.

Comment = Today was a better day for reflection than reclamation.  Booker award winner Anita Brookner frequently has her characters taking long walks.  From Lewis Percy:   

“Whatever the reason, he was not anxious to get home without some kind of interval rumination, some time to call his own. The idea of covering a long distance appealed to him. Gentlemen in Trollope, to whom he was devoted, even more than to his early heroes, covered vast distances and were thus able to sustain their noble thoughts. He resolved to walk home regularly, and to tell Tissy to expect him an hour later than his usual time.”

Friday morning was extra cool in New Orleans and just outside of my home; I passed a young man with only a thin t-shirt and a back pack.  Wanting to help, I quickly retrieved a hooded warm-up top.  I had retrieved it curb-side from an earlier walk and washed it for the purpose of giving it away (reclamation).  Here was the chance—give it to the young man. 

Although shivering, he refused the warm-up.  Why?  Behaviorists explain that “unrequested favors” are often viewed with suspicion, that if accepted the person feels obligated to the donor.  So maybe my friend suspected me of untoward behavior.  Anyway, my two reclamation projects of restoring coins into the economy and recycling warm clothing both failed.  But, during the walk, the mind was free to reflect and 'ruminate.'

MoneyWalker

What's A Farthering?

Portrait of the late Anna Massey, the British actress that recently died. Ms. Massey played Edith Hope from Anita Brookner's Hotel du Lac. Massey also was featured in a BBC production of Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now. Both Brookner and Trollope are in the MoneyWalker's Hall of Fame for their frequent reference to characters that take long meaningful walks.

Featured Entry: What's A Farthering?

Next to super finds (fifty cents are more in one location); the Moneywalker enjoys finding ecological ground scores. Ecological ground scores are any item that has been thrown away or hopelessly lost but has value. If it can be recycled, repaired, or repurposed the item is lugged home, cleaned, repaired, and prepared for the MoneyWalkers’s semi-annual charity yard sale.

With admiring interest the MoneyWalker is happy to pass along the story of Kemila Slade of the New Bern, N.C. Pink Sapphire Ladies Club. While walking with fourteen other members of the Club for the purpose of picking up trash along Neuse Boulevard in New Bern, Slade spotted a farthing. A farthing is a now obsolete British coin, their lowest denomination and worth .25 of an old British penny. In the 13th century, a farthing had the strength to purchase a 2 pound loaf of bread. But due to 20th century inflation, the farthing became worthless and was officially declared no longer legal tender as of Dec. 31, 1960.

Ms. Slade’s farthing was minted in 1730. The farthing was not “uncirculated” but was in good condition. Experts speculate that someone accidently threw it away. It took Ms. Slade’s careful observation to resurrect the farthing from permanent obscurity. A non-profit North Carolina organization called Keep NC Beautiful sponsors a semi-annual “most unusual litter” contest. The Slade farthing won first place which included a $250 prize. Numismatists indicate that the coin is worth about ten bucks.

The take away is that walking is not only great for maintaining and building good health, by adding ecological walking to our motivation scheme; we can help our world be a better place.

MoneyWalker

Journal Entry February 8, 2011: Street Smarts

Journal Entry: Street Smarts
February 8, 2011

Weight = 175.2 lbs.; Coinage = $.83, 28 pennies, 2 nickels, 2 dimes, 1 qt.; Glass Bottles = 6; Ground Scores = 2.

Today’s Journal Entry is inspired by runner Kevin Castille who has formed "lofty ambitions while running ... he continues to shine while taking to the road." Times Picayune, Monday Feb. 7, 2011. Only two ground scores were brought home by the MoneyWalker as he “took the road” this morning. One was a good one. Earlier, he had found a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner at curb side because the back wheels had broken off. Otherwise this Consumer Report Best Buy ran perfectly. The ground score this morning was a pair of wheels mounted on an axle that was long enough to be fitted on the vacuum. With the wheels “repurposed” the vacuum is now ready for the forthcoming yard sale--price $5.00. Any takers?

