Before moving on to the more glamorous spring harvests of asparagus, sweet peas, and strawberries, let us first praise the pastured farm egg. That’s right: Eggs, too, have a season.
Spring has long represented the beginning of a new cycle, and eggs are the epitome of rebirth.  Easter egg huntshave their origins in ancient Pagan spring traditions associated with the Goddess of Fertility.

In natural conditions, hens’ egg production is dependent on hours of daylight. During short winter days, egg production slows down drastically or even stops. Come spring, longer days spur egg production. Plus, increased sunlight means lots of new growth for the hens to graze. Even the organic “free-range” eggs that you can buy in grocery store are fed grains and are rarely, if ever, allowed to peck and forage grass or bugs. Common sense tells us that chickens that eat healthier, more diverse diets produce more nutritious eggs, and recent studies  confirm this traditional wisdom

First-time eaters of eggs from pastured chicken immediately recognize how different they are from their caged-hen-produced counterparts. Charming on the outside, they range in color from blue to brown, some with freckles and others with textural bumps. The vivid mango-colored yolks are startling at first, and when you crack them in a pan the yolks stand up high, rounded and firm. Your troubles of breaking the yolk when frying or poaching eggs, or when separating eggs from whites, are virtually over, since farm fresh eggs are stronger, denser, and more intact. Restaurant cooks and pastry chefs love pastured eggs for this reason. And let us not forget their superior taste. The eggs are richer and tastier, reflecting their grassy terroir.

Egg It On

As people increasingly participate in feeding themselves, backyard chickens are becoming more common in cities across the United States. In some cities like my neighboring Durham, North Carolina, citizens have successfully organized to overturn rules forbidding urban hens.  The benefits of backyard hens are many, including mosquito and tick control, providing fertilizer for backyard gardens, and increasing household food security.

Much roosting, but no roosters.

Photo: April McGreger

Backyard eggs also stimulate neighborhood-scale barter economies. In my baking-oriented household, eggs are as good as hard currency. Our most recent negotiation involved farm eggs in return for one of my husband’s paintings; and we’ve been known to trade anything from kimchi to cooking lessons to banjos for them. Trade economies foster relationships and strengthen communities.
The internet offers a plethora of information to help you raise your own urban hens with no less trouble than a cat or a dog, but with the added benefit of fresh eggs. But you don’t need to create a “barnyard in your backyard” to enjoy spring eggs. Early-season farmers markets typically offer sufficient eggs to supply even the latest riser; and flock-tending neighbors are likely looking for a good trade.

Once procured, the freshest eggs need little adornment, but a few simple techniques deliver transcendence. Soft scrambled eggs on buttery toast are a revelation to many. Somewhere along the way, I learned to toss a few tiny cubes of very cold butter into my eggs to produce super creamy eggs without ultra-slow cooking. (You still want to use only moderate heat, however.) A perfect 6-minute, soft boiled egg on tender spring lettuces with chewy chunks of bacon and sharp vinaigrette is worthy of stellar glass of wine and a starched white tablecloth—but requires neither. A bowl of buttery, artisanal grits with an over-medium egg and a drizzle of red-eye gravy is perfection. Decidedly restrained devilled eggs made with only a bit of powdered mustard, the finest grated shallot, a dab of homemade mayonnaise, salt, and snipped chives are my go-to spring potluck dish. More elaborate dishes, such as quiches, savory bread puddings, and frittatas, combine fresh spring produce and farmstead cheeses with pastured eggs for elegant casual dinners and lazy brunches.

For home bakers, an abundance of high-quality eggs invites new perspective as well. So often relegated to the supporting role, now is the egg’s turn capture the spotlight. This calls for egg-y custards, buttery curds, and meringue pies. I can think of no better ode to the spring egg than a vibrantly yellow lemon meringue pie. Just add a bouquet of butter-yellow daffodils and the sound of chirping birds for an instant spring garden party.

