Dryer Balls, yes this post is about DRYER BALLS

I'm so going to make these:



When I worked at the American Lung Association, one of our brainwashing techniques we used at health fairs revolved around this package of 2 blue spiky balls. Dryer balls. People loved the dryer balls. We repeated over and over again our story of why dryer balls were on our display table.

See, dryer balls are an alternative to fabric softener sheets, which are Evil. I'm sorry to tell you this, because I know you're going to be as heartbroken as I was when I found out, but even the unscented ones are Evil. They are filled with chemicals such as phthalates, which are known endocrine disruptors. That means that they mess with a kid's development. With anything hormonal, actually. Big time. Phthalates are also a really stubborn chemical that can be found in breast milk of women who haven't ever even used a fabric softener sheet. In summary: yuck.

The way that dryer sheets work is that they are covered in plastics, which are activated in the heat (your dryer) and melted, then spread all over your nice warm clothes. The plastic smells great, thanks to more chemicals, and the plastic layer on your clothes makes your clothes resist static. Hooray. Problem is, you have this great chemical against your skin all day, and you also are breathing it in all day. This could give you allergy symptoms that you can never quite nail down (why am I always stuffy in the morning after I get dressed) but they it could be deadly to you if you have any kind of respiratory disease, like asthma. No, they also don't tell you about how that so-called natural smell of happy flowers (yeah, natural, right) actually contains the same chemicals found in paint strippers, antifreeze, and gasoline.

You can tell that this is one of the things I really embraced when I worked at the Lung Association, and it's stuck with me. I probably could have made millions selling those dryer balls. I was a dryer ball poster child.

Then, one of my coworkers got a phone call from a seriously concerned individual, who wanted to know if the platics used in these dryer balls actually contained phthalates too, or worse yet- lead. We thought she was a bit odd, of course, since obviously the lesser of two evils would be the dryer ball. At least it's sustainable, where dryer sheets are not, right? But coworker, in her awesomeness, wouldn't let it go, and started to try to contact the dryer ball people.

Needless to say, they were not upfront about the contents of their wonderful dryer balls.

And so we decided to stop recommending dryer balls.

I discovered that a little white vinegar in the wash/rinse cycle, or even sprayed into the dryer, does help some with static. But folks are reluctant to smell like vinegar. (Phthalates vs. vinegar, the phthalates always win in the smelling test.) So we tossed away those evil dryer balls from our display, and continued on in our static filled existances.

Until today, when I found this link. Make Your Own Wool Dryer Balls | How to Make and Do.

I'm so going to make these phthalate free all natural wool dryer balls. For everyone I know. Let me know if you need some. I want to keep your lungs and horomones healthy.

gifts

I'm behind in posting about my 29 Day Gift Challenge but I have been keeping a notebook offline, so I have a record of my challenge. But what I hadn't realized is that I reached Day 29!

I'm going to keep going. Yup.

My gift for Day 29, which was last Wednesday, was a bit insane, for sure. For work, one of my duties right now is getting holiday gifts out to our clients. These are folks who are isolated, may not be getting anything from anyone, and many times don't even see anyone on a regular basis. My job is to try to find and match them up with volunteers to provide company and support, help with staying in their own homes full of memories, and staying safe in their own homes. But I have many, many seniors on my waiting list, waiting for a volunteer. So, I decided on Wednesday that I'd visit a few of them and bring them some presents that were donated to our program.

The first part of my insanity was that it was supposed to snow, but it was nice out and I didn't believe it. So I headed on the bus to Burien. Of course, as I'm getting to my first destination, it starts to snow, a wet, cold, gross snow. It's still slushy and icy from snow a few days ago, so I slipped and waddled up a hill to the first woman's house. She didn't want to come to door, and I heard her bumping around and peeking at me through her blinds. Finally she opened the door to me, and I introduced myself. She didn't know who I was at first, even though we've talked on the phone a few times, even a few days ago. She relaxed enough to take the gift though... but she was obviously nervous to invite me in. So I shuffled back to the bus stop for stop number 2.

Snow, snow, snow. I waited for the bus for a long time, and was rewarded by its crazy painful warmth inside when finally it came. My feet were getting damp. I was thinking that this really was a dumb idea. Snow was starting to stick and it was getting dark. But I made it to my 2nd stop. Nobody was home. Argh!

