Bedbugs Bite
With all my articles on household cleanliness, you all are going to think I am a cleanliness freak, but I am not. I DO think there are things we take for granted that we should not. I never thought twice about bedbugs until we stayed once in a reputable hotel and ended up with bites. I am particularly sensitive to all insect bites, and ended up with huge swellings. Fortunately, we were able to get rid of them easily, but we had to sterilize all our bedding and get rid of our mattress – we brought the bugs home with us from Florida. 😦
Now, both AdventureMan and I check the sheets everywhere we stay, and we often feel creepy-crawlies even when none are there! We will never feel entirely safe again.
You can read the entire article on the world-wide bedbug resurgence at BBC Health News You can read more about bedbugs on Wikipedia: Bedbugs
Bedbugs were almost entirely eliminated, and then when the use of DDT was forbidden – for good reasons, by the way. They are now world-wide such a big problem that a conference was recently held in Seattle on how to deal with the bedbug problem.
There has been a massive increase in the number of bed bug infestations, according to a survey.
Statistics from councils in London and the Midlands show the rate increased three-fold in the last decade.
The figures were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Bed Bugs Limited, which says the insects “breed at a phenomenal rate”.
Bed bugs are insects that commonly hide in mattresses and carpets and in the crevices of furniture.
They are a reddish-brown colour, oval-shaped insect that can grow to a quarter of an inch long.
They cannot fly and survive by sucking blood from a host animal, mainly at night.
There are distinct hotspots in highly populated areas, with lots of multi-occupancy housing where the bugs can easily spread from one household to another.
Bed bugs spread on clothes, bags and in furniture when it is moved.
They do not choose a dirty home over a clean one – all they are interested in is your blood.
BED BUG SIGNS
Bed bugs are not known to carry diseases, but many people develop an itchy swelling when bitten
Check bed and furniture for black dots, which are bed bug faeces
Check sheets for blood, as feeding bugs can be rolled on and squashed
Microbiologist for Bed Bugs Limited, David Cain, said: “If exposed, anyone can bring them home and quickly have a problem, as they breed at a phenomenal rate.”
It is thought that one of the reasons for the rise is increased travelling.
There are corridors of infestations that radiate out from airports like Heathrow and Gatwick, which support the theory that bedbugs have been brought back to this country from countries where they have never been eradicated.
Experts say they are also spread on public transport and short of decontaminating passengers every time they get on a bus, train or plane it would be impossible to stop them spreading.
The advice from Mr Cain is “don’t sit down”. But the epidemic is not just a British problem.
The World Health Organisation says there are infestations in many cities throughout Europe and North America, where bed bugs have been stopped in the past through the use of strong pesticides like DDT, many of which are now longer used.
Bed bugs are not known to carry diseases, but many people develop an itchy swelling when bitten.
Microbiologist for Bed Bugs Limited, David Cain, said: “If exposed, anyone can bring them home and quickly have a problem, as they breed at a phenomenal rate.”
It is thought that one of the reasons for the rise is increased travelling.
There are corridors of infestations that radiate out from airports like Heathrow and Gatwick, which support the theory that bedbugs have been brought back to this country from countries where they have never been eradicated.
Experts say they are also spread on public transport and short of decontaminating passengers every time they get on a bus, train or plane it would be impossible to stop them spreading.
The advice from Mr Cain is “don’t sit down”. But the epidemic is not just a British problem.
The World Health Organisation says there are infestations in many cities throughout Europe and North America, where bed bugs have been stopped in the past through the use of strong pesticides like DDT, many of which are now longer used.
Showering May Be Bad for your Health
LLOOLL, whoda thunk it? A new article published in Proceedings tells us to watch out for dirty shower heads; they can deliver a cartload of bacteria. You can read the entire article on BBC Health News
Showering may be bad for your health, say US scientists, who have shown that dirty shower heads can deliver a face full of harmful bacteria.
