DIY: A PLUG HACK

I get very frustrated when I go to plug in a cord in a kitchen receptacle and it is the wrong direction. I know it only takes a second to flip it over but I never pick the right direction.  

It inevitably happens when I only have one hand free or when I am doing several tasks at one time.  

Here's a tip to make sure you choose the right direction Every Time. Once you do this, you'll wonder why you never thought of it before!

First, take your plug and plug it in the socket in the RIGHT direction. 

Then, take your favorite color of magic marker and scribble a spot on what you determined to be the RIGHT side for each plug.  

I use black on white plugs because I can see them better, but you can use RED or BLUE or any color that is better for you.

I use black on white plugs 

If your plugs are white, you can use black or red marker. If your plugs are black, try using bright red, neon green or a yellow highlighter.  

Here are some more suggestions.

You can use neon green on black plugs

Double-check the right direction of your plug,
then put your mark on it

Red shows well, but so does a neon green or yellow highlighter 

Red on white is also easy to see

Success!  

Once you mark your plugs, you won't ever be frustrated again!

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Proper Storage For Basil

Keep Basil In The Sun

Basil needs sunlight

You shouldn’t store basil cuttings in the refrigerator because your basil needs sunshine. Basil wilts in the refrigerator.

Place your basil in a half cup of fresh cool water, and then place the cup on the sill of a sunny window. Your basil will last a lot longer. If it sprouts roots, it means that you can replant it and keep growing basil from that sampling.

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Mayflies

Mayflies are also called shadflies and lake flies. They are aquatic insects and contribute to the food source for fish and reptiles.  

They get their name because they emerge during the month of May. They are found in the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Since 2015, they have also been reported to be in Central American countries and Mexico. 

Their color varies but basically, it's pretty dull in hue. They have clear wings due to their diet. They don't eat rich foods and they don't eat on a schedule.  They eat whatever they can, whenever they can.

Mayflies have a short lifespan

They have six legs and two or three tails that are often longer than the entire length of their bodies which is about one inch long.  

Mayflies are part of an ancient group called Palaeoptera.  In that group are also dragonflies and damselflies.  There are over 3000 species of mayflies worldwide.  

You can get a better idea of the size of the Mayfly in this picture showing a mayfly sitting on a human fingernail.

Look how little it is!  Fits on a fingernail.

Mayflies are more active during the warm months and can be somewhat of a pest. If your property is infested with mayflies, there's only so much you can do on your own.  It's probably best to hire a professional pest control company to get rid of them.

They don't sting or bite but because they are attracted by light, they swarm at night around lighted buildings which can alarm some people.

You can change your indoor and outdoor lightbulbs to only yellow bulbs which will lessen their attraction to bright white light. Keep screens in your windows and storm doors, and seal any gaps or cracks because they can get into the home via the smallest of gaps.

 

Life Span

Mayflies spend their juvenile life (one to three years) as water crawlers and they spend their much shorter adult life in the air and on land. 

Once they leave the water, they dry off for one or two days to shed their skin, then fly away to mate. Male mayflies die right after mating. Females die after they lay their eggs.

Their incredibly short life span makes one wonder why they exist at all.  The answer is because they are a valuable part of the food chain for fish and humans in several ways:  

- because they live in streams, ponds, shallow lakes, and rivers, they are used to monitor water quality;

- the energy that is stored in algae and other aquatic plants is prepared by mayflies so it can be a food source for fish, birds, and other invertebrates;

- they are a vital source of food for over 225 species of fish, toads, frogs, some reptiles, and birds. 

- they are also a food source for humans in at least ten countries where whole communities gather to collect them. They either eaten raw, or they are sun-dried, then ground into flour to make cakes and bread.   

The mayfly life cycle begins and ends with reproduction. It is the only insect that has two adult stages. The first stage is sexually immature until it emerges from the water. In the final stage, mayflies molt, reproduce, then die.

