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May 21 The smell of cleanI have three teenage athletes at home. This blessing produces lots of extra things in our household, one of which is laundry. My laundry can only be described as explosive. There has been a handful of times when I've caught up with it, mainly when all three children are at camp. Of course on their return I have another explosion in the laundry room and I'm back to where I started.
Doing all this laundry requires a lot of products, but I never go in the laundry aisle in the grocery store. Years ago my daughter developed a terrible skin irritation. It turned out to be from our laundry products. A search helped me find some natural products that didn't cause problems. Then something else happened. When we started using the natural products and went to the grocery store, we were shocked by the overwheming chemical smell of the laundry aisle. It actually was so strong it made me feel ill.
Why is it that we've been conditioned to believe that the smell of chemicals is the smell of clean? Go out to a nice woods and breathe deeply. THAT is the smell of clean. It smells fresh and, well...... like nothing. Mountain fresh air doesn't really have an overwheming smell. April fresh usually smells like moist earth to me. Pine fresh should smell like a pine woods, not like a chemical factory. These smells we are conditioned to associate with clean are actually the smells of chemical contamination. Our reactions shouldn't be "ummmm", it should be "yikes!". Why, because when you smell chemicals it means they are getting into your blood stream via your lungs and skin. This is not a good thing.
What to do? Switch to non-toxic cleaners. Use baking soda and vinegar to scrub your shower and sink. If you need convenience, buy cleaners from a reputable, earth friendly company. If you need help with recipes or suggestions for altenative cleaners, just drop me an e-mail and I will help. Let's bring a real clean to our homes and our planet. May 05 Groceries in your backyardWouldn't it be nice to just go out in your back yard and "shop" for your fruit and vegetables? Well, with some planning now, you could do that in just a few weeks. Start by locating an area in your yard that could be used for growing vegetables. No yard, no problem if you have a porch or deck. Container vegetable gardening is a great way to grow at least some produce.
If you have a yard, preparing the soil can be done by hand or by renting/borrowing a rotatiller. Mark out the area you are going to use and either till or hand dig the soil until it is loose. You can remove the sod to a side area to allow it to compost or you can turn it under, raking the grass and roots out (this can also compost). I would suggest you go to the local cooperative Extension office and buy a soil test kit to see if you need to amend your soil. But if you don't want to do this, you might just want to dig in some organic compost and take your chances. Once you have the soil raked and smoothed, you are ready to plant.
Purchasing seeds is easy. Many stores sell seeds, just read the packages for directions. Seeds like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant need to be started in advance so you might want to go to a nursery to buy plants when you are ready for these. Right now most of us can plant peas, onions, lettuce, radishes, turnips, and swiss chard (to name a few). Just read the package for directions and follow them. Remember to water your newly planted seeds.
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