| John Kremer Apologizes: A Rant of Sorts |
| My apologies to anyone who has placed book or data file orders during the past two months. I know some of you don't appreciate excuses, and I really don't have any. Even with all that has been going on, I should have been able to maintain the sending out of orders on time. But I haven't. For that, I apologize. Two major personal things have been occupying a lot of my time. First, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes two months ago. For those of you in a high risk category as I was (family history, overweight, too many late night snacks), I encourage you to check your blood sugar levels regularly. You can buy an inexpensive kit at any drugstore. I may do a blog on all the things I've learned about diabetes since being diagnosed. While diabetes can be controlled, it's not something you want to have. Trust me on this. Out of control blood sugar affects every system of the body — and, in at least two instances, knocked me out of working order for half a day each when I ended up with too low blood sugar. Second, my wife and I have been seeking and (we hope) finding a new home because we are being smoked out of our current house by neighbors on both sides who insist on burning wood fires. Now, they insist that they are being environmentally conscious by using a renewable resource, but they are not. If everyone in our neighborhood burned wood, the air outside would be nauseous. That's why most cities ban wood stoves. Wood burning, for those of you who are naive, is incredibly toxic, certainly more toxic than second-hand cigarette smoke. Amazingly, the people who designed wood stoves and chimneys created a wonderful ecological nightmare: They designed the systems to take the smoke away from the offender and deposit it next door. A neat trick. We've tried to seal up our house to keep the smoke out of our house, but it seeps in everywhere. With my wife's chemical sensitivity, she can't sleep at night because of the smoke and often has to leave our home to get fresh air out in the country. We'd move out to the country, but the farmers in this neck of the woods spray all sorts of chemicals on their fields — all of which migrate to people living next door. Some day, I hope, people will actually learn how their actions affect others. Right now, everyone is in denial. The farmers insist that using chemicals is the only way to make a living (they are being sold a bill of goods by the seed manufacturers and chemical companies). My neighbors insist on burning wood. Etc. Eyes closed. Denial full bore. And yet both of my neighbors are ardent Democrats and environmentalists. They know how the smoke affects us. We've tried to work with them. No sale. They want to burn. By the way, wood smoke contributes heavily to air pollution, atmospheric warming, and deforestation. So, we're moving to a new home, but that's taking up a lot of my time. Doing due diligence, inspections, etc. Plus, now packing, etc. Sorry for the rant, but I really don't understand people who know they are hurting their neighbors but will not do anything to change. It makes me sad. Our new neighbors don't burn, and don't plan to burn anytime soon. |
posted by John Kremer @
5:02 PM
3 comments |
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Open Horizons, P.O. Box 2887, Taos NM 87571 Phone: 575-751-3398 Email: John Kremer Copyright © 2008 by John Kremer. All Rights Reserved |
3 Comments:
Oh, I feel with you!
I just chanced across your blog, but I have a similar problem where I live.
My neighbours' chimney is just high enough to get smoke direcxtly into my room, which is in the attic! Even with windows closed the smoke gets in sometimes.
Airing the room in Winter is a nightmare.
Most everybody here burns wood (it's cheaper and locally available). I'd really like someone to invent good 'filtering devices' or furnaces with extra low emissions!
Aside from that, our neighbour has been sawing wood with a chainsaw the whole week! The noise!!
I've heard from someone diabetes may also be stress-related. Their friend got healthy once the stress in his life was over. Too many sweets etc. don't help either, of course.
Good luck with getting together a healthy lifestyle, mastering relaxation techniques, finding time for lovely walks - and cutting those sweets!
And finding that dream home, of course!!
I hope you and your wife are doing much better now, John.
I sympathize I just moved in a new place 5 months ago and have a a-hole of a neighbor whose wood burner smokes out my house all day and night everyday.The a-hole now stokes it so that the chimney shoots smoke out att 80% compacity .I have been having 4 to 5 asthma attacks a week .The last one requiring hospitalzation.Dnr says there are no ordinences against wood burners indoors well what about air pollution.I must say I have a neighbor on the other side of me who runs his respectfully and in regulation.Only smokes 20 minutes in morning when he starts it and though it runs all day it won,t smoke again until early eve for 15 minutes or so .Considerate neighbors like this I can tolerate but the other idiot who is causing my asthma attacks I hope a pigeon gets caught in his stack and all the carbon monoxide he,s been smoking into my housre back fires and sends him straight to hell since he likes the fire anyway .I am now going to see if I can prosecute him for intent to do bodily harm.Wish people could be more respectful but I guess we are a selfish society with no morale upbringing.Thanks for letting me vent since I can,t sleep with all the smoke and chemicals messing with my lungs.I put a large strobe light in my window that flashes on his bedroom all night .He cussed me out but I told him it was probably my carbon monoxide detector going off.It would probably stop when his burner quit smoking.I,m out of compassion so to those who are getting smoked outby neighbors make their lives as miserable as they have made yours .
Gibby
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