Grasping at Straws

I've been busy, sick, tired, injured, and otherwise disinclined to post much lately. So here's a meme courtesy of Jana:

What kind of soap do you have in your bathtub/shower right now?
Safeguard for Mavis; Cetaphil normal-to-oily for my face (everyone should use this, since it's a) cheap; b) gentle; and c) water-soluble, leaving no residue); Skin Milk for my body.

What color or design is on your shower curtain?
The shower in our bathroom has a frameless glass door, 3/8" thick. The kids' tub/shower has a glass brick-patterned curtain, currently tucked up out of the way since none of them take showers yet.

What would you change about your living room?
Nicer coffee table, if we decide to keep having one (we go back and forth--I grew up without one); piano bench to match the piano; smaller-proportioned couch to match the loveseat I love; UV-blocking film for the north window to prevent further fading.

How many plants are in your home?
None. I would kind of like a carnivorous plant for the kitchen windowsill, but I'm not very good with houseplants. We have very few window coverings on the first-floor windows, so we don't lack for green things in view.

Are the dishes in the dishwasher clean or dirty?
Clean. Mavis does the dishes every night after the kids are in bed (though I think he should start doing them right after dinner and enlisting help from the boys), and I unload some time during the next day, often during dinner prep (I should get more help from the boys with this part, too).

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Glass.

Do you have iced tea, made in a pitcher, right now?
Something tells me this meme was originally composed in the summer. But no, and not even in summer. I prefer filtered ice water.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
Ah. Definitely summer. No, not currently, though sometimes in summer. But they are kind of heavy to schlep around at the farmers' market.

So, what is in your fridge?
Milk (organic nonfat and 2%), just over a pint of half-and-half, a pint of buttermilk, half a dozen eggs, chicken bones, carrots and celery (I'm out of chicken stock, so it's time to make it), parmesan rinds (hopefully I'll remember to toss them in the stock this time), film for the film camera we've stopped using and which I think is currently residing behind my dresser, an apple, an orange and a bag of locally-grown kiwis, half a butternut squash, two zucchini, half a bunch of scallions, peanut butter, whole wheat flour, rice flour, cornmeal, steel-cut oats, sweet cucumber chips, a dish of baking soda, tiny containers of chutney and raita from Indian takeout, Number One's leftover Subway sandwich, cooked chicken. I think (without looking) that's most of the stuff on the shelves. If you really want to know the vast array of seldom-used condiments in the door, let me know.

What’s on top of your refrigerator?
Surplus cereal, Hebrew alphabet magnets, fridge accessories we don't use (ice bin, two-liter-bottle holder).

White or wheat bread?
Whole wheat. Vita-Bee!

Comet or Soft Scrub?
I might have some ancient Comet (definitely Bon Ami, since it's non-abrasive) under a sink somewhere, but I rarely do any of my own cleaning. I think my cleaning lady and her crew use something like Soft Scrub, but a non-fuming version since they switched to greener cleaning products.

Is your bed made now?
The comforter is kind of pulled up, but not all the way. Our bed is never truly made by anyone other than the biweekly house cleaners, much to my mother's horror when she comes to visit.

Is your closet organized?
Sort of. It's not a huge walk-in closet, so it kind of has to be. It's overdue for a sorting and tossing, but there aren't random piles of stuff or anything.

Can you describe your flashlight?
We have a couple of the hand-crank/solar ones in a sunny spot, a mini maglite in the kitchen junk drawer, and a couple of small LED ones in various spots.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
Most of the clutter is in the basement, but the garage has a few things that could stand to be cleaned up, and a pile of sawdust left over from the construction of our eco-roof last spring.