Harvesting Rainwater

Here in the Sacramento area, we really only get rain from October or November through about May and when it does rain, it seems like we only get an inch or so at a time. However, in my yard it seems like it takes only a bit of rain to make a huge mess since the house gutters drop right into the lowest part of my yard making a winter long muddy bog. I'd love to get rid of the lawn altogether, but Dennis and I haven't agreed on that yet. So what to do to not only save the "free" water that hits my roof in a storm and try to save the lawn from its annual winter drowning?? Rain barrels! Rain barrels are large containers that sit underneath your gutters to collect rainwater. They have a spigot at the bottom of the container to attach a hose and water whatever you want from rainwater collected from your roof.

Considering that one inch of rain on a 1,000 square foot area yields 623 gallons of water, I'm sending a whole lot of water right down the drain every winter! I've looked at buying rain barrels, but they can run around $200 - ack! However, this morning I think I found the solution while browsing the Fine Gardening website - a video on how to build my own rain barrel for about $50 - perfect! I know they aren't that pretty, but since we don't get rain year-round, I can move them to a less obnoxious location during the summer when we spend so much more time outside.

Here's the video if you're interested in doing the same:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid4130888001?bctid=1906795648

Natural Sunblock

Over the past month or so, I've been experimenting with "natural" or "chemical free" sunscreen products to find the best product for the most reasonable price - not the easy task I originally thought it would be! I've compiled my completely unscientific findings for you here.

Experiment #1: Browse the options at Whole Foods. This is where I thought I would find the largest selection, which was true, but the prices were all over the board and an average consumer would have trouble determining what the difference is from one brand to another. I finally settled on JASON Family Sunblock with an SPF of 36. The label says that it is Water Resistant and Paraben Free. 4 ounces cost about $7.00.

I took my new purchase to a backyard pool party with friends and liberally applied it. Everyone commented on the pleasant smell although we all poked fun at the marketing of it as "Family" sunblock - what makes that so?? Who knows.... Bottom line - the cream was easily absorbed into my skin and I didn't burn. However, when I dipped my legs into the pool, the sunblock came right off in the water - I guess it would cost a fortune to reapply as needed if you and your family were in and out of the water, but this was the best one I found for general sun protection. As for the active ingredients, the three main sunscreens are rated from a 4 to an 8 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being worst) by the Skin Deep database so it's not that "natural" of a choice. www.cosmeticsdatabase.com


Experiment #2: Find the best sunscreen on the Skin Deep database. I thought this would be simple. Search "sunscreen" and buy the first one rated "0" or "1" in terms of dangerous ingredients. My search results gave me one "0" rating - Soleo Organics Sunscreen. It is $20 for 2.8 ounces. Considering that it takes an ounce to properly cover your skin, I find this way too expensive. Numbers 2-4 on the list, with a "1" rating, were similarly priced. Finally, I decided on #5, rated a "3" called Mexitan with an SPF of 30. It's label proclaimed that it is all natural, water resistant with no harsh chemicals. It was $16.95 for 8 ounces - more than I'd like to spend, but better priced that the most organic choices.

I took this purchase to a family weekend in Sonora where we lounged by the pool as the temp hit 108. As I rubbed it in, I noticed two issues - first, if you rub just a bit too much, the lotion starts pilling and rubbing off your skin and second, it never completely rubs into your skin leaving a whitish cast on my already translucent skin! This product however, kept me from burning and didn't come off as easily in the water.

Experiment #3: Ask friends. After asking around to my friends, the only recommendation I got for a natural sunscreen was to try Burt's Bees. The nice thing about Burt's is that you can find it everywhere for about $7.00 for 3.5 ounces. The label claims that it is a chemical-free sunscreen, non-whitening and 100% natural. Well, I'll have to disagree with the non-whitening claim as the SPF 30 formula left me ghostly white! As with the others, I didn't burn, but it wasn't pretty as I lounged by the lake for days on vacation. The Skin Deep database gives this formula an overall rating of "4", but that is because of it's superior sun protection. The health hazard is rated a "6" out of 10.