To see the latest Feature Blog about how to practice Bricolage walking, that is finding and recycling or repurposing discarded items, check the following link:

http://moneywalker.blogspot.com/2011/02/bricolage-walker.html

MoneyWalker

Journal Entry 2/7/11: A Long Walk Home

Photo by Gary Aurebach

Journal Entry: A Long Walk Home

Feb. 7, 2011: Weight = 175.6 lbs; Coinage = $2.00, 30 pennies, 2 nickels, 1 dime, 6 quarters (one super find of 2 quarters found on a hunch detour); Ground Scores = 15.

One find was a hard back book by Tom Hendrix titled If the Legends Fade about the journey of Te-lah-nay, an Oklahoma "healer" and her long walk back home to her ancestral origin of northwest Alabama. Episodes from her walk will be a "feature" in a future blog. The book was in a trash bin at a car wash.

Another find was a nearly new red California Innovation Reusable Thermal Grocery Tote. Amazon sells them for $29.99 and define it as "The perfect size thermal tote to take on a picnic, camping trip or grocery store. The tote is fashionable with comfortable carry handles. Its rugged exterior construction ensures a leak proof interior. Keep ice for up to 2 days!" It was curb side waiting for the garbage truck.

Reuse!

Repurpose!

Recycle!

MoneyWalker

Losing Weight While Gaining Substance

Photo provided by off list follower (Jan)and a reprint of Millett's Gleanners. My take from the photo is that it represents the essence of the MoneyWalker's blog--exercising for fitness while gleanning the coins and treasures that others leave behind.

Journal Entries: Jan 16, 2010 through Feb. 6, 2011

Note: The MoneyWalker is starting a new posting practice. Starting with this post, he will write separate “journal” posts and “feature” posts. The journal posts will post current weight, coinage, glass bottles deposited in appropriate containers and off the street, and ground scores collected for recycling.

Jan. 16: Wt = 175.0 lbs; coinage = $1.66, 26 pennies, 4 nickels, 2 dimes, one dollar bill; glass bottles = 4; ground scores = 6.

Jan. 17: Wt = 175.0 lbs, coinage = $1.50, 50 pennies, 2 nickels, 4 dimes, 2 quarters; GB = 2; GS = 2.

Jan 18: wt = 176.0; coinage = $.69, 29 pennies, 1 nickel, 2 dimes, 1 qt; gb = 8; gs = 2.

Jan 20: wt = 176.0; coinage = $2.28, 83 pennies, 5 nickels, 7 dimes, 2 qts; gb = 8; gs = 5.

Jan 22: wt = 176.6; coinage = $1.17, 27 pennies, 3 nickels, 5 dimes, 1 qt; gb = 3; one international coin.

Jan 23: wt = 174.6 lbs; coinage = $.88, 33 pennies, 1 nickel, 5 dimes.

Jan 24: wt = 175.8; coinage = $1.16, 41 pennies, 4 nickels, 3 dimes, 1 qt; gb = 17; gs = 9.

Jan 28: wt = 174.6 lbs; Coinage = $1.34, 54 pennies, 4 nickels, 6 dimes.

Jan 29: wt = 174.6 lbs; coinage = $1.26, 26 pennies, 1 nickel, 2 dimes, 3 qts.

Jan, 30: wt = 174.4; coinage = $1.10, 35 pennies, 5 dimes, 1 qt.

Jan, 21: wt = 174.4 lbs; coinage = $1.27, 37 pennies, 2 nickels, 3 dimes, 2 qts.

Feb 1: wt = 174.4 lbs; coinage = $.95, 48 pennies, 2 nickels, 2 dimes, 1 qt.

Feb 2: coinage = $2.25, 100 pennies 1 nickel, 7 dimes, 2 qts.

Feb 3: coinage = $1.33, 23 pennies, 2 nickels, 3 dimes, 2 qts.; gb = 14.

