Trees, A Photo Quote

"The more often we see the things around us - even the beautiful and wonderful things - the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds - even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less."

~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful."

~ Alice Walker

The Promise of the Solar Power

This is going to be a short post. I know that solar power is something that is used to generate electricity - its clean and green.

But then why do we have to abuse everything? Just look at the photo in the linked article. What is wrong with this picture? When we are out in the woods, we should be enjoying the woods and nature, and not playing video games - yeah that is the promise of the solar power.  You can access this article here - Highlights - A new twist on solar cells. (Note: link is invalid, article removed)

We shouldn't promote such things to our children.

Best Treatment for the Cradle Cap - All Natural

I have done some research on the cradle cap when I found some on my baby's head. I didn't actually find it visually - I actually experienced funny odor. This is when I noticed yellow residues attached to my baby's scalp. Since I have been very cautious using excessive soaps and creams on my baby, I was looking for natural way to cure it. I wasn't able to cure the cradle cap immediately, but it did work on the end. I used the virgin olive oil. After every water bath, I would smear my baby's head with the virgin olive oil. In the morning I would gently brush off from the head. I would repeat this for three days in the row. What olive oil does, it loosens the yellowish residue so it can be brushed off. However, I noticed that would go away for a week or two; therefore I would repeat the treatment. I read it somewhere that all it is a baby dandruff, and it will come back, and it can go on until child is a five years old. The nice thing about the olive oil is that it is harmless to your child, and you can use it all the time. Unfortunately, you need to time treatments in the way that your baby or child is home for few days, otherwise, hair may be a bit oily. Since my baby's hair is very fine, it was hardly noticeable. Next day after last day of treatment, I would wash my baby's hair with a gentle shampoo. Just so you know results may vary, and you can come up with your own application of virgin olive oil, some may need more days, and some less.

Cooking Tip: Baked Asparagus Recipe

This is how I prepare my asparagus - I bake it. It is the easiest method. Simply, wash the asparagus bunch. Take cookie try, spray with cooking spray Pam. Place all asparagus on the tray, and then give one nice spray with Pam again. If you want to you can also sprinkle with sea salt on top, but you don't have to, because baked asparagus already tastes good. Set your oven on 400 F and bake for 20-25 minutes, and then serve.

Reusable Grocery Shopping Bags - The Next Green Trend But May Be Not The Cleanest One

I been using reusable grocery shopping bags for almost a year now, and did some observations. Probably out there someone thought about it too, but I will spill out my opinion here about reusable shopping bags. I personally absolutely love them. Sometimes I forget to bring them to the store, but that's just a bad habit I got to stop. This used to be a good habit when I lived in Europe. There were no such things as shopping plastic bags; as a matter of fact plastic bag was a novelty and been reused many times by many people. However, this may be old news now since it happened over twenty years ago.

Plastic bags have been used here in North America very commonly, but with the recent green trend everywhere, the message is clear - they must go, and stores are going to charge customers for them. Not so good for consumers of course. However, over many years we already knew that the plastic shopping bags were not good for the environment, therefore lot of manufacturers been working on the solution to produce biodegradable plastic shopping bags, bioplastics. We may not notice but some of the supermarkets carry them. However, this is not a point of this post.

The point is that because we reuse these bags, groceries we carry may contaminate them. What is the solution? Easy, wash them. But then this becomes again the green issue, more energy more natural resources consumed. If not cleaned then the potential health issues, and more health care costs associated with it. But there is always a way to do things right.

Firstly let me outline what foods can potentially contaminate the reusable bag, and let me give you simple suggestions to keep those bags clean.

The following are foods that can easily contaminate the reusable bag:

[1] Dairy Products - no matter how much care there is taken, there always will be milk, yogurt or sour cream leak.
[2] Eggs - sometimes they do break, or we do not notice the broken ones until we arrive home.
[3] Vegetables - there are many of us out there just grabbing broccoli or cabbage without bagging them.
[4] Fruit - yes many times I do grab a watermelon without slipping a produce bag on it, but face it some of them just don't fit.
[5] Meat - those packages are not leak proof, a worst contamination you could get, especially from the poultry.
[6] Chemicals - all kinds of cleaning products may cross contaminate with food, as we never really know which bag we use for what.

Here are my suggestions to keep your reusable bag clean.

[1] Get a reusable bag that is more synthetic plastic surface. That way it can be wiped easily with a soap water or vinegar.
[2] Now many stores sell reusable bags, then buy different ones and dedicate them for different food categories. For example, this bag for dairy products, this for cleaning products.
[3] Always bag your fruits and vegetables in thin plastic bags usually located in the produce area. For anything big as watermelon, may be get a carton box to carry it, or just get a grocery bin.
[4] And as stated in three, you can always get the grocery bin which is much easier to clean. Note canvas bags may be worst for contamination.

Lastly I think that charging for plastic bags by stores is a real cash grabs. It would be nice if that money was dedicated to further green developments or given to charitable organizations. After all they used to be free. What do you think?