Sunday, January 30, 2022

Critters, Birds and Rice

It’s cold outside. We used to feed the ducks in New England with stale bits of bread. When we moved to Florida we went to the bakery for stale bread for the same purpose. But it wasn’t cold! We have an old container of rice that we don’t plan to use. So we decided to put it in little baggies and bring it with us on our morning walks. We went to Old Town Alexandria last week and walked along the waterfront. There they were - ducks, pigeons, crows, seagulls. All of them were waiting for a hand out. So we started throwing out morsels of rice and the the show began. The best part was watching the ducks make the sliding landing on the ice. All of the birds were hustling! I never knew ducks would go for these tiny grains of rice. When we were walking on the national mall we took another bag of rice and sprinkled the contents on the sidewalk by the American history museum. The birds went crazy. They didn’t want to take it out of my husband’s gloved hand though. The albino squirrel and the rest of them seemed interested, but not for long.  And in the neighborhood park we sprinkled more rice along the trail and on top of tree stumps. It didn’t seem like any one was interested - but perhaps whatever was would gulp it down on the stealth after we left. We still have a bit of rice to use up yet. It’s fun to watch the birds and critters - of any shape or form. 
































Saturday, January 29, 2022

Bissell Little Green in Action

We have a very light carpet in the living room. I’m not sure why we did that because we always preferred the warm tones of a Persian carpet. But with a new condo the old carpet didn’t fit. So we decided to try another option. Even without wearing shoes in the house the carpet inevitably has to get somewhat dirty - especially the section in front of the couch and chair where we typically sit. We don’t want to get another carpet. So we thought we’d try to see if the carpet could be cleaned. The Bissell Little Green deep cleaner got  my attention because it could also be used for spot cleans on the couch if necessary - which I hope never happens. So we put it to the test yesterday. We followed the instructions and went to work on the places that needed it the most. I don’t think it did a whole lot except that it did get the carpet wet/damp. Not a lot of liquid was recouped - hardly none at all. So we tested the suction with plain water and it was fine. Then we also cleaned the small rug in the foyer and another rug in the den. Something did happen, but to what degree? We covered the damp areas with plastic and let it sit overnight to dry. I suppose it looks a little better? And maybe it’s worth doing again soon now that we know what we are doing. If nothing else we “feel” like it’s cleaner? 




















Friday, January 28, 2022

HP Printer Instant Ink Chat

I’ve always had HP printers. Currently it’s an Envy printer that is at least 5-6 years old if not more. I used to use it a lot to print my digital pet portraits and showcase them at the Wagtime shop on Capitol Hill. I also signed up for instant ink. At a certain dollar amount every month ink cartridges are sent directly to you when the sensors show that they are running low. Then you send back the user cartridges for a recycle program. It worked very well for a nominal fee. Since I don’t print much any more I changed the amount of printed pages to about ten per month for an even smaller fee. But I haven’t changed the cartridges since we moved three years ago. The printed pages are now starting to get grey and the ink cartridges need to be exchanged - but the website shows that I still had plenty of ink. So I started a chat with HP a and asked them if I could get some replacement cartridges. Before that could be done they insisted that I try to clean the printer heads 3-5 times. The test pages were just as lousy as the printed pages. Without a lot of hassle they said they would replace both the color and black cartridges free of charge. Now I am waiting for them to arrive. It’s a good thing I don’t need to use the printer for anything and the print is still barely visible if I had to. All in all it was a no brainer chat. I like those the best. 
















Thursday, January 27, 2022

Oven Porcupines

We haven’t had this dish since we moved to DC almost 16 years ago. I was looking at old saved recipes and thought it might be time to try one that I remembered we both liked. It’s called oven porcupines. Essentially they are meatballs that have a few things mixed in and then are baked in the oven for an hour. So we got all the ingredients we needed at the grocery including a pound of ground meat for $10. Since my husband does most of the cooking it felt weird that I was actually making dinner last night - although he was right there helping - or checking up on me! Anyway, we added all the required stuff to the meat, mixed it up and made the meatballs. Then we mixed the tomato sauce, water and Worcestershire sauce together and poured it over the meatballs, threw it in the oven and voila!! All it needed was a vegetable, salad, and bread. The meatballs were as delicious as we thought and we have enough for at least two more meals. I suppose it does feel good to make something that is edible. Maybe I should do it more often? 
















Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Squirrels and Birds

The squirrels in our northern Virginia neighborhood are quite skiddish. We are reminded of that every time we walk through the park for a morning walk. They don’t want to be seen by anyone. When we lived on Capitol Hill the squirrels were extremely friendly - especially on the national mall. We took a drive yesterday and parked by the sculpture garden. We walked around the mall starting at the Smithsonian castle, down by the Capitol, then towards the Washington monument and back up. Along the way I was hoping to get some photos with a “minimalist” theme but was not having much luck. Then I said to my husband wouldn’t it be nice if the albino squirrel showed up. And wouldn’t you know there he was - where he usually hangs out near the national gallery of art museum. We happened to bring some rice with us and started to sprinkle it around. He was curious, along with the other squirrels, but not very interested. So we watched him for a bit. These are the times I wish i had a telephoto lens. There was another squirrel on the garbage can in the sculpture garden - allowing a close up portrait. Then we walked a bit more and found some birds by the American history museum and threw some rice on the sidewalk. They were clamoring over the tiny morsels. Today in the neighborhood park we sprinkled a bit of rice along the trails. When we returned to the first place it looked like everything was picked up, although we didn’t see any feathered friends there. I always enjoy watching the animals - furry or feathered. It doesn’t matter. 




















Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner

We always had darker colored carpets with reds and greens. Most of them were Persian. I always liked the warm tones. But I also liked that the dirt wasn’t readily visible. When we moved to northern Virginia three years ago, the environment called for lighter furniture and floor coverings. Actually, our large carpet just didn’t fit in the space so we had to make some decisions. We ended up with a lighter blue carpet in the living room. And as we thought would happen, the carpet began showing signs of foot traffic - even with no shoes worn in the house. Aside from that our couch is off white. Why did we do that!? So rather than invest in new anything, I looked for a simple portable carpet cleaner that might help with the areas that require attention. The highest rated gadget was the Bissell Little Green machine that was small enough to store somewhere in our 1000 square foot condo. It arrived yesterday and I put it together, read up on and watched the video on how to use it. I liked that it could be used both on the carpet and the couch because it has a wand rather than a one piece standalone. I’m thinking I might try it out sometime this week. It says you are only supposed to use it on specific fabrics and I’m hoping it doesn’t do any damage. What can go wrong? I guess we will find out.