I have a new appreciation for this saying now that it’s been about 24 hours since finding the first louse in our house.  No, I’m not talking figuratively about anyone living here, but literally about head lice.  There was the original panic (as in, “WHAT is THAT?!?), then the gathering of information (as in put the offending critter in a plastic bag and then start researching on the internet).  Then there was the run around town to purchase nit combs (visiting no less than four stores).  And, since I know most people don’t want to admit much less talk about a lice infestation, I think it’s important to share some of the things that I’ve learned through this affair.

1. When you’re feeling weary and not able to gather the strength and energy to make the holidays happen at your house, there’s nothing like a case (or 5 or 6) of head lice to make you wish you were decking the halls, or baking cookies, or even writing out Christmas cards for heavens’s sake, anything, but picking nits out of people’s hair.
2. Most common suggestions are to use a product with an actual pesticide in it.  On your child’s head.  And you’re supposed to leave it there for a certain amount of time.  Now, I’m thinking that if I don’t want to use pesticides on my lawn, is there really a good reason to use them on my child’s scalp?  Lice are nothing more than a nuisance; they carry no diseases, they do not leave you weakened for something else to attack you.  So, I went in search of a cure that didn’t involve pesticides.
3. When you talk to the school nurse, she will tell you that as soon as you use the product with the pesticide, your children can come back to school.  And, if you can’t afford the product, she will give you some, because she has lots.
4. The information that I found on the internet basically said that whether or not you use the pesticide, you will still have to thoroughly comb your child’s hair with a nit comb (a fine-toothed comb) twice per day.  Many people use the pesticide and think they can skip the combing, only to become re-infected once the chemical wears off.
5. There is a LOT of laundry to do if your family becomes infected with lice.  The school nurse said to wash “everything that your child has come into contact with in the last 48 hours.”  That’s a lot of stuff, especially if more that one child is affected.  And it all has to be washed on hot water, and dried on hot for at least 30 minutes.
6. If you happen to notice the infestation on a cloudy, below freezing day, when your solar hot water heater can’t keep up with all of the laundry, you can take your bedding outside and freeze the critters out.  I’m very much appreciating Wisconsin winters today.
7. Spraying or fogging the environment in your home, school, or day care is not recommended.  This is unnecessary exposure of people to yet more pesticides, and lice only really survive on their host.

not even close to all of the bedding

So, after the panic, and the research, and the talking to a few good women (here and here), I came up with a protocol with which I’m comfortable.  The school nurse may think differently, but that’s her problem.

First, I made a hair oil.  I filled an opaque 4 ounce bottle with olive oil.  Then I added 8 drops each of the following essential oils:  sweet thyme oil (Thyme vulgaris L. France), eucalyptus oil (Eucalyptus radiata Australia), and rosemary oil (Rosmarinus officianalis Spain), and 5 drops of Neem oil.  The aromatherapist I consulted with assured me that it was safe for use on children, contrary to the content on the Wiki entry.  Neem is used widely as an anti-bug agent, and though it is an essential oil, it is not lovely smelling.  Fortunately, the other oils are nice, so we all smelled a little like a pot roast for a while.  This oil gets liberally applied to the hair, and sits for at least an hour.  A shower cap comes in handy for this.

non-toxic treatment for lice

Second, we wash out the hair oil with a shampoo I made.  I used Dr. Bronners unscented baby mild liquid soap in the 8 oz bottle and added the same essential oils that I used for the hair oil.

Third, we comb.  And comb, and comb, and comb.  We spritz with a hair tonic made from 6 ounces of water in an opaque spray bottle and the same essential oils that are in the oil and the shampoo.  If the hair dries out and gets hard to comb, we can spritz with this concoction to help with combing.  This is painstaking and time-consuming, but very important to comb, no matter if you use the natural remedies or the pesticide.

We spent the day oiling, washing, and combing through hair–everyone times three.  In between we laundered.  It’s been a tiring day, and hopefully our efforts will pay off.

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In an effort to protect us from harmful substances in toys, the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act was passed this year by congress.  The law goes into effect in two months, and will introduce sweeping changes for small mom and pop type toy operations.  These are just the kinds of places I do try to buy from, because I’m fairly well assured of a quality product.  You can read more about the act and what you can do to help here.