Tests revealed nearly a third of devices harbour significant levels of a bug that causes lung disease.
Levels of Mycobacterium avium were 100 times higher than those found in typical household water supplies.
M. avium forms a biofilm that clings to the inside of the shower head, reports the National Academy of Science.
If you are getting a face full of water when you first turn your shower on, that means you are probably getting a particularly high load of Mycobacterium avium, which may not be too healthy
Researcher Professor Norman Pace
In the Proceedings journal, the study authors say their findings might explain why there have been more cases of these lung infections in recent years, linked with people tending to take more showers and fewer baths.
Water spurting from shower heads can distribute bacteria-filled droplets that suspend themselves in the air and can easily be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs, say the scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Potential threat
Lead researcher Professor Norman Pace, said: “If you are getting a face full of water when you first turn your shower on, that means you are probably getting a particularly high load of Mycobacterium avium, which may not be too healthy.”
While it is rarely a problem for most healthy people, those with weakened immune systems, like the elderly, pregnant women or those who are fighting off other diseases, can be susceptible to infection.
They may develop lung infection with M. avium and experience symptoms including tiredness, a persistent, dry cough, shortness of breath and weakness, and generally feel unwell.
When the researchers swabbed and tested 50 shower heads from nine cities in seven different states in the US, including New York City and Denver, they found 30% of the devices posed a potential risk.
Since plastic shower heads appear to “load up” with more bacteria-rich biofilms, metal shower heads may be a good alternative, said Professor Pace.
Family Worship
One of the great blessings of visiting our son and his wife is just spending time together doing the normal things that families do when Mom and Dad don’t live many time zones away in a far and distant land earning a living. This last weekend, we were able to attend church together, which was one of the highlights of my visit with them.
We found a lovely church, Christ Episcopal, in downtown Pensacola. It has organ music, and as my husband says “they sing REAL hymns!” We smiled to see so many families there, from the youngest babies to older folk – the church welcomes us all.
And then AdventureMan spotted the Lutheran Church next door and said “Oh! They have a church souk!”
It was a truly glorious day.
Leaving Seattle
It’s hard to leave. The last few days have been filled with pre-departure must-dos – spending time doing some things with Mom, seeing old friends I won’t see again for a while, packing (aargh) and preparing for the next leg of the journey.
I have an early flight, early enough that I zip right through Seattle, and there is no one to check my car in at the drop off place and I have to trundle over to their rental location to turn in my mileage, etc. Aargh again.
From there on, however, everything is smooth. It is a beautiful day, and leaving Seattle is a gorgeous departure:
I arrive just in time to capture the sunset over the Bayou in Pensacola 🙂
Cleanliness and the American House
This article caught my eye because I used to watch my maid clean my bathroom in Kuwait – she used the personal hygiene spray and sprayed everything down. I don’t think she did much scrubbing! You can find this article at http://www.aolhealth.com/healthy-living/good-hygiene: AOL Health
By Sara Abadi
We asked more than 20 questions regarding the cleanliness of your home and your body — and more than 20,000 of you delivered the dirty details. Armed with your responses, we went to the germ experts, including Philip Tierno Jr., M.D., Director of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at New York University Langone Medical Center and author of “The Secret Life of Germs.” Read on as the experts review our daily habits to see if we’re falling within healthy guidelines.
Keeping House
Washing Your Sheets Sixty percent of you aren’t changing them weekly, which is how often Dr. Tierno recommends — and that’s as long as you have a protective cover to guard against dust mites and debris that build up in your mattress. “You could do it more, but that can be excessive and a waste of water,” he says. To the 16 percent who wash their sheets monthly and 10 percent even less than once a month — you might want to consider changing your bedding more frequently.
Doing the Dishes “You can wait a day, but not more than a couple of days,” says Dr. Tierno. Almost half of you don’t even bother waiting a day — 49 percent you’re your dishes immediately, and 37 percent wait just a day. Ten percent wait two to three days, which is Dr. Tierno’s maximum delay time. The four percent who wait at least a week might want to wash the dishes more frequently, or at the very least leave the dishes soaking in soapy water to avoid growth — even if it’s a huge pain.
