Whether it’s a patch of tomatoes, a potted plant in the living room, or a window box of flowers, you can put a lot of work and get a lot of joy out of tending to a little bit of nature all your own. But anyone with hard water issues ought to carefully consider how softening that hard water might affect your plants. The most common water softener systems use salt pellets and a process called ion exchange to soften water, but this process can ha… Read more

If you’re looking for hard water solutions or just learning more about your local water laws, you may be surprised to learn that some places have banned salt-based softeners! California law allows cities to ban them, Massachusetts and Texas have laws prohibiting the byproducts of salt systems from going untreated, and Scottsdale, Arizona has banned salt systems outright. There are a scattering of other cities that have banned salt syst… Read more

A hot drink is great for a cold spring morning, and a chilled drink is refreshing on a warm summer day, and the best drink for both is tea! So let’s talk about one of our favorites, Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Tea. This blue tea comes from Southeast Asia, and is famous for its bright blue color that changes to a darker blue or even purple when you add a hint of citrus. It has a light yet earthy flavor that goes well with a bit of… Read more

Buying your first home is a big step and will inevitably bring up a lot of questions and concerns. The areas in your home that are harder to see can oftentimes be the most anxiety producing, like the state of the homes plumbing. Knowing how to monitor your plumbing can both save you money and prevent future damage. Don’t let small mistakes compound into expensive problems. Here are 5 things you need to know about your new home’s plumbing. &… Read more