Live Simple Eco Life, Love Green

No. 36 Car Seat Covers

2011-09-22T14:06:00.001-06:00

Making car seat covers is one of craft projects that I would like to start very soon.
This summer, I went for hiking a lot, and every time when I got into my car, I thought, “Gee, I should have a seat cover.” After taking a hard walk, I became very sweaty, and, the car seat might be absorbing great amount of my sweat. My husband says, “Smell like roses to me,” but, to be honest, I have a concern that my car might smell like a wet dog driving.
I have found a book, Victoria Romantic Touches by Gillian Haslam(Hearst Books, 2004), from whose chair cover projects, I could get a good idea how I would make car seat covers.
I am very excited that I have already found several vintage sweet floral print sheets and pillow cases that could make pretty car seat covers like the one attached above.

No. 35 Applying Sink Drain Nets to Kitchen and Bathrooms

2011-09-21T15:22:00.000-06:00

Covering sink drains with an old style simple net was one of the best things that I had started to do. I applied the nets to the kitchen sink and the bathroom sink and the bath tub. The nets collect the garbage very well and it is so easy to clean up them.
Regarding the bathroom sink that I had a drainage problem, after cleaning up the drain, I replaced the former drain device to this simple net. And, the problem was resolved!

No. 34 Hand Washing Summer Light Weight Clothing

2011-09-20T10:19:00.001-06:00

I hand washed light weight tops in a bathroom sink right before taking shower. It is so dry in Colorado, so, the wet light weight clothing would dry overnight. It was a good way to reduce the amount of dirty clothing for laundry. But, on the other hand, the soapy water seemed to slow the drain in the sink, and, I needed to give the really good cleaning. Less than 1 year before, our great house maintenance guy cleaned the drains of the sink and the bath tub and replaced the main pipe, so, before starting to hand wash the summer clothing in the sink, the drain was in the great shape. I assume that hand washing was too hard on the skinny sink pipe.

No. 33 A New Cooler, Kuur Aire

2011-09-19T10:32:00.000-06:00

I didn’t have any cooling system and this summer for the first time, I had tried a portable evaporative cooler, Kuur Aire. The referenced portable evaporative cooler worked just fine for my need. I had several reasons why I didn’t want to set up a permanent swamp cooler, which is one of the common cooling system in my area: I live in a two story house and didn’t want to have a swamp cooler on the roof where I wouldn’t be able to go to put a cover on the swamp cooler for winter season, I didn’t want to lose a window in a hallway to set up a swamp cooler which was an alternative location except on the roof, and mostly, I didn’t need a big swamp cooler to cool the whole upstairs since I usually spend my day using only one room. The referenced Kuur Aire has 8 gallon water capacity and cools up to 400sq ft according to the box. My room is bigger than 400sq, so, I set up the Kuur Aire near to my desk and felt cool enough while working at my desk. The best efficient way to utilize the Kuur Aire was to put some ice cubes with water to make the air coming nice and cool. While working, the Kuur Aire would make noises, and, it was a little bit too loud to listen to music. But, for overall result, I am happy with my new portable evaporative cooler. I have already cleaned up the Kuur Aire for the next summer. It wasn’t too heavy for me to carry around and it was easy to clean up. And, probably, it saved energy as well.

No. 32 Homemade Strawberry Jams, Yummy!

2011-09-15T20:38:00.001-06:00

One of the best treats this summer was homemade strawberry jams made by ME! I purchased fresh strawberries from a grocery store, King Soopers, washed them, chopped them, and boiled with white sugar(1/2 amount of strawberries, for example, 2 cups of chopped strawberries and 1 cup of white sugar) in a sauce pan, and added freshly squeezed lemon juice from a lemon and boiled down for a while, and added a little bit butter right after turning off the stove.
To me, it is sweet enough to add ½ sugar to the total amount of any berries, and to add a little bit butter is the trick to make jams taste so good.
Long and long time ago, for the first time when I entered a blackberry jam, I won the blue ribbon, the first place at a County Fair in California. Yes, believe it or not, I was the blue ribbon blackberry jam lady, but, to tell you the truth, I don’t feel comfortable to make jams preserved in a jar because I am not so sure whether or not I could sterilize enough not to let the jams go bad. So, I always make a jar of strawberry jam and keep it in a refrigerator. My next lesson will be to learn how to preserve homemade jams. And, I sincerely admire anybody who can fill cabinets with a lot of homemade preserves.

No. 31 Successful Cherry Tomatoes

2011-09-14T10:10:00.001-06:00

My friend, who has a well taken care of veggie bed, reported me that her sweet cherry tomato 100 has been giving her around 400 fruits so far. Yes, only one sweet cherry tomato 100. Is it amazing? I had a great harvest off of my sweet cherry tomato 100 as well and they were delicious. I will make a note for next summer that the sweet cherry tomato 100 is the winner of the home grown tomatoes.

I had heard that planting tomatoes and basil together is a good paring so did twice last summer and this summer. But, the basil plants next to the tomatoes didn’t grow much. It seemed the tomato plants grew too tall around basil and seemed to dominate the area. I planted 8 basil plants together in an area without any tomato plants around, and they grew much better. So, I will make another note for the next summer: Plant basil in a small sunny spot given only for basil or similar height herbs like parsley and etc.

No. 30 Full Moon

2011-09-13T19:45:00.000-06:00

Did you get a chance to see the beautiful full moon?
Actually, I enjoyed watching the full moon at 9:00pm, 10:30pm, and midnight on Sunday, September 11. After watching the moon at 10:30pm, I went to bed, and I woke up at midnight and saw a small bright spot on the floor near to the window. Could it be the light from the moon? I looked up through the window, and sure, the moon was beaming. I went to the front yard to watch the moon again.
For a long long time, I had forgotten to take a moment to enjoy watching the beautiful moon. But, not anymore.

No.29 Full Moon on Monday, September 12

2011-09-11T14:42:00.002-06:00

The full moon in the middle of September supposed to be the most beautiful moon in the year. I will enjoy the beauty of the full moon tomorrow night. Hope we will have a special clear sky.

No. 28 Successful Home Grown Veggies This Summer

2011-09-09T22:54:00.000-06:00

I planted a pumpkin for the first time this summer.

First of all, the way how I planted several veggies in my garden was not a good way. I don’t have any veggie beds in my garden, so, I planted a tomato here, and then another tomato here, and four basils here, and so on. Feeding those veggie plants made it very difficult to control the weeds around them, and, probably, it was a very inefficient way to water them as well.
Yet, basils, Japanese cucumbers, sweet 100 cherry tomatoes grew well. On the other hand, hot peppers and regular sized tomatoes ended in very poor harvest again, so, I won’t plant them anymore.
For the next summer, first of all, I would like to plan a layout of my garden including a veggie bed and then to make the soil rich before the planting season would begin.

No. 27 Chicken Wire Cages Worked 100%+

2011-09-07T11:01:00.000-06:00

The newly adopted method to put chicken wire cages around newly planted bushes worked perfectly to keep squirrels off. The squirrels used to damage the newly planted roses, berry bushes, and etc overnight and I had really a hard time to grow bushes in my garden. I still have several squirrels living in my garden, but, they don’t bother bushes surrounded by a chicken wire cage. For the first time, I made a success to plant bushes in my garden this summer!
My friend in California used to put chicken wire cages around her cactuses and bird of paradise bushes covering with cotton sheets to protect them against frosts during winter. I am not sure whether or not I would need to cover any of my bushes during winter, but, I am going to keep the chicken wire cages since it might be helpful.

