Ever since we saw this house and decided to buy it, I always dreamed of hanging bamboo blinds on the living room and dining room windows. I also thought that bamboo blinds would look great in my office/study. Bamboo blinds are elegant, environment-friendly and they come in so many designs and shades. Little did I know that we’d be facing mold and mildew problems within weeks of putting up the blinds.

It’s not so bad with the bamboo blinds in my study where the mold infestation was minimal (that’s a real butterfly, by the way). But, downstairs in the living room and dining area, it was bad. The photo below shows the panel on the dining area window on the day it was installed. It doesn’t look that clean anymore. After molds started infesting the blinds, there are obvious dark spots.

I must note though that the blinds downstairs are of a different material — grass, not bamboo. The rains have really done a job on them.

The question, of course, is whether this is something natural and unavoidable. Are mold and mildew the price to pay for having beautiful natural blinds that are supposed to be almost maintenance free?

I think our first mistake was in buying ready-made blinds from China. They were so inexpensive, there were a lot of designs to choose from and, more importantly, they provided instant gratification. Custom-made blinds could take weeks to order and install. Meanwhile, we had solid wood furniture that was taking a beating from the hot afternoon sun. We needed blinds — fast. The thing is, within a week of putting them up, the rains began. It didn’t take long before we notice the moldy spots.

So, what lesson have I learned from all this?

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One of the posts of the gate that leads to the garden was designed with a planter on top. It’s empty right now.

A similar planter is on the post of the second floor veranda.

Of course, I don’t want them to stay empty. The thing is, these planters have no drainage. So, I can only plant them with something that likes a lot of water all the time.

The logical choice is the fortune plant. A third planter (near the front door) has a fortune plant that was already there when we moved in and which is now overgrown in every direction. I like fortune plants. But for these planters, I prefer a small flowering shrub that won’t die without well-drained soil. Mums are out. Zinnias too. I’m running out of ideas, to be honest. Suggestions are welcome.

When news reports about the alleged dangers of granite countertops (link points to a New York Times article — you may need to register for a FREE account to view it) in the kitchen came out several weeks ago, I knew it would be followed by press releases from the kitchen manufacturers claiming the exact opposite. And I was right. Granite countertops are perfectly safe, they said.

“A considerable amount of research has been published in peer-reviewed scientific literature and all of it comes to the same conclusion: the levels of radon emitted into the air from a granite countertop are not excessive and not showing any risk for the population in their homes,” said Dr. John McCarthy, president of Environmental Health & Engineering, a public health consulting firm in suburban Boston.

McCarthy, who holds degrees from Harvard University and Boston College and has overseen more than 2,500 indoor environmental quality assessments, said some news stories about radon and granite have failed to address the critical role that air dilution plays in testing, measuring and interpreting radon levels in homes.

“To properly measure radon, one must calculate the emission rate in connection with the area of granite and the volume of air in the home,” he said. “Much like paint fumes do, radon generally will dilute into a home’s air. These concentrated emissions will generally dilute down to harmless levels. To get even close to the type of dangerous levels of radon exposure that’s been reported in news articles recently, a consumer would have to completely seal off the room and stay in that room 24/7 — for 72 years.” [Housingzone.com]

It was going to be a propaganda war. Instead of panicking (yes, we do have granite countertops in the kitchen), I decided to read more about the topic and try to make sense of the information without paying too much attention on the war for profits.

An article from MedicineNet.com clarifies a few things. Thirteen types of granite, representing 85% of all granite types used for kitchen countertops in the U.S, have been tested and found safe. The problem is that those 13 types of granite hardly encompass all types of granite being sold for making kitchen countertops in the entire planet. The best move is to get one of those home test kits for radon to determine how safe the granite is that one has at home. Where to find one, I have no idea.

As far as I know, condiment saucers are very Asian. We Asians have this penchant for dipping sauces like patis (fish sauce), the mixture of soy sauce and kalamansi, bagoong (shrimp sauce) and a dozen other different things which we do not like to get mixed in with the food on our plates until we’re ready to put the food in our mouths. That makes it essential to serve the dipping sauces separately. Despite my spartan mentality when it comes to buying stuff for the house, I have this weakness for beautiful condiment saucers. Not that we have so many but the few pieces we have I am proud to say have been real gems.

The leaf-shaped (above) and shell-shaped (below) condiment saucers are the latest additions. Bought them at Shopwise supermarket earlier today. I love the colors, I love the shapes. As you may gave already guessed, I like the colors of nature.

There are others that I bought months ago…

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