Yup, you read that correctly. I stopped using shampoo on my hair at the beginning of the summer and my hair has never been happier. Instead I use a baking soda and water rinse followed by an apple cider vinegar and water rinse and my hair comes out looking and feeling softer and cleaner that it has since I hit puberty. Once my hair has dried, this method leaves no sent on my hair even with the vinegar. I used to have a lot of trouble styling or even brushing through my hair when it was wet- ending up ripping out a lot of hair if I didn’t do it very, very carefully. Now, the brush goes through my wet hair easily and my hair has more volume because more strands stay attached to my head instead of in my hairbrush. Even more importantly, my scalp, which used to get dry, scaly and itchy once a month, is healthier than ever, too. Last but not least, this method is super cheap- baking soda and vinegar enough for about 3 months cost about $5-7, making it as cheap or cheaper than bargain shampoos and conditioners (which I don’t even need with this method).

This way of cleaning hair is comically named the “No-Poo Method”.

As a child of the 70′s I was surprised to learn that use of shampoo more often than a couple of times a year was really a very recent invention of the soap industry- big business trying to sell more product by convincing us that we were “doing it wrong” if we didn’t do it the way big business said way the right way. (Sounds so familiar.)

The thing that lead me to No-Poo was one of the things we have been trying to do as a family for 20 years- reduce the number of chemicals we expose ourselves to on a daily basis. I began reading and hearing about health concerns linked to the chemical sodium laurel sulfate and, wondered about alternatives. We as a family began using products that were sls free a few years ago because, despite the fact that the jury is still out about how dangerous sls is, if it is at all, we felt it was better safe than sorry. But, even if sls was proved to be completely harmless tomorrow, I still wouldn’t go back to shampoo. My hair and scalp feel way too good using the No-Poo Method.

So, my point is- if you have any concerns about sodium laurel sulfate or find that shampoos dry out your hair and scalp even when you use a conditioner, consider dumping the shampoo and using this more gentle and natural way of getting your hair clean.

More info here and here.

On the right half of this section of the fence there is a set of sliver-brown marks that are all that remains of the very great deal of ivy that once had grown up and over the side of the fence from one yard into the other. It is a strangely pretty reminder of the cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth that we humans can only control a teeny amount and only for a tiny fraction of time. One day, the fence will be gone and, chances are, the ivy- some ivy, maybe a great, great granddaughter of the selfsame plant who left the patterning I so admire, will remain.

It was sunny today with much of the snow finally melting away. However the fence shades the ground on this side during the afternoon and the same area of earth is leeward of a bit of hill that breaks the wind, so there is still snow in today’s picture.

When I walked out this morning the snow was melting so fast that there was fog rising up from the dirty drifts that were still remaining. Despite the settings and time of day being almost the same (9:50 a.m. today), the fog was thick enough to make this shot turn out fuzzier than yesterday’s.

 I will not whine about how I want to go vegan only to be lured back to the slightly dimmer side of vegetarianism by the siren call of fried eggs, various cheeses, and desserts with real whipped cream on top. I will just quietly repeat to myself that being vegan is too hard until even the meat eaters start trying to reassure me that I can do it if I really try.
 I will not text random info-bites to my Dear Daughter during school hours in order to see if she remembered to turn her phone off before she went to class. I will also not try to time it for when she has her least favorite teacher in order to maximize her punishment if she has indeed made that simple mistake that I make all the time. (Do as I say…)
 I will not lecture the kids just to hear them groan about how they already know why the sky is blue, the complete unabridged history of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and how genetics works. I will also refrain from goading the Little Neighbor Girl into arguing with me about the meanings of words used in anime cartoons that she watches just so I can tell her not to shout in the car.
 I will not teach the cats to say my Dear Hubby’s name so that he feels obligated to be the one who always feeds them and changes their litter and takes them to the vet when they are all borked up and full of woe.
 I will not make broccoli just to see my Dear Son writhe on the kitchen floor in anticipatory agony when he has sweetly asked for a well deserved cookie. Later, I will not eat cookies in from of him when I have punished him for throwing a tantrum by taking away both cookies and broccoli.
 I will not I will not buy my Bug-eyed Little Boston Terrier a hat and booties to go with his jacket and sweaters. He is not so cold that he doesn’t want to retain that last shred of his dignity.
 I will not teach my kids any more demeaning terms for people who have the very unfortunate habit of eating the carcasses of dead animals is if it were something that a rational human being would do on a regular basis. They already know enough of them and it would be a waste of precious time and resources.
 I will not assume that everyone who is irresponsible either fiscally, ecologically or socially must be a Republican. Democrats make mistakes sometimes, too (like trusting Republicans).
 I will not spend any more time ranting about Billy Caxton, who is really the worst thing ever to happen to the English language and directly responsible for my atrocious spelling grades in all years of school. I will also not utter the words “Great Vowel Shift” unless absolutely necessary.
 I will not write a tenth anti-resolution. (Daggnabit! I broke this one already.)

We went to Sunday Brunch a few days ago and my dad asked both Dear Hubby and I to help him out by letting him record us singing his newest song so he could play with the new super snazzy professional looking mic that he recently got. He was doing this 5 part harmony thing and he had already gotten one of my sisters, one of my brothers, and my sister’s husband to sing two parts each. Dear Hubby sung tenor and bass and I sung soprano and alto. It was a quick, fun new experience and I kind of hope that we get to do it again sometime soon.

