Five things to turn a lazy gal green

April 17, 1:23 AMSonoma County ExaminerLaura McHale Holland

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I languished on the couch the other day, expecting to spend the afternoon sipping tea and reading "Naked, Drunk and Writing," Adair Lara's latest book. But then I heard my husband, Jim. "Come outside, quick," he called from the yard. His urgency caused me to suspect a cougar had meandered from Sonoma Mountain to the branches of the maple in our back yard (highly improbable).

I dashed out barefoot. Jim pointed to the wisteria blooming atop the gazebo housing our neglected hot tub. Then I understood. Wisteria blooms come and go so fast, the lovely, lavender petals could be on the ground before nightfall. I darted inside, got the Nikon Coolpix, took a few shots.

Which brings me to the tarp, lawn furniture, and odds and ends piled on the tub.

Jim, who is no fan of hot tubs, said when we moved here if I wanted to use the thing, I'd have to maintain it. I dutifully dropped in at The Hot Tub Store on Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa and purchased about $35 worth of chemicals. Years later, they're still in my closet. Who wants to sit in a tank full of dissolved toxic beads anyway?

Which brings me to something I found in Real Goods' catalog yesterday: the natural hot tub cleaning bag. Drop it in your hot tub, and minerals control bacterial growth and purify the water for a year. Which led me to this list of five things to turn a lazy gal green:

1. That would be the natural hot tub cleaning bag.

2. Rechargeable batteries—plugging them in is far easier than recycling alkalines.

3. Watering globes—fill 'em, stick 'em in soil and they water plants for two weeks .

4. Wildflower seedballz—made of seeds, soil, fertilizers and clay. Just add water.

5. Anti-bug CF light bulb—lasts longer than an incandescent, and repels bugs to boot.

For plenty more ways to go green, drive a tad over the county line to Hopland. The Real Goods Solar Living Center is on the right just south of town.