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I was looking for a book for my 6 year old son on how cars are built in the on-line catalog of our local library, and came across a book called “How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save money, breath easier, and get more mileage out of life” by Chris Balish. I wanted to encourage his interest in designing cars in case he has the engineer genes of both grandfathers. I visit web sites like Car Free Cities and participate in some bicycle commuter discussion groups, so I was familiar with some of the ideas that I might hear from this author. But the idea of an entire book dedicated to how I might benefit from living car free, particularly the economics of the choice seemed interesting, so I wrote down the call letters, and headed for the non-fiction aisles.

What I found was my second brand new untouched book on a green topic in as many visits to the Appleton Public Library. Since this book was placed in circulation nearly a year ago, it makes me a little doubtful about how well Americans are responding to international concerns about global warming. Our economic woes may have a bigger impact on worldwide consumerism than suggestions on how to individually reduce our carbon footprint. But then again, we wear huge blinders when it comes to our assumptions about using automobiles. This author may have found the way to get people’s attention with his argument that much of what keeps Americans from feeling wealthy is their habit of using automobiles. The actual cost of owning a car is about double the car payment. That turns out to be a lot of money considering that the alternative is to pay for something that looses value at 10% to 15% each year.

Now, I’ve long thought that when the price of non-renewable resources becomes high enough, maintstream people will begin using alternatives. But Mr. Balish points out that people have alternatives in the form of public transportation systems if they want to use them. He points out that there is always the rental car if you really need one for a trip not serviced by the transit systems. He goes on to promote the transit systems’ effectiveness by sharing paragraph long testimonials on page after page by people who have sold their cars, and live without them. They rave about the experience of not having to worry about a car, sit in traffic, worry about maintenance, and the many things that they have money for because they don’t own a car. The funny thing is that without exception, they look at the rest of us car dependent Americans as the people who are losing out. I’m talking with my family this holiday about getting rid of a car, and depending upon the Valley Transit System and my bicycle to see how much of a difference it makes for us. Even loosing one set of car related expenses may make a difference for us.

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It’s amazing what’s available in this country to the thrifty at heart. The other day, I saw a pair of like-new cross country skis with up-to-date bindings for $12 on the rack at our local Good Will Store. By like-new, I’m saying that there were far fewer scratches in them than in my own skis. Here in Wisconsin, it’s not hard at all to find the old 3 pin bindings on a pair of skis that will work as well as when they were made. If you try hard enough, you can find a traditional set of skis, poles, with boots and bindings for less than $50. What you have in the garage may work perfectly fine as well. There are lots of options at places like Play-it-Again Sports as well, still at quite reasonable prices. Cross Country skiing works all of the major muscle groups making it a great cardiovascular exercise that gets you out of the house in Winter. What could be greener than breaking trail on your old pair of cross country skis?

First, make sure that your boots fit you. You should wear the socks you will ski in, and walk around in them. You should have space between your toes and the end of the boot, yet your heel should stay in place. If your boots fit comfortably and look like they’ll hold together during an outing, find a pair of skis with bindings that work with your boots, and check the skis for size. To check the skis, stand with all of your weight on one ski with a 3×5, business, or playing card under the ski beneath the binding. If there is resistance to pulling it out from under the ski, it should grip the snow. Next, stand with equal weight on both skis and if the card slides out easily for about a foot of space in front of and behind your boot, they will glide freely after you stride forward. If a shorter space allows the card to slide, you may not get as much glide but will feel more secure. Some skis have more curve and are stiffer than others of the same length. Older models were sized for length by standing with your hand up and picking a pair that reached up to your wrist, then checking the flex of the skis with a card. Newer models are being made shorter with suggested weight ranges in fewer sizes, so the card method is still the most reliable way to check skis to see how well they will work for you on the snow.

Look at the base of the skis to see if they are textured for waxless skiing, and if not, see if you can find some cans of wax, a scraper, and a cork. Scrape off old wax if needed. Apply glide wax on the base at the tips and tails, and then crayon on the proper temperature wax in the kick zone (center 1/3 of the ski). Then rub the wax smooth with the cork, and you will be ready to go!

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Do-it-yourself may be lots of fun, but it can also be expensive. Paying full retail for lumber can cost close to the same price you may pay for discounted build-your-own-furniture kits. On top of that, you have to acknowledge the impact of the forest industry on our environment when it comes to production of full dimension lumber. And at retail prices, it seems expensive too. But with some luck, you may come across recycled supplies that will allow you to build something from scratch that, like a stone sculpture, is just waiting for a need to expose what potentially lies within.