Feb 5: coinage = $2.36, 66 pennies, 5 nickels, 12 dimes, 1 qt; gb = 6; gs = 10.

Feb 6: wt = 175.0 lbs; coinage = $1.38, 63 pennies, 4 nickels, 3 dimes, 1 qt.; gb = 4; gs = 6.

MoneyWalker

The Bricolage Walker

Courtesy-of-Gansam-Architects-Partners-Perspective

Feature Entry: The Bricolage Walker

Our personal history can sometimes be a chronicle of what might have been. The MoneyWalker enjoys his money theme, but he could have been the BricolageWalker. A Bricolage walker is a person that makes good use of objects that are found while walking, things that everyday folks discard or leave behind.

This somewhat esoteric word is pronounced brē’ kō-lӓzh’, and means “something made or put together using whatever materials happen to be available. Bricolage is used in diverse and interesting contexts including management theory, literature, and recycling.

M. Afzalur Rahim in his “Current Topics in Management, Vol. 12, 2007 book suggested that bricolage behavior is an important aspect of creative problem solving: ““people facing difficult and uncertain situations use whatever resources they have at hand to reach their goals.” George de Mestral (an avid walker) invented Velcro after a long walk aggravated by cockleburs stuck in his trousers. While removing the burs he noticed how their hook like properties interacted with the threads of his pants. Eureka, Velcro was invented. And the Apollo 13 astronauts used duck tape, discarded paper and other articles to patch their troubled spacecraft to rescue themselves from the troubled moon flight.

In recycling, there are community bricolages. They bring together people of all ages to discuss and learn how to re-use unwanted items. There are bricolage competitions. Designers compete to see which can create the most useful or interest object from whatever materials are at hand. The featured photo was from the Korean YEOSU-EXPO SILO Recycling Competition.

In postmodern literature the bricolage technique has resulted in a new genre which uses bits and pieces of older writing methods to produce new literary styles; stream-of-consciousness writing for example. Old tools from realism, characterization, tidy plot lines, romanticism, etc. are used but in unconventional ways.

The bricolage walker is at heart an environmentalist. The walks are for fitness and weight control, but the motivation to sustain the walks over multiple months and years of walking is the anticipation of finding objects discarded or lost by others and then recycling or repurposing them. Claude Leví-Strauss defined bricolage materials as"… elements which can be defined by two criteria: they have had a use.... and they can be used again either for the same purpose or for a different one if they are at all diverted from their previous function."

Finding money remains supreme, but more and more, the MoneyWalker’s “excitement of the walk” is the anticipation of finding useful interesting recyclable objects. He stores the treasures in his large basement, recycles them or repurposes them at his leisure, and then conducts a yard sale of the objects with all profits going to the New Orleans Friendship House for abused women and their children.

If you thought Ms MoneyWalker had trouble with a husband obsessed with finding dirty bent coins, don’t even mention the basement.

MoneyWalker

postmodern literature,

SILO Recycling Competition for YEOSU-EXPO / G.Lab* by Gansam Architects & Partner

Festina Lente – "Make Haste Slowly!"

Photo curtesy of Pamela B. Thomas

January 4, 2011
Feature Entry: Festina Lente – "Make Haste Slowly!"

Since December 19, 2010, the MoneyWalker has been in Vienna, VA, a tony suburb of Washington, D.C. Without a set of digital scales to provide daily accountability, I shudder to think what is facing me back in New Orleans, especially given all the rich food that has been available. Moreover, we have consumed three full meals a day for the duration.

We are in Vienna assisting our son and daughter-law with the birth of their new son, Paxton Tong Eason—grandchild number five. All are well and we will be returning to New Orleans soon.

Every day but one, the MoneyWalker did muster the gumption to take long walks, even during the snow storm that blew thru. Many of the walks did result in large coinage finds and interesting if not valuable ground scores. Because this is a very “green” city, few glass bottles were found on the streets and by-ways.

