Field Trip

As much as I would like to ramble on and on about how my spray bottle is still half full after a couple of weeks of use, I have lots of work to do today and must attend to it immediately. So, I thought I would send you over to a site that lists 100 Ways to Conserve Water, some of which I have talked about on this here blogitty-blog-blog. But what this list has that I don't really cover is water conservation in your yard. For example:

* Water your lawn and garden in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation.

* If water runs off your lawn easily, split your watering time into shorter periods to allow for better absorption.

* Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.

Why haven't I covered this stuff? Well, I live in an apartment, for one thing. So, no sprinklers here. The management company has landscapers come in and water the backyard, so I really have absolutely no idea about this stuff. But for all you homeowners out there, I would check this site out. I know I'm passing the buck today, but it's healthy to assert your independence from Mama sometimes. Just come back home!

Frenemy

Last night, I was getting ready for bed and my husband walked in on me in the bathroom doing the most embarrassing thing ever! Drum roll please... I was spraying my face with the water from the spray bottle! Did you fall out of your chair in shock? Perhaps you fell out of your chair from shock at what a boring life I must lead. Hey! I'm sure someone more exciting is writing a blog out there! Who needs you! (No, no, come back! ) Anyway, when my husband passed the bathroom, he heard me laughing at myself. He opened the door and said, "Are you spraying your face to save water?" "Yes." Of course! Why do I do anything anymore?

I was thinking... I thought, you know, I really don't have to wet my face with water before I put my cleanser on. I could just give it a couple of sprays and I'm in business. I have two things to say. First, it worked. my face was wet enough to give it a good sudsy wash. Second, it was miserable! Please, someone tell me it's okay to use a whole pint of water to wash my face instead of a half a teaspoon from the spray bottle! Hello? Okay, fine! Perhaps I will actually get used to this. The navy shower has become second nature, why not this. But while everyone loves water: swimming in it, drinking it, gazing at it, bathing in it - no one, but no one likes it coming at them in little misty drips. No one! That's why umbrellas were invented!

When my husband walked in, I was actually laughing at myself for doing this miserable thing, cursing about this spray bottle while voluntarily misting my face. But the point is, I have discovered that the spray bottle can do a lot more than wet the toothbrush and save TONS of water. This morning I went to wet my hair the usual way - by turning on the sink. But then I remembered... Spray bottle!

You know what should be invented (not by me, by someone smart) is a warmer for the water in the spray bottle. Maybe it would be a little less, well, shocking if it were warm water hitting my face. The thing is, when the water sits in the spray bottle, it just gets to room temp, which is not hot enough for me! Oh spray bottle... my new frenemy. You could be just the thing to save the world... and irritate the hell out of me.

Swirly Girl

Is anyone washing dishes the way I recommended? (It took me a long time to write that sentence in a way that didn't make me sound like my three year old. At one point, I had written, "Is anyone doing what I said?") Look back and somewhere on this blog you'll find my instructions on how to wash the dishes if you have to do them by hand. (Of course! No one would ever WANT to to them by hand). You know, keep another pot or pan underneath to catch all the water you'll end up using half of the water you would normally use (well, I'm not measuring, but giving how little I have to put the sink on to wash dishes by doing it this way, I think I'm being fair). The problem is rinsing all of the soap off. But the other night, I was noticing that I swirl a lot. You know, like, what you do with a glass of wine when you pretend that you know what you're doing? Except, I do it with a pot or pan and then pour the water out into the next pot I'm going to wash. Swirl, girls! (And boys... I'm not old fashioned, it's just that "boys" didn't rhyme.)

Am I really going to post this on facebook for the world to see. I can't imagine what the people I knew in High School think of me... "Hey, Karen, what are you doing now?" "Well... I'm telling people to swirl water around while they wash dishes!" Cue the crickets...

Rain Rain Go Away... No, Come Back!

I wish there was some mechanism to alert people when I post, because on an off week like this, I know it's annoying to keep looking and find nothing there but the dusty old post on how I can't remember to spray my toothbrush instead of running the faucet. I mean, how many times to you have to be told already?

It's been raining here. Like torrential. Jeez, I don't even know how to spell that word it's been so long since I used it. Usually it makes me laugh at how people freak out here when it rains heavier than a drizzle, but this time the frenzy was warranted. It makes me wonder how much rain we need in order to get out of this drought pickle we're in. According to reports we need two more weeks just like it to get out of the pit we're in.

I have to admit, I had to stop myself from being a bit more free wheeling with the faucet this week. And I didn't feel my usual pang of guilt when I ran the faucet to wash one single spoon just so that my son could eat his ice cream. After reading that we're not in the clear just yet, I think I'll refrain from doing that again.

Spray

The spray bottle is there... it's right by the sink, and yet I keep forgetting to use it for my toothbrush. For those of you just joining us, I heard this idea on the video I posted a few days ago that you could use a spray bottle to wet your toothbrush instead of running the sink. Hence using much less water than you normally would. Of course, in doing all of this water-saving stuff, I have to say that half the battle is always getting into the right habit. I mean, the intention is always there, but for 37 years I have been running the darn sink when I brush my teeth. It's going to take at least a couple of weeks to wash that out of me (no pun intended). But it is possible. I think twice now before I flush, and that was not an easy thing to do. Of course, I also learned that if you clean your toilet more often, like I do, and leave your cleaner in there (an all natural one of course!) it's a much more sanitary way of saving water by not flushing.

