Blotchy is good

The goldfinches are getting blotchy. That's a sure sign of spring. If you know nothing about male goldfinches, they turn a dull kind of olive green/brown for the winter months, and then when spring is approaching they begin to gradually turn to a very brilliant beautiful yellow until the fall when they will once again 'blotchify' and change into their winter garb.

I noticed some other promising signs of spring last week. Several mornings my ear was suddenly tuned to hear that melodic male cardinal song that is silent throughout the winter. Normally through the winter, groups of cardinals have gathered at my feeders - a mixture of males and females - and though they chased each other a little, they were still tolerant of one another while feeding. Last week, while still in the thick of cold, snowy weather, I caught a glimpse of 4 male cardinals chasing each other around the trees, with one dominant male returning, paired with a female and the two of them ate together at one of the feeders. Lucky them to have exclusive rights to this lady's feeders. They will never go hungry!!  For Richard's stunning pictures of cardinals in his At the Water blog, click here and here.

Are you as fascinated at 'Instinct' as I am??

Instinct: "an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species"

Inborn.        Tendency.             

So, you mean birds don't have calendars back at their roosting spots where they settle in for the night? They don't pull out their Audubon Calendar and say, 'Oh my gosh! It's almost March and I don't have a mate yet!' But really....if it's still cold and wintry and they were just born in the summertime, how the heck would they know that this cold stuff is all going to end in the next couple of months - it's all they've known for half their life -  and they have responsibilities to find mates, drop eggs, and raise babies? And when it's nest building time, and they've never built one, nor (obviously) seen their mother build the one they were raised in for all of two weeks, how do they know which materials are 'only' used for the type of nest their kind makes? Nests are all uniquely different for each type of bird. What if a cardinal starts building the way a wren would - with all the wrong materials and in the wrong place. Everyone knows it's all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.


It's why spring fascinates me every year. It happens.....faithfully. 

The cold...the dark...the brown....the damp....and the dead......

all becomes the warmth....the vibrant....the colours.....the scents.....the life! 

And it's why birds fascinate me. They are atune to it all, even before it begins. Their songs begin in earnest before life bursts forth and the melody of the earth begins. 

You may think things are pretty quiet.....but tune your ear to the melody. Don't miss the show! Grab a front seat and get ready to watch the fascination of creation in action. 

  The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
  Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.
 They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.
 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world.

Psalm 19 : 1-4 (The Bible)

Clean 'N Green - #4 The Hookless Shower Curtain

Last year when I stayed in a lovely hotel for a couple of nights on work-related training I absolutely loved the bright and spacious shower in the bathroom. They had installed one of those curved shower curtain rods and it was amazing how much more space this actually created. I took special note of the shower curtain and determined that if I ever saw one like it, I would buy it. What's to get excited about a shower curtain??

I've been accustomed to buying vinyl shower curtains because they are relatively cheap, but they are not easy to keep clean and once they became mildewy I would toss them....or use them as drop sheets when painting....although they are not the best for that either. So, is opting for cheap really the most economical if you have to keep pitching them when they won't stay clean? And is vinyl a 'green' product anyways?

I was excited when I randomly found the shower curtain in a Bed Bath and Beyond store and now that I own it I am even more impressed with it.

It is called a Hookless Shower Curtain - there are many types of hookless curtains now, but the one I love is all fabric and is antimicrobial treated. The 'hookless' part is just a bonus. The 'split rings' along the top of the curtain simply open and snap shut onto the curtain rod so no hooks are required. So it's a breeze to put up or take down. The curtain is made of fabric and has a 'window' along the top portion so it almost feels like you've installed a light inside the shower because it's so much brighter.

But my favorite part is that although it is a single curtain, there is a second layer of fabric which falls inside the tub and is attached inside and below the window with snaps. So once a month I unsnap this inner lining that has been exposed to all the water in the shower, throw it in the wash with my sheets, and snap it back in place after laundering. The rest of the curtain can also be easily washed when required and is a breeze to pop back in place.

No more mildew or throwing away shower curtains. Always fresh and clean. And easy.