However, today’s five miler yielded only two pennies and a slightly scuffed baseball; but it was perhaps my favorite walk. As frequent readers know too well, motivation provides the most serious threat to my health/weight loss habit of taking daily 90 minute walks. I am just not that reflective in terms of using the walk to calibrate my emotional capital, and I find neighborhood scenery to become stale after just a few repetitious walks.

These musings bring me to today’s featured thought, Festina lente – "make haste slowly." As mentioned above, Vienna, VA is a beautiful small city nestled up against the Potomac River. On today’s walk, rather than zoom, I took a more leisurely pace. The goal was to walk to the Church Street Thrift Store, an old school charitable enterprise totally run by volunteer parishioners from the Vienna Presbyterian Church across the street, beautiful in its classic architecture, with cupola and white paint.

Along the way, I meandered off course and found old Vienna. The neighborhood featured large formal old homes with Victorian fronts, verandas, hidden gardens, and very spacious. These were millionaires' homes of yesterday when a million was worth something. Along one long street more than a dozen of these gems have been totally restored by today’s multi-millionaires.

The thrift store was a winner. I bought five music cassette tapes for .25, great for the long car ride back to New Orleans; a new Harley Davidson motorcycle cap (brand new, still had price tag) for .75; a paperback copy of The return of the Native, Chapter One has a great walking scene; a DVD starting George C. Scott in the movie Jane Eyre (3.00), probably not as good as Patton; also for $1.00 I found a well crafted hand carved mallard for my duck collection.

I then treated myself to a cup of decaf java in the trendy coffee shop across the street. In the management dictated thirty minutes of allotted reading time, I was able to get through several chapters of Hardy’s classic novel. But the 30 minutes was about all of the time I had for disciplined focusing anyway.

The MoneyWalker takes pride in being a “zoomer,” he is rarely passed by other pedestrians. Today, rookies were passing me left and right. But not to worry, exercise science has shown that weather you zoom a mile in 15 minutes, or saunter for 25 minutes, or even jog it in 9 minutes, the caloric count is all the same, about 100 calories a mile.

So if you want a new source of motivation for your walking habit, try Festina lente – "make haste slowly." It is a wonderful world out there. Sometimes it pays to slow down and enjoy it.

And Happy New Year!

MoneyWalker

Green Walking, Turning Trash to Treasure, Part II

The MoneyWalkers French Quarter style patio. Many of the fence boards were recycled as were all the patio bricks.


Journal Entries

Oct. 19: Weight = 173. Lbs; Coinage = $1.33, 18 pennies, 3 nickels, 5 dimes, 2; 7 glass bottles; 5 ground scores

Oct. 18; Weight = 174.6 lbs. (12 day excursion to NYC and DC with unchecked consumption); Coinage = $9.08, $5 dollar bill, 1 dollar bill, 88 pennies, 12 nickels, 11 dimes, 2 quarters; 11 glass bottles; 2 ground scores; one super find (2 quarters in a telephone return).

Oct. 7: Weight =172.8 lbs.; Coinage =$1.42, 42 pennies, 4 nickels, 3 dimes, 2 quarters; Glass bottles = 11; Ground scores = 2.

Oct. 6: Weight = 172.4 lbs.; Coinage = $2.08, 48 pennies, 7 nickels, 10 dimes, 1 quarter; ten glass bottle, two ground scores.

Oct. 5, 2010: Weight = 173. lbs; Coinage = $1.48, 37 pennies, 7 nickels, 5 dimes, 1 quarter; 6 glass bottles; ground score = 2.

Feature Entry: Green Walking, Turning Trash to Treasure, Part II

More and more, the MoneyWalker’s blog is reflecting the consciousness of the go-green movement. I walk to complete most shopping experiences if the destination is one mile or less. In our neighborhood that includes the bank, grocery store, dozens of restaurants, the post office, and the drug store. The practice avoids gasoline emissions, saves gasoline consumption, and contributes to the MoneyWalker’s weight loss maintenance strategy.

