{Eco Friendly White Linens}

Alchemy of sun, grass and wind. Drying and bleaching laundry ̶ called "grassing" ̶ was long a speciality of the Dutch countryside. The grass had to be clean, and the laundry had to be regularly moistened so that the drying would last several days in order to produce a brilliant white.

This bleaching of white linens I do recall too well, from when I was a little girl. Mom would use her galvanized watering can and I would tag along. All of a sudden this very hot summer I got the idea to repeat what Mom did back then. We had enough clean grass and plenty of sun...

My first Eco Friendly project. The cotton mattress cover got out to get bleached by the sun...

Napkins joined also in the eco friendly bleaching.

In THE BOOK OF FINE LINEN by FRANÇOISE DE BONNEVILLE you find on page 47 this painting from Pieter Bruegel (ca 1520-1569) in a detail from Flemish Market and Washhouse (Prado, Madrid).

This is the book and I can highly recommend this. A beautiful hardcover with glossy paper and a wealth of information. The Book of Fine Linen ←click it.

Another of my favorites is this book:

A WELL-KEPT HOME

Household Traditions and

Simple Secrets from a French Grandmother

{10 Things to Learn from Japan... after the Earthquake and Tsunami!}

It is now half a year ago since the Earthquake and Tsunami hit Japan. Since than, that brave people has taught us quite some lessons. We can only admire them and show our LOVE...

This is the gift from Neiman Marcus that I've bought and presented to the Mayor from our Sister-City of Osaki, Japan on my visit as a chaperon in July of 2007 (see {News from Our Sister-City Osaki in JAPAN + Join NISSAN with donation!} and {Japanese Yubikan from 1692 that I visited at Iwadeyama Osaki JAPAN, collapsed by earthquake}). A very appropriate glazed tile with metal tray and coasters with the word Love worked into the art.

1. THE CALM

Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY

Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

3. THE ABILITY

The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but did not fall.

4. THE GRACE

People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

5. THE ORDER

No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE

Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?


7. THE TENDERNESS

Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.


8. THE TRAINING

The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.


9. THE MEDIA

They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.


10. THE CONSCIENCE

When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly.

What a people! What a country! What a nation!

World should be watching and learn how to behave.

Even during the heat and humidity of summer, no one complained for conserving as much energy as possible... So much about really going GREEN!

♥♥♥

{Sacha All Boxed Up}

WHY are all felines crazy about boxes? Whenever we put a box in the garage for being taken to the recycle center, our felines claim it and start 'living' in them! Sacha all boxed up in this one...

She loves her new home!

~~O~~