No.26 Additional Bird Bath and More Birds and Bees

2011-09-02T16:14:00.000-06:00

It’s getting the end of summer season and it seems to be a good time for me to review what worked and what didn’t work in my garden this summer.

The best new addition to my garden this summer was an additional bird bath. It was hard to find a garden store which carried bird baths since most garden stores including Home Depot seemed to stop carrying them. I was fortunate that the Abner’s Garden in Wheat Ridge, Colorado had a selection of bird baths and I could purchase a nice one for my garden. The store staffs at the Abner’s Garden were very friendly and nice.

Last summer, I had one bigger sized bird bath and one smaller sized bird bath under a big tree. Mainly, the doves and the red robins which had nests in my garden used them. And this summer, I added one more bigger sized bird bath under a different big tree and had new bird visitors to my garden, which seemed to be finches, and a lot of bees.
It was a new lesson for me that to put bird baths(water) in my garden would sustain wildlife.

No.25 Handmade Carrying Jewelry Pouch

2011-09-01T14:07:00.000-06:00

I am always so impressed by creative ideas by artists, crafters, gardeners, cooks, and etc. While checking a book, Craft Hope that I had introduced the other day, I was like, “Who could come up with this pillow case dress idea? Oh My God, these sock monkeys are way too cute.” The very idea that someone could come up to make sock monkeys from socks itself is so impressive to me.
This tiny jewelry pouch is one of those creations that gave me the same kind of surprise long time ago. When I purchased jewelry at a store, the store gave me a manufacture made tiny jewelry pouch, and it turned to be a very convenient item to carry in my bag for going to swimming, traveling and etc.
I made the one attached here by hands using a black felt with blanket stitches. This is a tri-fold jewelry pouch measuring with folded dimension of 4” long x 2” wide. It consists of 1 pocket and a strap with a snap on one end for holding ring. A very quick and easy craft project.

No. 24 Mashed Cauliflowers and Castle Rock

2011-08-30T11:01:00.002-06:00

After visiting the Cherokee Ranch and Castle, I went to the down town Castle Rock. It was my first visit there, and I was so glad that I did. I stopped at a farmers’ market while they were closing, so I could get a chance to check only 1 stand which still had some veggies on the table. I purchased several kinds of veggies and the water melons were the best of all. I got two cauliflowers for one, but, quite frankly, that wasn’t an exciting offer since, well, to think I would have to eat two cauliflowers rather sounded like a pain. But, the store persons told me, “Oh, no, try mashed cauliflower with butter. It would taste like mashed potatoes and it would be good.” That mashed cauliflowers was new to me, so, I tried with butter and ranch dressing powder and milk, and it turned to be very good and a good way to eat a lot of cauliflowers.
Besides the farmers’ market, I had a great fun time at Bennington Mercantile which wasn’t just a feed store but also carries fashionable western clothing and work clothing and the owner and staffs of the store were very nice and friendly. I was so happy that I found used horse shoes for sale at the store since I had wanted one for good luck. Also, the Barn, which was like an antique and unique gifts mall with style, was a wonderful place. I purchased several high quality cotton fabrics. I am sure that women would love to visit the Barn. And, one more treat at a Mexican restaurant, Yolanda’s Tacos. They served all homemade tacos, and they were really good. I had stopped eating meats at any Mexican restaurants for a while because the meats didn’t taste good, but, the Yolanda’s pork and beef were very good. Probably, the Yolanda’s Tacos would be the only reason why I don’t say that I am a vegetarian.

No.23 Cherokee Ranch and Castle Tour

2011-08-29T09:05:00.003-06:00

I took a tour at the Cherokee Ranch and Castle in Douglas County, Colorado for the first time. The castle was built with rocks originated to the Douglas County in a Scottish style. From my perspective that I had seen the Hearst Castle and other Victorian mansions in California, the Cherokee Castle had rather a simple interior with mainly beautiful stone works, not too many furniture and decorations, and the spectacular view.
And, it is great to know that the land is protected as a wildlife sanctuary.

No.22 Good Book: Craft Hope by Jade Sims

2011-08-26T17:55:00.000-06:00

I found this book, Craft Hope at a public library today. This is a great reference book for someone who is looking for a way to utilize sewing skills to bring a smile to someone in need in the global community. Jade Sims is the founder of Craft Hope, and this book introduces very cute and simple craft projects such as pillowcase dresses, soft cloth dolls, care caps, burp cloths, and etc. and the contact information of the charity groups which would be happy to receive these handmade crafts. I will be happy to make some, too.

No. 21 Handmade Cotton Dishcloths

2011-08-25T20:29:00.002-06:00

I have been using Scotch Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponges for washing dishes and cleaning bathrooms. They work great. But, I have a concern that probably it would be better for me to start to use more natural materials because I have to throw away them oftentimes.
Long time ago, my dear friend gave me the handmade cotton dishcloth attached above for washing delicate china dishes. Since it is a handmade gift from my friend, I have been using it as like a doily. I have never used any cotton dishcloths, but, I am going to make some to see if they would work fine for regular dish washing.
At Wal-Mart, I have purchased a Peaches & Crème 100% cotton yarn for about $8.00. It was a good buy for 400g/14oz and seems to be proper for making dishcloths as the label indicates Free Dishcloth Patterns on back. I was so ready to try to crochet a dishcloth, but, Oh My, I can’t pull a yarn from a spool to start. Does anybody know how to find the starting yarn from this huge spool?

No. 20 Organizing Ribbons by Yarn Remnant

2011-08-24T10:46:00.001-06:00

I love sewing and crafting and re-organizing my sewing room is one of the high priority projects. My friend once told me, “Someone who loves sewing usually has an enough collection of fabrics and etc to open her own fabric store.” Well, I don’t have that many fabrics, but, it is true that I may already have enough sewing materials that I would be able to enjoy sewing and crafting for the rest of my life. But, I still love finding cute and beautiful fabrics, ribbons, buttons and etc. especially vintage items. To me, it always brings me an excitement and fascination. And, it is also wonderful that oftentimes another shopper would come to talk to me in a very friendly manner, “Oh, it’s pretty. What are you making?” It would be just a very quick exchange, but, I always feel so blessed with a quick connection that we share the same love for making something beautiful.

I was so happy when I had found a package of the ribbons attached above at a junk store. I enjoyed opening the package pulling a piece by piece to see what I had gotten. I tied each piece by a ribbon that I had collected from gifts received or a yarn remnant that was too short to make something and stored them in a vintage tin box.
This is a small start to re-organizing my sewing room.

No.19 Handmade Simple Bed Cover

2011-08-23T15:01:00.001-06:00

I made this bed cover with a 33” W x 42” L panel and three other fabrics. I was going to try my very first quilting like project but called complete just for a single fabric bed cover without lining. I have cats and they sleep and play on my bed, so, for a frequent washing purpose, this bed cover is more practical than a bed comforter to be used as a bed cover on top.

No 18. Roxborough State Park in Colorado

2011-08-22T11:05:00.000-06:00

I had an unexpected great hiking at the Roxborough State Park in Littleton, Colorado. It was so hot under the shinning sun without much shade, but, the trail was nice and flat and it wasn’t too bad for me to walk. I applied Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 100+ on my face and Coppertone Ultraguard Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70+ on my arms and legs and they worked wonderfully that I didn’t get sun burn. After this trail hiking, I have a greater confidence that I have such a strong heat resistant body to enjoy more outdoor activities.
Besides, the view of the huge red rocks formation was breathtaking. The Roxborough State Park doesn’t allow hikers to bring dogs nor bicycling, so it was also nice that I could enjoy the silence while hiking on the trail. The Roxborough State Park had a special spiritual feeling to me. I thanked Gods for giving me eyes to enjoy the beautiful creation and His presence in the absolute silence.
For the next visit, I am hoping that I would be able to see some beautiful wild animals there.