What a great product. And if you could combine it with a curved curtain rod you'll enjoy bright and spacious every morning.

Unless of course, you're REALLY green and conserve water by not showering. In which case you might not only be green....but also mildewy and grungy....like my old shower curtains!

Clean 'N Green - #3 Why are you cleaning with chemicals?

For the last several months I have been primarily cleaning my house with water - no chemical cleaners, and I'm loving it....as much as you can love cleaning your home.

I had read about a couple of miracle cleaning cloths but my search to find and order them left me frustrated.

One such product is ENJO, whose website makes this statement,

"We believe you need to see ENJO products work in your own home, on your own dirt. By showing you the products in the comfort of your own home, you can truly understand their benefits and learn more about what ENJO can do for YOU."
 
Sooooooo. Even though I can watch a complete demo video on their website, they must believe I cannot make an informed decision on my own to decide I just want to buy it, nor do they give me the tools to buy it online or on the telephone! No, I need to find someone who is hosting a party that I must attend and we all know how obliged you feel - even with 'no pressure' when you attend these little parties - with no offense intended to those who are involved with ENJO. But ....there are no prices that I could find on the website and really......can we just not admit that this is more about building the ENJO business by recruiting consultants? I have no doubt it's a great company and a great product - but likely well overpriced. I wanted the cloth NOW, so I left ENJO to search elsewhere.

I also checked out Norwex, which has a similar anti bacterial product called the Enviro cloth. Again, it's all about the process, and finding a representative in my area took forever on the internet so I gave up.

Frankly, all of these cloths are microfibre cloths which are sweeping stores like a storm....and can be readily found in dollar stores. I'm sure that Norwex and ENJO would argue fiercely that their products are higher quality and more importantly, anti-bacterial. I don't doubt that, but I couldn't believe that they would have the exclusive patent on that, and that I couldn't find something comparable for cheaper and easier to simply pick up and buy.

In the meantime, I picked up several microfibre cloths from the dollar store, and when we took apart our FILTHY windows last fall, I used one wet cloth to wipe all of the dirt, cobwebs, etc off, then wiped the windows well again with the rinsed out wet cloth, and then shined them with a dry cloth. The windows gleamed! I did the same with mirrors and household surfaces and every thing shone beautifully - no chemicals required.

I was still on the lookout though for that 'antibacterial' edge to a microfibre cloth. While shopping in Home Sense a while back, I found my answer.

Enter the E-cloth, antibacterial cloth.

Reasonably priced, and there for the buying - no party required! Since then, I have seen them in Winners as well - although they do seem to get snatched up quickly and are often out of stock! (I have also seen them in a natural health store, but twice the price!).

And so I leave you to do your own research. I know we have made several trips to our city's hazardous waste disposal services to do away with most of the chemicals in our home and I have proven to myself that I don't need them - for both the sake of our health, our environment, and our pocketbook!

Better than chocolate

I'm amazed by my husband at times.

He knows that healthy food has been my pursuit for quite some time now and to that end he gave me a very thoughtful Valentine's gift - a beautiful bouquet made out of fruit. With just a touch of chocolate on the strawberries!

Incredible Edibles

This gift is a close second to the toilet I got for Valentine's Day  ....which is also a great gift if you eat a lot of fruit!

If we have a thoughtful someone in our lives, we are reminded of our appreciation of them at Valentine's Day. I'm reminded that almost one year ago, my husband rode an ambulance to the hospital with some very scary symptoms and remained there for several very long days while every test in the book was run on him. We are so grateful he is fine with no residual affects. In those moments of not knowing, I wrote here about the starry sky I looked up into and pondered our mortality.

We dare not 'cling' to our loved ones but instead, love and cherish them each day we have.

Even if we think we are 'alone', all of us have a Special Someone in our lives whether we are aware of Him or not. I am grateful beyond words and amazed by a love that is so deep......so wide.......and so great.

If I had $150.00

If I had $150.00 (plus tax and shipping and handling...) to blow and nothing more important to spend it on....

if only for the entertainment value.....

I'd buy this.....



but I don't....

so I won't.