The past two weekends, I’ve been on a mission that is nearly complete. Looking at the remaining cedar bleachers recovered from a school dumpster a few summers past, I had been wondering what lay in store. My trailer and I were over there the moment I saw one dumpster load hauled away. I had already floored a knee wall space of a walk-in closet, decked the crumbling concrete stoop and a concrete patio, and built a matching workbench and potting bench all from the recovered wood. But the remainder had yet to reveal it’s purpose to me, and was waiting in the garage rafters. The pile of boots that reappeared in our entryway as winter dawned became my inspiration. How about a storage bench to collect those annoying boots? Strategic placement just outside the garage entry might also help to keep our socks dry as we travel from one level to another of our split ranch.

A quick search of the web for diy woodworking plans revealed a simple and sturdy boot bench with complete plans for just $5.00. All I needed was some structural lumber to use with the cedar, a hammer, nail setter, circular power hand saw and a saber saw. Shopping carefully, I picked out four recycled 7′ long 2″x4″s at the Restore along with a pair of hinges and a piece of 1/2″ plywood that had once been part of a kitchen cabinet. (I also picked up a pair of unfinished cafe cabinet doors that I’ll use to hide our electrical box when I finish the laundry room next week.) The only thing that didn’t come from recycled materials were the finish nails. I could have used the assorted nails available from the Restore, but in my cold garage the pneumatic finish nailer sure sped up the process. It also makes my lack of skill less apparent. All together, this piece of furniture cost less than $15.00 to build, including the plans. Now that’s a price that only a rummage sale deal or an outright gift could beat.

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Just in time for frazzled mommies at the holiday time, a great give-away on the Simple Mom blog.  Good luck!

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During the crazy month that we’ve had with news of banks and bailouts, a piece of legislation was slipped into the bill that encourages employers who provide benefits reimbursing employees for their use of public transportation to also include bicycle commuting expenses as part of their benefit package. Since the legislation tagged this benefit on, and because many companies hire a benefits administrator service, employees may begin seeing this included in their benefits in the near future.

I just want to say, if it helps with the motivation to cycle to work, more power to everyone who pulls their bike out of the garage as a result. In the past three months, I’ve saved 936 pounds of carbon from gasoline emissions, and I’m proud of that. My employer doesn’t have to pay federal taxes, so I won’t be seeing any reimbursement of my related expenses unless the wellness committee talks them into it. But the idea that people are being given this incentive is a positive step, even if it is a small one in terms of economics.

One of the contributers to bikeforums.com provided the following sample letter to his HR department to request that they consider supporting this addition to the tax code…

Human Resources Department,

As I’m sure you are aware, the Congress just passed H.R. 1424 “The Bail-Out Bill” on Capitol Hill. Although this legislation deals primarily with the housing market, there were several other unrelated provisions added to the bill. Among these was a tax incentive for employers who promote the use of bicycles for commuting. The specifics of this tax break are laid out in Sec. 211, “Transportation
fringe benefit to bicycle commuters” under the Transportation and Domestic Fuel Security Provision section but the change is pretty basic. The bill offers a $20 a month tax relief per bicycle commuting employee to cover the cost of any employer reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee “for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.”

I am interested in finding a way that [Company Name] could implement a program that would allow employees who cyclo-commute to expense less than $20 a month in bike related expenses.

The benefits of an expense reimbursement program for cyclo-commuters include:
• Lower fuel costs on company owned vehicles
• Less required maintenance on company owned vehicles
• Ability of [Company Name] to claim a full $20 per month per eligible employee
when actual expenses are likely to be far less
• Improved employee health which in turn increases employee productivity
• Creates a progressive and environmentally conscious image for the
company

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like additional information about this recent tax code change.