Washing Fresh Produce Only seven percent of you always wash your produce. Fifty-seven percent never do and 36 percent remember to wash sometimes. At a minimum, you should soak your fruits and veggies in water and a small amount of citric acid to loosen up the grime, advises Dr. Tierno. “E. coli 0157 and salmonella have been found on fruits as well as veggies. So it is more than just washing pesticide residue off.”
Cleaning Out Your Refrigerator Food and drink spills should be cleaned up right away to limit exposure to E. coli or Salmonella. But assuming there are no major spills, Dr. Tierno says you can get away with cleaning your fridge every couple of weeks. This is good news for the 22 percent who do just that and the 15 percent who clean their fridges weekly. The once-a-monthers (21 percent) can probably get away with their current cleaning schedule. But, those who go every three months (19 percent) or once a year (21 percent) may want to clean more frequently. And the two percent who never tackle the fridge may want to start!
Scrubbing the Tub/Shower Even though water and soap are key parts of bathing, your tub or shower should be given its own bath once a week. The reason, Dr. Tierno explains, is that biofilm, a substance that builds up on the inside of the tub, gets left behind. “Biofilms only go away with mechanical action like scrubbing with a sponge and soap.” And if you think you’re getting away with spray-on cleaners like Tilex or Scrubbing Bubbles, Dr. Tierno says it’s not enough — a little elbow grease is needed. For those who shower, take note: Mold tends to grow on shower curtains — even the mold-resistant ones. The good news is that 45 percent of respondents scrub the tub on a weekly basis, and some go above and beyond, cleaning daily (six percent) while others get to the job once a month (28 percent) or every few months (12 percent). For some of you, this chore can be daunting and you only get around to cleaning the tub every few months (12 percent) or don’t get to it at all (two percent).
Cleaning the Toilet Add this to your weekly cleaning list. About half of you (51 percent) opt for an every-seven-days cleaning, and 15 percent go at it a few times a week. Twenty-two percent clean every couple of weeks and eight percent get to the task once a month. Very few of you wait every few months (four percent) or don’t clean at all (one percent). Dr. Tierno warns that moisture allows bacteria to grow, so rooms like the bathroom should be disinfected regularly.
Dusting “Surface disinfection is really important,” says Dr. Tierno. He recommends making it a weekly habit, or more often if you have allergies, as letting dust accumulate can aggravate allergies. But keep in mind, there’s more to dust than just your bookshelves and TV stand. The living room is not the most unsanitary room in the house, that honor is reserved for the kitchen. Twenty-nine percent of you are in good shape with your weekly dusting, although the highest percentage of you (33 percent) opt to do it every couple of weeks. Some dust monthly (14 percent), while others get around to it every few months (15 percent). Five percent diligently dust a few times a week, and four percent never do.
Tossing Out Old Pillows “In five years, 10 percent of the weight of the pillow is dust mite and dust mite debris,” says Dr. Tierno. To fight the mites, he recommends a protective cover for your pillow in addition to using a pillowcase. The National Library of Medicine recommends purchasing allergen-impermeable pillow covers, or replacing your old pillows with synthetic, washable pillows and wash them in hot water weekly. So let’s hope the 15 percent of survey respondents who said they never throw away their pillows are making every effort to keep the mites away.
Cleaning Your Towels “The best thing to do with a towel is to let it air dry,” Dr. Tierno says, “because folding keeps in moisture.” As long as you air dry your towels, Dr. Tierno says they can be used two to three times, four max. So instead of dumping your towels in the washing machine based on the amount of time that’s passed, Dr. Tierno suggests tracking the number of uses. However, the two percent who admitted to changing their towels monthly or even less than once a month (one percent) should probably throw in an extra load.
Time to Toss it?