After all this, I don't think I've found a great sunscreen in the natural category yet. The JASON was the only one that didn't leave a thick, white layer on my skin, but I'm sure that's due to the additional chemicals. The Mexitan and Burt's didn't come off as easily in water but went on heavy and didn't absorb into my skin. In the end, I will probably rotate through the three depending on the activity I'm planning knowing that I won't burn in the sun and all of them are a better choice in terms of chemicals than the current popular brands on the market.

If you've found a favorite - let me know and I'll try it out!

Bees & Trees

I apologize for the long absence of posts. Other than the typical "wow, I've been busy", I was having all kinds of login issues with blogger and was finally able to login again! That being said - it is the height of summer and the trees in my yard are all blooming! I have two large trees in the middle of my backyard that shade everything. I find this to be a really good thing as my yard is considerably cooler on a hot day than you might expect - combine that with a covered patio with a ceiling fan and I can enjoy my yard on even the hottest days - like today!

Since we moved here just over two years ago, I have been trying to figure out what these trees actually are. I've searched online, in my Western Garden Book, asked everyone who has come to my house and nobody knew. I see these trees all over Roseville so it was surprising that I couldn't figure it out. Finally, my mom and I were on a garden tour back in May where I cornered a Master Gardener to figure out the mystery and she groaned when I described it to her (never good!) It turns out I have two Chinese Tallow Trees - messy (I already knew that) and incredibly invasive (what!?!)

Upon returning home, I googled this tree and immediately learned why I couldn't find it in any of my landscape tree research - it is on the Red Alert List for the Invasive Plant Council of California. Great. Why would these trees even be available for homeowners to buy? And why would they have been planted in parks around the city?

Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I'm sure these trees will have to go at some point, but in the meanwhile, is it so bad to enjoy the benefits the trees do provide? First of all, I love the shade and second, in the middle of summer, the bees LOVE the (messy) flowers. For weeks every summer, bees descend on these trees and cover them so completely that the entire yard has one big BUZZ you can hear all over the yard - even in the garage! Seeing as how everyone is worried about the disappearance of the honey bee - I feel like I'm doing my part to keep them alive. If anyone is looking for them, there are thousands hanging out here on Lathwell. Furthermore, the leaves put on a brilliant show of color in the fall and the seed pods are enjoyed by the birds all winter. We do have to deal with the mess of the seed pods in the grass, but I get to enjoy watching the birds out my upstairs bedroom window all winter when the leaves are gone.

I wouldn't want to say so many nice things about these trees that someone would be convinced to plant one - the root system is shallow, the flowers and seed pods are messy and you do find new little trees everywhere that need to be pulled, but at this point, the benefits outweigh the grief. My only worry is what I will replace them with when they do eventually have to go.....

Looking back and forward for Earth Day

While I didn't get my Earth Day post done on Earth Day, I still wanted to share my thoughts about what's going on in my world. When reflecting on what I've done to lessen my impact on the earth in the last year, I realized that I had made some real changes:

1. Began purchasing my home's energy from renewable (solar and wind) sources. One phone call and an extra few bucks per month - easy!

2. Planted an herb garden in my yard.

3. Joined Terra Firma Farms, a CSA that provides us with a weekly box of fresh, local, organic fruits and veggies for less than it would cost to buy the same items at the grocery store.

4. Started carpooling whenever possible. Since I live about 20 miles from work, riding my bike isn't an option and light rail doesn't come out here so the best option for me is carpooling. I have a friend that lives a mile from me and works three blocks from me - perfect! And coordinating our work schedules wasn't as hard as I thought it might be.

5. Began going organic - food, beauty routine, cleaning products - wherever I have the option, I've switched and it's amazing all of the great organic products out there now.

So what do I have planned for this year? Continuing to make small changes that have an impact on our health, our environment and the earth:

1. I've gone from a few herbs in one raised bed to three raised beds of vegetables, a barrel of herbs and a basket of strawberries. Hopefully we'll get to eat REALLY local this summer!

2. Canning - I haven't done this since I was a kid, but I'm hoping to can some of my own bounty this summer including making pickles!

