Spring is in full swing now and time to go in and out a lot. This has been the best spring ever, long and slow, sure it's chilly and damp some, but wow, it's beautiful. I have some health and safety suggestions for the garden, when walking and for at home to share with you. I hope you find these helpful. On the topic of "habit", there is a new book out "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg that explores the science of making and breaking habits. Apparently, 40 percent of what we do in a day is pure habit. That's a lot of time and effort spent on "autopilot". What are we thinking and doing during that 40% of the day? and are we making the most of our time? Are we increasing our risk of danger, illness etc with bad habits? I have a bad habit of eating what I am cooking as I cook it. Impatience is a bad habit. I am definitely going to pick this book up.
In the Garden
I have had great success with using boiling water from the kettle instead of herbicides to get rid of weeds. Bamboo is one of the toughest weed opponents of all time. As soon as I spotted some trying to come up in our yard, I poured a kettle full of boiling water on it every morning for a couple days and defeated it. Try this on the weeds coming up between the cracks in the sidewalk, or between bricks on the deck instead of habitually thinking you need other chemistry. This is an interesting discussion.... http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/weeds/msg0415410828549.htm
Do get in the habit of cleaning your tools and putting them away after you are done in the yard. Watch your hands as you put things away and you'll have less of those "now where did I put that?" moments. Try not to let your mind wander and stay focused by saying to yourself, "this is where the shovel goes" or something to that effect so that your mind and body are on the same page. Muscle memory and habit can take off without you (meaning, your mind) and it's easy to not really be aware of what you are doing. I need to strengthen this habit to cover for me when I put anything away. I don't "loose" things nearly as often as I did before working in this habit of watching my hands.
Sharp tools, like hoes, shovels, pruners, etc make the work much easier. Less frustration makes for safer work. Dull tools can twist in your hands, throw off your timing and make you clumsy. Here is a good discussion on how to safely keep your tools sharp. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/newgard/msg060242177422.html
This may seem a bit simplistic, but establish the habit of washing your hands with soap, water and a nail brush when you come in from the garden. I didn't use a nail brush just once because I was focusing on the pizza I was about to eat and I ingested something from the outside that landed me in the emergency room with severe stomach problems. I was seriously sick for 5 days. Whatever went from the garden to my hands to my pizza to my stomach burned me inside, stomach bled, nearly passed out, etc. I could have easily been dead. Nail brush, always! (I should have been watching my hands)
I know a lot of gardeners do this but I have to advise against it. Don't garden barefoot, or in sandals. It's just too easy for a splinter or a sharp rock to open your flesh just enough to let the microbes into your bloodstream and then you're in the hospital fighting a blood infection. You get to choose your battles, so be comfortable with your trade offs. I don't want to battle that. I'm just a big "safety first" kind of girl. Walk barefoot in the cool grass if you want but not when you are churning up the soil and using sharp tools.
In the Kitchen
This is such an important part of life and it is so easy to get distracted. It is worth every effort to establish safe habits in the kitchen, such as
* keep everything organized for safety's sake. Pawing around in an overstocked drawer is very bad habit. Something sharp may find you first. Rooting around in the back of a dark shelf won't be dangerous if all the sharp and pointy objects are where they belong.
* use a slotted spoon when stirring anything liquid and hot. It's easy to splash it on you when stirring with a regular spoon. Also, turn the curve of the spoon away from you just in case the boiling splashes on you and you jerk your arm. That way the spoon will splash away from you not towards you.
* if you fry bacon often or seer meats in a frying pan consider getting a splatter screen. They also do a great job of keeping simmering sauces from splattering the cook top. My Grandma had a huge scar on her arm from bacon grease. It can happen to anyone.
* do not rush in the kitchen. Take the minute to wipe the floor if you spill something, if you're too rushed to wipe it up, you're too rushed to keep stepping over it and you'll slip, sure enough. What are the chances you'll slip with a boiling pot in your hands?