Sources: 

Pestworld's Pest Guide
Purdue Department of Entomology 
Maine.gov
The Chesapeake Bay Program

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What Are You Putting Down Your Drain?

If you think your local water treatment plant has the ability to make absolutely sure that the water supply coming into your home is 100% safe, you might be surprised to know that they don't have all the capabilities that you think they do.

Do you throw your old medications down your toilet?  Reply in the comments.

The Wrong Way To Dispose Of Old Medications

Besides the overuse of pesticides that pollute the ground, our air, and our food crops, probably one of the worse contributors to poisoning our water supply is when people dump prescription medications down their household drains - especially their toilets.  

Most people dump because they don't need or want the drugs anymore. Others do it because they think it's the safest way to get rid of them. 

Drug handouts explain how to dispose of medications 

The Rules Have Changed

For years, drug companies stopped offering a return policy for discarded drugs.  So they told hospitals, pharmacies, and other medical facilities that it was acceptable to dump drugs down the drain. That's how the public came to do the same thing. If it was good enough for medical facilities, then it must be OK for regular people to do. 

It was, but back then, it was a common belief these pills and capsules completely dissolved and disappeared into the system.  It was also believed that water treatment plants would extract them when they treated the water. As long as the tap water came out very clear and odor-free, dumping medications down the drain seemed harmless.   

That's partly true. Most of the drugs do dissolve, but they don't disappear.  Trace amounts remain behind. If you multiply just two drugs by the number of people living in one small city, the trace amounts are now astronomical.  

Infected Sea Life And Food Supply

Federal, state and local water authorities perform various quality tests throughout each day. After years of dumping, they found that these medications - whether or not they had dissolved - still remained in the wastewater. Some is washed out into the ocean, where fish and other sea creatures absorb them.  Scientists attribute the dumping of medications to the different kinds of anomalies in fish, in our environment, and in our food supply.

Click on picture to enlarge; check out the findings by scientists

 

Although the EPA has guidelines to say that certain percentages are "acceptable" in our water supply, laboratories found excessive amounts of antidepressants, steroids, contraceptives, and pain medications were present.  When they tested animals and sea life that were exposed, they have found high amounts of hormones that created mutant fish (with both male and female sex organs), neurological disorders as well as physical changes.

Scientists say if the public continues to dump medications down their drains which leads into the water supply, the drug residue in the filtration systems at water treatment facilities will continue to build up.  

Metformin - from an article on US NEWS 

 

What To Do With Old Medications

The most convenient and safest way to dispose of old medications is by taking advantage of bulk disposal day so meds are taken to a central location.  Sometimes communities will sponsor the placement of drop boxes around town so authorities can arrange for proper disposal.  

Many cities place disposal boxes in pharmacies

If it is not convenient, or if you are homebound and must dispose of your medications on your own, the FDA recommends that you make the medications as unattractive and as unappetizing as possible so animals, homeless people, and children don't come across them when they are trash-picking. 


Mix the pills up with something like bleach and garden dirt, in "used" cat litter or "used" coffee grounds (without crushing the tablets themselves). Then place the mixture into a sealed plastic bag.  For added security, you can carefully pour some household bleach or ammonia in the bag so the smell chases snoops away.


This way if anyone does find your old pills in the trash, they won't want to use them - especially if they are mixed up in "used" cat litter and ammonia!

Dispose in used cat litter, add bleach or ammonia to repel.

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Proper Storage For Cucumbers

Cucumbers don't fare well when they are stored in the fridge. They quickly become waterlogged and lose a lot of their flavor. 

Store on your counter or in the pantry, not in the refrigerator

If you store your cucumbers on your counter or in a pantry, keep an eye on them to check or spoilage. The smell of a rotten cucumber will alert you days after it spoiled which is not pleasant.  

If you want cool cucumbers to put on your eyes or as another beauty treatment, just before you are ready to use them, dunk the slices of cucumber in ice water for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and use.


