Almanac for Homemakers

It's Rachel Carson's Birthday. Use Pesticides Sparingly "A the end of May, with the air full of bird song, it's fitting to remember that today is the birth date of the late Rachel Carson, born May 27, 1907." Rachel Louise Carson was a marine biologist, author, and conservationist. Her most popular book, Silent Spring , detailed the harmful effects of pesticides on our environment. She accused the chemical industry of spreading disinformation to the public and public officials of accepting their claims without question. She really sounds like an awesome person. I'd like to think we could have been friends. It was her poetic style of writing and well researched facts that made her books so attractive to wider audiences. “We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in  Robert Frost 's familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on ...

Are They Carpet Beetles? "Adult carpet beetles are likely to show up on the inside of windows these warm spring days." Oh God What did I do? I Googled Carpet Beetle and was instantly terrified! EWWWWWW! Our Almanac gets a little judgy and says that, "Their presence reflects somewhat on you as a housekeeper." Gee, Thanks 1970's So the best way to prevent these grossies is to just make sure you vacuum and vacuum well. Get in all the cracks and corners. Don't forget to move furniture and get under your couches. You should also make sure any cracks, openings, and other small spots get patched up to prevent these bugs from getting in. If you have pets, you should regularly clean their bedding. You should do this anyway but maybe this post will scare some cleaning motivation into you. Don't confuse some carpet beetles with some breeds of ladybirds. Coccinellidae These guys are good to have arou...