HOBBIES

CATS & ANIMAL WELFARE

I love my cats! I share pics and stories about them just a little.

It is my big plan to buy a home one day and foster kittens to help the humane society and other animal welfare organizations...


COOKING

I started cooking before the age of ten. My parents worked in the city and I'd prepare dinner to help out. The problem was I only knew how to cook wieners & beans or mr. noodle soup lol... Eventually, my mom and step father decided to teach me how to cook stir-fry. They began introducing me to other meals that required minimal to moderate prep work. I would get the ingredients prepped, then my step father and I would cook the meal together, when he got home.

I always helped out in the kitchen when I was a kid. I didn't like cleaning up, but I loved cooking! I still do! But, as I got older my relationship with food changed and my desire to cook only comes in waves now. It is my goal to get back to making real food and sharing that wholesomeness with you here.


FISH KEEPING

When I was growing up my Dad kept fresh water fish and turtles. He also kept newts and crabs. And he called the 75 gallon aquarium his "wildarium". When I moved out on my own in my twenties, my dad offered the big aquarium to me. I'd been taking care of it most of my teenage years. He'd help, and mostly bought the fish. But I regularly cleaned it out and rearranged the aquascape. It becomes quite meditative when working with underwater design.

From there on I had the 75 gallon aquarium set up in my apartments for over ten years. He handed it down to me when I moved out on my own. But it was old, and eventually started leaking. It was also too big when I considered downsizing to a one bedroom apartment. So, for a while it was retired to my dad's garage. And he recently sold it to make to declutter his home.

When I first moved into my current apartment I still had a beta fish. I upgraded him to a 5 gallon tank to give him more space. Then I bought a few smaller tanks because I missed keeping tetra's. I finally ended up buying a 36 gallon bow front aquarium with stand and it's the perfect size for the amount of fish I wanted to keep. I deconstructed the others and sold one. After a couple of years, the original beta died. And when my tetra stock had dwindled a little bit I added a new beta to the 36 gallon. It has clown places, black neon tetra's, albino and pepper Cory catfish and zebra danios. The sound of the flowing water relaxes me and it's very satisfying to watch all the fish living their best lives in a cozy community tank.


HAIR & SKIN CARE

I like making my own hair and skin care creations, experimenting with new ideas often. I wear little to no makeup and as of summer 2020 I've begun embracing my naturally curly hair. I am sharing my hair journey both here and on Instagram.

I started off making lip balm and deodorant. Then I started making salves, facial oils and other skin and hair care items. At one point I thought I could make a business out of it. Mostly because others suggested the idea when I'd share my creations. But I learned that the business aspect of it was not for me. I have gained a ton of knowledge about skin and hair structure as well as lists of good and bad ingredients and I shop like a educated guru now! I choose natural/mostly organic brands whenever I can.



HOUSEPLANTS & GARDENING

I absolutely love houseplants! So much so that I keep my apartment warm and humid like a rainforest. I inherited a green-thumb from my late grandmother. She always kept African Violets and succulents (mostly cacti) in her sunroom. I have always had at least a cactus and common houseplants. But over the last few years I have educated myself on the many species of tropical plants that can be kept indoors and I've created quite the small collection so far.

Every year I try to grow a few vegetables in containers on my balcony. But the yields have been minimal and mostly, distasteful. Growing abundant/adequate produce requires a lot more tweaking than maintaining happy lush houseplants.

I learned about combining aquaculture with agriculture, a concept called Aquaponics. I am eager to buy a home one day for the sole purpose to build on a sunroom with a small fishpond connected to a few rows of raised garden beds. It's a system that would allow me to grow organic produce throughout the year. For a brief explanation about this topic you can go Here or Here.

I created the hashtag #greenrootsoasis and I plan to open a shop selling houseplants under that business name. Stay tuned for more information about that venture!

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