It is no secret that the MoneyWalker is motivated to maintain his walking practice by the chance of finding money. Pennies add up and finding nickels, dimes, and quarters scattered around the curbs and hotspots of Mid City New Orleans tickles the ventral striatum. But there is a new joy—finding and restoring other people’s trash. Turning “trash to treasure” is a hot topic in the going green movement. I call it the 3R method of sustainability--recycling, reusing, and repurposing.

Boring is the word to define all the types of items that have been found and recycled by the MoneyWalker. To test your stamina suffer through these: jewelry, books, office supplies and equipment, vacuum cleaners, weight lifting equipment, antique gum ball machine, floor lamps, book shelves, desk and credenza, and area carpets. Others include collectibles, TV table, coffee table, extension cords, jumper cables, oil paintings, art work, cleaning supplies, barbecue cookers, and clothes. Even more items include towels, baby strollers, tricycles, bicycles, tools, paint, lumber, bulletin boards, chandeliers, purses, beds, and gas cans.

Perhaps the most significant find occurred after Katrina. Many people with old houses with coal-burning fireplaces restored their homes and tore out the fireplaces to achieve a more modern look. The MoneyWalker retrieved the bricks, cleaned them, and created a “French Quarter” patio. More than 3,000 bricks were used in the project, bricks saved from the land fill.

One problem with the 3R method is distribution. How does the MoneyWalker deal with all that junk? First, he has a large storage area. Second, he is very handy and can repair most things. Third, he conducts a charity yard sale once a year to recycle the finds. He has also purchased “EBay for Dummies” and plans to sells his really good finds on EBay. All proceeds including coinage go to a local charity.

Walking while looking for money and other ground scores is a great one-two punch for weight loss and weight management and for going green. The more you walk, the more lbs. you lose and the more treasures you find to recycle, reuse, or repurpose the more you help sustain planet earth. Both contribute to personal meaning, an outstanding antidote to depression and stress.

MoneyWalker

A Charitable Dilemma

Painting, 'Charity or The Indigent Family', 1865, provided by Fotosearch.

Journal Entry, 7-22-10: Weight = 171.2 lbs; Coinage = $2.17; Glass bottles = 10; Ground scores = 7 including a recyclable baby stroller.

Feature Entry: A Charitable Dilemma

Early on, the MoneyWalker felt a moral dilemma about what to do with the money that he found during his fitness walks. It seemed unsettling to find pleasure in another person’s loss. The feeling is silly but it was real and I resolved it by giving the found money to a local charity one that ministers to battered women and their children. Then as rescuing discarded objects became a part of the walking program, it was logical to sell them on E-bay or host a garage sale. The latter was opted for.

Daily walking presents numerous opportunities for good Samaritan behavior. Two examples include helping a person with need of a tire change, and finding then returning a lost cell phone. The recipients of the assistance always offer to help. Today was such a day. A cell phone was found, the battery was fresh, a number was called, and an owner located. He retrieved the phone with obvious appreciation and offered to assist me for my inconvenience (and for not making several long distance calls). I said, “You can pay it forward, or if you are inclined, I will accept a small donation to be given to my charity (the battered women).” He rolled off a $20 and a $5 and handed them. I said, "Just the five is ample.” But he insisted and we settled on the $20.

Now I feel like he was taken advantage of. It is a charitable dilemma!

MoneyWalker

The "Ground Score" Meets the Yard Sale

Photo curtesy of the "Yard Sale Addict"

Journal Entry July 19, 2010: Weight = 170.8 lbs; Coinage = $6.85; Ground Scores = 2.

Journal Entry July 18, 2010: Weight = 169.0 lbs; Coinage = $.58; Bottles retrieved = 2; Ground scores = 3.

Note: the MoneyWalker has taken a two week break from his walking and blogging, but he is back rested and resolved.

