Leg powered lawn mowing is gaining momentum

I have the worlds best sister.  She found an old reel lawn mower left out for free.  Only a true sister would know this old - dinosaur - out dated - rusty- uncool piece of discarded trash would make me very happy!

A few years ago, I looked into reel mowers for our home.  After much, probably too much, research I decided my lawn is too big.  Plus it has too many bumps, sticks and pine cones for a reel mower to handle.  On top of that, I wouldn't be able to grind up leaves, straw and grass for my lasagna garden beds.  So after much ado about mowers, we got a hearty craftsman.  (Which I really do love- it is a work horse for chopping up and mowing)

But now I have my reel mower. It needed a tiny bit of TLC- mainly blade adjusting which my husband and neighbor did for me- thank you!!!  Mowing is one of the little things in life, and this little act of kindness from my sister, hubby and neighbor is priceless. 

7 bonuses gained from leg powered lawn mowing

1.  No gas!  Gas cans, gas spilled on gloves and sometimes shoes, lifting heavy gas cans, discovering you need to go get gas before mowing, gas fumes, gas used and of course gas purchased.

2.  No mower noise!  As I mow I can actually hear birds singing.  My hubby calls out the door, I just stop walking and we can talk like normal people.  Now all I hear is mower scissors happily clipping away. I don't have to wear ear plugs, damage my ears or irritate the birds and bees.

3.  Our dog Sally is much happier!  She smiles as I mowed.  She used to hide up on our back hill as I mowed. Then when I moved to the front lawn, she got all droopy as I shut her in the back yard. Now I let her stay with me for the whole yard- this has made my flop eared smiler very happy!

4. I am getting my farmer muscles back.  While this mower is not hard to push at all, I have noticed it is a lot like exercise.  As my grandpa Alton would have called it - power by arm strong.  I don't know about you, but staying strong and having time to work out is a constant battle.  Mowing gets me outside.  I can feel myself getting stronger and I'm accomplishing something at the same time- sorry gyms!!

5.  It is environmentally kind.  Not only am I not using any gas there are no emissions.  A few years ago, I heard every time you start your lawn mower, it is the equivalent of driving from Seattle to Spokane!  With this mower I don't even use electricity- only foot power!

6.  Less prep.  When I use my gas mower, there is more prep time to get into my work jeans, my gardening gloves and shoes.  I have to pull the mower out of the shed and fill it up with gas.  (hopefully the gas can has gas or is not freshly filled and heavy)  Now I put on my five fingered shoes and go outside.  Last night I mowed my back yard while my veggies were roasting in the oven.

I'm sure I will still use my hearty craftsman when the grass gets too tall, after a wind storm, when it rains and of course in the fall and early spring as I build my lasagna garden beds and need mulch.    My gas powered mowing is not extinct but is greatly reduced!  

Reel mowers may not create world peace, but they make this mower Smile!  

    Happy smiling and mowing to you,

            Denise

"Smile a while and as you smile and another will smile and soon there will be miles and miles of smiles because you smiled"  Author unknown

   

Symphony of the Soil

   A little known fact about me is:  I love a good documentary.  For me, the key to a great documentary is starting with a a movie of quality, with an interesting topic, an inspiring message and a movie that leaves me pondering days after watching.

                     Plus, a great documentary movie provides the perfect reason to have gathering.

   I call it a A Documentary Party

My latest documentary movie favorite is:

A Symphony of the Soil.   

   Of course, I understand not everyone gets into documentaries, dirt, composting and learning as much as I do, but this documentary is worth the risk.  If you love to garden, have a worm bin, compost pile or even just love science, this is the movie for you.  If you have friends with similar interests, share this wonder.  We closet scientists usually flock together!!

    To host a documentary party all you need is an invitation, TV, popcorn and maybe some tea and there you have it:  a documentary party has been created.  Not only are Documentary parties super easy, they are also good mixers.  It doesn't matter if you know a soul before the movie, after the movie, everyone has an instant and common connection.

   I borrowed A Symphony of the Soil from the King Country Library but I could own this one and watch it over an over again.  This documentary was inspiring, beautiful, educational and entertaining.  I give it 4.5 stars out of a possible 5 stars.  A perfect movie to get you into the party and gardening season! Hope you enjoy- let me know if you watch it and what you think!

Click here to go to the Symphony of the Soil Home Page

 
Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous spring!!
      Denise

What is Residue Free????

Just what is residue free??? Residue free is simply leaving no residue behind. Residue being defined as something unhealthy and usually unintentionally left behind.

Here are the usual suspects: cleaners, disinfectants, deoderizers & plug ins, solvents, sealers, protectants, bleach, hair sprays, spray tans, perfumes, flea bombs, pesticides, craft paints, glues, carbon monoxide, lead, mercury, dust and dust mites, tobacco smoke, cooking fumes, household paints, fireplace smoke, shredding particles, coatings and finishes, dryer sheet fumes and not last or least new car smell spray! This is a partial list of chemicals being left behind in our homes at scary volume and high frequency rate.

This residue left behind adds to the attraction of soil in a home. Surfaces with cleaner left behind usually re-soil faster- making us want to use more cleaners. Fragrances and disinfectants sprayed into the air get into our lungs and bodies. The fragrances may contain solvents and phlalates. The disinfectants we use to kill living organisms, in case you didn't notice, we are also a living organism. Chemicals left behind mix with other chemicals forming new toxins. Aerosols and fine mist sprays get into the air and can float around for long periods of time- becoming the air you breathe and a potential allergen or asthma trigger. Particles come from the outdoors and indoors, over time they get smaller and smaller until they stay airborn and become your air.