No.17 Japanese Plush Beanie Maneki Neko Black Good Luck Cat

2011-06-17T14:08:00.002-06:00

This is a contemporary Japanese Maneki Neko, Good Luck Cat which will protect you against evil.
Material: 100% Chirimen Rayon / Lining 100% Cotton.

No.16 Black Good Luck Cats Japanese Maneki Neko

2011-06-16T13:05:00.006-06:00

I have heard that there are so many cats waiting to be adopted at animal shelters.
Especially, black cats have been having a hard time to find a new home.

Do you know in Japan, Cats(Neko in Japanese) are considered to bring good luck to you?
Have you ever seen cute Japanese cat figurines with one or two paws up?
Those are Japanese good luck charms, Maneki Neko, inviting cats in Japanese.
Ones of traditional Maneki Neko figurines are white calico cats which bring you business success, prosperity and happiness.
Another traditional Maneki Neko, black Maneki Nekos are good luck charms to protect you against evil spirit.

I have adopted a black cat several years before. She is the sweetest cat I have ever had.
Hopefully, black cats at the animal shelters can find a good home soon!

No.15 New Rose Plants and Chicken Wire

2011-06-15T20:22:00.003-06:00

I am very happy that several squirrels live in my garden.
They are very playful and fun to watch.
One problem, though is they love to play with or they might be sharpening their teeth with newly planted bushy plants and would kill the plants overnight.
I have lost new hydrangeas, roses, and berry bushes so far and replanted day lilies for a try because they don’t seem to bother leafy plants.
And also, for my first try, when I replanted two rose bushes, I protected them with chicken wires.
Hopefully, the chicken wires work.

No.14 Whole Wheat Seeds and Whole Oats Seeds

2011-06-12T11:29:00.005-06:00

The trial for growing cat glasses from the steamed crimped oats seeds didn’t work.
What was I thinking? It seemed to be obvious.
Probably, it may be the same thing that I can’t grow rice glasses from the steamed rice.
So, I went to Curve Feed & Supply in Lakewood looking for wheat seeds and oat seeds in bulk from which I would be able to grow cat glasses.
And, I was lucky!
The store owner was very nice and kind and let me understand that I would need whole seeds to grow glasses and actually showed me the wheat glasses grown on the ground.
I purchased whole wheat seeds and whole oat seeds for 3 pounds each.
If I remembered correctly, they would sell the seeds from 1 pound, which was also nice, too.
Whole Wheat Seeds.

Whole Oat Seeds.

No.13 Update Homegrown Cat Glass

2011-06-09T15:15:00.003-06:00

It was very hot day yesterday, and the Nibble-Licious cat glass seeds by Petlinks System have grown up to about 2 inches (3cm) tall now.
They look very healthy and good glasses.

No.12 Bean Sprouts by Sprouts Extraordinaire

2011-06-07T13:39:00.005-06:00

I had purchased a package of bean sprouts(8oz, 227g) at the King Soopers in Lakewood. The package indicated just “Bean Sprouts” so I checked the website of the producer, Sprouts Extraordinaire in Denver. I assume the bean sprouts that I had purchased were Mung Bean Sprouts.
The package also indicated these bean sprouts contain Vitamin C 20%, Iron 4%, Fiber 4%, Protein 3g, Sugar 7g, while no fat, no cholesterol and no sodium. Sound like a very good veggie, isn’t it?

For lunch, I made the attached bean sprouts salad with Japanese dressing.
I suppose to be able to eat the bean sprouts fresh but I prefer to soak veggies in a hot water about 1 minute or so to make them a little bit tender and rinse them by running cold water in order to make this salad.
The Japanese dressing was made of Japanese Sushi Su(Japanese rice vinegar which is a seasoned mild vinegar for sushi and salad and etc. Mine is Mitsukan Sushi Su), sesame oil, soy sauce, and white sesame.

I am very happy to find out that there is a local company, Sprouts Extraordinaire which produces natural and organic sprouts.
Great fresh produce!

No.11 J.W. Pet Company Grip Soft Cat Brush

2011-06-05T12:47:00.004-06:00

It’s suddenly a hot summer day, and my lovely cats need a good glooming.
I purchased the attached Grip Soft Cat Brush by J.W. Pet Company at PETCO in Lakewood.
Originally, I had purchased the brush for my long haired cat, but, as usual, she didn’t want to get brushed. So, I have tried to brush other short haired cats and they loved it!
The handle of the cat brush is nicely fitted in my hand and very comfortable to use.
The pins of the brush are very nice and soft and they seem to be giving a nice massage as well as a gentle brushing.
Because my cats love the feeling, they stay still and that makes easy to give them brushing.
One minor problem is the pins of the brush have a round ball top, and I assume these round ball tops make the brushing soft and gentle but also make difficult to clean up furs caught in the middle of the pins.
Nonetheless, “Thanks, mom,” my cats gave me a thumb up!

No.10 Cat Glass Seeds

2011-06-04T19:29:00.009-06:00

For my dear indoor cats, I have purchased a package of cat glass seeds, Nibble-Licious by Petlinks System ($4.99 for 5oz.) from Pet Smart in Lakewood.
The package indicates the cat grass seeds are 100% oats seeds.
I had started 3 small cat grass pots using the Eko Organic All Purpose Potting Mix.(This soil is so nice and soft. Purchased at O'Toole's Garden Center in Lakewood.)
Let’s see how they will grow in my sun room.

I went to check the Wardle Feed & Pet Supply in Wheat Ridge if they were carrying cat grass seeds (could be barley grass seeds, wheat grass seeds, or oat grass seeds)in bulk. But, I didn’t have a good luck.
I purchased a 10oz package of steamed crimped oats seeds for $3.99.
These seeds should be for birds(I guess) and probably are not good for planting, but, anyway, I will try if they can be used as a cat grass seeds.

My cats love to spend long hours in a sun room even on hot days. The ready for eating cat grasses in the containers could stay fresh just 2-3 days in the room. So, I am on a mission to find good sources to purchase cat seeds in bulk.

No.9 Planting Tomatoes and Basils

2011-05-31T11:19:00.004-06:00

It’s a summer treasure to harvest ripe tomatoes from our gardens, isn’t it?
My husband is the person who is so willing to dig several holes in our garden, where the soil is so rocky and just to dig a hole is really a heavy duty, hoping for the best BLT sandwiches ever that he would get after this hard labor.
But, unfortunately, we didn’t think that we would have a long enough summer the tomato plants get ripe.
So, for this summer, we had planted only two red cherry tomatoes and one yellow pear tomato in 6” pots as the cherry tomatoes became ripe and tasty in shorter weeks while the bigger sized tomatoes didn’t turn to red last summer.

As far as for basils, it was our first experience that we really enjoyed homemade pesto from fresh basils harvested from our garden last summer. We don’t want to let this summer pass without the delicious pesto in our mouths, so, we had planted three 6 packs of basils.

No.8 Low Maintenance Gardening Moss Phlox

2011-05-30T10:04:00.005-06:00

Every summer, I had planted several kinds of annual flowers in my garden such as pansies, marigolds, petunias. This summer, instead of my regular annual favorite flowers, I chose to plant perennial plants so that every year my garden would grow with more flowers, and this part is appealing to me, I would not have to do a physically heavy gardening to dig new holes to plant new plants every year. (Gardening is fun, but, I am not getting younger every year, you know.)