3. Water Conservation - This is a major issue here in the west. I'm hoping to get some rain barrels this year and maybe even a rain garden.

4. My bicycle - I admit, I'm not a very confident bike rider. But with the extensive bike path network in my neighborhood, I've begun to venture out some for coffee runs or to the park, but in the next year, I hope to get much better with the bike so we can go to dinner, small grocery runs and more - all on our bikes!

5. Who knows?? It's getting easier and easier to be "green" so what new opportunities will come about in the next year could surprise me.

So - what tips do you have for me? What are you doing in your world? I'd love to hear from you - and happy Earth Day!

Blooms!

Here's what's blooming in my yard at this moment!

Roses! I have lots of buds (and lots of aphids due to be assasinated tomorrow!). But this is the first *almost* rose.

When we moved into this house, there were three hot pink camellias already here...and then there is this unusual one...my favorite which blooms much later than the pink ones!

The apple blossoms. As referenced before - something bores holes into the apples each summer although I never see an actual bug or worm. Maybe I will take the time to figure it out this summer. Thoughts anyone??

Skin Care - Part 2

The next victim to get the axe in my B.O. (Before Organic) products was my proactiv cleanser. I've so far been very happy with the Dr. Alkaitis line of skin care, but this time I used a different source, but lucky for me - still local! Bella Floria is a local Sacramento company that finds brands who use natural and organic ingredients and sells them on one, convenient website. I've been doing a ton of research and can understand why people don't take the time to buy "greener" products. Once you start researching and reading, the amount of information is overwhelming, but also conflicting.

Is a paraben actually bad or just not completly confirmed as bad? Even though mica is a naturally occuring element, will it still irritate my skin?? The more research I do, the more of these questions I find. Regardless - Bella Floria makes it a little easier.

In the end, I ordered the Dr. Alkaitis cleanser on a Saturday and it arrived on Monday (wow!) and I continue to be a satisfied customer. The best part?? The packaging from Bella Floria was minimal and it arrived with a hand written note from the owner along with free samples of the Alkaitis eye cream and toner - BONUS!

The List - Summer 2009

I have spent the last few months contemplating my raised bed plantings for the spring and summer. Last year I only did one of the beds and filled it with herbs with limited success. It dawned on me after doing all of the planting that the one bed I picked would be in a fair amount of shade during the day once my trees leafed out...OOPS!

So, this year I have done quite a bit more soil prep (see composting story below!) and have decided to move into some fruit and veggie plantings as well. I think I'll move my herbs that lived into half wine barrels into sunnier spots (plus the barrel will better corral things like spearmint which can take over). That being said, here is my planned planting list:

HERBS:
Basil - I'm waiting for the Farmer's Market at Casesar Chavez park to start next month because there is a guy that brings tons of different varieties of basil plants to sell and I want a big variety this year since none of mine made it through last summer.
Spearmint
Lavender
Thyme
Chives
Dill

VEGGIES: I know - in Sac, everyone grows tomatoes...but I'm not a big tomato eater and we get tons from the CSA all summer to satisfy my husband.
Green beans
Cucumber - I want to make pickles this year which is why I'm also planting the dill weed
Zucchini

FRUIT: I have an apple tree in the yard, but the fruit suffers from some kind of bug damage that I have to figure out how to control.
Watermelon - I understand you can train them up a trellis to save space, but you have to put the melons in "slings" once they get heavy. Not sure what my plan is yet on that.
Strawberries - I'll probably put these in a hanging basket to keep them off the ground
Pumpkins - is this a fruit?? I guess it's a gourd so maybe it should be on the veggie list :-)

CITRUS: I already have a very large orange tree in the yard and since I'm limited on sunny locations in my yard, I'm going to add the following in large pots that I can move around:
Seedless Mandarin
Meyer Lemon

JUST BECAUSE: Sweet peas on a teepee of branches from my winter pruning!

Okay - that seems like quite a bit for my two little raised beds, but with the supplimenting pots, I think I can get everything in. Let me know what you're planning for the summer and what I've forgotten on my list that I'll have to sqeeze in!

