Tag: I'm It! (and...the Tale of the Perfect Trash Can)

OK...I'm game! Kami from In A Cloud tagged me today. COOL! I'm happy to play!

Here are the rules:

1. Link the person who tagged you.

2. Mention the rules on your blog.

3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.

4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.

5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know that they have been tagged.

Okie doke...here goes...

First, Kami's blog is a food blog. And there are some pretty tasty treats within those pages, so check it out! A couple posts that have caught my eye are....Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Pops. I think I've died and gone to heaven! And, I have to admit, I want to try Kami's No-Fail Chocolate Chip Cookies, despite my feelings that I already have the greatest chocolate chip cookie recipe in the world. Seriously...I made LOUSY CC cookies until I came across the recipe I use. I've always wondered how Kami's recipe would compare. Someday I must try! Oh, and I have been eyeing the Hot Italian Rolled Sandwich on her blog. That looks ideal for making and bringing to an outdoor summer picnic/concert.

OK...onto the other stuff...6 unspectacular quirks about me. I'm going to keep them food/gardening related just so I feel justified to include this all here on the blog!

1. I never wear gloves while gardening. I have them, and I hate them. I have to feel the earth. I have to be able to feel the conditions of the soil, and the delicacies of plant stems. I simply feel I have so much more control over what I'm doing with bare hands. (I do have a few prickly weeds out back that will need gloves. Sadly, they're getting a bit tall because I never have gloves with me as I pass by them!!)
2. I've been hand-watering for years. I have an expensive, expansive custom watering system that I don't know how to hook up! When we put in our landscaping a few years ago, I had little remote watering stations put in throughout the yard. These are for custom drip irrigation systems. I bought all the tubes and pieces, and I know how to set all that up. I just can't figure out how to attach it all to the pipes! So I've been (GASP!) hand-watering for years.
3. I love to weed. Seriously, I do. I feel very joyful upon filling a bag or bucket with weeds.
4. I am quite anal about cooking with chicken. First the sanitary part....I control what it touches, touching as little as possible. I wipe areas with soapy paper towels and hot water. I spray it all down with a cold bleach mixture (Did you know that cold bleach water is more effective than hot?) afterward. Next, when cooking with chicken I MUST cut off all the gunk...the fat, the tendons...ALL of it. The trimming at the stores is generally not good enough. That is, until I found hand-trimmed breasts at Albertsons. They trim them right there in the store and for $1 more per pound, they do all the work for me. I've done my homework (actually weighing the gunk I cut off) and found it's cost-effective to pay more for de-gunked chicken breasts.
   
5. I still use sponges. LOVE THEM. They get one single project use, and then they are tossed into the dishwasher. Upon coming out of the dishwasher, they go right into the microwave for 2 minutes on high (to kill bacteria). Only then do they get rotated back into the drawer.
6. I'm a trash can snob. Yes, I am. This was decided a couple weeks ago when we were on a camping trip with some friends. My husband is a coffee and bean snob, my friend, Jen is a shoe snob. We determined that being a *snob* about something is deeper and stronger than just having a preference for it. You must truly be snobbish about it. So how am I a trash can snob? Settle back for a little story about my glorious trash can....

The Tale of the Perfect Trash Can

A few years ago, I was at my friend, Kay's home for her annual Christmas cookie exchange party. What caught my eye was not the array of scrumptious treats, but her trash can. Yes, I had trash can envy.

As soon as my little toe touched the pedal at the bottom, I was in love. All it took was a little tap...anywhere on the pedal. With most cans you have to put a lot of pressure on the pedal, or touch a specific spot. Not this baby. Just a tap...anywhere! The lid gently lifted (it didn't jerk backward like some). Inside were the rest of the trashcan treasures...

The trash bag does not show. Hallelujah! It has a simple hole in the back where you gather the excess bag, and TUCK IT IN! How novel!

Next, the trash can has a little shelf inside. This is so the hard plastic trash can liner can lift out of the can and rest upon the shelf as you change the bag. Once it's on the little shelf, the trash bag actually comes out of the liner with ease. It doesn't get stuck at the bottom (You know...when you tug and tug, and tear the top of your bag because you can't get the dang thing out??!). Easy release...love it! And, it uses regular ol' large kitchen trash bags.

Also...there is no metal handle to get in the way of removing the bag. The liner has discreet tab handles that let you lift it out. I always HATED those metal handles!

Oh, and the shape of the can. It's a semi-circle which allows it to be placed flush against a wall. No wasted space like the circular cans.

Customer service: OK, I'll admit...The hinges on our lid broke. I duct-taped them together and it worked, but it wasn't a long-term solution. So I called Simple Human and they are sending out a replacement lid at no cost to me. The trash can comes with a 5 year warranty. (But did I save the receipt that long?...sadly, no.)

And, to top it off, aesthetically it simply looks nice in the kitchen. It looks nice enough to have it out. They have newer models available which are made with a fingerprint-proof stainless finish. If I ever get another one, I will get that. The smudges are the only drawback (but I can wipe those away).

So, upon finding this glorious trash can, I put it on my Christmas wish list. It arrived wrapped with a bow on Christmas morning! I was truly, honestly, head-over-heals in love with my trash can! (Thanks, honey!!)

Now, onto tagging I go....Let's see whom I'll choose...hmmmm....

Notes From A Cottage Garden,
Dustpan Alley,
We Do It the Hard Way,
Garden Gnome Wanderings and Mom's Cafe Home Cooking (by the same blogger)
A Thousand Words