So, I have planted two kinds of Moss Phloxes, Scarlet Flame and Candy Stripe, which are perennial flowers. One of my neighbor’s front yard has been partially covered by a pink Moss Phlox flowers and Moss Phloxes seem to be a very good choice to plant in my area. Also, in Japan, Moss Phloxes are called lawn cherry blossom, I hope I am right about this, because their flowers look like. I had grown up with enjoying Moss Phloxes and I would be happy to see the Moss Phloxes would make a beautiful flower carpet in my garden and would help bees' population.

No.7 Feng Shui Green Plant

2011-05-28T10:42:00.003-06:00

Long time ago, I have read one of Feng Shui experts said that green plants represent life and it would be a great way to start a day to see fresh green when I wake up.
By contrast, dried flowers are not good to decorate rooms as they don’t have any more lives.
So, I put a green plant pot in my bedroom.
My bedroom is not sunny so I chose a green which doesn’t need much sun.
And, I recycled an antique china plate for the pot saucer. (I am going to utilize my favorite china for daily use to enjoy them more instead of keeping them in a cabinet unused.)
Now, I am thinking that it could be a delightful thing to multiply this green plant to make more green pots. I suppose to be able to cut a little part of this green and to put into a cup of water until it starts rooting.
Living with fresh green indoor, that will refresh my room.

No.6 Celestial Fruit Green Tea

2011-05-27T10:26:00.002-06:00

Celestial Seasonings 100% Natural Teas
Antioxidant Max Green Tea Dragon Fruit Melon
Wellness Supplement
20% RDI Vitamin C per serving
35% more flavonoid antioxidants than other leading brands(as well as strawberries, kale, red wine, dark chocolate and almond)

I haven’t been caught cold for several years (I am so lucky!) and I think it is because I intake Vitamin C through drinking lemon water or eating a lot of oranges.
But, it’s hard to make it a year round wellness habit because lemons and oranges are out of season during summer and actually, I have already suspended to purchase them.

I have found the above-referenced tea at a grocery store nearby my house and have started to drink as a substitute to the lemon water.
It has a very nice fruity mild flavor mainly melon.
Highly recommended!

No.5 Good Morning to Smiling Shirley Temple

2011-05-26T09:59:00.004-06:00

I have been very diligent with doing a light exercise every morning for several years.
Including a recharging exercise, Japanese radio exercise, balancing one foot, push up on the wall, stretching legs and arms and deep breathing.

I have hanged the attached vintage Shirley Temple’s photo right on the wall where I do the balancing on foot.
I would count 20 for each foot watching straight at the Shirley Temple’s cute smile.
It’s a nice way to start a new day with exchanging smiles.

No.4 Night Time Prayer

2011-05-25T08:51:00.003-06:00

I used to pray right before going to bed, and I shouldn’t say this loud, but, as quickly as possible because I was too sleepy.
So, I changed the time.
I started to have a short prayer moment sitting on the floor comfortably after finishing dinner any times when I would feel comfortable.
It is more relaxing and like taking a meditation.
I am going to make it a custom to ring a small bell praying for the world peace.
Love and peace to all sisters and brothers sharing the same this mother earth.

No.3 Dusting and Covering Electronic Equipments

2011-05-24T09:27:00.001-06:00

For cleaning, vacuuming is the first priority and I have a hard time to make an extra cleaning time for dusting furniture.
I remember somebody said something like take it easy, relax, just to think a little bit dusts would be good to protect furniture.
Um, that was nice to hear, that was what I thought, but, I knew it was getting too dusty in my room and it had been bothering me.
So, today, I took a time to dust a TV, a CD player, a DVD shelf and a printer and found it difficult to clean the all dusts out from electronic equipments due to the small holes and such and the heavy weight to move.
And, I came up with an idea, “Why didn’t I cover them with some kinds of fabrics?”
After cleaning them up, I used Japanese furoshikis and vintage lines to cover each of them.
I hope this will keep them from getting dusts and make a cleaning easier in the future.

No.2 A Cup of Tea Time

2011-05-23T15:52:00.005-06:00

It was really a cup, but, instead of having a tea for breakfast in the kitchen, I brought the tea to my room and sat in the chair that I had put a new slip cover yesterday and had a cup while listening to a Michael Jackson’s “Hold My Hand” from a CD, Michael.
It was so comforting. It was just several minutes, but, Michael Jackson’s voice was so soft and warm, and it was like shimmering in the music for several minutes.
Starting a day with just listening to a beautiful singing for several minutes was a rich experience.
And, I am going to make it a daily habit.

Today, I made an easy and quick picture frame utilizing a February sheet from a 2011 calendar that I have been using.
The paper says, “Live the Life You’ve Imagined.”
That’s a perfect motto for me to read every day.

Starting 365 Small Steps No.1 Spil Cover

2011-05-22T11:19:00.008-06:00

Re-organizing and de-cluttering my rooms have been always in my mind. Probably over two years, I had enjoy checking in books and magazines regarding re-organizing, interior designs, garden designs and such but couldn’t start to do anything. And, it was my fault.
“O My God,” just recently I have noticed, “Another spring cleaning season has been passing.”
It’s really time for me to start to clean up my mess with 3Rs in mind and will transform my rooms into comfortable and lovely ones.
“Let’s make it a project and start to make a detailed plan.” This will not work for me.
“Every day, just do something small that I usually don’t do.” This is what I am going to do.
And, starting TODAY. (I told myself in an assertive voice to let me start.)
So, today is the day.

Today’s small thing: Putting a slip cover over a chair in poor condition.
My cat used to own this chair and scratched all over the surface.
I had checked several stores in order to buy a slip cover but I found only few selections were available and they were too pricy. Actually, I couldn’t find any designs I liked.
I have several curtains (43”w x 46”h) that I don't use at home.
I covered the chair with 4 pieces of them and put a vintage dresser liner. No sewing was necessary.
It was easy.
I like to keep the 4 pieces unsown so that it would be easier to wash.
And, I will keep the edges loose so that my cats can enjoy hiding behind the fabrics.

Replacing Broken Glass Frame

2011-05-20T19:01:00.008-06:00

I purchased a vintage framed print for $4.00 at a thrift store. The original glass was broken. I wanted to keep the original frame so I took the artwork to a local glass store instead of a frame store. The glass store could take out the broken glass without damaging anything and replaced a new glass(41"W x 17"H) for $20.00. It was much better deal than reframing at a frame store. I am very happy with the result.

Foothills Animal Shelter

2011-03-14T20:03:00.005-06:00

I have been visiting the Foothills Animal Shelter for several months.
The new building is a very nice shelter for cats and dogs and other small animals who are waiting for a new home.
Especially, I love spending a time at the cats adoption corner. All cats are so daring, and actually, I can get a chance to socialize with some cats in person. Every time when I visit the cats, I feel so recharged with happy feeling.
And also, it's a great place to know there are so dedicated volunteers who work for saving animals and sharing their love.

Foothills Animal Shelter
http://www.foothillsanimalshelter.org
Hours and LocationFoothills Animal Shelter is open to the public:
Monday – Friday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Address: 580 McIntyre Street, Golden, CO, 80228
Phone: 303.278.7575

Pine Trees, Great Drough Resistant Trees

2010-09-13T20:44:00.003-06:00

I have noticed that pine trees in my garden has been thriving very well for these dry days.

Waiting for Rain

2010-09-12T21:16:00.003-06:00

Since I live near to the mountains, the weather here is very dynamic.
Suddenly, it gets so windy like storm is coming, and dark clouds appear in the sky.
I think it is a sign that the season will change from summer to fall soon.