Grapefruit Glut

Before....

It dawned on me the other day that I have a LOT of citrus in the bowl on my kitchen island. I know we're eating it, but between the CSA and our backyard orange tree, the bowl hasn't emptied with tangelos, mandarins, oranges and grapefruit. This isn't a terrible problem to have, but while contemplating a Saturday night cocktail, the bowl of fruit caught my eye and I realized that I needed a recipe for citrus cocktails!

Online I go and, thanks to White on Rice Couple I was quickly inspired by their Salty Chihuahua recipe. Instead of their suggested tequila, I went with the traditional vodka and enjoyed fresh squeezed citrus in a martini glass! If you don't mind getting your hands a little sticky, this is a great way to get your vitamin C (and vodka!) for the day.

Squeeze one grapefruit into a cocktail shaker with ice, add two ounces of vodka, shake and pour into a salt rimmed glass. Cheers!

After!

Tis the season...

...for camelias in Sacramento. Mine have been blooming for a month or so now and I found this particularly pretty one yesterday. Enjoy!

Paying it Forward: Garden Compost Edition

So my plans for yesterday were simple enough. Make a run to the dump (don't they have a nicer name for it now?? I can never remember it....) with the brush pile created from last weekend's crepe myrtle pruning and, while there, pickup some compost for the two raised vegetable beds. I know I can buy bagged compost at my local garden center, but I'm trying to be more green, right?? Since I don't have a compost pile at the moment, I put my green waste out on the curb every two weeks and it is taken to the "dump" where it is turned into compost. Shouldn't I pickup that compost and take it back to my house now?

After much discussion and review of how much a yard of compost actually is, my husband and I decided that 1/2 yard of compost would be plenty for our future veggie beds. We pay for our purchase ($20/yard) and are instructed to drive to the compost area where someone with a loader would meet us. All of that was simple enough, but when the guy with the loader arrived at our truck, he dumped what must have been over two yards of compost in the back (and all over) our truck! There was so much it was piled up as high as the cab and poured out of the back all over the bumper. What would we do with all of this compost?!?!? My simple little project was now a really big project.

We immediately called friends and asked if they wanted some, which they did. After much ridicule, and the determination that they only needed to fill two half wine barrels, they sent us to a neighbor whose entire backyard is filled with fruit trees and raised beds who was thrilled to take some of the compost off our hands - and offered us apricots in the summer in return - yum! The three of us shoveled at least half of the haul into his backyard, then gave our friends two wheelbarrows full and, in the end, had about 8 wheelbarrows for our own yard and raised beds.

Our little dump run took three hours, but we were able to share our "wealth" with other gardeners and, speaking of good luck, I found a penny while we were unloading the truck and found three ladybugs in my raised beds. If that isn't a sign of good luck to come, I don't know what is. Now I'm looking forward to the fruits and vegetables I'll be enjoying this summer - from my very well amended soil.

Buying renewable energy is super easy!

I actually would not have believed that to be true. Don't I have to install solar panels on my roof for tens of thousands of dollars so that I can be "off the grid" or something like that? I always thought that it sounded great, but just not affordable or feasible for me. However, I learned last week that the City of Roseville offers the option to purchase green energy, specifically, wind and solar generated electricity from around Northern California for an extra 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. My husband and I went over every electric bill for the past year to figure out what that would cost us in an average month. Based on our last 12 months electricity use, it would be an extra $13/month to purchase clean, green energy. What a deal!

I think we also get a little yard sign that says that we purchase green energy which should be a conversation starter in the neighborhood as well. From what I understand, every time someone signs up for the program, it adds renewable energy into the city's "pipeline" and reduces non-renewable energy. Therefore, the more people and businesses that sign up, the more of the overall city energy will be renewable allowing them to put more solar panels on city buildings for even more green energy. I'm sold!

