Has anyone every paid much attention to the changing nighttime landscapes during the winter months? I was awakened around 4:00 a.m. this morning and for some inexplicable reason, I couldn’t get back to sleep so I figured I’d make myself a cup of tea and have a look at what the weather was doing outside. When I looked out, I noticed it was one of those nights where the clouds were so low that the lights of the city were causing them to almost glow. When that happens, the visibility is so great due to the white snow, it was almost like looking out at an upside down landscape. I always thought it quite beautiful yet a bit creepy whenever having an opportunity to see it. If one were far enough away from city lights, I doubt it would be as noticeable. I remember once while driving on a winter’s night with the clouds being again so low, how when approaching the City, there appeared to be a pinkish glow in sky as I drove closer. It’s all about the reflecting and re-reflecting of the night lights. They shine up into the clouds, then reflected back to earth, and reflected again back off the snow cover. It’s good to have these abnormal happenings take place with Mother Nature so to give us a little change of scenery during our sometimes bleak winter months.
I’m returning again to a subject which I know I’ve spoken about several years ago and that is the use of white vinegar to take care of some necessary household chores. I can’t imagine how many people go out and purchase new shower heads because the ones they’re using were plugged up with lime. If they’d only learn to unscrew them, then place in a pan of white vinegar large enough to fully submerge the shower heads, and not but a few hours later, the heads are back to being just like new and ready for more years of showering. Many people don’t like stainless steel because of the more visible fingerprints that appear. A soft cloth dampened with white vinegar does the trick. Countertops, windows, bathtubs, sinks, wood floors and nearly everything in between can get a good clean-up without having to use harsh chemicals with ingredients I can’t even pronounce. So much for being earth friendly when we’re using commercial cleaning products that are no more effective than plain and simple white vinegar. We all must continue to work at getting back to the basics so to keep our environment healthy.
Yesterday someone made me laugh when speaking about walking down grocery store aisles. She said, “It’s no wonder people are getting so overweight. We don’t have one or two selections of something, but rather dozens of selections and everyone has to keep trying the new and better versions along with the old standbys.” She continued by saying, “Eating has become more of a hobby with all the selections available at the grocery stores and restaurants. If they’d pay more attention to eating the basic home cooked foods, they’d likely stop believing they’ve created a pastime in trying new things to eat rather than eating to give their bodies all that’s necessary—but no more.” I had to make a quick stop at the grocery store this evening, and while walking down an aisle, I thought of her words about the number of selections available. Since I normally go to the store and buy what I already know I need without having to look around, tonight I fully realized how true her words were by the number of super selections being offered. I’m certain I’ll be paying a little more attention to the growing number of shelves and longer aisles needed to accommodate such needless excess. Move over Super Size because Super Selection is creeping up on you!
