Your Questions About Gardening

GardenersCardiff answers:

Trader Joes has their own brand. Its called Trader Joe’s Joe. It’s like $5 for 12 oz. Not terrific but inexpensive.

At most grocery stores you can buy Yuban for about $6 for 12 oz. It has a pretty good flavor. Especially considering the cost.

I’m a proponent of buying free trade coffee. Its going to cost you more, at least $8, but at least its slavery free.. Most of these are organic, too. And they are usually a step above Yuban.

I’m a really big proponent of Shade Grown coffee. Coffees that are shade grown are always organic and usually Free Trade. But they cost even more, at least $10. The nice thing is that Shade Grown coffees are a sustainable crop. Plus they are beneficial (or at least not harmful) to wildlife. And for me, I prefer the taste. Its hard to find shade grown coffee in grocery stores. But you can buy them online and at pretty good prices. You might look up Songbird.

GardenersCardiff answers:

(-: My problem when I see all these “Slash Your Bills in Half” sorts of articles is that I’m already doing a lot of these things; there’s not a lot left to slash (that they mention, anyway).

I don’t drink expensive coffees. I buy bottled tea about once every three months, then haul water in those bottles (disinfected with bleach weekly) to work. I do a lot of my own cooking, and my family gardens and preserves. We eat processed foods, but only when the convenience is high and the price is low. There is no public transportation where I live — the nearest bus stop is 7 km away.

To help the economy, we need to spend our money on valuable, long-lasting things. We need to retrofit our houses with solar, so we can spur that industry and also to help with some of our electric needs. We need to put in insulation. We need to look into passive solar alternatives. We need to learn to grow our own foods — not all, but some. This will help us appreciate just what we are getting in the grocery store!

We need to put the money into education, and into research. Not into Happy Meals. Not into stupid and violent entertainment.

I think those are some things that might help. We do need to keep spending — but we need to realize that every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of civilization we want. Vote wisely . . . .

GardenersCardiff answers:

Over a year and a half ago my doctor advised me to take Vitamin E for my badly picked and bitten nails. I was ready to try anything, believe me! This worked beyond my wildest dreams! My nails are strong and healthy and ugly deformed bumps on my thumb nails disappeared. Now they grow and grow fast! I use a rectangular nail block to keep them a good length (no talons for me!) and I pamper them with good hand lotion and cuticle cream. I use Develop 10, from Amazon, which is a great strengthener as well as being a shiny clear polish that can be reapplied every few days. One trick that I found on my own is a real winner – I clasp my hands together while watching TV, sometimes massaging in hand cream at the same time. I also have worry stones (from eBay), inexpensive but beautiful smooth stones to rub when stressed) all over the place – in my purse or pocket, on the nightstand, near my couch, and a bowl of them as decor on the coffee table! I check for rough spots or snags on my nails regularly and go after them with the nail block so that no breakage will occur. I even use the nail block for dry, hard places on the skin around my nails, leaving nothing to bite or pick. I am very satisfied to have, finally, a routine that works!