Residue free is learning how to create a home with health being the focus. When you are done cleaning there should be nothing left on the surface besides the surface, no cleaner or water! Residue free is becoming mindful of how toxins enter our systems: by breathing, ingesting and touching. Being residue free is minimizing the contaminates we bring into our homes, it also minimizes the contaminates we touch, eat or breath. It is not only beneficial to your own family and your budget but also our environment. Residue free is about less being more.

Being residue free isn't hard and once you have gone residue free it is compelling to stay there. Your body, your family, your pets and your home will all be healthier and give you a big thank you!!!!!

There are essentials to a healthy home and there are essentials to a residue free home. Together this combo makes for a truely healthy home!

As always, wishing you a healthy and happy home.
Denise Frakes
Certified Healthy Home Specialist and Residue Free Expert

A wild rant

Do you mind if I rant for a second? If you do please scroll to another blog but if you don't mind, I seriously need a moment of your time.

OK, here goes my rant...

We do not need 50 different cleaning products in our homes. And the products we do have don't need to be the strongest and fastest most aggressive cleaners on the market. The reason we clean is not for our neighbors and appearance but for the health of our home and family. Taking our cleaning advice from the companies trying to sell us products is not always a smart choice. And for heaven sake, stop spraying chemicals-disinfectants-deodorizers and cleaners into the air!!!!!!!!! Our homes are cesspools of chemicals. And because we are becoming more aware of our environment and energy use, we close up our homes and those chemicals are trapped inside. It is crazy. You wonder why cancer, asthma, and auto immune diseases are up? Take a hard look at the volume of chemicals our bodies have to process.

It's not just our cleaners, it's also our pesticides, our crafts, our deodorizers, our food, our make up and personal care products. It's our paints, finishes, coatings and strippers. It's even our over abundance of electronics. This excess of chemicals is too much for a home and family. Think: LESS IS MORE!!!!!

OK, I feel a little better. The best advice I can give today is to start being curious. Look at everything. Look under your sinks, in your laundry room and garage. See just how many chemical products you have. Check out how many different products have a fragrance: candles, deodorizers, personal care products, cleaners... How many products do you spray air? Look at your window cleaners, furniture cleaners, general-all purpose cleaners, bleaches, disinfectants, deodorizers, paints, odor neutralizers and fragrances. Are you seeing what I see yet?

Start with wonder. What is in your home to begin with?

Whew! Thank you, my rant is almost over and I can start breathing again. I hate hearing about a child with asthma or a friend with cancer while knowing our homes are full of abundant, unnecessary and excessively over used chemicals. I don't rant that often, so use my wild rant as a starting point to look at your home in a new light.

Residue free homes are a good thing!
Denise Frakes
Certified Healthy Home Specialist
Co-Owner of Blue Sky Services

Healthy Families - Healthy Lawns - Healthy Homes

Spring has sprung! Flowers are starting to bloom, trees are budding out and my lawn need mowed. I love spring, it makes me want to go back outside and dig in the dirt.
This is also the season to add extra TLC to your lawn so it is lush and healthy. Before you go buy the normal weed and feed for your lawn consider this...

Where do the herbicides go that don't get absorbed into your weeds?
They get tracked into your home or wash down into the sound waters.
They get on your pets feet and then are licked off.
They go to bed with your kids.
They end up in the air with your dust.

Pesticides and herbicides should be used like you spot clean clothes. Only if needed and only on the spot needed. You wouldn't clean your whole load of laundry with a spotter.

This year consider going natural with your yard care. Here are some resources to get you started.

Natural yard Care: www.ecy.wa.gov/beyondwaste/compost.html
WSU Master Gardener information http://mastergardener.wsu.edu/gardening.html
Integrated Pest Management: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/upest or http://pep.wsu.edu/hortsense/
Noxious weed control: www.kingcounty.gov/weeds
Pesticide safety and regulations: www.agr.wa.gov/pestfert/pesticides
Building healthy soil and erosion control: http://www.buildingsoil.org/

Resource: Department of Ecology State of Washington:
Natural Yard Care
5 steps to make your piece the planet a healthier place to live

If you have any questions you are always welcome to contact me: info@dfbluesky.com

Wishing you a healthy and happy spring
Denise

Dandelion: Friend or Foe???

For my birthday my mom sent me a book: A Handbook of Native American Herbs byAlma R Hutchens. I was flipping through and landed on the dandelion apparently also known as taraxacum officinale, blow ball, cankerwort, bon's tooth and wild endive.

The health benefits of this little weed are incredible. I just keep running into how great this little weed/herb is. Alma Hutchen's goes on to further impress me with the value of the dandelion. Did you know the green leaves of the dandelion contain 7,000 units of vitamin A per ounce? Lettuce contains 1,200 units per ounce and even the highly recognized carrot is weak in comparison coming in at only 1,275 units per ounce.

"Herbalists use dandelion more generally than any other herb, as it combines well with other herbal preparations for the liver and is mild, wholesome and safe. It's prolonged use can only be beneficial in all rheumatic complaints. The natural nutritive salt in dandelion is twenty eight parts sodium; this type of organic sodium purifies the blood and destroys the acids therein".

The book goes on to tout lots more benefits but that isn't really the point of this blog. I got to giggling about our society. We are surrounded by perhaps one of the most beneficial herbs known and yet we spend most of the time trying to wipe it out. We spray our yards with herbicides. The herbicides get washed into our sound and streams. The herbicides get tracked into our homes. We take pills to cure many ails, some of which do more damage than the original illness.

All the while this little herb is patiently sitting outside waiting for us to let it help us be healthy. My own yard has many dandelions, perhaps too many. I just can't put herbicides on my yard. I pull each one by hand with my dandelion puller. The other day my grandma asked me why I didn't just spray and be done with it. The fact is, I haven't the heart to kill something of such benefit while poisoning my home.

Wishing you a happy and healthy home,
Denise