Monday, April 13, 2009

peppermint poo

Normally I buy kitty litter in a bucket (easy to carry.) But I was recently shopping with a friend, and he spotted some bags of litter, very inexpensive, and offered to carry them for me. It was a name brand, so I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I did not read the label, and discovered, to my dismay, that is is not clumping litter. When wet, it just turns brown and stays wet. And, strangely, it smells like peppermint!

Today I was reading an article about "The Most Toxic Places in Your Home" on Today / MSNBC. The article mentions that many kitty litters contain crystalline silica, which is a carcinogen. Great, now another thing I have to look for on the label!

Darn stinky cats.

fragrant fire

Herbal Fire Starter

Pinecones and dried herbs such as rosemary, sage leaves, and cinnamon sticks make fragrant kindling for a winter fire -- and, unlike composite firelogs and lighter fluid, don't rely on chemicals to ignite the flame.

1. Bundle dried herbs and small pinecones in a sheet of newspaper and secure the ends with raffia or cotton twine.
2. As you pile up logs for your fire, nestle the herb bundle underneath, with paper ends sticking out.
3. To start the fire, light the newspaper ends. As the paper burns up, the herbs inside will ignite and incinerate, giving the logs a chance to catch fire.

Cost: less than $10

From MSN article "25 Eco-Chic Ideas for Your Home."