A-Z Garden Tips: Washing Wizardry

Even with garden gloves, any green thumber’s hands can get muddy and dirty. This is especially true during seed planting, deadheading, and other garden tasks requiring bare fingers.

Personally, I like to rinse off my hands pretty often, while I am gardening. But I don’t like kicking my shoes on and off to tromp into the hands for this purpose.

And I find it somewhat cumbersome to detach and reattach my water sprinklers or garden hose nozzles, just to rinse my hands.

So I have a much more convenient solution for hand washing. I simply recycle an empty laundry detergent bottle with a nozzle. I rinse it out completely and fill it with clean water. Then I keep it on the counter in my potting shed. When I need to rinse off my hands, I stick an empty bucket underneath (to catch any drips and runoff) and have at it.

An old dishtowel is handy for dry-offs.

Then I’m right back to the garden – that quickly.

Images:

LAN photo for PAH

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NOTE:  This blogger has no affiliation with any product/s mentioned in this post and received no remuneration from the manufacturer/s or product promoter/s for this post.

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Product Review: Lands’ End Long-Sleeve Pattern Flannel Shirt

Did Lands’ End miss the boat this time?

Lands’ End has long been a quality purveyor of durable and utilitarian apparel for men, women, and kids. As outdoorsy folks, we have ordered countless items from this company for decades – from fleeces to flannels and from coats to clogs.

Their plaid flannels are family favorites, particularly in button-down shirts and pajamas.

So, for Christmas, I selected several Lands’ End Long-Sleeve Pattern Flannel Shirts for various family members.

Here’s what happened.

I picked the sizes and patterns to fit each recipient. Check.

I placed the order. Check.

The shipment arrived promptly, with everything I ordered included. Check.

The long-sleeve plaid flannel shirts measured up to the standards I expected from Lands’ End. Check.

But each shirt was rolled up in a tightly knotted bundle, sealed in plastic. Un-check.

That meant – just a few days before Christmas – I found myself unsealing, unrolling, untangling, and steam-ironing a pile of brand-new shirts before wrapping them for gift-giving.

What!?!

Let me just say: Mrs. Santa was not amused.

I don't mind a little ironing, especially when I'm laundering stuff we have worn. But this was ridiculous.

Would Carhartt, Columbia, Dickies, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand, Pendleton, Royal Robbins, Woolrich, or other comparable long-sleeve pattern shirts arrive in such condition? I have to wonder.

After lots of ironing, the Lands’ End long-sleeve plaid flannel shirts were a hit, though.

Sure, everyone in the family loved their cozy new Lands’ End long-sleeve flannel plaid shirts. The garments fit nicely. They are well-tailored in quality all-cotton flannel fabric with solid, reinforced seams.

But the shirts were anything but presentable when first unpacked.

Who needs such a time-consuming chore, right before Christmas? Isn’t the whole idea of online shopping to save lots of time?

C’mon, Lands’ End. How about flat-folding your long-sleeve plaid flannel shirts for shipping?

Disclaimer: I am neither employed nor affiliated in any way with the product/s mentioned herein or anyone associated with it. I received no remuneration or compensation from the manufacturer/s for this post.

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Photos by Practically at Home

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U is for Understanding Underwear and Bra Fittings

Bras are bonuses, but only if they fit properly.

Recently, I attended one of those in-home bra sales parties. Maybe you’ve heard of them. These events are sort of like Tupperware, Mary Kay, or Pampered Chef parties – except that a measuring tape-wielding demonstrator/salesperson is hawking lingerie.

I was pretty much roped into the bra party. But I'm glad I went.

OK, I admit it. I was pretty much roped into the thing.

I was a little leery. But I’m glad I went. I had no idea. After all these years, I was wearing the wrong size of bra.

Here’s what I learned from the bra lady, once I let go of my initial trepidation over being measured in front of a bunch of friends.

1. Even the best bras only last about a year.

Oh, boy. You should have seen my discard bag, after I went home and cleaned out my bra drawer. Guess I’m glad you didn’t. Some of those dingy old dogs should have gone a long time ago.

2. Most ladies routinely put up with ill-fitting bras.

Guys, Take Five! (We're talkin' bras here.)

Every single woman at the bra party I attended wound up changing her bra size.

3. Bra sizes can change dramatically with weight gain or loss.

A 10-pound weight fluctuation can lead to a different brassiere size. I’m banking on that one, having lost a few pounds. For the record, that’s why I went down a letter. Yeah, right.

And that's not exactly the region from which I'd hoped those extra pounds would fall.

4. Many department store lingerie departments offer free bra fitting.

In-store bra experts usually perform this service tactfully in dressing rooms – not right in front of wine-and-cheese-toting friends or coworkers.

5. Bras fit better with proper care.

By the way, bras should never go in the dryer, and it’s a bad idea to hang them up by their straps to dry after laundering them. It’s also bad to hook a traditional bra in the front and then yank it around to slip into the cups and straps.

Never knew I’d been putting on bras wrong since my teen years. Gee, all I needed was a little foundational expertise … and support.

Image/s:

Measuring Tape by Jeltovski – MorgueFile

Guys Take Five - created by this user at Fodey.com

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