Spring Onion, Bacon & Herb Bread Pudding

Slice o’ spring

Photo: April McGreger

I first enjoyed a version of this deeply satisfying and beautiful savory bread pudding baked in the bread crust as a staff meal made by my friend Monica Segovia-Welsh when we worked together in the kitchen at Chapel Hill-based Lantern. This recipe is meant to be a guide, as it is endlessly adaptable to whatever moves you at the market. It is delicious made with mushrooms or asparagus or various greens and is equally at home on the brunch or the dinner table. Serve alongside a salad with mustard-laced vinaigrette.
1 loaf of day old country or sourdough bread or 5 cups 1 ½” bread chunks

Filling
5 slices bacon, chopped OR 3 Tbsp olive oil
6 young spring onions, scallions, or small leeks, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 fresh eggs from pastured hens
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup Gruyere, Fontina, or other melting cheese, grated
2 Tbsp Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Topping
1/4 cup grated Gruyere or other melting cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut a circle out of the top a round loaf of sourdough or country bread. With your hands, hollow out the bread, leaving the sides and bottom of the crust intact. Cut or tear the bread into 1 ½-inch pieces. Measure 5 cups of the bread chunks and set aside. Reserve the leftovers for another purpose. If your bread is fresh, toast it in the oven for a few minutes to dry it out.

Butter the inside of the hollowed out bread bowl or a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.

If using the bacon, sauté it in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Saute’ the spring onions in the bacon drippings (or olive oil) for 3-5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, parsley, and thyme and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the custard, in a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cheese. Toss the bread with the custard. Then stir in the spring onion mixture and the reserved bacon. Fill the buttered bread mold with the bread custard filling. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and place on a baking sheet to catch any overflows. If you have any leftover filling, you can butter a small ramekin and bake it separately.

Bake until the custard is no longer runny, about 45 minutes. If the top starts to get too dark before the custard is fully baked, cover with aluminum foil.

The dish is delicious hot or at room temperature.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Pie oh my

Photo: April McGreger

Come spring, my Southern roots demand all sorts of little celebrations. I want garden parties complete with daffodils and tulips, minted iced tea, chicken salad tea sandwiches, devilled eggs, salads of tender butter lettuce and chive dressing, and most of all I want dramatically swooped & mounded lemon meringue pies. I am partial to the intoxicating fragrance of Meyer lemons but they offer a slightly sub par pucker to the standard lemon.One pre-baked 9-inch pie crust (see the crust recipe from this previous column.)

Lemon Curd
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 large eggs
4 egg yolks
Pinch salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces

Swiss Meringue
1/2 cup egg whites, (3-4 whites)
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Pulp of ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped

To make the curd, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Turn down to a steady simmer. Combine the sugar and the lemon zest in a stainless steel bowl and rub together between your fingers. Whisk in the lemon juice, eggs, yolks, and salt. Place the bowl over the simmering water and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk or rubber spatula until the mixture is very thick, coats the back of a spoon and/or registers 170 degrees F on an instant thermometer.

Set the mixture aside, stirring occasionally until it cools slightly, about 7 minutes. Then whisk in the butter 1 Tablespoon at a time until it is thoroughly melted. I like to use an immersion blender or food processor to do this, especially if I am doing a larger batch.

Fill pie or tart shells immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to one week. The curd is also delicious with toast or scones.

To make the meringue, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Turn down to a steady simmer. Combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean pulp in a the bowl of a stand mixer or other stainless steel bowl. Rest the bowl securely on the rim of the saucepan of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Whisk the egg whites over the water until they are hot to the touch (around 120 degrees F). Remove from heat and beat with a whisk attachment until the mixture is thick and holds stiff, glossy peaks.

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Just a reminder: I'm at the Earth2Tech Green:Net '09 conference all day today. It looks like about half the people here are media, but if you don't find the dozens of other outlets for commentary sufficient, you can follow along with the action on my Twitter feed.

(Needless to say, Earth2Tech also has extensive coverage.)

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All day tomorrow (Tuesday) I'll be at Green:Net, a greentech conference sponsored by the excellent blog Earth2Tech.

Specifically, the conference will be about how the tools that created the net and net architecture will help to revolutionize energy. You can check out the line-up here. Looks like there's a big appetite for this stuff -- the event is completely sold out.

