

Hard water vs soft water.
So many times we’ve been in a hotel room and I’ve taken a shower and commented on what soft water it is because it feels like the soap never rinses off and I feel slippery all over. She always tries to correct me by calling it hard water. She grew up in a desert city that has naturally hard water, so she’ll always say, “I know what hard water is, I grew up with hard water!” when the “hard” water she grew up with was softened by some means. It doesn’t matter how many articles and blog posts and ChatGPT sessions on the topic I show her, she always insists they’re wrong and she’s right. We argued about it a few times in the past, but now it’s a running joke between us.
I haven’t seen increased prices due to tariffs at all yet, but I haven’t been shopping lately for anything but groceries and other necessities. I actually bought kitty litter (Ökocat brand) last week and it was the same price as the last few times. Like you I buy almost exclusively store brands and I plan to hit up farmers markets this summer too. I’m also growing my own cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and corn.