Beware the bugs in Las Vegas

Istiqlál (Independence), 12 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Friday, April 20, 2012 about 6:15 PM Pacific Time

Spring has sprung and the bugs are trying to get into our houses. I think I’ll have to call in an extermination service this year. I’m not sure which one to contact though. I could spray for creepy crawlies myself, but I’m not looking forward to that. The last time I used a do-it-yourself bug spray, it worked; however, the nozzle leaked and I had to wear disposable gloves.

I also have to check outside for beehives. Earlier this week three men were stung when the cut a tree down that had bees in it. They cut the tree down and the bees swarmed stinging them. One man went to the hospital because of the incident. If I find any bees then I know I’m calling an exterminator because I’m not deal with bees.

As for the other bugs, I’m going to try the coffee ground in a glass jar solution. I have two empty glass jars in the refrigerator, I was going to carry them to the garage for recycling, but I think I’ll wash them out and try the coffee grounds solution. It can’t hurt and it may help keep the bugs and other small critters out of the house.

I am a friend To Earth

I am a friend to…

I am friend to Earth
I recycle everything
I can possibly recycle.

That poem could be about my Grandma Newland. Grandma was good at recycling. Grandma was an expert at recycling. She had a ragbag in which she put worn out cloths and used them as cleaning rags. Grandma threw stuff away that couldn't be used or she couldn't think of a way to reuse.

Grandma grew up on a farm. When she and Grandpa Newland were first married, they lived on a farm. Grandma learned to recycle items when she was growing up. I don't remember Grandma calling it recycling, she just called it reusing.

I recycle, but I don't think I'm as good at it as Grandma. I have a long way to go before I'll be as good at recycling as Grandma and Grandpa, but I'm working on the issue.

Good morning planet Earth

Kamál (Perfection), 1 Kalimát (Words), 166 BE – Monday, July 13, 2009 about 6:34 AM Pacific Time

Good morning planet Earth. It's a beautiful day here in Las Vegas. I'm on my third cup of coffee. I have a load of wet cloths in the washer waiting for me to hang them out. When I went out to get my newspaper, I found an aluminum soda can laying at the foot of my driveway. I picked it up and put it in the trunk of my car.

Normally, I sell the aluminum cans for gas money. It's one way for me to recycle in the present economy. Sometimes I give the aluminum cans to someone else to sell. I'll decide whether to sell them myself or give them away when I get a trunk full of cans. I still have plenty of room in my trunk.

I have one less item in my garage

Kamál (Perfection), 6 Rahmat (Mercy), 166 BE – Monday, June 29, 2009 about 1:57 PM Pacific Time

A young man came to pick up the old refrigerator, which was in my garage. I plugged it in last Friday after I came home from the dentist and its run ever since. The fridge was recycled and the parts are useable. The fridge run 24/7 and kept things cold, so it was a good candidate for recycling.

Anyway, I have one less item in my garage now. The only things left to remove are the dryer, the couch, and the soda machine. I'm want to see the dryer and the couch go next, once they're gone then I will have room in my garage for my car again. Of course, before I put the car in I'm going to have to sweep the floor and rearrange the trash cans.

Maybe I'll just have the garbage truck take the old aluminum trashcans. I have a new plastic trashcan that rolls, so I don't really need the old cans. I can get rid of them and just use the new trashcan.

Have Car Will Travel

Istijlál (Majesty), 11 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Thursday, January 29, 2009 about 3:40 PM Pacific Time

I have a car now and the tags, so I can go any place I want. Today I went to Walgreens to pick up a bottle of Mom's meds. It's nice to be able to call the prescription in and pick it up the same day. When I didn't have a working car, I had to plan the prescription pick up to coincide with other errands. I then got on the bus and spent the entire day going from one end of Las Vegas to the other. Never mind the 1/2 or 3/4 mile walk from the bus stop to my house.

Now I can go anywhere in Vegas, anytime I want as long as I have gas in the car. I noticed today that gas prices are going up again. It's interesting because as soon as my old car stopped running, gas prices began to go down. I have a working car and gas prices are going up again, an interesting coincidence.

I don't know if I'm going anywhere this weekend. Friday or Saturday, I may go to the recyclers and sell some cans. I collect aluminum cans and sell them for gas money. It doesn't bring in a lot of money, but it's enough for maybe a gallon or two of gas. Sometimes a couple of gallons is all that's necessary until the next paycheck or PayPal deposit.

Saturday Morning Trash Issues

Jalál (Glory), 18 Asma (Names), 165 B.E. – Saturday, September 6, 2008 about 6:55 AM Pacific Time

As anyone who has every read any of my blog entries about trash knows, I have issues concerning getting the trash to the curb before the garbage trucks come to empty the cans. I have difficulty lugging the trashcans out early Wednesday and Saturday mornings. I have less problems in summer then I do in winter.

Dawn arrives earlier in summer then in winter. It is easier getting trashcans to the curb before 7:00 AM when the sun is up. This morning I lugged one can to the curb, I have four beat-up aluminum trashcans and the goal is to get, at least, one to the curb on trash day. Next Saturday is recyclable day, so I will focus on getting the recyclables to the curb then the trashcans. We seem to have more recyclables then regular trash anyway.

Maybe it's a good thing to have more recyclables then regular trash, it means we are more aware of the environment. Having more recyclables means a greater awareness of your carbon footprint on the planet. I still have a long way to go when it comes to recycling, but I'm getting there slowly.

When I was growing up, there were no issues about separating your trash into recyclables and non-recyclables. Everything went into the same trashcan and on trash day, which occurred only one day a week, we took everything to either the alley or the curb.

I have to admit, that I enjoy the process of separating trash into recyclables and non-recyclables. Overcoming the desire to take the easy way by throwing everything into a plastic trash bag strengthens a person's will power. It isn't always easy to carry a recyclable item to the garage and put it in a recyclable bin. It's much easier to just put it in a plastic trash bag and take the bag to the garage a the end of the day.

Earth Day is Coming Soon

Istijlál (Majesty), 2 Jalal (Glory), 165 B.E. – Thursday, April 10, 2008 about 5:06 PM PDT

Earth Day is coming soon. There will be a lot of talk about planting trees and recycling among other related topics. The approach of Earth Day got me to thinking about my grandparents. We never thought much about recycling when I was growing up. However, my grandmother was good at recycling.

My grandmother recycled as much as she could. Instead of buying rags to clean the toilet, she used warn out underpants for that. My grandmother would not throw out the coffee grounds, instead she put them on her flowers. When grandpa cleaned out the chicken house, he used that for fertilizer. My grandmother's flowers were beautiful.

My grandfather planted trees, which were appropriate to the climate. He didn't plant a tree that took a lot of care to grow in Oklahoma. If he had lived in Nevada or some other desert he would have used desert landscaping. Of course, my grandparents were farmers before they moved into town. That may have had something to do with the care they took of the environment before it became fashionable.

My Grandmother Recycled

Istiqlal (Independence), 14 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Friday, February 1, 2008 about 12:43 PM PST

My Grandmother recycled
before it became fashionable,
she was raised on a farm
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centaury
so everything that was usable
had to be used and reused.

She made patchwork quilts
from leftover material and pieces of dresses,
she used worn out underwear for cleaning rags
and dust cloths.

Grandma recycled everything possible
glass jelly jars were used as juice glasses
in larger glass jars with lids
she would put bacon grease or chicken stock
and place them in the fridge for later use in
gravy and stew.

And now I follow in her footsteps,
but I do it my way
by selling aluminum cans for gas money
or to pay the Internet bill.

It Rained 5 Days into 2008

6 Sharaf (Honor) 164 B.E. - Saturday, January 5, 2008 about 11:00 AM PST

It rained this morning before dawn. I'm not what time it rained because when I got up at 4:30 AM my driveway was wet and there were puddles of water in front of the garage. It feels extra chilly this morning, but I think that is due to the rain.

I'm glad I wasn't in it because autumn and winter rain seems colder then spring or summer rain. The sky is covered with variegated gray clouds. It doesn't look like the sky is going to clear today. I didn't watch the news or the weather this morning on T.V. I changed radio stations on the alarm clock, so that it wakes me up to music instead of a male voice. I haven't figured out when the news and weather comes on this radio station.

I'll check my e-mail after while to see what the weather report says. I got started a bit later today than usual on writing and housework. Instead of going right to work this morning, I sit on the couch and said prayers. I doze and didn't get the trash out to the curb for the trucks today. I think I'm going to take it out Tuesday and Friday night instead of Wednesday and Saturday morning. This winter I can't get motivated to take the trashcans to the curb of a morning.

I worry more about animals getting into the trash left at the curb overnight, if we had that type of problem in this neighborhood. It's not animals getting into the trash that's the problem here, but people looking for stuff to recycle. I don't mind people going through my trash as long as they don't scatter it all over the street. The only thing in my trash that they could sell is plastic bottles. If I have aluminium cans I keep them, sell them myself and use the money for gas.

A World Citizen and the Environment

19 Mashiyyat 164 B.E. - Monday, October 15, 2007 about 4:35 PM PDT

I consider myself a world citizen and as a citizen of Earth, I have a duty toward the planet of my birth. As a world citizen I ask myself "What can I do to help the environment?" The answer isn't an easy one especially since my financial resources are limited and there for limit my options in making my home environmentally friendly. There are some things that I can do immediately such as recycling. I'm not just talking about taking the recyclable containers out to the curb every other Saturday for the trash trucks to pick up. There are other things I can do to help the environment.

1. I can carry a trash bag in my car and put any trash I have in it, instead of throwing it into the street. This helps the environment by preventing the storm drains from becoming clogged and causing the street to flood when it rains.
2. I can pick up any aluminum cans I see on the street and put them in my trunk. This helps in two ways (1) by getting the trash off the street and (2) I can put the aluminum can with others and sell it for gas money or money to donate to charity.
3. I can join groups like FreeCycle and offer stuff I don't use, but is still good to others who can use it.
4. Instead of throwing worn cloths away immediately, I can use them as cleaning rags. This not only saves me money, but it gives more then one use to the item of clothing. I remember my grandmother taking worn out underwear, washing it and then using it to clean the toilet stool and shower before throwing it out (after she let it dry of course).
5. I can either ask for paper when I go to the grocery store or I can recycle the plastic grocery bags by giving them to churches and charities that collect and give food to seniors on fixed incomes or the homeless.
6. I can clean out my cupboards and donate any dishes that I don't use, but are still in good condition to charities that fix hot meals to the homeless.
7. I can make my landscape fit the ecosystem I live in. Las Vegas is a desert so I can use desert landscaping in my yard.
8. I can make sure that the technological equipment I buy is environmentally friendly because it uses less electricity.
9. I can dispose of any technological equipment that no longer works by taking it someplace that recycles or disposes of the parts safely. At this point the only piece of technological equipment I have that doesn't work is my mouse. My computer mouse finally died and now I have to find a way of disposing of it in a way that's safe for the environment.