What disappointed us when we had the dark clouds shown above 2 or 3 days before was the clouds didn't drop rain in our area.
The dark clouds disappeard very soon and we had sunny blue sky again.

We haven't had rain for a long time and my garden has been way too dry.

Hope, we will have rain soon!

New Bird Bath

2010-09-04T14:43:00.008-06:00

A new bird bath for my back yard.

It was a surprise that I had a very hard time to find a new bird bath available near to my house.
Before, Home Depot, Lowe's, and other garden stores had many selections of garden statues, but not any more.
I was lucky that I could purchase the new bird bath shown above at Garden Country in Broomfield, Colorado.
Garden Country was a very nice store with wide selections of flowers, trees, and other garden items.
Besides, the store people were very friendly and helpful.

Garden Country:
4181 West 120th
Broomfield, CO 80020
(303) 466-6761.

Homemade Pesto

2010-08-18T14:31:00.005-06:00

How is your summer garden?

My basils have been doing very well.
I made pesto with basil leaves harvested from my garden twice so far.
They were so yummy!

The recipe is as follows:
4 cups of basil leaves.
1 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup walnut
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup olive oil.

Hope you can get a chance to taste fresh pesto, too!

Specially Designed Bunk Bed

2010-08-03T20:12:00.003-06:00

In my recent trip to Japan, I saw cleaver ways to utilize small spaces. This is one of the idea I came across.

(1) The Benefit of The Specially Designed Bunk Bed
In a case two persons have to share a room with a bunk bed, this specially designed bunk bed will be set in the middle of the room instead of against the wall in order to divide the one room into two small areas. This will give the two occupants more a sense of privacy.

(2) The design of The Bunk Bed
The lower bed will have a wooden sliding 3 (or any numbers work well)panels door on one side and will be open the other.
The top bed will have the same configuration except the sliding panels door on the opposite side as compared to the lower bed.

(3) When one moves out of the room, the bed can be pushed against the wall and the top bed can be used as a storage.

I hope you find this idea interesting!

Peony in Bloom

2010-06-21T15:55:00.004-06:00

This year again, my peony is in bloom. The bush is still small but very healthy and strong.

Lookout Mountain Natural Trails Colorado

2010-06-20T18:23:00.007-06:00

Lookout Mountain in Jefferson County (JEFFCO), Colorado is my current favorite place to go for a hiking. My husband and I have tried only one trail so far. We drive up to a parking lot (oh, no, we don’t start from the base of the mountain but many bikers are so tough to ride up to the top of the mountain), start to hike on a trail which can give us nice shade along side of pine trees with moderate ups and downs. It takes about 1 and half hours for us to make a round trip on the trail. We enjoy seeing deer, tiny wild flowers and wild animals. The fragrance from the pine trees is wonderful, too. It’s nice and cool up there so it’s a nice place to do hiking on a hot day and refresh bodies with fresh green air.

Information: jeffco.us/openspace

Red Robin’s Nest

2010-06-17T13:13:00.005-06:00

There are a red robin’s nest and a wild dove’s nest in my back yard.
I assume they are regular couples who have been nesting in my back yard every spring.
They are like my extended family members.
I feel so happy to see them come back to my garden every spring and pray for their babies grow safely.
This morning, I found a red robin was getting earthworms from the compost pile. I am happy she/he found the compost pile has many earthworms for their babies.

Growing Potato in Compost Pile

2010-06-16T14:41:00.007-06:00

I found a potato has been growing from my compost pile.
Should I harvest some potatoes this summer?
My compost pile has been maturing with rich dark soil and many earthworms.
It’s so relaxing to smell very earthy soil from the compost pile.
No bad odder at all.
When I keep kitchen garbage in the kitchen or garage for a while, they start to smell bad. But once I mix them with soil in the compose pile, they don’t smell bad at all. No flies flying around, either.
Is this because I live in a very dry climate?
My simple big hole compost pile has been a success.

Fresh Green Shoots

2010-06-15T16:41:00.013-06:00

While staying in Japan, I enjoyed hiking almost every day.
It was amazingly green everywhere in Japan, many trees and many flowers. Green and green.
I just sat on a rock or somewhere available and enjoyed inhaling and exhaling fresh green air. It was wonderful!

Today, I was looking for fresh green shoots in my garden here in Colorado, U.S.A. and found a pine tree attached above.
It's a wonderful feeling to see fresh life energy.

New Tulips in My Garden

2010-06-09T09:42:00.020-06:00

Here are some tulips bloomed in my garden this spring.
These were the new tulips added to my garden last fall.
I was on vacation in Japan for 6 weeks and my husband took these photos for me.

They survived snow.

My favorite classic pink and red tulips.

These were interesting pointy shaped tulips.

Ducks loved the tulips.

This was a surprise. My husband found a duck's egg near to the tulips. Ducks' mother had abandoned the egg and never came back to the egg. After 3 days, the egg was gone. Probably, a fox or raccoon took it.

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T14:26:00.002-07:00

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Frozen Water Fall in Idaho Spring, Colorado.

So Much in Nature

2009-12-17T14:16:00.002-07:00

There's just so much in nature...
more than enough for a lifetime of discovery!

by Marjolein Bastin

Birthday Meditation at Mother Cabrini Shrine

2009-12-10T19:24:00.012-07:00

Yesterday, my husband and I went for a walk along the lake in the park.
The pavement was still covered with snow. It was so crispy cold.
While walking on the pure white snow, I felt I was purifying myself before receiving my next birthday.

Today was my birthday.
I am fortunate to have friends who sung a happy birthday song for me.
I am fortunate to have a husband who took a day off in order to celebrate my birthday with me all day long.

For my birthday today, I asked my husband to take me to Mother Cabrini Shrine.
I love to take a private medication and prayer moment on my birthday.

Starting New Year’s Eve Cleaning

2009-12-03T15:46:00.005-07:00

It is a custom for Japanese to do a big cleaning on the New Year’s Eve in order to celebrate the coming New Year.

I have started to clean and organize my rooms for the coming New Year.
With careful concerns for 3Rs, I have tried not to just “dump” stuffs in order to clean up my mess.
I love to get practical but artful ideas for how to organize my spaces from magazine articles and books.

I have read a book written by a Japanese organizing and cleaning expert who recovered from depression through cleaning up the mess in his house.
It is true cleaning brings me a feeling that I have started to work on my mess inside of myself as well.
Even a little bit visual progress to clean up the disorganized house brings me a positive feeling to refresh my life.

Happy Cleaning!

Lair O the Bear Park on Thansgiving Day

2009-12-02T09:18:00.004-07:00

Hope everybody had a nice Thanksgiving !

1 Apple and 1 Lemon A Day

2009-11-05T17:20:00.004-07:00

Do you have any advises for keeping strong and healthy body?

I have eaten an apple a day since a child without knowing a proverb, “An Apple a Day keeps the Doctor away.”
I am very happy that I started to be able to purchase fresh apples harvested this fall.
My favorite apples are Fuji Apples and Gela Apples.
I am so looking forward to baking apples pies!

Besides eating an apple a day, I drink fresh lemon water almost every day except during summer.
I am very happy that I started to be able to purchase fresh lemons as well.

Let’s stay healthy this winter!

This Is It by Michael Jackson

2009-10-31T17:46:00.005-06:00

Have you watched a movie, This Is It featuring Michael Jackson’s last performance?

My husband and I watched the movie today.
The movie was great!

To me, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross represented “U.S.A.” via radio and records while I grew up in Japan.
They are so special to me.
I wanted to get a privilege to see Michael Jackson’s live performances and I am very sorry I didn't get any chances.

