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Replies to: Random Questions
Cake: I'd go for the cake instead of the cupcakes. Cake is usually moister in the first place, and the area exposed to air is much, much smaller.
Eggs: just about everything is good for longer than it is labelled. An older egg is lighter because the fluid inside gradually evaporates, leaving a larger air gap, which is why older eggs are easier to peel and better for deviled eggs. And I just looked at the time and realized that I MUST get off CC and get to the feed store to buy chicken food.
I have this fantasy of raising some baby ducks in my very tiny (about 50 feet deep by 60 feet long) fenced back yard, and then letting them fly away and go be ducks in the world before the HOA drops the hammer on me for having livestock in my backyard.
Since I'm a conscientious animal person, this has remained a fantasy until I can find some concrete evidence of this being
A. do-able.
B. ludicrous
Thoughts?
Why do people wear outdoor shoes inside their homes? As a guest, I've noticed more shoes off requests, which I am happy to oblige; however, I frequently go to homes where it is common to keep shoes on. Common sense tells me that it is not sanitary to spread all the nastiness of the outside world into my personal space at home. Why do others not have a problem with it? I am also assuming that homeowners routinely vacuum and mop their floors and yet have no problem messing up their clean floors by wearing their outdoor shoes. How come? Not trying to judge. Just trying to understand something that makes no sense to me.
I am pretty sure it is a duck in my fireplace. Our house is such that squirrels and raccoons really aren't able to get on the roof. We did have a duck come down the chimney before; and I noticed some flying around the back garden early this morning.
Motherofdragons: a friend raised ducks in her yard. They did not fly away. When they moved, they bought a place with a pond for the ducks.
I was questioning this the other day when my sister accidentally stepped in overlooked dog poo in our yard. She was unaware and proceeded to walk throughout my house while helping to unload groceries. I spent all morning scrubbing my floors and was thinking it could have been completely avoided if she had taken her shoes off at the entrance. Who knows how many times I've stepped in something and walked into someone else's home and contaminated it. I don't like to keep my shoes on when I'm a visitor because it seems unsanitary; at the same time, I don't want to be shoeless if it's a shoes on home.
All this to say, doesn't it just make sense for the common practice to be that you don't wear outdoor shoes inside homes?
I think there is more awareness these days. If you had friends with a strong Japanese culture, your shoes would be off. Similarly, my D's future MIL lives in Vermont and everyone changes shoes when they come in there. Everyone has a mudroom to deal with snow, ice, and mud. She said that children grow up always removing their shoes after they come in.
Motherofdragons: I am not a duck expert. I have exactly one data point.
Where I live now everyone I know leaves shoes on. I'm odd in that I feel most comfortable in shoes. I put slippers on after my bath but otherwise I wear shoes inside. Obviously if shoes were muddy I would remove them as would any guest.
Now, when we were over there and visiting people in their homes,we took our shoes off.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=5177409&page=1
I also feel comfortable in shoes. I take old running shoes that are no longer effective for running and give them a thorough wash. I take a sharpie and mark them as "Indoor" so I don't confuse myself. I wear them exclusively indoors and change out of them when going outside.