Feature Entry: The Ground Score Meets the Yard Sale

When preparing a feature blog about walking, finding money, or staying fit while losing weight, the MoneyWalker often uses Google to find inspiration. Today's blog is about hosting a yard sale to dispose of all the loot that has been drug home during the last year. I always use Google advanced and place walking in the first line and the subject of my inquiry in the second, in this case "yard sale". In the do not show, I placed the word "charity." As I thought, walking and yard sale supplied many hits. In addition to "causes" that involve both walking and yard sales to raise money, some neighborhoods combine to have multiple garage/yard sales and then ask people to walk the neighborhood as they shop. I liked the idea.

However, the purpose of my sale was to clear away the "ground scores" and donate the proceeds to my favorite charity, the New Orleans Baptist Friendship House. They minister to abused women and their children. This past Saturday, with Ms MoneyWalker's assistance, we sold more than $350 dollars of merchandise, most of it from repaired "ground scores." After advertising expenses we sent a check for $311 to the Friendship House. The letter of transmittal follows:

Bobby L. Eason, Ed.D.


Dr. Kay Bennett
Baptist Friendship House
813 Elysian Fields Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70117

July 19, 2010

Dear Dr. Bennett:

Enclosed is a check for $311.00 to be received as a donation to the Baptist Friendship House. The amount is the net amount from the “Friendship House” yard sale conducted this past Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Lord blessed us with sunny weather and a slight breeze. A large sign indicated that all proceeds were to be donated to the Baptist Friendship House. Several donated their extra change from their purchases, one donated $10.

The yard sale was great fun. Everyone said our prices were very fair. So in addition to helping the friendship women and their children, we were able to inexpensively place excellent items into the hands of New Orleans citizens, many with needs of their own.

As indicated in an earlier letter, most of the items were found during the MoneyWalker’s fitness walks in the Mid-City area. When an item of interest was found discarded at the curb, and if it had perceived value, it was somehow retrieved and repaired if necessary. The yard sale featured filing cabinets, four office chairs, a bicycle, three kitchen chairs, a baby stroller, a wheel barrow two beds, lamps, clothes, two bar-b-q sets, architectural items, hardware, sporting equipment, a painting, a card table, and about forty containers of plants taken from our garden while thinning, and many more “ground scores.”

God bless the Friendship Ministry.

Sincerely,



Bobby L. Eason

The MoneyWalker

Cruise Walking

Journal Entry: Weight = 175.2 lbs (2.2 lb slippage since last post, thank Carnival Cruise Lines); Coinage = $5.11, 171 pennies, 16 nickels, 16 dimes, 4 quarters; Glass bottles = 6; Ground scores = 6; Best coinage find = a quarter and dime behind a USA Newspaper stand lost behind a clump of grass; Best ground scores = a discarded designer bed ready to be slightly repaired and recycled.

Journal Entry: Cruise Walking

The MoneyWalkers just completed a five night cruise to the Western Caribbean. The highlight was walking the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Peninsula, one of the “new” seven wonders of the world. Of the hundreds of Mayan ruins, Chichen Itza is probably the best in terms of excavation and accessibility. While the officials no longer allow walking up the temple, there still remains ample opportunity for fitness walking along the lengthy walks in the park.

We do not recommend money walking during vacation exercise. Still the habit is strong, but Ms. MoneyWalker found our only coin, a penny on the first day. We do recommend maintaining an active exercise regiment and serious consideration for the importance of food discipline. The Carnival line, like most cruise companies prides itself in the quantity and quality of their food and beverage service. In addition to three formal meals a day, there are non-stop eating opportunities essentially 24-7. On the first day, we took the overview tour of the Triumph, the name of our ocean liner. The host, a funny Brit named “Chicken” indicated that on average, cruise guest averaged 1.5 to 2 lbs weight gain a day. His first stops were all food stations. To his credit, the second stops were the health spas and fitness gym. He also pointed to the jogging/walking track high above the bridge.