The entire day is packed. You can follow the play-by-play on my Twitter feed; I'll try to do some kind of wrap-up on the blog later this week.

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Monday I wrote "Ignore NYT's Green Home column."

I was critical both of the author Julie Scelfo and Eric Corey Freed, the author of Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies. But having corresponded with Freed, it seems that his recommendations were taken somewhat out of context. He in fact provided a rough list of 20 things to do.

So I asked him for his list, which he cleaned up a bit (reprinted below). I am not going to number this list because the list is not in any particular order and in any case every home is different.

The list pretty much covers the vast majority of my recommendations. I do think that for those who want a truly green home, you'll want to get 100 percent renewable power from a local certified provider if you can, but that should be done in concert with the efficiency measures below. I also recommend getting your home tested for dangerous pollutants.

Finally, there is one technology I had never heard of until I hired someone to help green my home a few years ago. That is a "Drain-Water Heat Recovery" system, featured in the picture. It costs a few hundred dollars and pays for itself in a few years -- and everything you could possibly want to know about it can be found here.

If you want to know more about Freed, buy his book, or even hire his services, go to OrganicArchitect.com. Here is the list:

This post was created for ClimateProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

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Dear Umbra,

We purchased a home with an existing four-person, 500-gallon wooden hot tub with a two-stage electric pump. When should a hot tub be turned off to save energy? City Light recommends that our tub be on a timer to save electricity; our tub manufacturer insists that, unless we're not using the tub for three days, we'll spend just as much heating up the water as maintaining a consistent temperature. Who's right?

Scott M.
Seattle, Wash.

Dearest Scott,

Smackdown between thoughtful city and all-knowing manufacturer. The beauty is, you yourself have the power to find out the answer. We'll get to that in a moment. But first, let's look at the other ways you can save hot-tub energy, whether or not you buy a timer.

Cover the pool with a tight, well insulating foam cover, as well as a floating thermal blanket. Put landscaping or other windbreaky things around the tub. Keep the tub at 102 degrees, not higher. And yes, turn it off when you are leaving or not using it for several days. Also, do not install a hot tub if you do not already have one or, like poor Scott here, cannot help but inherit one. They are usually energy hogs.

As far as the advice from City Light, it certainly is consistent with the recommendations of various other Powers-That-Be: a timer is among the energy-saving measures one can use with a hot tub. I don't get the sense that a timer is like a programmable thermostat, in terms of changing the temp from 102 to 75 and back again, but instead can turn the heater off during peak hours at the electric utility. This saves you money, reduces demand at the utility, and shouldn't lose too much heat in a well-insulated tub. Then, as off-peak and after-work hours coincide, the tub theoretically comes back up to temp.

On the other hand, your manufacturer knows the tub, its heating elements, and its pump. So it may be the pump is, I don't know, too weak to efficiently transition between temperatures over a few hours rather than a few days. Did the manufacturer give you any mechanical reason not to use a timer with the tub?

To find out which of these well meaning authorities is right in your situation, measure the electrical consumption of your household over several days, with the simple tools of your electric meter and a pen and pencil. You can also purchase any of various watt-measuring devices. Once you've established a baseline watt usage for the household, start playing with the hot tub. Turn it up and down (or off) daily as if it were on a timer. Then leave it at a consistent temperature for several days. Then turn it down/off for several days and then back on. Write down all the results and do some simple math -- you should have your answer. I wish I could help with your research.

Splashily,
Umbra

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Grist has comments turned off as we transition to a new website. If you have feedback on this post or anything else, let me know: droberts at grist dot org.

• One of my favorite bright green ideas: objects as a service, sometimes called "product service systems," a fascinating and potentially revolutionary idea desperately in search of a better name.

• Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's semi-secret memo on the company's environmental efforts. Meh.

• The Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center has an interesting report on "Large Blackouts in North America: Historical trends and policy implications." No, really, it's interesting!

• Steve Beshear, governor of Kentucky, is kicking off a Clean Energy Corps Pilot Program, a public-private partnership that will work to do energy efficiency retrofits in low-income households -- eventually, if all goes well, to expand the program to 10,000 households across the state. Kick ass.