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I’ve always felt like my commitment to environmentally friendly ways came from a mixture of my science background, my finances, and my faith.  Many ideas about the Christian faith hold that the Church has historically done nothing toward healing the earth.  While there have been times of rampant environmental destruction in which Christians have participated, at least we can say that our faith has always encompassed care and concern for the earth.  Here are excerpts from a current statement of many of the present-day leaders of the church:

. . .the contemporary witness of Orthodoxy for the ever-increasing problems of humanity and of the world becomes imperative, not only in order to point out their causes, but also in order to directly confront the tragic consequences that follow. The various nationalistic, ethnic, ideological and religious contrasts continuously nurture dangerous confusion, not only in regard to the unquestionable ontological unity of the human race, but also in regard to man’s relationship to sacred creation. The sacredness of the human person is constrained to partial claims for the “individual”, whereas his relationship toward the rest of sacred creation is subjected to his arbitrary use or abuse of it.
These divisions of the world introduce an unjust inequality in the participation of individuals, or even peoples in the goods of Creation; they deprive billions of people of basic goods and lead to the misery for the human person; they cause mass population migration, kindle nationalistic, religious and social discrimination and conflict, threatening traditional internal societal coherence. These consequences are still more abhorrent because they are inextricably linked with the destruction of the natural environment and the entire ecosystem.

Orthodox Christians share responsibility for the contemporary crisis of this planet with other people, whether they are people of faith or not, because they have tolerated and indiscriminately compromised on extreme human choices, without credibly challenging these choices with the word of faith. Therefore, they also have a major obligation to contribute to overcoming the divisions of the world.

The gap between rich and poor is growing dramatically due to the financial crisis, usually the result of manic profiteering by economic factors and corrupt financial activity, which, by lacking an anthropological dimension and sensitivity, does not ultimately serve the real needs of mankind. A viable economy is that which combines efficacy with justice and social solidarity.

The Orthodox Church believes that technological and economic progress should not lead to the destruction of the environment and the exhaustion of natural resources. Greed to satisfy material desires leads to the impoverishment of the human soul and the environment. We must not forget that the natural riches of the earth are not only man’s property, but primarily God’s creation: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein” (Ps.23:1). We ought to remember that not only today’s generation, but also future generations are entitled to have a right to the resources of nature, which the Creator has granted us.

“Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, glory be to him in the Church and in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 3:20-21). Amen.

In the Phanar, 12th October 2008.

+ Bartholomew of Constantinople
+ Theodore of Alexandria
+ Ignatius of Antioch
+ Theophilos of Jerusalem
+ Alexey of Moscow
+ Amphilochios of Montenegro
(representing the Church of Serbia)
+ Laurentiu of Transylvania
(representing the Church of Romania)
+ Dometiyan of Vidin
(representing the Church of Bulgaria)
+ Gerasime of Zugdidi
(representing the Church of Georgia)
+ Chrysostomos of Cyprus
+ Ieronymos of Athens
+ Jeremiasz of Wrocіaw
(representing of the Church of Poland)
+ Anastasios of Tirana
+ Christopher of the Czech Lands and Slovakia

Amen.

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We’re going to be on the Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s Solar Home Tour this weekend!  It’s kind of a Parade of Homes for folks interested in renewable energy, and showcases things that regular people can do in an effort for more sustainable energy.  Our system, described here, was installed by Green Sky Energetics.  We’re all just a little bit geekily excited about the tour.  A word of caution here–the tour is about our hot water system ONLY.  No fair judging the condition of the rest of our home.  Hopefully, we will be ready enough that participants won’t be tripping over shoes and socks in the entryway, or smelling our dog Preston’s latest accident.

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Back to school with hopes of increasing my commitment to a bike commute, I’ve been searching the web for information and tools. All in the name of more fitness and fun, but less fumes. I purchased a new bike for inspiration, and in order to make it pay off at $0.52/mile, a commuter’s calculator shows that I’ll have to average4 days per week for 7 months on the 12 mile ride in the morning and again in the afternoon. If I hop the bus with their rack and ride program, it will lengthen the time frame some, but not much at $1.50 per trip. While researching this, I found a web site that includes fitness calculators here’s one that includes a variety of fitness activities. You can log your activities and use calculators for free. If you want more services, a nominal annual membership brings the ability to print maps of your route.

<a href=”http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/wi/appleton/249109326611″>09/01/2008 Commute</a><br /><a href=”http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/wi/appleton”>Find more Bike Rides in Appleton, Wisconsin</a>

Update: Through November 11th, the Map My Ride Calculator has added up the mileage so far and reports the following:

Green Stats

Total Workout Days: 63
Distance Traveled: 793.79 mi.
Gas Saved: 44.10 gallons
Money Saved: $153.47
Carbon Offset: 853.8 lbs. of CO2

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