This past week had a couple of meetings, a delivery, and lots of time to sew. But did I get anything done? Well, not really. I could have made a quilt top in all the time I had, but it was eaten up with household chores, some piddling around, and a fair amount of just wandering, not doing anything. I didn’t want to do the handwork on the wall hanging, saving that for the weekend. Nothing else seemed to capture my interest, so I petted the fabric, moved some things around, and tried to organize a bit of clutter. In the process, I challenged myself to find enough books, patterns and magazines to fill an empty box to go to our quilt show’s used book and magazine sale. I think I can fit a couple more in here.
Those days were raining and gloomy, perfect for watching old film noir movies and piddling around. The birds were not that pleased with the wet weather, but it didn’t deter this flock of goldfinches from chowing down.
I delivered the five spa bags that I could do with the supplies I had and a few things purchased to tide Safelight over until the next project is done. The post office tells me I have five letters on the way. Right now we sit at $830 on our goal of $1400. Thank you Debra B in New York, you didn’t give me an email address to let you know your incredible donation arrived. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far, including my sweet friend Jeani who handed me a donation at a meeting last week. I’ve ordered some bags, and this time I may try to deliver in smaller batches so they can have what they need sooner. See the Safelight Project 2024 for more information on how you can help.
I made a card to send to a friend who has moved away. She wrote to me that she sold her car, and has stopped driving. She has also given up travel, so it is likely that I will never see her in person again. But we’ll keep up with each other on the phone and in the mail.
In the garden, it is the time of year that I begin to think about what I want to do with the planter box, and make plans. A new calendar for the kitchen and an almanac to plan planting are essentials. I’ll begin looking at things to be done, when to plant, and what I want to add to the garden this year. Maybe I’ll finally get those forsythias I’ve been wanting.
I continue to be impressed by the things you can check out at the local library. I wanted to see the movie Barbie, just so I could know what all the hype was about. Amazingly, our library has a DVD, so we checked it out. All I can say is I am really glad that I didn’t spend any money to see it.
On the other hand, everyone should see Dark Waters, available on Prime Video, but also on DVD from the library. This true story about a chemical corporation’s cover up of toxic compounds causing disease really shocked and alarmed me.
The movie is based on a New York Times expose of the long legal battle lasting years. An excerpt from a subsequent article states “Chemists first created PFAS compounds in the 1930s, and the chemicals soon proved to be remarkably good at repelling water and grease. The American company 3M used PFAS chemicals to create Scotchgard, which protects fabric and carpets. PFAS chemicals put the nonstick in nonstick Teflon pans. Firefighters began putting out fires with PFAS-laced foam. It’s easy to encounter PFAS in our everyday lives, including in the dental floss we thread between our teeth and the food wrappers used in restaurants. They’re also harmful. Even low chronic levels of PFAS exposure have been linked to an increased risk of cancer, liver damage, low birth weight and reduced immunity.” These chemicals are also used to make blue jeans, are released into the air during manufacturing, and are unfortunately dumped into waterways as toxic waste. For someone who depends on a well and ground water, this is frightening. Want to know more? See THIS ARTICLE from the National Library of Medicine showing how far back the industry knew of the dangers, and yet covered it up. And THIS ARTICLE from the Environmental Protection Agency on what we know.
I was even more surprised to find that these poisonous chemicals are still being used in our non-stick cookware produced today. I believe that mine has it, plus the coatings are getting a bit scratched, which is not good. I gathered my cookware and put it in a box in the garage to take to the trash. These cannot be recycled, and putting them in a landfill may contaminate that too, but there is nothing else I can do.
I started using my cast iron skillets, Corningware, slow cooker and glass baking dishes, and began a search for ceramic lined cookware that was free of these three things – PTFE, PFOA and PFOS (the three most studied of the PFAS category). This is not as easy as it sounds. Many sets do not state that they are free of all three of these things. I ended up with a new Cuisinart set, and it should arrive this week. But if you have older non-stick cookware, consider replacing it for your health. Here’s a link to a search that may help, but be sure to read the specifications to be sure the one you choose is free of all three – Toxin Free Ceramic Cookware on Amazon. See the movie, then you can decide.