• An outfit called Show@ has a fascinating series of interactive maps -- you can see maps based on crops, energy, environment, and minerals (and numerous subcategories therein). Here's a map of the U.S. sized proportionately to the prevalence of coal-fired power -- it tells you everything you need to know about the politics of carbon policy:

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Dear Umbra,

I live in an area that has fairly hard water. The calcium build-up on the sink faucets, shower enclosures, and even the dog water bowls is really bad, and hard to remove. So I have considered a full house water softener. However, I know nothing about them -- but I do know you need to add salt to most (some eco-versions are 'saltless'). Do you have any advice on this subject? I am off to crunch down a glass of water now.

Waiting for your reply,
Greg J.
Sugar Land, Texas

Dearest Greg,

Wait no longer. I wanted to learn about water softeners in any case, as I am living with hard water and it's messing with my hair management techniques (as if the problems you mention above aren't bad enough).

Soft drink?

Here's what I learned. Water is considered 'hard' when it contains enough dissolved calcium, magnesium, and other minerals to leave annoying residues on pipes, water heaters, bodies, dog bowls, etc. The minerals jump aboard during the water's passage through the Earth and are not from any evil pollution.

Soaps do not suds in hard water and may not wash away, leaving what one source poetically calls "soap curds." The hardness of your water can be classified either according to your level of personal aggravation (mine went down when I considered that I wouldn't call our residue "curdy"), or by testing the water for "grains per gallon" or parts per million. Those of you on a municipal water supply can ask your provider for the numbers. Water is considered very hard if it has over 10.5 grains per gallon.

Hard water causes household inefficiencies. In addition to the aforementioned soap issues, there are calcium deposits, which not only cloud glassware but also leave a coating of "scale" inside hot water heaters, rendering the heating mechanisms less effective, and can eventually clog pipes.

Water softeners remove the calcium and magnesium. From what I understand, the most common and accepted method of softening water is through a whole-house ion-exchange water softener. This is a sort of filter in which the water passes over sodium-soaked polystyrene beads on its way to your household appliances. The calcium and magnesium attach themselves to the beads, the sodium detaches and enters the water. After a while, the beads are themselves coated with minerals and must be "recharged," that is, washed with a brine. Gallons and gallons of brine.

In all this saltiness lies our ecological problem. Though the sodium levels in treated water are not considered high for human ingestion, they do present difficulties in wastewater treatment. One of these difficulties is that treatment plants are not set up to remove the sodium, and hence are forced to discharge sodium-laden water into waterways, disturbing the natural balance of things. Water softeners are banned or strongly regulated in several places, including parts of Connecticut, California, and Texas, for this reason.

There are alternatives to ion exchange systems, but I can't really divine how reputable they are. Of all of them, magnetic systems appear the most favored. Some people substitute potassium chloride for the sodium chloride, which really just creates a chloride problem, instead of a salt problem. If you look in to alternative systems and are persuaded that one is worth trying, be sure you are working with a reputable installer, get references, and do quite a bit of research before buying.

Should you choose a whole house system, here are ideas/recommendations I've gleaned from various cities and knowledgeable persons: Learn the mineral levels of your water in order to be sure you need a softener. Use less salt in your softener (this seems to be the same as "follow the directions") and set the softener to recharge less frequently. Use a demand-initiated regeneration system, which will only recharge when the system needs it. And consider subscribing to a softener maintenance service, instead of adding the salt and flushing the system yourself, as these services can better conserve both water and salt than the average homeowner.

Best of luck with your crunchy water.

Residuely,
Umbra

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Dear Umbra,

My work colleagues are trying to think of a catchy slogan to celebrate Earth Day this year. We typically plan a week of activities to educate and increase awareness of the benefits of being green. However, we are having a hard time agreeing on a slogan. Here are some ideas to date: Lean & Green, Go Green Week, Why Be Green Week, Green and Proud, Choose Green, Green: BeCAUSE we can, Money DOES grow on trees!, Green your Routine, Being Green Makes Cents, Green Week, Think Green Week, Green Spirit Week, Green Deal Week, Green Economy Week, Green Earth Week, Green Planet Week, One Planet Week, Green Is Good Week, Green Innovation Week, Green to the Bottom Line Week, Greening the Bottom Line, Lean Green Week, Be Seen in Green Week, BeGreen Week, Glean Green Week, See Green Week, Green Enterprise Week, Green Guide Week.

