No 'poo before No 'poo Was Cool!

Going bald at a young age gave me some advantages- 1- I can and do cut my own hair which simply involves a hair clipper and extremely short cut and saves me at least $10 a pop per haircut(the going rate last time I visited a barber- You get no discounts for having less hair!) . And you know, I have been all about "No Poo" since my hair fell out. Never made sense to spend alot of money on shampoo, conditioner since I didn't have hair- so I started using the same soap I would shower with. Recently it dawned on me... "I was no poo before no poo was cool!" Never thought going bald would give me an eco-advantage! But I listen to everyone talk about the shampoo issue... "Have you tried baking soda for shampoo?... What about my hair... Does Vinegar as a rinse make you smell like a salad bar... What's in my shampoo???...WHat the hell are Parabins??? AAAGH"... Blah Blah Blah.

Well anyone who reads this blog should know I am a believer in Dr. Bronner's Magic Pure Castile Classic Soaps. You can use this stuff for everything. I use it to wash my body, my hair, my dishes, my dog. Recently I made the transition from the liquid soap to the Bar version. It doesn't last as long but I didn't have to worry about that pesky plastic bottle either. Recently I have discovered locally made bar soaps that are hand made and good for the skin. The skin, you know, is the largest sex organ on your body. You should treat it nice! Anyway I digress! The two products are Ballard Organics, made in the Ballard area of Seattle, and Lilie De Vallee, made in Samamish, Wa. I get the Ballard Organics at the Eat Local store here in Burien, and found Lilie De Valle at the Burien Farmers' Market. The list of ingredients in Lilie De Vallee are simple: Oils of olive, Coconut, Vegetable Palm and Castor, Grapefruit Seed, Extract, Jojoba, Shea Butter, Herbal Ingredients, Distilled Water. And the ingredients in Ballard Organics is similar: Saponified Organic Palm, Coconut, Olive and Castor Oils, Organic Cocoa Butter, Essential Oils, non-GMO Tocopherol (Vitamin -E). I have not tried any as shaving soap yet, but those ingredients sound better than the Colonel Conk's shaving soap I use now for shaving, and at least they are wrapped in paper.

Don't read me wrong- I am not giving up on Dr. Bronner. I am just giving Ballard and Samamish a shot.

Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin Laid an egg...

Well call me crazy- but I put Christmas lights on the house today. Yup Christmas Lights. Those evil little users of electricity. But these are not just any lights. These are LED lights, So they will not be using a great deal of electricity. And i only put up one string, which was more than enough! And I put them on a neat little timer/photo switch- they will only turn on when it gets dark and stay on for the alloted time, then turn themselves off. I felt good about the lights as I didn't put any up for two years, and no tree last year (remember I had contractors putting up an addition on the house). I really do love lights, more than most anything at christmas time. It feels like my Christmas card to the world. Now I have to decide if I put Santa on the roof. Yes Beth, my Fake Plastic Santa with a cfl shoved up his butt so he is lit.
Santa is lit. Reminds me of Uncle Torvald.

"He would take a drink in the morning,
his Nerves to improve,
By noon he was so unwound
He could hardly move"

That's other thing I love about christmas- Stan Boreson songs like "I yust go nuts at Christmas" and "All I want for Christmas"

Ah Stan Boreson- now there is a Seattle Childhood memory for ya, dontcha know!

And a little video of Vinter Underver

And speaking of Stan Boreson here is a fave Clip from "Almost Live"

More info on Ballard
And just when you thought I was done goofing on Ballard, Almost Live! has this gem: