How we’re renovating our 1946 bath.
Guest post at bohemian hellhole
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Bath renovation
Super houseplants: Low-maintenance, air-cleaning beauties
Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
When I was growing up, my mom always had several plants in the house (ferns, ficus… I was a child of the 70s). I was never terribly interested in the plants – they were just part of the decor. In my early adult years, I tried to keep a houseplant from time to time, with poor results. I had a black thumb. I killed multiple cacti, even. So I gave up for many years.
Dracaena warneckii
I started gardening outdoors with a small container garden of mostly herbs. That went pretty well but I was still leery of trying to keep an indoor plant alive. I do a lot of gardening outside now, and finally last year decided I really wanted to bring some life inside too. While researching easy-to-grow houseplants, I was thrilled to learn that many of those ubiquitous plants also help purify the air we breathe.
Spathaphyllum
NASA did a study several years ago and learned that not only do plants help filter CO2, but some eat up other common toxins as well. The main researcher, BC Wolverton, published a book – How to Grow Fresh Air – that I hope to find at the library.
Ficus elastica
A few of my favorites (for looks as well as purifying properties), which I’ve been adding to my home over the past few months:
Dracaena – many different species, such as the variegated ‘Warneckii,’ the all-green ‘Janet Craig,’ and Dracaena sanderiana (marketed as ‘Lucky bamboo’)
Peace lily (Spathaphyllum) – glossy leaves and pretty blooms
Rubber tree plant (Ficus elastica) – oops, there goes another one
Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) – aka Mother-in-law’s tongue
Sansevieria trifasciata
Bonus: For an office space with no windows, I like Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum), as it can thrive without natural light and may help filter the stuff that makes ‘sick buildings‘ sick. Probably wouldn’t have it at home though because it’s poisonous to children and pets.
(Photos via Wikimedia Commons)
No longer in the pink?
Cartoon by Lian
In following this week’s debacle between Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Planned Parenthood, it has been interesting to see the role social media has played. I’ve also been particularly struck by how inept Komen has been at handling the PR crisis that was bound to happen from their decision to de-fund PP.
The backlash on Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms was tremendous. Many people campaigned to raise money for PP or ask Komen to reverse their decision. (I’ve also seen mean-spirited jabs at Komen – that part is disappointing.)
Kivi Leroux Miller summed up the activities and lack of response from Komen on her blog. Social media maven Beth Kanter and others have written commentaries as well.
I was surprised that an organization of Komen’s size and visibility didn’t appear to have a communications strategy in place to deal with the PR crisis. They let others take over the story, and when they did respond it was wishy washy. Then I learned this morning that Komen has PR giant Ogilvy on retainer. So, even a big-time nonprofit organization with a big-time PR firm can go wrong.
I wonder what the organization’s leadership (i.e., the board) will do to repair the damage done to the Komen brand. I think they also need to take a hard look at how the organization has crept a bit too far from its mission.
Amazing chocolate cookies
Rich chocolate cookies – amazingly gluten-free and butter-free!
Guest post at bohemian hellhole
Keep the internet free
Today, wikipedia and many other sites have gone dark in protest of two pieces of proposed legislation that threaten the free and open exchange of information online.
The two bills, SOPA in the House and PIPA in the Senate, are designed to prevent online piracy and protect intellectual property, but they go too far.
Some actions you can take include learning more about the issue, signing a petition, and sharing with your friends.
Falafel salad
As part of a sometime-vegetarian diet, we’ve became quite fond of Middle Eastern foods at our house. We always keep a can of chickpeas and a jar of tahini on hand for making hummus, and we often have falafel with lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers all stuffed into pita bread.
For something different, we made up a falafel salad.
Ingredients
Falafel (see below)
Lettuces – any combo of romaine, leaf lettuce, chard, etc.
Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Cucumbers, sliced or chopped
Carrots, shredded (optional)
Onions, sliced (optional)
Feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
Tahini dressing (see below)
Falafel
This high-protein delight consists of smashed chickpeas, onion, garlic, and other seasonings, which you form into little balls and fry. Here’s a recipe I like from Epicurious.
Or use a dry mix, e.g., Fantastic Foods falafel mix, to save time
Tahini dressing
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T tahini
2 T olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 T)
1 T hot water (more if needed)
Soy sauce to taste
Or in a pinch, use Annie’s original Goddess dressing
Steps
Make falafel according to the recipe or package and set aside.
Wash and drain greens; wash and prepare other vegetables; prepare feta.
Make dressing – whisk all ingredients together, add more hot water if it’s too thick, and adjust seasonings to taste.
Toss vegetables, arrange on each serving plate, put a generous amount of falafel on top, then some feta cheese, then drizzle with dressing. Offer with more dressing and optional accompaniments.
Or arrange all ingredients on counter and let folks compose their own salads!
Suggested accompaniments: olives, hummus, pita chips