Please help us get out of the slogan quagmire.

Claire M.
Petaluma, Calif.

Dearest Claire,

Here at Grist HQ, we have access to the brightest, shiniest minds in slogan making -- our readers. We also have eight headline-writing squirrels, but I cannot say whether your situation will interest them. They are headstrong.

A few thoughts about your quandary from yours truly, and then I hand you over to the Grist Reader Brain Trust. You sent me 28 slogans, which give me little clue as to what the theme of the week will be, or what I might gain from the week. My editor and I can't even agree whether this week is an internal event or a public event. I get a slight sense from a slogan like "Green Enterprise Week" that you are giving financial tips, but this sense is then stymied by a slogan like "Be Seen in Green Week," which sounds more like a St. Patty's Day exhortation. You need to be more specific. That might mean some more work by you and your colleagues figuring out the actual point of the week's events, or it might simply mean some better wordsmithing.

My ignorance about your plans is a barrier to making concrete suggestions, but let's say the week focuses on green investing. The real, kind of dull title of the week is "Learn how to invest in environmentally responsible companies that provide comparable returns to traditional investments." Whoooeee! From this thrilling start, or a similar one, we must find several key words that indubitably convey your objectives. I'm a big fan of coming out and saying it: Learn Green Investing, Invest to Benefit the Environment, Earn Money with Ecological Companies. However, you might also go for the element of surprise: "Invest Like the Squirrels" would surely lure the curious, wouldn't it?

Another suggestion is to give up on your apparent guidelines (habits?): using three words, invoking "green," and trying to rhyme. Frankly, I'd advise against using the word "green" (which you do 26 out of 28 times), because people are already tiring of hearing it. Also, is it necessary to say "week"? Don't beat around the linguistic bush. Be straightforward and let the cleverness fall into place as it will.

So, Claire, my advice boils down to this: Be specific. Be straightforward or surprising, as fits your company culture. And stop trying to rhyme. Now your job is to write the first reader response, down below, and let us know a little bit about what people will learn during this week and what unusual elements will be part of the festivities. Henceforth it is my hope that the Grist readership will shower you with slogans.

Power to the Peoplely,
Umbra

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Dear Umbra,

Your investigation for the raw milk advice apparently didn't trip over the Real Milk Campaign of the Weston A. Price Foundation. I hope you can remedy the oversight in a future column.

Stephen Guesman
Alabama

Dearest Stephen,

Thank you for your kindly upbraiding and the opportunity to further discuss the problem of incendiary topics. I did indeed trip over the Real Milk Campaign of the Weston A. Price Foundation, as one cannot help but do when one puts "raw milk" into a search engine. It is these folks, among others, whom I unkindly refer to as sounding "like zealots." I should have been more specific and given the URL of Real Milk; I apologize.

Express yourself.

In the service of humor and of Grist, I would like to go over a few issues brought to the fore, most recently, by the raw milk piece. Mainly this: I am an advice columnist. It is feasible that someone may follow my advice, and the absolute worst thing to happen would be if a person read my column, did not check any other sources, did what I said, and was hurt. That is why I have been clear, again and again, that my mandate is the environment, and this is not a health or nutrition advice column. E.g., poorly handled milk can make you sick. It is your decision whether or not to take that risk; it is my job to link that decision process to environmentalism.

As to zealotry: I love a nice non-violent zealot, in part because zealotry is the leading force for change, but also because it offers rich opportunities for humor. I am a language lover, and a hardened Yankee skeptic. I can't in good conscience tell a reader that a site like Real Milk is a reliable source of safety information. It does have helpful resources such as a compendium of raw milk laws in each state. These are interspersed with anecdotal claims for raw milk curing everything from Lyme disease to asthma and tidbits like "ultra-pasteurization is a violent process." A violent process? Akin to drilling holes in wood, plunging broccoli into boiling water, and cutting hair? Here's where humor frolics and I get to use the word "zealot" -- none can deny that it is a fun word to use.

