Warm temperatures are not really what we need. We, here in Indiana, need the colder temperatures. It helps our big problem during the Summer, bugs, lots and lots of bugs! Bugs are no fun when you’re out there planting, dressing and weeding your gardens. Those little black gnats and the mosquitoes, just to name two, are vicious. So I’m trying to keep my whining to a minimum when it gets really cold. I appreciate the moderate temperatures and we need the rain but believe you me I'm just as grateful for the freezing temperatures.
I would like to report to you that last week, as I told you in a previous blog, I made my own homemade clothes soap and so far I’m pleased, really pleased. The softener, well - it’s sort of a pain to use but it is doing the job. The automatic dish cleaner is doing just as good a job as what I’d been using before so all in all I’m happy with most of the results. The softener is made from vinegar and baking soda and because you have to stir it up each time it’s kind of messy. Since I do quite a few loads at a time, one would think squirt bottles would be perfect. You could just shake them up, but then I just end up filling them over and over again. They're just too small. So I'm still working on the softener issue. Plus I want to make sure that static cling is manageable.
I've been concerned for quite awhile over all the chemicals that manage to creep into our home and I'm telling you, that along with the price, homemade cleaners are enough to make you rethink buying name brands. That's for sure! If I'm still pleased after a month or so I'll pass on the recipes for the cleaning agents.
I opened up a new quart of dill pickles last night and realized that when I can dill pickles I always put 2 or 3 cloves of garlic in the jar. Now, duh!!! I'd never thought about eating the dill pickled garlic cloves . . . never!!! I was always just so intent on making good dill pickles. Sometimes I'm amazed at how little I think outside the box. I've got a special recipe of Pickled Garlic sitting downstairs in vinegar just soaking for the next 30 days and never even thought about eating what was in my dill pickles, arghh! Oh, and by the way the pickled garlic is going to be fabulous cause these little dilled cloves of garlic are scrumptious!!!!
I still can't believe I've never eaten those garlic cloves!!! Just blows my mind. Sometimes I'm not too sure about me! I must make a mental note to start thinking!!!!!