A true summer sunrise from the High Point of West Seattle

These photos were take from my home office between 5 AM and 5:30 AM on Saturday morning. ~Wendy

outandabout : VW Phone

You know you want to

DIAL THE NUMBER on the front of the car!!!

This is a VW Bug awaiting engine repairs at the local VW specialist - seen today at Hans VW Repair at 35th Ave SW and SW Graham Street

My guess is that it is used in parades or ???

If you own this car, please tell us more about it!

The real dirt on mineral sunscreens

I was happy to jump on the healthy living bandwagon long before it became trendy. The more popular the green lifestyle becomes, the more products that become available for every part of my life. I think it is truly amazing to walk into almost any store these days and find organic or alternative items on store shelves.

Now about sunscreen. There are chemical sunscreens and there are mineral sunscreens. Mineral sunscreens are said to be better for your skin because your epidermis is not absorbing chemicals in the cream to block UVA and UVB rays (read more about the dangers of chemical sunscreens and the possibility that they may cause cancer rather than prevent it, here). Instead a mineral such as titanium dioxide is in the cream and physically blocks the UVA and UVB rays from getting to your skin. And when reading a few things while writing this post, I also read that the jury is out on titanium dioxide and its long term safety on our skin, too. Great.

Last year I grabbed two bottles of Alba Botanica's SUN mineral sunscreens, one for face and one for everywhere else. I liked that it was even scented - yummy aloe vanilla. I don't consider myself too fixed on appearances, but I admit, I had trouble walking around with a white sheen all over. I am in and out of my car most days, touring property for sale or rent for my work, and being of Swedish descent from way back, I have already been sunburned this season. So I am back to trying to find a healthful solution for my skin that doesn't make me look like a pasty freak (my skin naturally has two colors - white and red. Putting on a layer of titanium dioxide was just scary looking). Most products claim to not leave a white residue - I only tried one and it did - maybe I just need to try more.

body&soul magazine just put out a review of different healthful sunscreens. Of course, I know from personal experience that I may have to look at some alternatives to physical sunscreens. But I am trying to avoid chemical ones, too. If I ever find something I like and can live with, I will let you know! I may just have to try the Sport SPF 45 Unscented by Coola mentioned in the review - altho I prefer something that smells yummy! If you have a suggestion for one that you love, post a comment!


Read more about it : Chemical vs. Physical Sunscreens

From The World of Skin Care

Chemical vs. Physical Sunscreens
Chemical Sunscreens are synthetic chemical substances with the following properties:
~ they are powerful absorbers of UV radiation
~ when they absorb radiation they remain relatively effective

These sun filters are formulated with other compounds in order to obtain highly effective products with protection factors varying from 4 to 30. Importantly, they often have to be reapplied quite frequently. For many people, however, the advantages of chemical sunscreens outweigh the disadvantages. With all products it is advisable to read the label, to check that the product blocks both UVB and UVA radiation.

Physical sunscreens contain inert mineral particles that reflect UV rays like a mirror. The most common type used is ultrafine titanium dioxide (TiO²), made up of minute particles only 20-30 mm³ in size.

These products have advantages over chemical sunscreens in that they are inert substances that do not break down over time. They are far less liable to cause skin irritation, since they are in the form of insoluble particles that are not absorbed through the skin. Because of the small size of the particles, modern physical sunscreens reflect radiation in the UVB and short UVA regions better than earlier products did. Also, whereas their predecessors left a slight residue on the skin that looked like a trace of make-up base, which some people found unattractive, today's products have better transparency and avoid this problem.

There are formulations for use on the face and lips, and special preparations that can be used by small children. All should be reapplied after sweating or swimming, even if the product claims to be waterproof and rub-proof, or to offer 'all-day protection'. Ideally, whichever sunscreen you choose, make sure that it blocks both UVB and UVA and has a sun protection factor (SPF) rating of at least 15.

Slip, slap, slop
In Australia the Government and
doctors led a public information program to reduce the effects of sun damage.
They used the slogan 'Slip, slap, slop':

Slip on a tee-shirt, slap on a hat and slop on some sun cream.

Are you playing with a full deck?

I never dreamed I would live in a townhouse, or a condo. I think the key to making a happy transition to this kind of lifestyle is in surrounding yourself with the things that you love (lots of green plants) and reveling in no longer being around the things you hate (dandelions, slugs). Gardening in pots takes a big investment up front, but it well taken care of, large pots can last for decades.

