i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;
this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:
and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth.

e.e. cummings

Photography by Denise Blasor

TOILET TALK


Earth is in trouble:  pollution, global warming, severe droughts,
vanishing bee colonies, contaminated bodies of land and water,
diminishing fish stocks, depletion of natural resources, these
are just some of the issues the planet is facing.

As nations delay what needs to be done to handle these serious
concerns, we, as individuals,  need to get in the act. In fact, as
consumers we have a tremendous power to shape the
marketplace of supply & demand by buying products that are
mindful of the environment.

One such product is Scott Naturals Tube-Free Bathroom Tissue.

Bathroom tissue typically comes rolled up around a paper tube
but the Scott company hired engineers to develop a tubeless
toilet paper roll.

So what's the big deal?

According to the company, some 17 billion cardboard tubes
are thrown out each year and the tubeless toilet paper roll is
one way to cut down on this huge amount of waste.

Most of the tubes that are thrown out each year are not
 even recycled but end up in landfills and even sewage
 systems because of people who flush them down the toilet.

The tube-free toilet tissue is currently sold at Walmart but
as demand grows it is sure to be carried by many other
stores as well.

Scott Naturals Tube-Free Bathroom Tissue Mega Rolls,
400 sheets, 12 rolls for $8.87, or four rolls for $2.97.

   

Photography by Denise Blasor

 The hardest thing to see
is what is in front
of your
eyes.

Goethe

THE SIMPLE VEGANISTA

If you like trolling the internet for interesting
blogs about food, here is one worthy of your
attention: The Simple Veganista, devoted to
the vegan lifestyle.

In welcoming visitors to her site, creator Julie West

notes that  "Eating vegan is not about restrictions,
it's about creating new habits, healthy habits
that encompass the world around us making it a
better place for all."

Her recipes are simple and from the looks of
the pictures illustrating her choice dishes,
quite delectable.

So check it out: even if you don't turn into a vegan,
there are recipes you might like to incorporate into
your cooking repertoire for variety and health.

www.thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com

 A journey of a thousand miles
must begin
with a single step.
Lao Tsu

FISHMONGER ON LOIZA STREET

San Juan -- They call him Mr. Fish but his real name is
Nelson Lebrón and if you are looking for fresh fish,
then head over to Loiza Street where he keeps
shop on the street, au plein air, on Thursdays and
Saturdays.

 The fish is plucked from the sea by fishermen from
the town of Naguabo, on the eastern side of Puerto Rico.
Lebrón buys it at a fishtore located on that town's seafront;
he heads there early in the morning, just when the
fishermen are coming in with their catch. Then it's off
to San Juan to sell the fish.

He can usually be spotted on the block that is home to the
Banco Popular branch and Ferreteria Madrid, the hardware
store, across from Church's Chicken, or he might be a little
further up, outside the pawn shop on the corner of Jefferson
and Loiza St.

He waits for people to spot him, or maybe he'll approach
you and politely ask whether you might be interested in
some fresh fish.

The choice is varied: there's mahi-mahi, red snapper, grouper,

he may even have shrimp  and lobster, everything individually

wrapped in plastic bags stored in foam coolers filled with ice.
He also carries coconut arepas and pastelillos de chapin (trunk-
fish) made by a Naguabo cook.

Mr. Fish is an amiable fellow. He's been doing this for a long

time and he seems to have gotten to know many of the people
who frequent this section of Loiza St. where he does business.

And people have gotten to know him too. He was recently
written up in a blog devoted to Loiza St. He is definitely
a part of the street's charm.

But if you're looking for fish, don't come too late. Once
he starts selling around 10 a.m., it goes fast. And once the
last bag is sold, he's out, gone, and back to his home in
Naguabo.

One word frees us
of all the weight and
pain of life;
that word is love.

Sophocles

Photography by Denise Blasor

 ⓒ  2014 Lorraine Blasor All rights Reserved☂

FUN with COLLECTING

POSSESSING. THINGS.
Put those two words together and you have a very common human habit that finds expression in collecting objects of all sorts. What makes collecting such fun is that it can be so much more than mere accumulation. Depending on the object of one's fixation, collecting may entail arduous search and study, not to mention travel and even lots of cash. That, of course, is serious collecting. But then there is a type of collecting that doesn't entail too much effort, or expense.  Like for example, you might choose to collect round objects you find on the streets, like marbles, balls, plastic spheres in all sizes and colors. Or at the beach, you might pick up all sorts of pretty shells and show them off in a glass dish coupled with other small trinkets, perhaps
 even intriguing little items

A collection of all things round

 you find lost on the
 street. If you like
books, you could
 collect multiple
versions of a title
you are particularly
 fond of, say different
 editions of "The Owl
 & The Pussycat,"
 that delightful piece
of nonsense poetry
by Edward Lear.
Or maybe you admire
a particular artist; then go for any
book devoted to that artist and stack them
all together as a colorful book tower.
Any way you approach it, building a collection can be very a very satisfying and entertaining activity.You can collect haphazardly or methodically, but whatever you collect can become part of your home decor to enjoy and share with friends as a conversation piece.

Artwork by Lorraine Blasor

The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to,
and I paint always whatever passes through my head,
without any other consideration.
Frida Kahlo
                                                               

➽ EYE ON PRODUCTS 
Two consumer products stood out recently. One
is a can of organic whole peeled tomatoes sold under the
Muir Glen brand and available in San Juan
at Supermax de Diego. What's special
about this product is that the can does not contain
BPA(Bisphenol A), a hormone-disrupting chemical
that can cause hormonal changes and reproductive
abnormalities. Used to make plastic bottles, BPA
also serves to line the inside of metal food and
soda cans, including infant formula. Concern that BPA
leaches out of the can liner into food and drink has
spurred some companies to seek other alternatives
(alas, those too might pose hazards). The
28 oz Muir can retails for $2.77.

The second product is a toilet paper made from
renewable sugarcane husk and bamboo and
whitened with H202, a non-chlorine based
bleach. It is distributed by Walgreens under
the brand name Ology and retails for about
$3 for a package containing 4 rolls.

Artwork by L. Blasor

I AM HOARSE FROM SILENCE.

Theodore Roethke

THEATER IN THE DARK in L.A.

Darkness has a way of magnifying the human voice and
stirring up the mind's ability for visualization. It's also
the magical ingredient in a unique theater experience at
the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles which is enthralling
audiences with its current production: "Beyond Dark: The
Best of Theatre in the Dark."

The 90-minute production, staged in a pitch-dark auditorium,
revolves around 17 pieces by different authors and spanning themes
of horror, death, and sex. Each piece is brought to life by a
12-member cast who use night goggles and overhead cables
to navigate the dark stage. In a review published in the
ActorsEntertainment website, Kristina Nikols writes that
"the unique nature of the event's staging lends
itself most successfully to the horror pieces...The visceral
experience heightens the overwhelming sense of fright
and leaves the audience very uncomfortable."

"Beyond Dark" plays Friday through Sunday
until February 9. Check odyssey theater.com for more
information on this critically acclaimed production.

Photography by Denise Blasor

 Behind the sheltering sky is a vast dark universe,
and we're just so small.

-Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky

Copyright ©2013 Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved✍