As you can see from the comments below my raw milk article (also see cats, fur, and anything related to meat or fish) emotions run high in the worlds of animals and food. The anecdote is a powerful tool, but they are called "personal" anecdotes for a reason. OK, your cat doesn't kill birds. But guess what? My brother was raised on raw milk and still has asthma.

I harp on the raw milk issue because it is a recent example, but there are plenty of other times when passion has resulted in, shall we say, differences of opinion. Regular readers should know that my own zealotry is focused on small farms and local food, and rest assured that I am not the enemy.

I ask you all to keep my mandate for humorous, responsible advice in mind. In my oft charming but sometimes annoying way, I can bumble around with less clarity than one might desire -- so I in turn will continue to strive for clarity, amusing vocabulary words, and decent, safe advice.

Wear a bike helmet.

Udderly,
Umbra

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Dear Umbra,

I recently bought a new-to-me car (fuel efficient!). It's the nicest car I've ever owned, so I want to keep it well-maintained and clean. What are some environmentally friendly ways to keep my car clean, both inside and out? I'd rather not use gross chemicals and harsh soaps. Will good ol' vinegar and baking soda do for the inside panels? How about natural soaps for the outside?

Carolyn
Marblemount, Wash.

Dearest Carolyn,

My firsthand knowledge about car washing wouldn't fill a tin can. Honestly, I've often wondered if it was necessary. Or, I used to wonder until I got a co-owner who drinks coffee, and a passenger who spills milk. Let's just say I have been happy about the recent freezing temperatures, which seem to mute the smell.

We talked about car washes a while back, and the importance of using a commercial car wash if one is available near you. Commercial washers are required to recycle their water and manage the soapy toxins therein. Whereas home washers who don't take care will use a tremendous gallonage of water (new coinage! just call me Shakey the Bard) and the sudsy run-off may enter storm drains, damaging downstream life.

That said, driving ridiculously far to find a commercial wash is a poor choice, obviously. Also, from the reading I just did on your behalf, I learned that serious car washers consider commercial establishments damaging to the paint finish. The whole point of washing your car is to protect the paint coating, lengthen the life of the paint, defend the undercarriage from salty destruction, and -- of course -- keep up appearances.

Ecologically, then, our car washing priorities are: First, don't own a car. Second, use a commercial car wash near our home. Third, use one we happen to pass on the way to somewhere else. Fourth, wash the car at home using some or all of the following suggestions (which come from Car Talk [PDF] and others).

Several of the eco-cleanser brands sell car wash materials, including Ecover and Simple Green (also Eco Touch, which I'd never heard of). You might also use Dr. Bronner's or a similar mild soap, but do not use dish liquid (could remove the wax), and avoid anything with the usual suspects such as petroleum distillates and phosphates. Follow the dilution instructions as you prepare your warm bucket of suds -- you shouldn't need much soap, and the water shouldn't be hot, as that will take off the wax. Also have a second bucket of clean water to hand, several soft sponges, and all-cotton towels or rags. Park the car on grass or dirt if you are able, or perhaps you have a permeable-surface driveway.

Wet the car in order to rinse off any loose grime and scratchy debris. Then hand wash it in patches, starting at the roof and working down the sides to the ground. Keep your sudsy sponge clean, and either dry it as you go to avoid splotchy bits, or give it an all out rinse at the end and then hand dry.

As to the inside, I must refer you to the Car Talk tips referenced above, which are detailed (ha ha). I'm running out of space. Two interesting tips: read the manual, and don't scrub shoddy upholstery too hard. I think vinegar and water will be fine on most of the interior, especially the windows.

I've also heard that keeping the car tidy on an ongoing basis, and dealing with coffee spills as they occur rather than after nine months of winter, are good ways to avoid using any cleanser in the first place. Could just be an urban myth.

Stainedly,
Umbra

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