I know, I'm rattling this one off, but I've got so much to do today. But I FINALLY used the spray bottle and I thought I should share my honest opinion. Like most of these new habits, I'm not crazy about this new technique. The toothbrush is not as soggy as usual and that's a little weird. But really, my teeth are nice and clean and my mouth feels fresh. What the heck else do I want, huh? I'll get used to it! It's worth all the water I saved!

Moonstruck

Moonstruck is one of my favorite movies of all time. Not a single bad moment in that film. I think I've seen it a thousand times. If you haven't seen it - SEE IT. Okay, okay, I said my piece. There is actually a reason I was thinking of Moonstruck today. It started with me buying the spray bottles for my bathroom. (Pop Quiz! Did you see the last entry? If you did, you would know why I was buying the spray bottles. No? Watch the short video and find out why!) Then, I had a dozen people here last night for a reading of this play I just finished (Curtsie) and didn't have time to wash all the pots and pans right after I finished (Cone of shame) so I filled everything with at least a little bit of water. Well, as I was doing it, I felt kind of guilty. Filling pans with water, filling the spray bottle, filling the soap dispenser. Aren't I supposed to be SAVING water? But sometimes you have to use water to save it. When I finally got around to washing the pots and pans, that gunk came off with no problem. I just took a sponge, using the water that was already in there and just wiped stuff away. I probably used a lot less water than I would have if I had let all the sauce (lasagna... mmmm) harden. Just like that spray bottle, that some of you still have no idea about - filling it with water is actually going to save water in the long run.

Back to Moonstruck... Remember the part when the dad - a plumber - meets with his clients and tells them that their pipes are garbage? He recommends that they get "Copper... which is the only pipe I use." Of course, the frugal wife scoffs at the amount of money the will have to spend. But Cosmo explains to her that it costs money because it SAVES money.

I think the best thing to do around the house is to not just NOT use water, but use it in a way that SAVES water in the long run. Thanks Cosmo! Of course, I think if we asked him what his attitude about water is, he would say "I don't wanna talk about it!" Haha... Oh will you just see the movie already???

Hug a Jug

This is great! (Okay, yes, hugging a milk jug is a little weird, but the rest of it is good stuff!) Don't worry it's brief! Click here. Then pass it on!

We Are Here!

I've entitled this entry "blah blah" because, I really don't know what I'm about to say. I know that I don't want to neglect the blog, but frankly, my family has been coasting for a while. We are all sticking to our better water habits, without much thought. It's funny how you think something is gong to be such a big deal and then poof, it's not. It's just life. So really, I'm just going to blah and see if it amounts to anything. I did set aside the time to talk to you guys. So I might as well see what comes out of my brain. Maybe I'll give this another title once I find out what this is about.

After watching that 60 Minutes interview with the Governator (I'm new to Cal, so saying that still makes me chuckle...) there is something I really don't understand. He's talking about building levies and spending billions of dollars, and yes - yes, he should be doing all of that to protect our water. But I will never understand why he does not talk directly to the people and tell us - hey! Stop using so much water. Here's how - and then tell us all of the little things that we could be doing. I mean, how many stupid "The More You Know" psa's have I watched, and you can't put something on about how to wash your dishes in a way that uses less water.

Didn't they ask people to make sacrifices during world war II? Yeah...rationing. Here's what the American History Society nerds say about it:

During the Second World War, you couldn't just walk into a shop and buy as much sugar or butter or meat as you wanted, nor could you fill up your car with gasoline whenever you liked. All these things were rationed, which meant you were only allowed to buy a small amount (even if you could afford more). The government introduced rationing because certain things were in short supply during the war, and rationing was the only way to make sure everyone got their fair share.

So, why are we not being asked to ration water? I mean, Arnie said (nope, not as fun to say as Governator. Darn!) that we are in a crisis. Okay, sure they are telling us, save water save water. But honestly, I understand why people are going to stand here and say... uh, what does that mean, exactly. To me, saving water means shutting off the shower while massaging my head with shampoo. But to my father, who lets the sink run and run while he's on the other side of the kitchen scraping the dinner plates into the garbage, it might mean something totally different. Like... uh... freakin' simply not turning on the sink for absolutely no reason at all.

Has the US population grown into such babies that we can't do something for the good of the state, the country and frankly the planet? I say no! But, Schwartzy! (Still no fun) Tell us what we should be doing to fix this problem, exactly. We're tough. We can take it.

I recently watched the animated version of Horton Hears A Who - my son LOVES that book. There's this part where the Mayor of the town tells the council that weird things have been happening around Whoville and that maybe they should cancel the Who Centennial. Well, there is no such thing as bad news in whoville, so as soon as the mayor says these words, a big glass dome lowers over his head and they "discuss" (lots of chasing, arguing and funny funny stuff) as the citizens of whoville listen to nice calming music on the outside of the dome. Of course, while it was "decided" that the Centennial should go on, who was right? The Mayor of course. Their world was on a dust speck being carried around by a feckless elephant for goodness sakes!

Govvy (actually I like Govvy), we are being carried around by a feckless elephant right now. Stop making this your problem. The fact is that it's our problem. I know that you never asked for help in your movies, but this is the real world. Even if you get the 11 bazillion dollars your asking for, we the every day citizens are going to have to make serious changes. And guess what? I bet people would be willing to do it if you just tell everyone what exactly to do.

The fact is that we come from the tough stock of people that made it though World War II. Even the Who's knew when the time came to pull together. Now we're saying what they said when crisis hit: We are here! We are here! We are here!

The Govenator

Make some popcorn, dim the lights and hope that Schwarzenegger saves the world in this 60 minutes interview like he did in most of his movies.