Sadly, a majority of the guests were either overweight or absolutely obese. The MoneyWalkers budgeted ample time for daily exercise. My regiment included a one hour daily walk on the fitness track. One mile equaled 11 laps and I logged 44 laps each day. It wasn’t enough; the MoneyWalkers both gained a modest amount of weight during the trip. In addition to the formal exercise and the ample amount of walking required by our shore excursions, we actively practiced portion control and judicious portion selection, often selecting the “spa” menu.

There are many joys inherent in taking a cruise vacation, but the trials and tribulations of a cruise are difficult for people wanting to hold the line on weight control. The buyer must beware.

The MoneyWalker

Green Steps

Journal Entry: 4/18/10: Coinage = $.89, 30 pennies, 5 nickels, 4 dimes.

Journal Entry: 4/19/10: Coinage = $2.12, 72 pennies, 13 nickels, 5 dimes, 1 quarter.

Journal Entry: 4/21/10: Coinage = $1.11, 26 pennies, 1 nickel, 3 dimes, 2 quarters.

Journal Entry: 4/22/10: Weight = 172.2 lbs.; Coinage = 18 pennies (1 wheat), 4 dimes, 2 quarters; Glass bottles = 9; Ground scores = 8; Best find = 2 curb quarters

Feature Entry: Green Steps

Today is Earth Day. We money walkers can do our part by taking green steps. Green steps (The MoneyWalker must copyright this phrase) is a walking approach that allows us to leave the car in the garage and walk to the grocery store, or bank, or drug store, or anywhere within one mile of our residence. For most of us this is a 15 minute walk. If you must drive, park and walk the last 15 minutes to the establishment. Stay focused along the curbs and byways for those “ventral striatum” ticklers, the coins and trophies to be found along the way.

For example, my barber’s shop is in downtown New Orleans, about five miles from my house. Rather than using parking meters, I drive to within one mile of his shop and park in a free parking area. I then gain green steps as I walk to and from his shop. It is easy enough to drive within a block or two of his shop and use a parking meter which cost 3 quarters. While walking I check the curbs, and the newspaper and parking vending machines . Yesterday’s walk netted a dime and a quarter and a discarded baby stroller with a slightly damaged wheel. It was easily repaired and will be recycled.

By walking to conveniently located shops rather than driving, over a year’s time gallons and gallons of gasoline are saved thus reducing the MoneyWalker’s carbon print. Green step walking is not the same as fitness walking, but it burns calories and supplements the MoneyWalker’s weight maintenance strategy. It has become common for fitness experts to recommend 10,000 steps a day. But exercise physiologists, while endorsing the concept, have shown that weight loss requires even more steps, probably 12,000 for most of us.

As for Earth Day and going green, the MoneyWalker is not totally convinced of global warming as a threat to our environment, but going green is good stewardship either way. Experts are divided. But not Missouri congressman Emanuel Cleaver. He said on Wednesday that “it is ‘sinful’ for Americans to use the amount of fossil fuels they do…the Bible commands people to be good stewards of the Earth.” “The Sun and the Earth is the Lord’s,” he said. Yet Roy Spencer, PhD in his book The Great Global warming Blunder: how Mother Nature Fooled the World’s Top Climate Scientists (Encounter Books, 2010) is not sure of the scriptural or scientific data.

Either way, the MoneyWalker urges all of us to go green by taking green steps whenever we can. The benefits will speak for themselves.

MoneyWalker

The MoneyWalker Cookbook

Journal Entry 1/9/10: Coinage = $1.47, 57 pennies (two wheats), 1 nickel, 6 dimes, 1 quarter; Ground scores = 4; Glass bottles = 5.

Journal Entry 1/10/10: Weight = 173.4 (4th day of continuous measured decrease); Coinage = $4.04 (both car wash locations delivered), 94 pennies, 12 nickels, 24 dimes (may be a record) 4 quarters. Of the total, 66 cents from traditional curb coins.