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Did You Know? Storing Jam

Store Your Jam In The Pantry

Jam has a lot of natural and artificial preservatives and it has a very long shelf life without refrigeration. If you think by keeping it in the fridge that it will last longer, it won't.  The only difference is in the composition of the sugar; it loses sweetness in the cold.

Jam is best stored in the pantry.

What will make your jam last longer is not contaminating the jar with what is on the knife or spoon that you dip into it - like butter, apple butter, peanut butter, cheese, breadsticks, french toast cubes, etc.  Use a clean knife each time you are changing your dipping so you don't have butter residue mixed in the jam. All these things will make your jam spoil much faster.

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Did You Know? The Beard Tax

As hard as it may be to believe, there was an actual tax called the Beard Tax.

King Henry VIII imposed beard tax in 1535 to abolish wearing beards, even though he himself wore a beard.  

   King Henry VIII taxed beards even though he wore one too

In 1698, Peter the Great created a beard tax to abolish beard-wearing because he was trying to westernize Russian nobility.  

Peter The Great, Tsar of Russia 

The amount of the tax to be paid depended on the beard wearer's social position.  The higher he was in society, the larger tax he had to pay.  This made facial hair a status symbol.

  

Henry VIII's daughter, Queen Elizabeth I of England brought the beard tax back. 

Queen Elizabeth I of England

She was very strict and taxed anyone with a beard longer than two week's growth.  Facial hair was no longer a status symbol.


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Did You Know? Weight Loss

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People weigh less on Friday than any other day of the week.

If you are an ardent weight watcher, track your numbers after you weigh yourself every day. 

Within a few weeks you will notice that you are heavier in the beginning of your work week than you are at the end of your work week.

Researchers from Cornell University tracked 80 adults for a year.  When they weighed themselves every day, they were lightest on Fridays and heaviest on Mondays.  Their weekends were full of fun activities like going out to restaurants for dinner, drinking alcohol, and eating late night snacks. These pleasures were likely the reason for their high numbers they saw on Mondays.


 By working all week at a busier schedule, andby  eating a little more responsibly during the week, their weight hit a low point on Fridays, just in time to go out on the weekend for guilt-free dining and fun with friends.  


The study results may also indicate that the subjects were more careful to eat more responsibly during the week knowing they were going to overindulge on the weekend.


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Did You Know? Hot Sauce

Hot Sauce Is Supposed To Be Hot

When it comes to any kind of hot sauce, you have to remember that these products have a pretty long shelf life. They’re full of natural preservatives like vinegar and they often don’t contain very many actual fruits or vegetables.

Hot Sauce would be called Cold Sauce if it was supposed to be stored in the fridge.

You should store hot sauce away from direct sunlight and keep it in a cool, dry place like a pantry or a cupboard. If you’re a hot sauce fanatic, you might just want to leave it on the table because you know you’re going to use it again with your next meal.

Did You Know? Cueva de los Tayos Caves and Gold

The Cueva de los Tayos is in Ecuador.  Please explore the many links we are sharing in the text of this article. 

The library made from precious metals

It's a huge underground network full of legends about lost gold, giants who walked the earth, unusual sculptures and a library full of tablets made from precious metals. 

Tunnel walls are lined with gold

 It's also been said to be the location of Salesian priest Father Crespi's collection of gold artifacts that were given to him by the local Shuar people.

Originally thought to be small tablets that you could hold in your hand

Turned out to be huge sheets of precious metals that lined the walls of the tunnels

Father Carlos Crespi Croci was a Salesian monk who was born in Italy in 1891.  He studied anthropology at the University of Milan before becoming a priest.  

http://anynewsbd.com/father-crespi.html

In 1923, he was assigned to the small Andean city of Cuenca in Ecuador to work among the indigenous people.  He devoted the next 59 years of his life to charitable work until his death in 1982.