The movie, This Is It made me think again that Michael Jackson was so special for his outstanding talent.
I love his singing and dancing beyond words.

Also, the movie presented Michael Jackson’s love and concern for our earth planet,
“Heal Our Planet”.
One of Michael's messages was “We need to take care of our planet.”

I am so sorry that we lost Michael Jackson.

Snow Days

2009-10-30T15:57:00.012-06:00

How is your weather?

We had around 18” heavy snows started from last Wednesday till last night.
Some businesses fully or partially closed and we had very quiet days.

Today, we had a warm beautiful day with blue skies.
At our back yard, I heard a lot of noises of snow and ice melting down from the roof to the ground.

Ducks in our area stay here during winter season.
I am very glad to see ducks survived the heavy snows.

Rubber Weatherseal for Doors

2009-10-27T16:54:00.003-06:00

Do you have any good methods to keep your house nice and warm during winter season?

For this coming winter season, my husband purchased the attached EPDM All Climate Rubber Weatherseal at Home Depot and applied them to several doors at our house.

The entrance door between the outside deck and my room always brought the cold air into my room.
I think the referenced Rubber Weatherseal blocks the air coming through the entrance door into my room very well.

One problem of applying the product to the doors is the doors’ spaces got too tight to open and close smoothly.

Another concern is the package instruct to apply the product above 40 F degree(5 C degree) while we have much colder days during winter.
Let’s see how the rubber product reacts to our cold weather this winter.

So far, so good!

Autumn Leaves and Composting Pile

2009-10-26T19:26:00.012-06:00

We have been cleaning up leaves fallen from the big trees in our back yard for several weeks.
We have moved all of the leaves into a composting pile.
Our composting pile is just a big hole.

During winter season, we are keep adding kitchen garbages into the composting pile.
This simple composting hole works for us!

More Tulips and Narcissus

2009-10-20T15:25:00.007-06:00

How is your garden?

I planted more tulips and narcissus in my garden as we had nice warm weekend.

45 Tulipa Darwin hybrid Van Eijk and 15 Tulipa Darwin hybrid Blushing Apeldoorn.

25 Narcissus large cupped Carlton and 25 Narcissus doble Bridal Crown.

25 Narcissus large cupped Sempre Avanti and 25 Narcissus large cupped Ice Follies.

The total number of new spring bulbs planted as of today is 215.
Hope squirrels don't dig them up!

Let's Play Bowling

2009-10-12T19:19:00.003-06:00

Do you exercise?

To me, bowling is a wonderful sport to play all year long.
Brunswick Bowling in my area offers 99 cents / a game from 9am to 12pm every morning.
I go to play 3-5 games 2-3 times a week.
It's a great way to maintain strong muscle, too!

Reuse Vintage Cosmetic Containers

2009-10-09T20:07:00.007-06:00

Don't you love antique and vintage cosmetic containers?

I remember my mother's beautiful lip stick holders, powder containers,cream contaniers, and etc.
They were made of metal or ceramic with detailed decorations and were not only containers but also artworks.

I started to reuse vintage cosmetic containers in stead of throwing a lot of disposable cosmetic containers.
It is a pleasure to use something beautiful every day.

Hot Bath and Epson Salt

2009-10-06T19:34:00.003-06:00

We had the first frost on the lawn in the garden this morning.

Do you have any special ways how to enjoy cold winter season?

For me, it is a treat to take a hot bath and have a great deep sleep.

I have tried several bath salts and found the simple Epson salt is the best bath salt.
I can feel my skins get nice and smooth, stiff neck and back get relaxed and have a nice deep sleep with nice warm body.

Lair o' the Bear Park in Colorado

2009-10-04T20:11:00.016-06:00

Can you enjoy fall leaves in your area?

My husband and I went to the Lai o' the Bear Park and had a nice walk this afternoon.
The weather was gorgeous.

We were surprised to see this new beaver dam.

This is my favorite spot.
Very nice combination with river, evergreen and fall leaves.

The moutain water was so clear.

Shiny glasses in golden color.

Ripe apples on the trees.
It is getting a time to bake fresh apple pies.

Hope you enjoy nice walk, too!

My Favorite Body Soaps

2009-10-03T19:44:00.006-06:00

The oatmeal and honey soaps are ones of my favorite soaps.
They don’t let me feel my skins being dried out after taking a shower.

Besides oatmeal and honey soaps, lavender soaps and olive oil soaps made in Italy or USA are good ones as well.

It is a treat to take hot shower with a little bit rich soaps in winter.

If you know any good soaps, please let me know!

My Furry Babies

2009-10-03T08:16:00.005-06:00

I have three cats and love them dearly.
I can know that it is getting cooler at night as my cats started to sleep sidling up to me.
Last night, I heard one of them was lightly snoring with very relaxed deep sleep look.
It is a joy to have them in my life.

Happy October

2009-10-01T19:17:00.006-06:00

Have you started to plant spring flowers bulbs in your garden?

I picked up all of green tomatoes in my garden today.
I will give several green tomatoes to my friend who loves to cook fried green tomatoes.
For myself, I will try to pickle several green tomatoes with vinegar and sugar.
While staying in Japan last spring, I tasted pickled green tomatoes at a well known pickles store.

Regarding spring flowers, I purchased Tulip Ballerina & Narcissi Tripartite 55 Flower Bulbs at Home Depot.
I would love to fill my garden with a lot of tulips, narcissuses, hyacinths and crocuses.

Japanese Eggplant Flower

2009-09-22T07:37:00.008-06:00

Do you like eggplants?

I love lightly grilled eggplants, curry with eggplants, Chinese style spicy eggplants, Japanese style fried eggplants with miso, Italian style tomato sauce with eggplants and etc.

This summer, I planted Japanese eggplants but haven’t been able to harvest any fruits yet.
Probably, no eggplants will be ready for me to eat but I am happy to see cute purple flowers in my garden.

Vintage 1973 Santa and Kewpie Christmas Plate

2009-09-21T19:05:00.002-06:00

Have you started Christmas shopping?

My friends told me that they have already started their holiday shopping as some retail department stores have already started to sell 2009 Christmas items at discounted prices.

I love vintage Christmas items very much.
Especially, it is interesting for me to find vintage Christmas items made in Japan for American market.
They were made in Japan but I didn’t get chances to see them while growing up in Japan.
They are rather new to me but have something so familiar with my childhood.

Bad Summer for Tomatoes

2009-09-18T14:51:00.003-06:00

Could you enjoy harvesting fresh tomatoes from your garden this summer?

Even though my tomatoes could survive from a heavy hail storm, I haven't gotten any ripe tomatoes.

It is still sunny but is getting cooler every day.

I am sorry that I didn't get a chance to make delicious homemade salsa with my tomatoes this summer.

Happy Mums

2009-09-17T20:27:00.008-06:00

I planted several mums last fall.
All of them came back to bloom this year.
They are beautiful!

Cosmos in Bloom

2009-09-15T19:20:00.010-06:00

I love cosmos very much!

Sun Flowers and Bees

2009-09-14T15:33:00.009-06:00

I planted 3 packages of sun flower seeds along with nasturtium seeds this summer.

As soon as several sun flowers started to sprout, some bugs or something started to eat them and I lost all of them.

It seems to be true that nasturtiums help other plants to grow without being bothered by bugs.
After several nasturtiums started to sprout, the next several sun flowers started to grow and had flowers.

Suddenly over night, all sun flowers’ flowers disappeared.
I assume that squirrels quickly harvested them.