Cleaning the Trash Can Only 10 percent of us fall in line with the weekly trash-can cleaning Dr. Tierno recommends. The remaining 90 percent of us vary in our diligence in keeping a clean bin — seven percent clean their trash cans every other week, 34 percent do it once every few months, 18 percent do it monthly, 16 percent clean once a year and 15 percent never do. “If trash cans are soiled, they should be cleaned immediately. If not, once a week will work fine.” His can-cleaning prescription? Rinse with soap and water or a sanitizing agent, like bleach. Not doing so on a weekly basis raises the risk of “dealing with dead animals and even plants that can carry harmful diseases, like E. coli, andsalmonella,” says Dr. Tierno.
Taking out the Trash When it comes to garbage, there is no set timeline for how often you should ditch it, because of varying trash can sizes and contents. The goal here is to beat the stink. “Where there is smell and odors, there is bacterial build up,” says Dr. Tierno, so as soon as you smell something, “Get rid of it!” he advises. Another word of warning: If a trash bag rips, you risk contaminating the whole area of the kitchen. As for how our readers compare? No one admitted to leaving their trash lying around for more than one week. Thirty-four percent toss their garbage every other day. Second place is a tie with 26 percent taking it out daily and another 26 percent taking out twice a week and 14 percent take it out once a week.
Lunch at Las Maracas in Ocean Shores
“I’ve never been to Ocean Shores!” my Mom says brightly. (I know what is coming.) “Have you ever been to Ocean Shores?”
Yes. oh yes. When I was at university, we would all rent a big chalet during Spring Vacation.
“Yeh . . . I don’t remember it being that great,” I reply.
She didn’t mention it again, but I knew she wanted to go, so yesterday we decided to take an excursion to go to Ocean Shores.
I remember back when there seemed to be a lot of (generated) excitement about Ocean Shores. It’s like someone had bought this big hunk of land and wanted to develop it and started making it sound like if you don’t buy a vacation lot at Ocean Shores, you are going to be really really sorry because ALL YOUR FRIENDS ARE GOING TO BE THERE!
I think mostly it was cold and rainy when we were there during Spring Break. What I remember the best was my friends taught me how to make a casserole out of taco chips and ground beef and taco sauce, with grated cheddar cheese. It tastes really good (all that salt) and it probably has zero redeeming nutritional value.
Holding that memory dear, after Mom and I toured the big nothing that is most of Ocean Shores (the entire “north beach” coast is pretty undeveloped, very old timey, honestly, I love it) and visited a schlock-shop, oops, tourist shop, so Mom could spend a little money, we found Las Maracas, which actually served very decent Mexican chow.
No, I didn’t drink beer – I’m driving, remember? And Mom would just fall asleep if she had a beer at noon.
I put my camera on the table so I would remember to take food photos, but not before I had taken a couple ‘location’ shots:
Someone had a ball with the upholstery:
And then the nacho chips came:
The servers yell “Salsa, por favor!” into the kitchen, and determinedly call us “Senyora” or “Senyoras,” out on this remote Washington State coastal resort area.
And then I totally forgot the camera on the table because my seafood tostada came, and it was so unbelievably delicious – shrimp, crab, fish – that I ate it all and then said “oh no! I forgot to take photos!”
Mom was still picking through her Camarones al mojo de ajo, so I got a shot of that:
This restaurant was worth the drive to Ocean Shores.
Lunch at Ivar’s in Mukilteo
Mom and I are heading out to the coast tomorrow for some time at the beach. On the Washington/Oregon beaches, you never know what the weather is going to be. It doesn’t matter how old you get, you know how Mamma’s are? Like she keeps asking me if I have a sweatshirt? Do I have a raincoat? Have I packed my toothbrush? (no, I made that last one up! 😉 )
So today we were running errands, like go to the bank so we have enough cash, like pick up a few groceries, because the places we stay have a kitchen (more important, they have a view of the OCEAN!), pick up a junky beach-book or two, and some Sudoku, and then, let’s go have lunch!
