Trapped by Venus Flytrap

Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to own a Venus Flytrap. A couple of weeks ago, I saw a picture from a friend’s friend on Facebook hundreds of angelic (or devilish, depending on who you ask) Venus Flytraps in small plastic pots for sale. And the seller has his garden only in the next city! So I ordered two delivered to a friend’s office located in the same city as the seller’s (now an online friend) garden. Now I’m trapped with my Venus Flytraps. I can’t stop staring at “Venus” and “Flytrap” (yes, very creative names, I know). The excitement I get just staring at the traps is just the way how I imagined it would be when I was a kid. Wow! I’m hooked.

Funny thing about it is that, I think, I got a big bonus with my purchase. I think this tiny baby plant growing under Flytrap is another carnivorous plant sold in the garden where I bought my flytraps from. I think it’s a Drosera capensis – Sundew for you and me. I can’t confirm it though until the plant grows a little bigger. So stick around and find out with me if the baby plant turns out to be a Sundew. I’ll keep you posted.

Thank you to Volker who sold me my new pets.

Quick Spring Cleaning Tips

At long last, spring is just around the corner: the tulips are ready to sprout, the birds are eager to chirp, but is your house ready for the spring and summer affairs? Certainly you don't want the winter blues to linger in the living room air for an afternoon tea party. Or worse, your nitpick-mother-in-law finds your overflowing laundry down your garage. It's time for spring cleaning.

But a lot of people feel intimidated by just the thought of digging in the pile of laundry, chipping the layer of mildew, arranging the winter shopping hoard, or decluttering the room. Thank god your house is not as messy as the picture I painted, right? But if it is, don't worry. I have a quick spring cleaning tips for you.

1. Organize the activity on paper

For lucky few, randomly choosing where to start tackling the winter blues around the house will work. But for most of you, getting your spring cleaning activity organized on paper will help you tackle the task in a systematic manner taking away the dread and the feeling of hopelessness as to when are you going to see the light shine from the window behind the junk pile. So go around the house and write down on paper where you want to start cleaning, and write down under it the tools and the concoctions you need for a sparkling finish. You want to start cleaning from the rooms outward to the living room and the porch if you have one.

2. Open up for the spring

There's something about the spring sun shining and the breeze blowing that encourages--even energizes--you to move and work it. So open the windows, roll up the blinds, and tie the curtains to let the sunshine and the fresh spring breeze in the room you're cleaning about. This way you'll also avoid the buildup of cleaning product fumes and dust that can be harmful.

3. Tackle the pile

This spring cleaning tip is for the hoarder in you. If you've managed to collect a pile of bargain during the winter, the best thing to do is to have 3 big cardboard boxes labeled DONATE, TOSS, and HOLD IT. Although, if you can manage, just use 2 boxes: DONATE and TOSS. This is very important: have another person you trust who doesn't have personal attachment to your hoard and ask the person to go around the room with you and let him or her choose which box to put your hoards in. You can't do it alone.

4. Tackle the dirt and grime

Now that you've cleared the room and felt the warm sunshine from the window, it's time to tackle the dirt and the grime for a sparkling finish. Clean the ceiling and the walls next with warm soapy water finished with plain water. Next, vacuum the floors; use warm soapy water on stubborn floor stains also. To give your wood furniture the shine it deserves, use beeswax wood polish instead of synthetic polish that can harm its natural wood finish. And armed with cleaning gloves, scrubs, and cheap vodka, clean your bathroom by hand including the toilet bowl and the tub. Hey, the cheap vodka is not for drinking, it's for cleaning the grime on your tiles.

5. Give green cleaning products a go

The reason I told you to use cheap vodka is because it's nontoxic (if not drank) and it's biodegradable. This is the time to take care of your health and the environment so use green cleaning products in your spring cleaning. There are plenty you can find online or from your favorite department store, so be sure to check them out.

Spring cleaning doesn't have to be a dreadful, hopeless undertaking because it's not. Just organize your act and get to it. You can even devote few hours each day for spring cleaning or devote an entire weekend for it. And I also encourage you to make spring cleaning a whole family affair by making it fun with your ingenuity, too.