• Plants & Happiness

    The Four Surprising Physical Benefits of House Plants

    Peace Lily in Bloom, The Four Surprising Physical Benefits of House Plants, Karen Hugg, https://karenhugg.com/2021/12/14/physical-benefits-houseplants/(opens in a new tab), #peacelily, #houseplants, #benefits, #cleanair, #mentalhealth, #stressrelief, #stress, #happiness, #indoor, #plants

    It’s January and we’re spending lots of time indoors. That means artificial heat, little daylight, and more inhalation of polluted air that contains volatile organic compounds. The first two conditions lead to drier skin and lowered immunity against diseases like colds and the flu. The third, inhalation of VOCs, can lead to respiratory issues, headaches, dizziness, hormone disruption, and even organ damage and cancer. VOCs are nasty. They’re the toxic fumes and dust emitted via gases from furniture, carpets, paint, and plastics. We can’t see or smell them. They’re barely…

  • Plants & Gardening

    A Little Problem Solved with a Peace Lily Plant

    Peace Lily, A Little Problem Solved with a Lovely Plant, Karen Hugg, https://karenhugg.com/2019/01/30/peace-lily-plant/ #dogs #indoorair #plants #BelgianShepherd

    In Spring several years ago, we adopted a big black dog. He was a Belgian Shepherd mix about six months old with pointy ears and a pointy nose, the largest dog my husband and I had ever owned. I’m 5’6” and he came up to my mid-thigh. Since all of our dogs have had or have names that start with vowels, Arrow, Iris, Olive, we named him Ezekiel. With a brassy bark and sharp brown eyes, he looked more like a Zeke so we started calling him Zeke. Zeke liked…