Growing plants is a constant learning curve. I’ve been growing a garden for four years now, adding garden beds and plants each year. This year I added not only two raised garden beds but also two ground-level beds, an indoor grow light for starting seedlings, and almost 40 new varieties of plants. Without fail, I […]
I’ve been thinking lately about hard water. Some people may think we must have a water softener if we have a water filter, but no, when we purchased the water filter, chlorine removal was on our minds, not hardness. I’ve never really had to think about hard water. Since detergents work so well in both […]
My daughter is gifted and sensitive. I don’t say this be be elitist, because frankly it’s usually far from a walk in the park. I think most of the world sees being gifted as doing well in school, learning quickly, and being easy to deal with. The dictionary defines “gifted” as “having exceptional talent or […]
When I visited California, I spent a great deal of time with people learning about natural dyes. One of the most interesting and challenging types of dyeing involved the use of fungus or lichens to dye fabric. Lichen is a delicate symbiosis of fungus and algae, which requires moisture, sunlight, and good air to grow. […]
Our daughter has allergies. Not ones like mine, where she has to be wary of anyone she touches or spends time near, but furry pets give her eczema. And we have a cat. A fuzzy, meowing, ball of allergies. Our cat is adorable. He loves people, loves attention, and even comes when he’s called. Our […]
← Having House Guests Who Don’t Have Allergies, Part 1 My husband’s parents have now arrived and we’re about halfway through their visit. Although things were a bit uncertain at first, they seem now to understand the adjustments that need to be made to their regular routine. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for them, […]
My in-laws arrive this week from halfway across the country. They know about my allergies, but I don’t think they realize yet how much little things affect me. Nonetheless, they really are trying to make as little impact on my health as possible, a fact I wholeheartedly appreciate. Having guests in our house has been […]
If you have pets, you have pet stains. It might just be where Fluffy threw up, where Spot dragged his bottom across the floor, or Boots may have a favourite inappropriate place to pee. We only have one cat, but he doesn’t always pee where he should, and when the basement bathroom door is closed […]
I spoke on Wednesday about sourcing and growing food. I’m still in my first few years of gardening, but I’m slowly learning the ins and outs. The first year, I went on vacation and came home to lettuce four feet tall; we offered some to our neighbour, and our unwitting neighbour walked away with two […]
I used to think that there was no value in organic food. What is organic, really? A label? Something more? Though I still think there are a lot of products masquerading as “organic” when they really are nothing of the sort, I am starting to see more value in the philosophy, even if I see […]
When you find out you have allergies, making a few life changes is not so much an option as a necessity. When you have reactions so bad that they affect how you think and act every moment of the day, you’re almost excited to make changes and relieve the discomfort. The problem is, your family […]
In short? No. Think about that. First of all, everything on earth either has a chemical name or is made of things that have chemical names. Yes, some have common names as well, but the fact is that everything in our world is made up of chemicals. Have you ever seen the warnings for dihydrogen […]
Anyone can tell you that being sick is stressful. But what if you were sick off and on all the time and didn’t know why? You’d have a good day one day, and just about start to feel normal, and then go right back to being as sick as a dog by the end of […]
Before I get too far into posting safer cleaner and toiletry recipes, it’s important to talk about just what we’re getting into by stepping away from brand name products. Lots of people post natural “alternatives,” but very few talk about how your life will change. There’s a reason that companies make big profits selling us […]