Mom LOVES Alaska fried clams, and Ivar’s does them the BEST, so we drive north to Mukilteo, but it takes forever because they are doing some road repairs on the back roads we usually take, and our “short-cuts” take a lot of time.
“Promise to remind me to take photos this time.” I ask her, but she won’t promise.
A few bites in, I remember. I’m getting better. 🙂
Here are Mom’s Alaska Fried Clams:
Even thought lunch portions are smaller, it was still a lot of clam, and very very rich, breaded and then sauteed in butter. Mom says her green beans were also really good.
Here is my grilled Alaska salmon, on a bed of spinach and orzo salad vinaigrette:
I’m like Popeye, I love SPINACH! This whole meal was delicious, and, once again, we were happy to see the restaurant had a good clientele eating lunch. Even Seattle is begining to feel the economic crunch.
Family Jokes
To wile away those last few minutes before breaking the fast, and divert your attention, here are a few jokes I got in my mail today, family kind of jokes that made me smile:
While I sat in the reception area of my doctor’s office, a woman rolled an elderly man
in a wheelchair into the room. As she went to the receptionist’s desk, the man sat there,
alone and silent. J ust as I was thinking I should make small talk with him, a little boy slipped
off his mother’s lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his hand on the man’s,
he said, ‘I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride in the stroller too.’.
As I was nursing my baby, my cousin’s six-year-old daughter, Krissy,
came into the room. Never having seen anyone breast feed before, she was
intrigued and full of all kinds of questions about what I was doing. After
mulling over my answers, she remarked, ‘My mom has some of those, but I don’t
think she knows how to use them.’
*****
Out bicycling one day with my eight-year-old granddaughter, Carolyn,
I got a little wistful. ‘In ten years,’ I said, ‘you’ll want to be with your
friends and you won’t go walking, biking, and swimming with me like you do now.
Carolyn shrugged. ‘In ten years you’ll be too old to do all those things
anyway.’
******
Working as a pediatric nurse, I had the difficult assignment of giving
immunization shots to children. One day I entered the examining room to give
four-year-old Lizzie her needle. ‘No, no, no!’ she screamed. ‘Lizzie,’ scolded
her mother, ‘that’s not polite behavior.’ With that, the girl yelled even
louder, ‘No, thank you! No, thank you!
******
On the way back from a Cub Scout meeting, my grandson asked my son the question.
‘Dad, I know that babies come from mommies’ tummies, but how do they get there
in the first place?’ he asked innocently. After my son hemmed and hawed awhile,
my grandson finally spoke up in disgust. ‘You don’t have to make something up,
Dad. It’s OK if you don’t know the answer.’
*****
Just before I was deployed to Iraq , I sat my eight-year-old son down
and broke the news to him. ‘I’m going to be away for a long time,’ I told him.
‘I’m going to Iraq .’ ‘Why?’ he asked. ‘Don’t you know there’s a war going
on over there?’
*****
Paul Newman founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children stricken with
cancer, AIDS and blood diseases. One afternoon he and his wife, Joanne
Woodward, stopped by to have lunch with the kids. A counselor at a nearby table,
suspecting the young patients wouldn’t know that Newman was a famous movie star,
explained, ‘That’s the man who made this camp possible. Maybe you’ve seen his
picture on his salad dressing bottle?’ Blank stares. ‘Well, you’ve probably seen
his face on his lemonade carton.’ An eight-year-old girl perked up. ‘How long
was he missing?’
*****
God’s Problem Now.
His wife’s grave side service was just barely finished, when there was a massive
clap of thunder, followed by a tremendous bolt of lightning, accompanied by even
more thunder rumbling in the distance. The little old man looked at the pastor
and calmly said, ‘Well, she’s there.