* don't let kids, pets etc come running through while you're cooking. It's just not safe. I know it's not really practical to make that a rule since everyone comes and goes through the kitchen door, but it doesn't take much imagination to imagine a really bad scenario. Do try to make it a habit for the entire household to not bother the cook.
* teach yourself the proper way to use kitchen knives and establish that good habit, then teach it to your kids. Here's a video on proper cutting technique. http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/chef_knife_skills_video.htm I've known a mom who kept her kitchen knives dull because she believed it was safer than having sharp knives in the house with kids. That doesn't teach the kids anything about the real world, kids can totally hurt themselves with a dull kitchen knife and it makes cooking a less safe chore. If kids are taught to respect tools and the sharp knives are safely stored, I think the entire household will be better served. For the knives that do not have a home in the knife storage block, save a toilet paper or paper towel tube, flatten it, fold and tape it into a sleeve for them. ( then decorate using..oh wait, default to Martha Stewart for that)
* read the instructions and use your appliances properly. Get in the habit of looking the device over as soon as you pull it out, checking if the cord is frayed and if you have all the parts. Especially if you haven't used the device in a while. Old appliances from yard sales or hand me downs are no bargain if they don't have the instructions with them.
* be careful with the blades of blenders, food processors and juicers. They're sharp and be especially careful washing them. Sharp objects in soapy dish water can't be seen so never put anything sharp into a cluttered kitchen sink or dish pan of soapy water. Be careful with glass drinking glasses, too. They can easily crack if set into the sink awkwardly. I put my hand in a cracked glass once to wash it and sliced my hand open. (boy was I mad, but the person who put the glass in the sink didn't know it had cracked. Maybe it cracked because something was put on it as it lay in the sink.) Establish a routine of setting the dirty dishes on the counter near the sink so the dishwasher knows what there is and can handle them him/herself. Presoaking the dirtiest of the dishes is helpful, but never put a knife or blade in there.
* steam will burn just as surely as boiling water. When lifting the lid off a boiling pot, tip the far edge up first to direct the initial heat wave away from you. It's a small movement but will save you from a hot blast in your face or on your hand and arm. Establish this good habit in place of the bad, autopilot habit of just lifting the lid.
I'll talk about food storage and refrigerator safety in another post.
When out walking
I see people walking, running etc out with traffic all the time with ear buds in. You are taking a huge chance that all of the drivers in all of the cars are actually paying attention to what they are doing. Much safer to be paying attention to what you are doing. At very least, keep swiveling your head to watch the traffic. Establish the habit of - at every driveway entrance and corner, turn your head around to see what's going on. Don't just look at the cars and their bumpers, look at the drivers. Is that person bopping to the radio or yelling at the kids in the backseat, or on the phone? Ear buds put you in a private space. Save it for when you get to the park or jogging track. You will loose every confrontation with a car you didn't see coming, pedestrian right of way notwithstanding.
About the turning your head part, how well you age is based on flexibility. Stay flexible and you stay young. So, do get into the habit of focusing on your neck, head and shoulder assembly as you check over your shoulder. You should be doing it all the time if you are out in the big world and that's a lot of repetitions. Think about pivoting your head as squarely to your shoulders and upright as possible and find the edge of your range of motion. Be gentile with yourself but work at keeping or even expanding your range if you can. Great habit to get into.
Get in the habit of keeping your posture erect, shoulders back, head up, butt tucked in, stomach muscles tight. Good posture is a safe and healthy habit. A curved spine, shuffley walk, stooped shoulders etc may be trendy or send the impression that you are a gansta, but it's unsafe. It's compromising your breathing and your ability to respond to a situation. A real gansta is probably sizing yo ass up to mug you. Stand up straight, your mamma told you, so you better do it.
Be listening for footsteps behind you. Be listening for what's going on in the yards and on the porches as you walk through the neighborhood. Establish this habit so you'll have it in case you hear something you need to do something about, like get out of the way. Once you have the habit of being aware of your surroundings you can slip into day dream mode knowing that the autopilot or habit part of your senses is paying attention. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door."
Enjoy the outdoors. There is no bad weather, just bad clothes.
Another great post!
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