So we end today’s post on a brighter note, there is a new series on Netflix well worth the time. It is All The Light You Cannot See based on the book of the same name. If you a fan of Nick Park’s Chicken Run movie, there is a new sequel called Chicken Run Dawn of the Nugget that is a fun way to spend your time. There is also a ‘making of’ special, both on Netflix. If you have Turner Classic Movies, catch the wonderful documentary series called The Power of Film, examining the commonalities of iconic movies. Then, the next season of All Creatures Great And Small has started on PBS on Sunday evenings. It is Super Wild Card Weekend for football, and I’ll be working on the wall hanging today.
Enjoy your weekend!
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From My Carolina Home 
I love my cast iron! We have pieces approaching 100 years old and they are as “non-stick” as any of the modern pans. Enjoy the experience.
I will watch the movie and thank you for the links to the information on these chemicals. I also have cast iron cookware and glassware I can use. My regular pans are getting scratched and now I will put them aside and look deeper into the brands. Aren’t libraries wonderful and full of knowledge.
Thank you for all you do.
Another reason to love my cast iron pans. Thanks for all the info you shared. Enjoy wild card weekend. I think I am also going to watch while I bind a quilt.
Good morning. I hope today your football teams perform well and entertain you at the same time. I have a set of stainless steel cookware I got in 1974 and other than replacing a handle or a know every 15 years or so, they are going strong, but not non stick. I use a lot of corningware from the same era along with those wonderful pyrex baking pans. I used to take leftovers in those plastic containers to work and reheat in the microwave for lunch. I’ve learned since I retired that doing so may release plastic toxin into the food. Now all reheats get a glass or corningware container. I worry about those things we use that are not manufactured in the USA. We have finally got strict requirements, but it’s open season in foreign locals for business . I hope you like your new cookware. I have a new Cuisinart air fryer and they make a high quality product. Now, time to throw away that one pan I fry my breakfast eggs in every day. 😦
I found another Consumer Reports article that is also enlightening – You Can’t Always Trust Claims On Non Toxic Cookware. But I think even if it is manufactured outside the US, they still have to comply with US law.
Yes – better living through chemistry was the plan in the 1960’s and 70’s. Now we see the consequences. We have Chemours right here in Wilmington, NC doing the same thing.
Check out Funny Woman which came on right after All Creatures.
Your Safelight project is truly inspiring.
Carole, I watched the ‘Barbie’ movie yesterday afternoon. My thoughts are the same as yours ~ Thank goodness I didn’t pay to see this movie. As for ‘Dark Waters’, I have seen that movie and enjoyed it very much, scary though the things we learned. I’m down to one Teflon-coated pan. Also, I got rid of my plastic containers and replaced them with glass. Enjoy the games today. Hope the weather doesn’t interfere too much.
Nothing wrong with piddling around 😉 on occasion. It’s hard to escape all the hazardous things around us, especially as they’re often promoted as being beneficial. We just do the best we can with the information we have and hope the information is truthful. Enjoy your handwork, I’m off for some knitting with friends at the coffee shop where I’m hoping the most hazardous thing is the calories in all those delicious treats I’ll by looking at while I sip my black coffee. It’s OK, I prefer my coffee straight.
Carole, you share the best information! For your next movie night, check out Society of the Snow on Netflix…a true story from the 70’s of a plane crash.
I looked it up online, and I will pass. I really don’t want to watch anything that will give me nightmares, or that involves such extreme measures to stay alive.
I prepped some fabric/batting for retreat, so I hope to get a few things done for you and will send some cash along with them. Hooray for the fabulous response to date! Oh, and yuck on the pans, I have one ceramic but a few others I should discard. I will need to check when I am with them again!
I looked up my waffle baker this morning, and it will have to go as well. It is a few years old and in good condition, but it has PFOS in the coating. Just about all my pans had scratches, even though I only use plastic utensils in them.
