a peek inside the fishbowl

terra20 is a Fishbowl patron but my opinions and love of sustainably-made and planet-friendly products are my own!

I have some good news for fans of terra20 AND for the folks who may not have had the time to discover them yet. They just opened a brand new location at the Rideau Centre, right across from the Apple store. I was at the official grand opening on Saturday. (In fact, I wasn’t the only one who was excited about terra20’s arrival, there was a line up to get in before the store even opened.)

Here’s terra20 co-founder, Bill Stewart, who was there to unlock the store and meet customers on the big day:

We got to chatting, as we always do, and talked about how shoppers are becoming more aware of harmful ingredients that are hiding in personal care, beauty and cleaning products. Since terra20 opened their Pinecrest location (and Wellington West) they’ve been working hard to become a trusted source of healthy and sustainable products. At terra20, every product is chosen with care to make sure it lives up to their standards. For example, check out their ‘Baseline Banned’ list: 15 harmful ingredients that you’ll never see on the shelves at terra20.

As for the Rideau store, it’s a tidy collection of the products we trust and love, as well as a few surprises:

One of my favourite things about terra20 is that it’s ALSO a great place to pick up products that are made right here in Ottawa. Purple Urchin is just one Ottawa company that has products on the shelves at terra20 (well, in-store and online)!

TODAY we’re giving away this Purple Urchin Grapefruit hand, bar soap and lip balm along with a $50 gift card. (Which you can spend on anything, including more great stuff from Purple Urchin.)

Would you like to win? Please read the following fine print before entering:

• In order for your entry to qualify, have a look at the terra20 website and comment below. Tell me, what would you buy if you won? I’d love to hear if you have a favourite product. Or maybe there’s one you’ve wanted to try out?
• One entry per email address please!
• If you can’t post your comment for whatever reason you can email it to me for posting at andrea at quietfish dot com. Please note, I cannot be responsible if your entry is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder.
• This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
• I will draw one name using Random.org at noon EST on June 27, 2016. I’ll contact the winner via email, who can pick up the prize at one of the terra20 locations : Pinecrest, Wellington West, or Rideau. The name of the winner will be posted here as well. So please check back!
• Did you know that terra20 is on Twitter and Facebook? Following terra20 on social media is not a requirement of this giveaway but it’s a great way of keeping up with great deals and special events.

Over to you. Good luck!

ICYMI: “Blogging Most Certainly Is Not Dead” https://t.co/tg7pSbh1fw #blogs #content #contentmarketing pic.twitter.com/JInBHPfpwm

— David Perry (@SocialDave) June 15, 2016

• Wayward son, cbc.ca
• Game developer Barbie can actually code, slate.com
• Donald Trump seems to connect President Obama to Orlando shooting, washingtonpost.com
• Trees are very, very good for our health. But in many cities, they’re struggling, washingtonpost.com
• Tom Brokaw On How To Talk To Anyone, fastcompany.com

I was in the garden yesterday, determined to do a bit of yard work. I find yard work to be overwhelming at the best of times. We actually have a fair-sized lot and when we moved here (almost 20 years ago!) and we inherited sizable flower beds. Unfortunately, they aren’t nearly as nice as they were when we moved in. The previous owners had an English cottage garden theme going on with swaths of flowers planted in a spectacularly co-ordinated fashion. We were never able to keep the garden looking like that. Frankly, it’s a challenge just to keep it weed-free. My thinking is that if I spend 30 minutes out there every day I can get a better grip on yard maintenance and not let it get away from me so much. So that’s what I did yesterday. The problem is that my approach is highly unorganized. It is the very opposite of SYSTEMATIC. Basically, something catches my eye and I’ll do that until I see something else that needs my immediate attention. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. (Until I get tired and toss the garden tools aside.)

I usually begin with watering (it always starts with watering, because that takes no time at all) and then I inevitably spy some weeds that need to be yanked out. Then there are more weeds further along. The next thing I know I’ll be dividing a plant or trimming a tree. This is what happened yesterday. It started with “just one tiny branch” and that lead to another branch and that lead to more pruning and all of a sudden I found myself surrounded by deadwood and dried foliage.

After awhile (read: there was a pile of wood around my ankles) I started getting sweaty and hot. Bits of dead cedar were sticking to my skin and in my hair. So, I stepped over the dead branches, got a cold beer, and retired to the outdoor chaise lounge. It was heavenly. Of course, someone came over right away and made herself comfortable:

By that time, our yard was filled with shade. The birds were chirping and flitting between the trees and the bird bath. I was still, and they didn’t notice me watching them. The wind rustled through the branches and occasionally pushed them aside to let some sunshine stream through. I was in my own shady oasis, and it felt wonderful.

Related: are pansies the happiest flower in the world or what?

I took a deep breath, and then another.

I savoured the moment and turned it over in my mind, determined to lock it away and make it last as long as I could. Experts say that being mindful is key to happiness and I think they’re right. Even now, as I’m writing this, I can conjure up the feeling of bliss.