Clean hands before entering

Friday, 3:16 pm

By Kate

Nov

02

2007

My supermarket (Shaw’s) has begun a new practice of providing a display set-up by the entrance with a box of hand wipes and a sign asking customers to help keep the store clean. There is no further explanation for what they are trying to accomplish, so I’m not sure whether it’s an effort to protect customers, with flu season just around the corner, or to literally help keep their store and products cleaner. I watched a couple of people comply and then I did, too. Didn’t really see any reason not to, other than the waste basket beside the display filled with used wipes that will, undoubtedly, end up in the landfill someplace.

Has anyone else seen their grocery stores do the same thing?

I don’t know how effective washing one’s hands at the grocery store door would be in cutting down on virus transmission (a person only has to sneeze or cough once and protection is gone, I’d think), but it might help keep the store cleaner if dirty hands are wiped clean before customers touch and handle products. Or is is a psychological thing, where customers might feel better about the store if they think people’s hands are clean when they enter? I really don’t know.

The final insult

Thursday, 8:35 pm

By Kate

Nov

01

2007

Remember that problem with the grass in the front lawn that I had this past spring? Remember how I sowed grass seed and sprinkled water and fertilizer and watched and fretted until baby blades of grass poked up out of the ground?

Well, then we had drought and the baby grass fried up real cripsy-like.

And...and...then the grubs invaded the remaining healthy grass.

And now the skunks have started plowing up the dirt to get the grubs. That’s the final insult.

I had this lecture playing in my head today. It was with Mother Nature. She said to me, “What do I need to do to get you to stop growing grass? A plague of locusts? What? I’ll try that next if that’s what it takes. Grow something useful!”

I’d take a picture of the horror out there, but it is Just.Too.Embarrassing. I feel as though I should hammer in a sign out front telling my neighbors that I’m sorry. It will be better next year. I promise. Not that I’m the only person in this situation, but this is my plot of earth and it’s an assault on the eyes.

And it will be better next year. I am SO DONE with grass. I can’t tell you how done I am.

Next spring there will be load of dirt and mulch delivered. I will sculpt a pretty rock garden area with berry producing plants and herbs and other edible pretties. With thick and luxurious mulch. The plants won’t be water greedy. They won’t fry in the sand. It’ll have nice curb appeal. And my neighbors won’t hate me. Maybe they’ll be inspired to try it, too.

When I think of the wasted time, effort, and water spent on trying to grow grass, it makes me ill. It wants to be constantly fed and pampered and manicured. Plus the added insults of grubs and skunks rooting around in the dirt. It’s ridiculously resource and labor intensive to maintain something that just sits there demanding more, more, more—without giving one thing back in return. I’m done. That’s it.