Thank you Carole for the info that you have gathered. That is truly alarming. Enjoy a cozy Sunday!
I had to laugh at what you said about the Barbie movie! Now I’ll have to go see if our library has it. We love All Creatures Great and Small – so glad it’s back on. Thanks for the info about cookware from the documentary – another thing to check on. Hope you have an enjoyable Sunday, Carole!
I have a couple of spa sets ready to go, so will get them off to you this week. I am fortunate in my pans…I bought a set of “Homemakers Guild” when I was in the 8th grade, and use them every day. They are stainless steel, and as near as I can find, the comparable set would be over $750 today!😮 I paid $250 for them, and made $30 payments for 9 months! (I was rich from doing 2-3 milking shifts and feeding bottles to the baby calves for $7/week!)😂 I hope you love your new pans though!
A great catch up post, Carole. Dark Waters scares me, just from the title. It was 10 yrs ago this past week when our water was contaminated by a chemical company’ s residual waste from leaking tanks, and we knew it (the smell and taste of water), and it was confirmed. The scariest thing is all the times all the chemical plant companies which used to be part of our river valley from the 40s through the 80s (Carbide, DuPont, Monsanto, FMC) did NOT admit what they were spilling into our rivers. I can remember my dad’s car being pitted from the Carbide chemicals (he worked there). We used to be the armpit of the nation. Most are no longer in operation.
Love seeing the birds, and dreaming of spring! Have a good week. We got a little snow today (easy to blow off before the sun melted it as the temps begin to fall), and are expecting a few inches by Tues. Stay cozy!
Good info but sad to say most people on the outside( those not on your blog) have no idea what “they” have been doing to us for years. It is no wonder why there are so many of our friends and neighbors are so sick. God! help us get this world cleaned up .
All the Light you don’t see, is also a book. A good read and the movie is very similar if you can’t find the book. I have been looking for a replacement for my 8 inch skillet. My Revere ware one sticks too much. It isn’t teflon coated but I can’t seem to season it will like my cast iron ones. Guess I will invest in a smaller iron skillet or put up with my revere ware one.
Some days are just like that — go with them when you’re lucky enough to get them!
We hear a lot about PFAS here in Michigan, with so many inland and the Great Lakes. Environmental agencies in the state are really focusing on this. The closest to my lake is connected to Camp Grayling, the National Guard Post, 20 miles away. It’s definitely a concern.
I love the library so much! Any book, magizine, movie, document I want – just ask! They will find it. I needed a special medical report from the Univ of Colorado and they apologized for charging me 75 CENTS for the postage!
The movie: we have friends who are battling illnesses varified to have been caused from this and thank you for sharing awareness of this issue to be addressed.
Large corporations can do so much to keep the truth from us. I worked in healthcare before retirement and remember opioids being introduced. Very sad how big pharma was able to prevent the public from the dangers of these drugs. A “do what you want” week might be just what you needed. I’ve been trying to purge sewing supplies a little at a time and keep up with two BOM projects that turned out to be block of the week. I think mine will remain BOM. LOL. Have a great week!
Thanks for all the interesting info. With the completion of my new kitchen, I’ll be reevaluating my cookware.
The Netflix movie All The Light You Can Not See is awesome! Both my husband and myself watched it together.
All the Light You Cannot See is excellent! Like Michele above, my husband and I also watched it together. Thanks for the scoop on the toxic chemicals. I am looking into new cookware as well since many of mine are scratched. Totally agree with you about the Barbie movie, and I come from the era that played with Barbies. Like most of the country, it is cold in Ohio and good quilting weather, but I can’t seem to get much done either. I’m trying to practice ruler work with the free Angela Walter’s dot-to-dot video challenge. It is quite fun and informative.
I donated my old pots & pans to a charity that helps homeless families furnish apts or homes.
I thought about donating them, but if they are toxic to me, I wouldn’t want to expose anyone else to that.