How dirty am I?

This is not a day for working outside 'cause we finally have rain. So I am catching up inside. As I was washing cloths my mind was wandering and wondering, how dirty am I? Not very dirty in the general sense unless I am out doing lawn and garden work. We have been taught that we must buy and use every detergent and cleaning agent the the producers can spawn.

I have been reducing the amount of detergent I put into the washing machine. If the directions call for 1 cup of brand X I put in 3/4 of a cup of the detergent and usually use cold water for washing the cloths. There are exceptions to this if the cloths are very dirty or grimy or the cloths are outdoor or work cloths. There are some things that only hot water and good detergent will clean, but usually we are basically freshening our cloths. It is a judgement decision on how much of what to use in the laundry. The less chemical crude and less energy I use-the better I feel about the impact I put on the earth and stress on my pocketbook.

Too freshen cloths you need only a small amount of detergent. I add a tablespoon of baking soda to the second rinse. It makes the laundry smell better, gets rid of any left over detergent/soap scum and helps clean out the washing machine and the pump. Small loads are much easier on the washing machine and the fibers of the cloths you are putting through.

I think back to my mother scrubbing cloths on an old fashioned scrub board many years ago and how much it hurt her shoulders that were arthritic and painful it was for her, even than, at fairly young age. We don't know how lucky we have it. Hopefully we will never have to find out some of the trials our parents went through.

It is coming off warm and sticky. I walked out to the garden and pulled a few weeds,then tracked some mud into the house-I should have waited. I see a some bare spots where t the corn didn't emerge-or the Grackles have got it. I have some corn seed left to replant in those places. I found more beans uncovered, too. I hope when the interlopers get through there is some veggies left for me.

You may note that I have added a widget for car parts in the side bar-you might want to look and see. You may also be interested in a digital camera-I love mine.

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