where green living, parenthood, and interiors intersect

Friday, November 4, 2011

The White House and my white house.....


A strange query entered my thoughts today, so I ran with it. What do The White House and my little humble white shack in Long Beach, NY have in common? Surprisingly, more than I thought.

1. Of course, they're both white.

2. They are both located on Pennsylvania Avenue.

3. They both need protection: sophisticated security systems, the Secret Service and the FBI protect The White House from myriad threats; blue painters tape protected my house during Irene (as shown in the image below).


4. The White House has a bowling alley and my long narrow living room has often doubled as a bowling alley for my 6 year old's enjoyment.

5. The White House's inhabitants have lived in the midwest and so have I.

6. Construction for The White House began in October and I was born in October (OK, that one is a stretch given the 200 or so years gap).

7. The White House has a movie theatre and an equally steady stream of NetFlix DVD's are viewed in the borrowed TV in my house (yes, another stretch).

8. Prone to monochromatic decorating, my house has a predominantly green room too (images below: the front room in my house and the historic Green Room at The White House in 1986).



9. Here's the final similarity.....drum roll please.....I use Shaklee's nontoxic, biodegradable Get Clean Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate in my house and so does The White House cleaning staff!! (Basic H2 is also used in the Vice President's residence, the only product endorsed by the Official Earth Day Committee and one of Oprah's "favorite things", as if Presidential usage wasn't accolade enough.)