For myself, I have only 3 sun flowers.
I was so happy to see bees flying around my sun flowers today.

New and Vintage Handkerchieves

2009-09-12T19:43:00.012-06:00

In stead of using paper towels at public places, I started to carry a handkerchief with me and try not to use paper towels as much as possible.

Can you buy new handkerchieves in your area?
It is hard to find new handkerchieves available in the U.S., isn't it?

I have a lot of handkerchieves that I purchased in Japan.
Japanese carry a handkerchief as a "must have" item and there are so many new handkerchieves available in many designs in Japan.

Besides Japanese handkerchieves, I love American vintage handkerchieves.
To me, they are special treasures.

Handmade Cloth Napkins

2009-09-11T15:11:00.011-06:00

Can you sew?

It is easy to sew cloth napkins.

I have been using cloth napkins instead of paper napkins and have made several cloth napkins.

I just cut fabrics, double fold, baste, and machine stitch.

It is fun to sew various sized cloth napkins with faborite fabrics!

Vintage Treasures Milk Glasswares

2009-09-10T18:12:00.010-06:00

Don't you love vintage glasswares?

The attached vintage milk glass snack tray sets are one of my favorite.
It is fun to invite girl friends to come over for a tea with this snack tray sets with a lot of treats.

I also love to use vintage everyday kitchen glasswares especially Pyrex and Fire King.
It was a score for me that I could purchased the attached Pyrex nesting bowls set in great condition.

Beautiful Japanese Silk Remnants

2009-09-09T19:10:00.004-06:00

I love sewing and crafting.
I love new fabrics as well as vintage fabrics.
Especially, vintage fabrics which remind me of my childhood are my favorite.

The attached photos are Japanese silk remnant that I purchased in Japan.
These small pieces are hand tied and dyed.
The silk fabrics are very soft and delicate.

These remnants will be large enough to make doll clothes, accessories or garment embellishment.
I was so happy that I could purchase them in Japan as I can’t find silk fabrics in the U.S. easily.

Delicious Local Colorado Peaches and Pears

2009-09-06T21:12:00.005-06:00

What kinds of local produces can you enjoy in your area?

In my area, Colorado peaches and pears are delightful local produces.
Not only at farmers’ markets, but also at grocery stores such as Safeway and King's, I can purchase them for $1.00 for a pound.
Colorado peaches and pears are sold at more reasonable prices than peaches and pears carried from California.
They are so juicy and sweet!

Natural Dishwashing Liquid Green Works

2009-09-05T19:31:00.008-06:00

Do you use eco friendly dishwashing liquid?

I have just started to use Green Works.
It works very well to wash dishes and other kitchen utensils.

Besides, the Green Works worked so well to clean up my new vintage vinyl doll.
She had very greasy and sticky face that I couldn’t wash by wet cotton puffs with water.
Then, I tried to wipe her face by wet cotton puffs with the Green Works and could easily remove the grease.
I was so happy with the result!

It is really true that dishwashing liquid products don’t have to be colored with strong fragrance.
I highly recommend Green Works.
The retail price at WalMart is around $2.50.

Japanese Buck Wheat Noodles, Soba

2009-09-02T19:17:00.004-06:00

Have you eaten Japanese buck wheat noodles called Soba?

I have seen several cooking magazines such as Martha Stewart Living, Everyday with Rachael, Taste of Home and etc. introduced cooking receipts with using Soba.

Soba is made of buck wheat and seems to be good for your health.
There are two ways to cook soba: cold soba and soba in hot soup.

The photo above is one kind of Japanese soba product that I purchased at a Japanese grocery store, Pacific Mercantile Company in the Sakura Square in down town Denver.
www.pacificmercantile.com

In order to make dipping source for cold soba and hot soba soup, there are seasoned soy source called Men Tsuyu (Men means noodle, Tsuyu means source) or Men mi, or other similar names.

It is very easy to cook Soba at home.
Hope you get chances to try eating Soba!

Lemons and Limes

2009-08-19T19:20:00.006-06:00

How are you?
Do you see anybody around you who have been catching cold?

I have several people around me including my husband who had made trips via airplane and have been suffering from flue or cold symptoms.

Fortunately, I haven’t been catching cold for 2-3 years.
For me, lemons, limes and gingers are the best food to take in order to maintain my healthy body.
I drink lemon or lime water every day.
I drink ginger water when I feel my throat seems to be irritated.
They work very well for me not to catch cold!

Homemade Zucchini Bread

2009-08-10T16:10:00.007-06:00

I baked zucchini cup cakes with a fresh zucchini from my friend’s garden.

I love a cooking magazine, Cooking with Paula Deen and used her zucchini bread receipt from the following website.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/zucchini-bread-recipe/index.html

Instead of making 2 loafs, I made cup cakes.
The baking time could shorten from 1 hour to 16 minutes.

They turned to be nice and moist and delicious!

Elks in Lakewood, Colorado

2009-08-02T20:17:00.009-06:00

My husband and I were so lucky to see 2 elks while driving on 6th Avenue today.

They were so beautiful and peaceful.

Japanese Biodegradable Body Wash Clothes

2009-08-01T21:30:00.010-06:00

The attached photos are eco-friendly body wash clothes that I purchased in Japan.
These are made of 100% cotton, 70% cotton & 30% soy, and 70% cotton & 30% silk.
These are light weight and like cheese clothes.
Each cloth has a little bit different texture and the 70% cotton & 30% silk one is the softest.

What new to me was the soy based cloth.
The package says that the cloth made of soy protein has silky texture and is gentle on skin.

Rocky Mountains and Wild Sunflowers

2009-07-26T18:50:00.013-06:00

My husband and I drove on highway 93 from Golden to Boulder, Colorado this afternoon. Gorgeous rocky mountain, lovely prairie dogs and now a season to enjoy wild sunflowers.

Wildflowers Meadows in Central City, CO

2009-07-25T20:19:00.033-06:00

My husband and I had a nice one day trip to Central City, Idaho Spring and George Town today.
We loved driving along with various colored wild flowers in Central City.
They were so pretty.

These Aspen trees were so beautiful with their white trunks and branches.
We had a sudden heavy shower which made the leaves so fresh light green.

Furoshiki Wrapping & Wine Bottles

2009-07-23T19:03:00.004-06:00

Instead of buying a wine bottle sized paper bag, a piece of cloth, furoshiki can be a unique reusable wrapping cloth to bring a bottle of wine for a gift.
For the attached photo, I used a Japanese standard sized furoshiki (approx. 35” x 35”).
Can you see I tried to make flower petals around the top of the wine bottle?
As the material of the furoshiki is very flexible, I could enjoy wrapping the wine bottle like doing paper folding, origami.
It is a fun to utilize furoshikis for gift wrapping and creativity is unlimited!

Tornadoes and Hail Storm

2009-07-22T15:44:00.015-06:00

The day before yesterday, two tornadoes touched down in Denver metro area and brought a very heavy hail storm.
As we live close to the mountains, weather here is very dynamic and gardening is a challenge.
Unfortunately, the hail storm damaged veggies in my back yard.

In my neighborhood, a huge over 50 years old tree fell down to the ground and cut the power line.
I didn’t have power almost all day yesterday.
No cooking, no computer access, no reading, and etc.
My husband and I were off work due to the power off.

Finding a way to carry daily life smoothly without depending on power too much will be a new lesson for me.

3Rs Reuse: Unfinished Vintage Embroidered Table Cloth

2009-07-18T16:28:00.006-06:00

I love antiques and vintage articles especially handmade items.
I purchased an unfinished vintage hand embroidered table cloth and had a fun time to complete it.