For more information, visit http://www.roseville.ca.us/electric/green_roseville/default.asp

What exactly do I put on my skin every day....Prologue

Over the years, I have always struggled with keeping my skin clear and balanced. The typical teen acne continued into my 20's when I finally got serious about clearing it up permanently. My dermatoligist took me through the usual escalating treatments - topical creams and gels like Retin A, followed by prescriptons for tetracycline and settling on the use of Accutane when nothing else worked after six months. Taking Accutane was no simple remedy. The plan was to use it for six months during which time I had to visit my derm every month for checkups after ensuring that I was on birth control since the drug has such severe effects on a fetus and was required to have monthly pregnancy tests "just to make sure". In the end, the Accutane cleared my skin, but it dried me out so severely that my lips would bleed when eating. After four months, I cried uncle to my doctor and insisted on stopping the treatment.

After all that, my skin was more or less clear on a regular basis. I would have occasional breakouts but nothing overly objectionable. In the last few years however, it seems to be getting more sensitive to my surroundings. Of course, it has been a process of elimination to figure that out. Three years ago, I decided to work on evening my skin tone out from all of the years of scarring by alternating between regular chemical peels and microdermabrasion. This has been successful in improving the quality of my skin, but I started breaking out constantly on my chin and nothing my esthetician nor I would do could clear it up. Through process of elimination, we figured out that it is related to construction (what, specifically? who knows....) Between work and home, I have been around construction and renovation almost constantly for the past few years so it's not that surprising.

All that being said, I have become much more conscious about what I do to my skin and how I can keep it clear and healthy. If construction dust landing on my skin can have such an adverse reaction, what about my cleanser, moisturizer, foundation and hairspray? What exactly is in that stuff? Taking the time to find out, and find alternative products has been eye opening indeed! I'm now slowly phasing out my skin care products one at a time and one month into my experiment, I'm having excellent results with Dr. Alkaitis Organic Herbal Toner and Organic Day Cream. The ongoing breakout that has most recently plagued me for months is clear and I've noticed a glow to my skin. Bonus - the company is in West Sacramento so I'm also supporting a local business!

Here is a quote from his website: www.alkaitis.com
"Dr. Alkaitis manufactures his products from certified organic, biodynamic or ethically wild-crafted ingredients. All the products are manufactured in-house in his West Sacramento, California lab. The ingredients are never heated above room temperature to preserve the plant's healing properties. The products contain no synthetic preservatives or chemicals, trans-fats or genetically modified organisms. His motto is "if you can't eat it, don't put it on your skin."

Next up in my experiment....foundation, and based on my early research - this wil be trickier. Stay tuned!

Hiking in Suburbia

When we moved to Roseville (a suburb 20 miles outside Sacramento) two years ago, I knew that it was a pretty typical suburban neighborhood with more shopping within five miles than anyone could ever need, but shortly after moving here, we received a welcome packet of information from the city's Parks & Recreation Department. What I was surprised to find inside was a map of the city with all of the walking trails marked. Who knew I could get all over town on mostly paved trails great for dog walking, bike riding or making a Saturday morning coffee run? Since then, my little guide map has been very well used and my dog, my husband, my friends and I have logged miles and miles all within the city limits.

My very favorite trail is the Miner's Ravine trail through oaks and rolling hills and along the ravine with the sound of moving water. There are always lots of people on the trails on the weekends, but not so many that you can't have your own quiet, contemplative moments. There are three different offshoots to this trail that goes from Sierra College Blvd all the way to Galleria Blvd and through the sculpture park off of I-80 and Eureka. Check out an online version of the city's trail maps and let me know your favorite sububan hike!

http://www.roseville.ca.us/parks/get_active/parks_trails_n_bikeways_map.asp

Welcome to Life on Lathwell

We're a suburban couple in Northern California trying to figure out how to use our resources wisely, eat and shop locally and enjoy life outdoors whenever possible! Amy will be the primary author here and I've been thinking about blogging for close to a year now, but wasn't sure I had much to share. However, as I've been researching things like where our water comes from and how to conserve it, the ingredients in the makeup and skin products I use and alternative transportation options when my daily commute is 20 miles each way, I've found that information on the web can be confusing and conflicting and that it isn't always easy being green! My hope is that through Life on Lathwell, we can find new ways to live healthy while enjoying the resources in our own backyard!