Sunset on Sunset Avenue
I arrived in Seattle just in time. My dearest, oldest friend’s father died as I was en route, and the service was this week. On a cold and dreary day, fortunately I had a dark dress with me, and I quickly ran and bought stockings, which are so irrelevant in the heat and humidity of August in Doha, and so necessary for a relatively formal occasion in Seattle.
Last night, we got together and walked, something we have done through the years, and then grabbed a bite to eat. We walked along Sunset Avenue, in Edmonds, just as the sun was setting.
In one of the yards, we saw this wonderful tarted-up piece of driftwood:
The light was glorious:
Casper’s A Taste of the South
We had decided on one restaurant, an Italian restaurant we both like, and were on our way, when Mom thought of another restaurant we might like to try, but it was on the way, so we could look at it and decide whether we wanted to eat there or go on to the Italian one.
This is very normal for our family. Our son used to call it “bait and switch” because we would say “Hey! Do you want to go to Tortilla Gonzales?” and he would say “Yeah!” and we would all jump in the car and then on the causeway, AdventureMan would say “You know I really have a taste for Chinese . . . would anyone prefer Chinese?” and I would jump in and say “We’re really close to that sushi place we all love!” and then our son would have to rein us in “NO! You said we were going to Tortilla Gonzales!”
Once he went away to college, we switched all the time. Later, we learned that now he and his wife do the old switch-a-roo, too – family culture is a hard thing to shake.
So we are en route and Mom suddenly shouts “RIBS!” and I say “What??” and she said “We just passed a rib place!” We were at a stop light. “Mom,” I asked, “Do you want to go to that rib place?”
Silence.
Silence.
I pull into the U-turn lane and complain “You’ve got to start dealing with me directly; if you want to go to the rib place, you have to say so!” The complete irony being that I was already making the U-turn, which is what she wanted me to do. . . . Family culture being a hard thing to shake . . .
But as we pulled into the already crowded parking lot, the smell was absolutely divine. There was already a line. Good thing, too, it gave us time to read the menu and decide what we wanted.
We both ordered ribs. We are both forbidden to eat ribs. I eat ribs maybe one time each year, like once, at a buffet, I ate one small rib. It is so rare that I allow myself to eat a rib that I can remember even that one tiny rib. But this time, I ordered ribs, because my Mom did. She ordered Sweet Potato Fries and Cole Slaw and I ordered Hush Puppies and Cole Slaw.
You are going to be so so proud of me. I took pictures before we ate the food this time, well, except for one tiny bite I took out of the hushpuppies, but that was to show you what they look like on the inside. (My Mom has NEVER had a hushpuppy in her life before having one of mine.)
We sat down in the large outside sitting place – I can’t help but wonder what they do in the winter time, because it can get really really cold and damp in Seattle, but I am guessing that they do a huge take-out business.
They have a map that they want people to put push-pins in to say where they are from:
I made a little addition:
And, as I promised, here is the food. Actually, they gave Mom this HUGE portion, about double my portion, but since I got four ribs and only ate two, Mom took home a huge box of leftover ribs to package up and freeze and have a little at a time.
Did you know sweet potatoes are really really healthy for you?
(I think sweet potatoes are healthier for you when they have a lower surface/interior ratio and have absorbed less fat, but these are totally, incredibly delicious. That’s sugar on the sweet potato fries, not salt.) Mom took leftover sweet potato fries home, too.
I can’t even pretend that there is anything healthy about deep fried cornbread. I ate them all, except the one Mom ate. They . . . they were really really good. Yes, I am so ashamed, but I would do it again.
And no, I didn’t take a photo of the sweet potato pie, generously seasoned with fresh nutmeg, it was divine, or the key lime pie we couldn’t eat and Mom took that home, too.
Oh, this food was good. As we left, the line stretched way out to door and into the parking lot.
Casper’s Taste of the South
15030 Bothell Way
Lake Forest Park, WA
(206)268-0202
Their slogan is:
Put a Little South in Your Mouth. LLLOOOLLLL!
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