New Residential Energy Program Coming to Hawthorne!

Guest post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

This post originally appeared on the Hawthorne Voices Blog.

Learn how to reduce your energy use and save money! The Hawthorne Neighborhood Council has teamed up with the Center for Energy and Environment, CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy to offer Hawthorne homeowners Community Energy Services, CES, a full service residential energy program.

The program will not only provide you with information about reducing your energy use by installing low-cost/no-cost measures in your home, but it will also provide you with the tools and financing necessary if you are ready to make larger investments such as insulation, sealing bypasses and installing new windows.

Community Energy Services provides:

• FREE educational workshops to teach homeowners how to lower their energy use and save money;

• FREE educational workshops to teach homeowners how to lower their energy use and save money;

• Customized home energy visits from qualified professionals who will identify additional ways for residents to save in their homes, including a blower door test. Up to $400 in services and materials for a co-pay of only $20, however the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council will cover the co-pay of the first 150 people to sign up for the program, giving you a $400 value for free;

• Personalized energy use inventory for the last 12 months and feedback for the next 12 months to show the homeowner how these low-cost/no-cost measures resulted in decreased energy use, also allowing participants to compare their energy use to that of their neighbors also participating in the program (confidentially of course);

• Information on financing, incentives, stimulus funding and rebates for those wishing to complete larger projects such as insulation or a furnace replacement.

SAVE THE DATES!

A general informational workshop will be held at Farview Park on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Two other workshops to sign up for these FREE services will be held on Wednesday, February 17th, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 20th, 10 a.m. - noon. Call or email Ashley Robertson to reserve your spot TODAY, at 612-335-5869 or arobertson@mncee.org.

By being a part of the Community Energy Services program you will be one of the first people in the state to have access to everything this program has to offer! Invite your friends, neighbors and family, all Hawthorne homeowners are welcome!

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).

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Hawthorne Voices Blog Up and Running!

Guest post by the Hawthorne Hawkman. Contributed photos.

When John gave me the keys to the kingdom a few months ago, I started doing my own thing on the Johnny Northside blog. This often meant Hawthorne-specific blog posts, or mortgage/policy wonk posts appeared next to political satire or other quirky JNS items. Things even got a little hairy when it seemed to some people that I might have been using Hawthorne non-profit/tax-exempt time to write my personal political views.

More importantly though, the message about Hawthorne-specific issues was getting diluted. So the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council has decided to revive the Hawthorne Voices blog. For now, Housing Director Jeff Skrenes, aka "The Hawthorne Hawkman" will be writing and monitoring that blog. Please be patient as that site undergoes some changes. For now, many of the items may be re-posted in their entirety on JNS. As Hawthorne Voices readership picks up, links will appear on the right-hand side of JNS and stories will remain on the Hawthorne Voices blog.

(Do not click "Read More," but do check out a new residential energy program coming to Hawthorne!)

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No More Air Hockey at MOA! Hawkman Rehab Tales...

Guest post by the Hawthorne Hawkman, photos by John Hoff

Ever since my tragic incident with the Dumpinator 3000, I've been rehabbing in various ways, including honing my reflexes at air hockey and hooping. Don't ask me why these two activities have been helpful; but my VA rep says unconventional learning has been proven successful elsewhere.

Some of this has proven useful. I recently hula-hooped long enough to earn a discounted haircut. (Really. This is one of the few parts that is NOT a parody.) Air hockey on the other hand, has been problematic...

During my therapy, I challenged John's son Alex to air hockey. I'd grown up playing the game and I consider myself to be rather good. I've also volunteered with kids from my church, and in my eight years of that, only one youth has ever beaten me. So even hampered by phone book injuries, I thought this would be another easy step towards recovery.

Boy was I wrong. I don't remember the score, but Alex SCHOOLED me. We're talking a "take me out behind the woodshed with the business end of a belt" kind of whooping. This wasn't even CLOSE.

(What surprises me even more, is that for some reason, John has failed to blog about this incident. He's normally pretty quick to point out when Alex is superior to his superiors at things. But I've looked and looked and the blog post just isn't there.)

So we returned to the mall ready for a rematch, and what happened? The air hockey table is GONE! Alex and I took out our mutual frustrations while playing this game. We did well enough to consistently score in the top ten, but there was no clear winner between us regarding ability or score. And what fun is there if you can't divide people up into winners and losers?

A rematch and more news about the Hawkman's recovery are coming soon...

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Bangkok Market Value Meal!

Guest post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

Much has been written about the delicious food that can be found at the Bangkok Market, but I am still in awe of this gem we have in Hawthorne. Like a lot of places, there is a $5 minimum if you want to use your credit/debit card. Since I rarely carry cash on me, I often have to wander the store just to find food expensive enough to get to that minimum.

Lately I've been eating various Laab dishes. Laab meat is prepared...