My Cats' Favorite Weeds

2009-07-18T15:38:00.004-06:00

I have 3 indoor cats.
I picked up the weeds from my garden for them to play with.
One of my cats doesn't show any interests in the weeds.
Two of them just love to eat the weeds so much.
It's a mystery to see each cat's preferences.

Hydrangeas and Rainy Season

2009-07-16T07:52:00.016-06:00

Do you know that hydrangeas are native to Japan?

I grew up with enjoying hydrangeas in June and July in Japan.
To me, hydrangeas were blue flowers.
I was surprised to see hydrangeas in pink in the U.S.
It was a new finding for me that the soil makes the different colored flowers.

About 3 years before, I planted 3 hydrangeas in a shady spot under big trees along with a gulch in my back yard.
Two of them didn't come back last year.
The last one came back this year with a few fresh leaves.
For some reasons, squirrels loved to play with the hydrangea, dug up the root and totally destroyed it.
I was so disappointed to lose the hydrangea but could give it up as I knew hydrangeas were not good fit with my dry garden.

The websites below are my favorite places to visit when I go back to Japan.
I would love to share the native Japanese hydrangeas with you!

• Meigetsuin (Meigetsu Temple) in Kitakamakura, Kanagawa,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUoONurKAPc
• Hasedera (Hase Temple) in Kamakura, Kanagawa http://www.hasedera.jp/10_hana/index.html
• Hakone Tozan Tetsudou Ajisai Densha (Hakone Mountain Train, Hydrangea Train) in Hakone, Kanagawa
http://www.hakone-tozan.co.jp/ajisai/index.html

Horticulturist Luther Burbank & Shasta Daisy

2009-07-15T20:26:00.005-06:00

A Shasta Daisy in my back yard reminds me of renowned horticulturist Luther Burbank.

I was very fortunate that I lived in Santa Rosa, California and got chances to visit the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens and Luther Burbank’s Gold Ridge Experiment Farm.

I appreciate Luther Burbank for his great development of so many different kinds of plants.
Santa Rosa plums harvested from my own back yard were so delicoius!

I also respect Luther Burbank for his great humanity.
According to a reading at the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens, Luther Burbank talked to cactuses that there was nothing dangerous for them to have thorns. This was how Luther Burbank could cultivate thornless cactuses.

I am going to take great care of my garden with love.
Happy Gardening!

Carbon Neutral Landscape

2009-07-15T12:57:00.008-06:00

Article picked up from
National Wildlife Magazine April/May, 2009 Issue
P46 How Green is Your Garden?
National Wildlife Federation

Summary:
“With proper planning, native plants and some appropriate actions, homeowners can create carbon-neutral landscapes.”

Key Points:
• In order to make gardens carbon-neutral, we have to accumulate biomass-to grow a lot of plants and maximize the planting area.
• Reduce the size of lawn and replace lawn with a native wildflower meadow which will provide habitat for wildlife and require no watering after its young plants are established.
• Plant most of your property with low-maintenance native trees and shrubs.
• Use compost and mulch produced from garden trimmings to enrich your soil.

Useful Websites:
• Landscape for Energy Efficiency by U.S. Department of Energy www.eere.energy.gov
• NWF The Gardener’s Guide to Global Warming www.nwf.org/gardenersguide, www.nwf.org/personalsolutions & www.nwf.org/backyard

Ducks Visiting My Back Yard

2009-07-14T21:22:00.016-06:00

I live in a small neighborhood few blocks away from a busy highway and main boulevard in Denver metro.
Most houses in my neighborhood were built in 1950's and have many mature trees and shrubs.
Gulches running in my neighborhood provide water sanctuary for ducks.

It is possible for us to provide peaceful sanctuary for wild life in cities.
I treasure wild life visiting my garden so much!

Eco-Friendly Cleaning with Vinegar

2009-07-13T15:04:00.006-06:00

It is very humid in Japan.
It is a common problem at household to get mold in the bathroom.
While staying at my parents’ house in Tokyo metro area, Japan, I tried to remove the mold in the bathroom with vinegar and water combination using a hard sponge and a toothbrush. It worked so well.
Besides, the vinegar and water combination made the tiles and bathtub really clean and fresh.

Fortunately, I don’t have mold problems at my house in Colorado due to the dry weather.
With the vinegar and water combination, I wipe bathrooms and kitchen.
With the vinegar and baking soda, I clean up drains.

I am happy that I don’t have to use any more breach for cleaning!

Purple Flowers and Bees

2009-07-12T14:57:00.009-06:00

Can you see a bee flying around the purple flower shown in the picture above?
It’s cute to see bees go inside of the flowers and show up again like a hide and seek game.

Happy honey bee garden!

Safe Society and Green Effects

2009-07-12T08:39:00.007-06:00

While staying in Tokyo metro area last spring, I didn’t have to have my own car to go out. There were so well developed public transportation systems including trains, subways, buses and taxies.
What amazed me was those public transportations utilize high tech energy efficiency devices.
When I took a big public bus, I noticed the bus shut down and re-started engine automatically at each stop sign.

Besides, I could walk by myself anywhere even at night time without having fears for safety.

I think the safety of the society is a very important element of reducing usage of private cars and gas.
I can’t go out without taking my own car not only because I don’t have well connected public transportation system in my area but also I don’t feel safe to walk even in my own hometown in the U.S.
I have several experiences that I was followed by strangers at parking lots while I was getting back to my car alone. To take my own car is a safety method for me that I have not been able to give up.

Can we make the U.S. is much safer place to live so that we can walk anywhere without having fears?

Love for Birds

2009-07-11T21:22:00.003-06:00

When I was sitting on a bench in the mountain park in Japan last spring, I saw a crow was watching me from a tree. After a while, I heard a baby bird voice from somewhere and noticed a light brown crow baby in the nest a little bit far from my bench. The mother crow was still watching me but didn’t fly above my head to let me go. It was a special experience for me that the mother crow let me enjoy watching her baby crow.

I have several big trees in my back yard in Colorado.
I can see doves and red robins make nests and have babies on the big trees in spring.
Today, a dove couple was staying at a bird bath for a long time.
When I went to the garden, I found a baby dove was sitting under the tree bush next to the bird bath.
The baby dove looked so innocent and delicate.
I am so happy to see precious wild life grow in my garden.

Tomato and Yellow Squash

2009-07-11T21:01:00.004-06:00

Have you ever tasted yellow tomatoes?
Last summer, I tasted small sized yellow tomatoes from my garden for the first time. They were so sweet like fruits and I fell in love with them.
This summer, I planted 12 kinds of tomatoes mixing red and yellow in both big sizes and small sizes.
We have been having an unusual wet summer and the tomatoes have not been growing much.
I am very happy to see some of the tomatoes started to have flowers.

On the other hand, the yellow squash has been growing quickly.
I expect to harvest some fruits on the yellow squash in a short time.

Global Furoshiki Community

2009-07-10T17:24:00.002-06:00

It was great to hear from Mandy and myfuroshiki regarding the former blog, “3Rs Japanese Reusable Wrapping Cloth Furoshiki posted on July 8.

Mandy and her partner run an organic earth tone furoshiki business, “Persimmon & Pine” in Seattle, WA
www.persimmonandpine.com

My Furoshiki and her sister run a cute modern Japanese motif furoshiki business, “My Furoshiki” in England and Australia.
www.myfuroshiki.blogspot.com

It is very interesting to see various furoshiki designs at their business.

It is also great that furoshikis have been rediscovered their eco-friendly value beyond Japan!