If gardening is important to you and you are contemplating moving to a condominium or townhome, be sure to take into consideration your usable outdoor space. The deck to the "double-wide" townhome we bought is almost 200 square feet - the largest deck outside of a penthouse I have seen for a condo that's not custom built, added on to, or on the ground floor. By having an elevated deck, my cats can go outside safely and enjoy the sun and chasing bugs around. It limits gardening space, but with careful planning and proper prioritizing of the plants, you will know what you have to take with you (ferns, hostas, huckleberry, herbs) and what you can leave behind (roses, hydrangeas)

Your prized plants are worth the cost of a quality pot to put them in. You can expect large pots to run in the $150-200 range, medium pots $90, smaller pots $50. You can save money by shopping at Half Price Pots, but I found most of the pot colors at Half Price Pots too garish for my taste. Herban Patio/Pottery had a nice "mocha" terra cotta that is the base theme color of my pot garden, with a few colored pots put in for interest. Unfortunately Herban Pottery closed a couple of months ago - their web site is even gone (I expected to find a farewell message). I loved that store. Luckily my deck is full of pots and I don't need anymore! (I would love to have more, but frankly, I am out of space.)

Be sure that you understand PSI and load when placing your pot garden on a deck. Decks are rated for a "pounds per square inch" weight. The pots were heavy empty, and they weigh a ton more with dirt in them. In fact, I might not ever be able to move because the pots are so heavy. Maybe I would need to hire a crane to lift them over the deck rail or something. Since I am going to stay here for a few years (10 is the plan), I guess I can relax about that thought for now.

Much as I would love to put all my pots in a nice arrangement on one end and have room for a table or something on the other, the deck just can't take the load. So the pots are evenly spaced around the perimeter of the deck. Also, be cautious of properly maintaining and caring for your deck surface. Elevate your pots on feet or on plastic X stands to allow for air flow under the pot and reduce water accumulation and damage to the deck surface. If the condo is like mine, you don't really own your deck, it is a "Limited Common Element" (LCE) so you have a responsibility to properly maintain it. And be careful what you put out there since the HOA has some say in what happens with LCEs. This is not a time to be lazy - you will be sorry if you don't take steps to take care of your deck surface.

Below are photos of a few of the plants and pots on my deck. You can read about how I expanded my pot garden space by utilizing the front porch. I share an entry porch with a neighbor, so I was careful to not obstruct the stairs, much as I wanted to march a line of pots down the them and along the walkway to the sidewalk!


This is the 2nd story deck as seen from the 3rd floor. The 3 pots of Black jewel bamboo at the bottom of the photo are outside of the living room window and provide a nice privacy screen indoors, in addition to adding ambiance.

My largest hosta plant is in one of my favorite most dramatic "mocha" terra cotta pot. To the right is a large native sword fern in a pot that looks like a tea cup on a saucer.


On the far right is a nice mix of native plants - red huckleberry from a 2003 salvage site that survived transplanting to my house and then to my deck, along with Oregon grape and salal. The big low round pot to the left is edibles and has space for more lettuces. It has two kinds of sorrels now and a Japanese shiso plant.

The hostas are starting to get their flower buds.


This variegated hosta is planted with Maidenhair fern, a herbaceous native fern that dies back and disappears during the winter. I did a happy dance when it came back this spring, surviving its first winter in a pot.

This low rectangular pot with two host plants in it came back with more vigor and plant than it had when growing in the ground at my old house.


I finally found a lounger that folds up - so it can be stored in the garage during the off-season. The back is adjustable for reading - or napping, an important summer-time activity.


The window bird house does not yet have any occupants. It may take a couple of years for it to be discovered. We did have a visit from a gold finch over the weekend - the first we have seen here.


The view of the bird house and some of the pots on the deck from the living room.

Holy hostas!

Ok, I am a couple weeks behind on posting these - because now all of the hostas are fully up and some even have flower buds starting. But these are good photos Steve took and I wanted to share them. I will post NEW pictures of the hostas next.

I began collecting hostas and planting them at the base of the old cherry tree in the backyard at the old house (starting in 2001). I couldn't leave them behind and they were moved into containers and to the deck of our new townhome in High Point (still in West Seattle) in August. They have not only survived the winter, but have thrived and are actually fuller than they were last year.

I am a proud plant mama!