...by grinding up beef, chicken, fish, duck, or other meats, and seasoned with lime, peppers, cilantro, and other Thai or Laotian ingredients. (A word to the wise: those serrano peppers are NOT for the faint of heart. You better have a high tolerance for spiciness if you mix those in with your dish.) I'm not sure what parts of the cow or bird get used in the "grinding up" process, but hey, it can't be much worse than lunch meat, right?

I've been trying different Laab dishes, and I think I like the duck the best. I'm reminded of a story I've told before, but I've searched the blog and can't find it anywhere. Back when we had to deal with rampant (but now non-existent) crime in the EcoVillage, John and I would stop at the Bangkok Market, grab a bite, and eat while watching the Sentry, the Devil, and other characters at 3020 6th St N.

Well, we were telling the owner about this blog, and how we like to promote neighborhood businesses. We weren't trying to scam any free food, but some businesses do offer freebies when we pitch this line. The owner didn't seem overly impressed. But then I explained what we were going to do while eating, and finished with the line, "Your food sustains us while we go out and make the neighborhood safer."

THAT got his attention. He immediately went and got us a batch of sticky rice, and explained how to use it to scoop up the laab meat. The technique looked rather similar to how tortillas are used in Central America, although I still haven't perfected using the rice that way. But the behavior of the owner was notable: promoting his own business was secondary to making his neighborhood safe. I remember that every time I get a meal from here.

And the best part is the price, which I intentionally left visible in the photos above. This meal cost $7.00 and there's enough to keep you full for both lunch and supper. That's roughly what you'd pay to fill up on fast food "value meals" in our neighborhood, only this is MUCH better for you.

Delicious, healthy, and cheap food can be found at Hawthorne's Bangkok Market!

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Local D'Lish Picks Up Where Mill City Farmers Market Leaves Off In Winter...

Photo by John Hoff

Metro Magazine recently recognized Local D'Lish, an organic and local foods store in North Loop which is owned and managed by Ann Yin of the Jordan Neighborhood, for its winter farmers market. Click here for the Metro Magazine article.

(There may actually be another article in Metro Magazine that goes into more detail about the incredible edible Local D'Lish, but so far I haven't found that article online. Readers, feel free to post links) 

The popular Mill City Farmers Market doesn't go through winter but, as pointed out by Metro Magazine, Local D'Lish picks up where the Mill City Farmers Market leaves off.

Ann Yin is pictured above, with a case of TEN DIFFERENT KINDS OF ROOT BEER, which she gave me as a present for my recent birthday. Since too many miles and too much trucker food have helped me pack on the pounds, I'm hitting the diet and exercise hard, lately. So I told Ann Yin that I'm setting the root beer aside as a reward for hitting my "goal weight." 

Thanks again, Ann Yin and Local D'Lish.

(Do not click "Read More")

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Cleaning Up Around The Jordan Pond...

Photos By John Hoff

So it was another great visitation weekend with my son, but as usual I was scrambling for good father/son activities instead of letting Alex play on the computer all day...which he will do, if I let him get away with it.

Since there were no more slummy "We Buy Houses" signs on the boulevards to pluck up and burn, we walked around the Jordan Pond and...

...Alex picked up a big bag full of litter, all by himself. We also found some remnants of crime scene tape from the shooting incident which happened near 2700 Morgan Ave. N. We don't need stuff like that around to be seen by impressionable would-be residents looking for great deals on houses, so we cleaned up those remnants.

I keep thinking what a great idea it would be to make that plastic tape from biodegradable corn starch polymer. Oh, well.

One thing at a time. Yesterday, that thing was picking up the litter.

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What's Cooler Than A Cool Bar? A Cool Bar With A Bullet Hole...

Photo By John Hoff

A couple weeks ago, while I was at Council Member Don Samuels' victory party--call it the "final victory party," if you will--which was held at Club Jager, one of the party guests pointed out a bullet hole in the ceiling of the bar and told me to ask the bartender for the story.

Well, it turns out...

...the first bartender had no idea what I was talking about and looked at me like I must be intoxicated. (For the record, I was a designated driver that night, unlike--for example--THIS night, click here) But the second bartender actually knew the origin of the bullet hole.

He said back in the "old days" (whenever THAT was) the bouncers would sometimes fire their guns into the ceiling to make rowdy patrons clear the bar. Good to know! Looking around, however, I could only find the one bullet hole and not multiple bullet holes. But it was dark, so perhaps there really are more.

I figured the story of the Club Jager bullet hole must be online somewhere, but I did some searching and, to my surprise, I found nothing. So I thought I'd make a point of documenting and preserving the story.

By the way, if you've never been to Club Jager then be assured the club is very peaceful and not a "thug bar." One nice feature of the bar is a fenced in back yard with a fire pit and plenty of wood. One of these times, I swear, I'm smuggling in a pack of weenies.

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