Living Green

I'm far from a strict environmentalist, but I try. Recently, things around my house have forced me to find greener alternatives to getting things done. Not only do they work, they're also much cheaper.

ANTS: I opened my pantry door last night and was shocked at the sight of ants crawling all over boxes and cans. The lure was a bottle of honey, but they made sure to stop at everything else along the way as well.

We had some leftover ant baits so I busted those out. They contains something that's poisonous to ants when consumed. But the tricky part is that the ants have to crawl inside the bait, take a bite, and go home to die or something. I watched as they circled the bait and walked away. What was attracted to the bait was my dog, Briscoe. After seeing her sniff around it, I thought, there's got to be a better way. 

A quick Google searched revealed a solution that worked so well, I was totally surprised: talcum powder. Apparently, ants hate it. I scrounged around for a stray bottle of baby powder. Nothing. Found a nearly empty bottle of foot powder under the bathroom sink instead. I sprinkled it liberally in my pantry, shut the door, and about 20 minutes later, the ants were all gone. And I didn't have to worry about poison spreading on our food, or having the dog accidentally snack on the bait. 

DISHWASHER: The combination of a crappy dishwasher and hard water has resulted in plates and glasses coming out of the dishwasher with all sorts of junk still on them. I use biodegradable soaps, which used to work well at my last house, but not here. The problem seems to be with the rinse cycle, since that's when I presume grimy things are being redeposited back onto my dishes. After two visits from the dishwasher repair guy, I was advised to buy the strongest detergent I can, and use a rinse aid like Jet-Dry. Only then, I was told, would my dirty plates actually come out clean. 

Begrudgingly, I did just that. See, even though I want to be as green as possible, the products I chose have to work first and foremost. Otherwise, why bother? 

I picked up some triple-action dishwasher soap with the rinse aid already added in. After a few loads, I found that not only did it not work any better, the strong smells it created were enough to knock me out.

Google again to the rescue. The solution? Good old white vinegar. White vinegar is pretty amazing. I've long since used it as a laundry detergent booster (great for keeping whites white), a deodorizer (mix with some water and spray on upholstery, carpet and the dog's bed), and as a natural disinfectant (instead of Pine-Sol, mop with this instead).

I loaded my dishwasher's rinse aid dispenser with the stuff last night, ran a load, and viola! Clean plates with no filmy white residue or food scum! I will now go back to my green dishwasher soap. Combined with the vinegar, I think it will get the job done minus the noxious fumes.

Let's start by planning a wedding.

Not mine, of course, but that of a really dear friend. 

S is perhaps one of my oldest friends. We were giggly high school girls together, when our days would turn on a smile from a crush, when we would spend lunch hour on a churchyard swing, when we dreamed of the life ahead while walking that tree-lined campus. 

She was the one who took me to the doctor when our Biology teacher correctly assessed that I had in fact gone to school with the measles. Together, we scared ourselves silly with ghosts stories while reviewing for the UPCAT at C's house. We walked and talked all those years ago, getting to know each other while we got to know ourselves. 

We parted ways of sorts in college, and in the years after that. But all the while, I knew she would always be there for me, and I for her. 

Eighteen years later, here we are, planning her wedding. And I am honored beyond words to be her maid of honor. 

More wedding planning details will follow, with her permission. 

PHOTO: S and I at another friend's wedding in January.

Let's try this again.

Changing names in an attempt to reinvigorate this blog. Who would have thought that writing for it's own sake could be so difficult to sustain? Certainly not me. 

Let's see how far we go.

Moving is a pain.

Without a doubt, moving is one of the most stressful things you can do in your life. And it doesn't matter how many times you do it, each iteration presents its own unique challenges.

This time around, we had the luxury of professional movers. How professional, though, is really just luck of the draw. We caught the short end of it when one of our two "packers," the guys who come to box everything up, was on his first day at work. What should have taken 6-8 hours of packing lasted almost 12 hours. Watching him count our CDs and DVDs one by one was like watching paint dry, when he could have counted in multiples of 8 as they were all organized in a CD/DVD book. A third guy had to come and help them finish at about 6 pm, otherwise, they would have been there till midnight.

We hit more snags: an unwanted lawnmover ended up in the moving truck, but not a much needed handheld vac; a $150 memory foam mattress topper was unproperly packed and arrived in a dirty heap on the floor; another vacuum never made it to the new house, lost somewhere along the way; and I'm still looking for little odds and ends that ended up in who knows what box.

While packing was a relative breeze, since I didn't really have to do anything but supervise, unpacking is another story altogether. Two weeks in, there are still boxes in the garage, waiting for my attention. The house is still a mess, though progress is being made everyday.

And though this house still doesn't feel quite like home, we're getting there. The chemical-y smell left by the cleaning crew who prepped this house for us is slowly being replaced by our own unique scents: coffee brewing in the morning, V's shaving balm, and Briscoe's BO. On another positive note, she now knows how to "go to bed."

It's that time again.

It's been almost a year now since my last post. Nothing like life to get in the way of writing about life. But it's that time again. V & I are relocating to the central coast of the Golden State. So as we wrap up our five odd years in the greater Tacoma area, I find myself feeling retrospective.

Thus the attempted return to this blog.

This place has been home to me for longer than any other in this country. Yet I feel too much like a stranger here still. There are lots of things about the Evergreen State I won't miss--the infamous Tacoma aroma, the seemingly constant drizzle of rain, the ice cold beaches, my mossy backyard. And there are things I don't get--hiking boots to work in an office and pale, largely unkempt Northwest men. (Sorry, I don't get it!)

But here too is where I nurtured my green side, where nature and the environment is daily business to many and not just a trendy catchphrase.

This place also bore witness to many firsts--our first home, our first dog, my first museum job (which I hate to leave). This is where V & I grew as a couple, then grew older as a married one. I turned 30 here. He became a major here. In all, it's a place we will never forget, and probably come back to again.

So thanks for the memories Tacoma/Dupont/Washington! I leave with good thoughts and a new mountain bike from REI.

PS. Post about Briscoe's birthday to follow. She just turned 1!