I left her gift on her front door with a note and left to get to my 3rd stop, where I was supposed to have been an hour earlier.

Well, this time I was really dumb, and got on the bus going the wrong direction. When I realized my mistake, I got off of the bus, went across the street, and waited. And waited. And waited. No bus.

I was getting pretty freaked out and cold by now, and it was really starting to be very dark. Cars were sliding around and it was a mess. I called Scott, and he got online to find out the bus situation, but obviously there was no schedule to the busses any more. So I decided that it really was time to give up for the night and head home. I walked across the street again, where busses were headed in the general direction of Seattle. And I waited.

And waited. And waited.

I got really, dangerously cold. I know it was dumb to stand there, but there was nowhere to go even to get inside and warm up. Not even a 7-11! Cars went by, but now busses. My feet started to get really cold. My hands started to get numb. I danced around trying to keep warm, but it was no use. I felt really stupid being so cold and unprepared, even though I WAS wearing wool socks and had a scarf and a hat and even one glove. (Where was the other glove? I still don't know.)

Well, obviously I lived. But only because a wonderful thing happened. A bus pulled up. But it was an offduty bus, and as it let it's last few passengers out, I thought I'd cry if it drove away. I asked the bus driver, are you going downtown?? Well... he said. Well... I guess I can get you to 2nd and Washington.

Dudes. 2nd and Washington is a BLOCK away from where I live. I'd died and gone to heaven. I couldn't say thank you enough, I think I might have embarrassed my favorite bus driver of all time. Yes, Mr. Bus Driver in the black and white ear flap hat, you are my hero. I love love love you. Note, I am married happily, so my love is a platonic, non-creepy, non stalky love. I just love you as a bus driver, so no need to get scared.

My hands finally got some feeling back in them as we drove past Qwest Field, and after getting home I put on every piece of clothing I owned (well, not really), turned the heat up the 80 degrees (really) and soaked as much heat as I could from my poor cat (really, but he volunteered!) and I finally defrosted.

I am so so so thankful to have a warm place to go. I can't imagine being outside in this kind of cold. I feel good to know that we always support the food banks and shelters whenever we have any money to give, and I feel bad that we can't do more.

So really, on my 29th day, I received a gift. Mr. Bus Driver not only got me home, but he reminded me how the little things can make such a huge difference to the people around us. Letting me tag along on his ride back to base wasn't a big deal to HIM, maybe, but it sure was to me. Not only do I love love love HIM, but I'll be defending, to the DEATH, all Metro drivers, who already held the positions of Saints to me, but are now superheros as well.

Mostly I do what I do because it's just what I do. I don't think about whether people are appreciative or if I change their lives or anything. Maybe I do make a difference. I hope so. But I know that there's the possibility that I'll never know for sure. That's OK, I think. I don't need to know about every gift I give, and how meaningful it is to people. I don't need to know if I'm ever superbusdriver to someone. I hope I can be, of course, but letting it go and doing it for what it is, not for rewards or thank yous or anything, is really what it's all about.

Shots fired at 2nd and James

Shots fired at 2nd and James

On December 18th at about 3:10 A.M., officers were dispatched to the area of James Street and 2nd Avenue to investigate a report of shots fired. The investigation at the scene revealed that no one was apparently injured during the incident. At least nine, and possibly as many as twenty shots, had been fired. Four businesses on the block had their windows and facades damaged by bullet strikes. The investigating officers recovered spent casings of two different calibers, as well as bullet fragments at the scene. No weapons were recovered.

The complainants, a man and woman in their 20s, reported that they were standing near the intersection of 2nd and James when a black vehicle, possibly a VW Passat, drove by and an unidentified suspect fired rounds out of the vehicle’s window. Officers responding to the area were not able to locate the vehicle. The complainants provided very limited information about themselves, and were not forthcoming about any possible motivation behind the incident.

Gang Unit detectives responded to the scene and interviewed the complainants .

From SPDBlotter.Seattle.Gov � Shots fired at 2nd and James

We heard this from our apartment. It sounded like thunder! I thought we were having a thunder and lightning snowstorm. Nope, that really was snowthunder that we heard. WOW.

I'm glad that nobody got hurt.

The Toy Society

I am now obsessed with The Toy Society