 Father Crespi (1891 -1982)

Father Crespi is known for his multitude of talents – he was an educator, anthropologist, botanist, artist, explorer, cinematographer, and musician.  

Father Crespi's collection

Today he is much remembered for his humanitarian efforts in Ecuador, setting up an orphanage and educational facilities, assisted the impoverished, gave food and money handouts. He cared deeply for the people and won their hearts.  

Exploring Tayos tunnels

A statue of him stands in front of the Church of Maria Auxiliadora, and local people stillshare stories about him.   The City of Cuenca has been working with the Vatican for years to have Father Crespi recognized as a Saint.

Artifacts from the tunnels

Another gold artifact from the tunnels

 Father Crespi's collection was originally thought to be missing but was actually purchased by the Central Bank of Ecuador and is being kept in safekeeping.

Artifacts from the tunnels now in safekeeping

Comparison

The caves and gold treasures gained worldwide attention in 1973 when Erich von Däniken published his bestselling controversial book, The Gold of the Gods.

Explorers in the tunnels of Tayos

An expedition in 2015 explored the Tayos caves and they found new entrances to the cave system and remnants of a lost jungle city. 

Amazing picture of an explorer's perspective of the caves

More expeditions followed with another planned in 2020.  It has been said the only access in by diving underwater and swimming to the caves. 

Showing the magnificent size! 

With more expeditions planned, we can expect to hear much more about this as new expeditions uncover more secrets of the tunnels under the Cueva de los Tayos.

Showing the size comparison

Gold inside one of Tayos' caves

Inside the caves of Tayos

You can read more about Father Crespi's story and view artifacts here: (opens in a new window)

https://hiddenincatours.com/ancient-sumerians-in-ecuador-the-father-crespi-mystery/ 

and a rare 4 minute video of Father Crespi here:

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Did You Know? Proper Storage of Garlic

Keep Garlic Out Of The Fridge

Garlic is a food item that doesn’t need to be stored in the fridge. If you do like to keep it cold, know that it can get rubbery and even start to sprout. It can look totally normal, but then when you cut it open, you’ll notice little green sprouts inside.

Garlic is best stored in a Garlic Jar. 
Do you have one?

Leave your garlic in a specialized garlic jar with a lid. Or you can store it in a pair of breathable nylon pantyhose. 

However, you can also peel the garlic and store the peeled cloves in a proper container in your freezer. The cold of the freezer is different than the cold from the refrigerator. A freezer maintains a constant in the freezer's sub-freezing temperatures while a refrigerator is always playing catch up as it cycles so the temperature keeps cycling within the pre-set range.

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Change

Did You Know? Proper Storage For Honey

Oh Honey, Don’t Put Honey In The Fridge

You shouldn’t store honey in the refrigerator. The cold air will cause the honey to crystallize, which isn’t good. 

If your honey does crystallize, just put the whole jar in a warm water bath to dissolve the crystals.

 

According to Martha Stewart, Honey doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge or freezer for it to last a long time.

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Advice

Did You Know? Refrigerating Eggs

Eggs Don’t Need To Be In The Fridge

In many countries, eggs aren’t kept in the refrigerator in grocery stores or in people’s homes. That’s how it’s done across the pond in the UK. 

A recent study discovered that it actually makes no difference whether or not you store your eggs in the fridge, so you need extra fridge space, you can be comfortable taking out the eggs for a few days.

Eggs won't go bad if they aren't stored in the refrigerator

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Did You Know? Proper Storage of Citrus Fruits

Citrus Fruits Belong In The Pantry

Typically, ripe fruit is sweet fruit, which means that fruit that’s kept at room temperature will ripen more quickly and develop more sweetness. Citrus fruit can be rather sour if it’s not given enough time or space to ripen.

Citrus fruit kept at room temperature will ripen faster

Keep fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes out of the fridge. 

If you absolutely love cold oranges, store them outside of the fridge, but pop them into the fridge an hour or two before you want to eat them.

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