I’ve come to realize that the times in my life when I have been the most artistic are the times in my life when I have been the most happy. And, those times in my life when I have let art and creativity fall away under the pressure of adult responsibilities have been the times when my come and go depression has come and stayed a while, sometimes a long while.

My parents are not really ones to lecture. During my childhood they tended to leave that to our teachers and the priest on Sundays. Instead, my parents taught by example much of the time. And so, I have to thank them for teaching me the value of the Arts by living them and encouraging my brothers and sisters and I to live them as well:

My parents are dancers- not Fred and Ginger mind you, but square dancers. They danced at least weekly for years and years. But it wasn’t for money or recognition. They just danced for fun, to socialize, for the exercise, and to have an excuse to go out together. They kept art in their lives just to have it in their lives. And, whenever one of us kids wanted to do something artistic- dance or sing or act or write, play an instrument or paint or build things, they were always encouraging, always finding the time and the money to allow us to try.

No one in my family makes a living at it, but we are all artists just the same. This, as it turns out is a wonderful gift.

So lately, I’ve been inspired by the creativity around and inside me to try and foster it in both my kids and in kids in general: I’m on the Reflections committee for both my children’s school and am probably a little too gong ho about it, but there I am anyway.

If you don’t know what Reflections is, I’ll sum up: Kids of all ages are given the same theme and they make art about that theme- dancing or drawing, music or painting, poetry or photos, fiction or film. Then the ones that best show the theme go from school to county, the best of them from county to state and then on to national judging. The winners on the national level get $800 in prize money and bragging right. There are only six winners so that’s not really the point. The real point of Reflections is to get the kids to explore art, to get the kids to try it.

And, the entries I think are the most important are the ones from kids who never thought of themselves as artists, the ones from kids who try something new and different or possibly previously out of reach for them. Will any of the kids from my two schools win that $800? Probably not, but every one of them will get a little share of the gift that my parents gave us kids- the understanding that art is its own reward and how important it is to hold onto that little spark of creativity no matter no matter how busy we get.

Appendix 1: Ways I have been an artist.
Drawing
Painting
Dancing
Collage
Photography
Singing
Songwriting
Cooking/Baking
Web Design
Floral Design
Hair Braiding
Haberdashery
Poetry
Fiction
Acting
Playing Piano
Sewing
Sculpting
Craft Work
Gymnastic
Etc.

Appendix 2: Performing or Creative Groups I have been a part of.
WWPHS Marching Band
Rutgers University Marching Band
WWPHS Winter Guard
Horizon Winter Guard
Hunterdon Hayshakers 4H Square Dancing Club
Nanowrimo
Script Frenzy
Maurice Hawk Elementary School Choir
WWPHS 7th & 8th Grade Choir
WWPHS Choral
St. David the King Roman Catholic Church Choir
Girl Scouts (yes all those crafts and sing-alongs count)
The Rich Family Players (we used to put on Christmas pageants in our living room)
The Kindergarten Circus at Maurice Hawk
Maurice Hawk Elementary School Plays
Dutch Neck Upper Elementary School Plays
Cross Creek Players

Appendix 3: Partial List of Art I have yet to explore, but plan to someday.
Knitting and Lacework
Painting with Oils
Murals
Batik
Furniture Making
Cobbling (but not leather work)
Calligraphy (Chinese and otherwise)
Tap Dancing
Movie Making
Radio Plays
Performance Art

Now, I’m not knocking the changes in our society that have allowed women to take on traditionally male professions or men to take on traditionally female responsibilities- there should be women who pursue medicine and law and automotive repair and there should be fathers who stay home to care for their children and go to the PTA meetings and make the family dinner all week- we need to share those things. But, business has taken advantage of social changes to supplant the common knowledge that used to be passed down from parents to children with convenience. Mothers and fathers stopped teaching their children how to make it themselves, how to repair it and, instead, taught them to buy it pre-made or throw the old one out and buy a new one because it is faster and sometimes- but not always- cheaper.

And, all right, it certainly saves time to use pre-made or to run to the store for a new one instead of spending time repairing the old one, but is it worth what we have lost? Is it a good thing that many in my generation have no clue how to bake anything that doesn’t come in a pre-mixed box or how to sew a button back on a blouse? Is it a good thing that many in my daughter’s generation may not know how to create school projects without the aid of a computer, may not have any clue how to find information in a physical dictionary or encyclopedia because they always work with computer programs with spell check and search capabilities? Is it a good thing that many in my son’s generation won’t be able to change their own oil or a flat tire? Certainly, these skills are recorded in how to books and/or are still practiced by hobbyist, but there seems to be something wrong with the idea that people can grow into men and women without knowledge that was once so basic to surviving just a few generations earlier.

So, what’s to be done about it? We can all try and learn a few of these types of things that we don’t already know and we can make an effort to give our children the opportunity to learn self reliance and basic skills that modern life doesn’t automatically teach them, but more than that, we should stop blindly following the model of consumerism set out by business for the benefit of business. That is to say, don’t buy a new one if you can fix the old, take the time to cook for yourself and your family once or twice a week- change your own oil with your daughter’s help, sew a ripped seam with the help of your son and take a little bit of what big business has taken from us back for your family and your community. The money saved and- more importantly- the experience and knowledge gained will more than make up for the extra time and inconvenience doing it yourself will cost.