Feature Entry: The MoneyWalker Cookbook

Many fitness writers publish their own calorie friendly cookbook. Ah, the glorious image, The MoneyWalker’s Cookbook. But not to worry, it won’t happen. Instead expect to put up with an occasional recipe which begins with this post.

Franks and Onion Sauté (Serves One)(Less than 200 calories)

Ingredients

1. Two premium franks
2. One medium onion, a ground score onion if possible (see January 8, 2010 post)
3. One tablespoon of olive oil
4. One glop of yellow mustard (please, no Grey Poupon)
5. Two to four Tums

Instructions

Fill a sauce pan to half level with water. Bring water to a boil and cook franks for three minutes. Set aside. When cool, cut into ¾ inch pieces. Clean onion of outer skin and coarsely chop into one inch pieces. Heat oil in a 9” skillet and add onion pieces. Cook two minutes stirring continually. Add the franks to the onions and continue sautéing until the onion and the outer skin of the franks begin to blacken. Remove from heat and transfer to plate. Add a glop of yellow mustard on the side and enjoy. Goes well with one slice of toasted 7-grain bread. Use Tums as needed.

This recipe is not recommended for date night.

MoneyWalker

Ground Scores and Recycling

Journal Entry: Coinage 12/30/09 = $1.32; coinage 12/31/09 = $1.25; coinage 1/1/10 = $3.02; coinage 1/2/10 = $3.22; Average weight = 174.7; Total glass bottles = 19; Total Ground Scores = 16

Feature Entry: Ground Scores and Recycling

This blog entry is about “ground scores,” the non monetary things that the MoneyWalker drags home, and how this habit is good for society’s need to recycle. Wendy Bumgardner writes a professional blog for About.com, the New York Times group of professional bloggers. Her blog is about fitness walking. It was she that provided the term ground scores and ask her readers to report some examples. CmAmy responded with this comment which framed the issue about walking and recycling:

I've been dogwalking for years at 4 am, so, yes I've found lots of coins, dollar bills, even some tens and twenties. But my best finds have all been "from the Curb". Maybe it doesn't count, as they can certainly be traced to their owners, who put them out to the trash! My favorite is a beautiful metal statue, fashionably rusted, that I call my "harvest lady" - she is wearing a sunflower styled hat and holding a rounded pumpkin dish. She looks great in my fall garden every year. I've also picked up an old scrolled wrought iron chair that only needed a bit of soldering, a farm bench, an antique bookcase, my list goes on and on. Walking is evidently great for recyclers!

The featured photo of a door handle is a recent ground score. I found it on a discarded door beside a trash dumpster. Later I retrieved the door with my pickup truck, removed the handle and lock mechanisms, and then installed them on a Katrina damaged door on the ground level entrance of my New Orleans home. Home Depot displays the same “KwikSet” unit for $129.00 dollars. Rather than end as clutter at land fill, the lockset is now a totally functioning part of the MoneyWalker’s homestead. Now a little paint and we are good to go.

By Googling “the value of recycling”, the following comment was found:

By transforming waste materials into usable resources, recycling reduces landfill and conserves resources, provides a way to manage solid waste while reducing pollution, conserving energy, creating jobs and building more competitive manufacturing industries.

Other issues included “living green,” “recyclable waste,” “rechargeable batteries,” “composting,” “electronic waste,” “cigarette butts,” “junk mail,” and “emissions.”

The MoneyWalker is not sure about how to interpret the CO2 greenhouse effect data. It may be true that the so-called greenhouse blanket in the atmosphere that keeps our planet warm is growing too thick—that we are becoming too warm. Moreover, according to some, the deforestation, automobile emissions, Freon escapes, and other emissions are radically increasing the warming process. The data, whether fact or fiction is beyond my understanding, but personal recycling is good citizenship, even if greenhouse warming is just a natural cycle in the historical pattern of climate change.

MoneyWalker