HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

A gong gives such a timelessness to an archway or home.  In fact, the first reference found of  gongs dates to 500 A.D. Documents indicate that they were originated from somewhere in between Tibet and Burma, and migrated across the area.  At the time, it was referred to as the Hsi Yu region.

Some of the grand gardens I have visited have had a water feature or a gong.  I found that the carefully edited, spare, but impressive gardens tended to favor a gong rather than water.  Perhaps the uncluttered surroundings implied that it was meant as a meditation gong. The meditative part of the gong is not necessarily the initial clang, but the reverberating sounds that follow. In other words, they aren’t meant to be played like a drum. The last garden I was in that featured one, of course, my friend couldn’t resist commenting on a witticism I made and “gonged” me.  I absolutely deserved it, so don’t worry about my pride.  It is still intact.

What I wondered is if the gongs would go unheard if they were in a quiet corner of the garden.  Of course, that probably brings to mind all sorts of analogies of trees falling in the woods and bears….well, you know the old joke.

I found that there are gongs that actually share some attributes with wind chimes, such as the one at left. I happened to see this one on Outdora.com. As the wind blows, or it is disturbed by passing wildlife or people, the clapper hits the bronze. The sound varies with the intensity of the strike. You will hear the sound pleasantly carried over the garden.   It is very visually interesting, too.   The sound is a sharp contrast to a small tinkling chime and it is not only soothing, but makes ears take notice.   I notice when there is a lot of commotion in the air from the wind, and tree limbs thrashing about, a noise that has a lower resonance to it carries farther and the higher and more delicate tones get lost.

Have you ever purchased a gong as a decorative element in your home, or have you considered one for the garden?  If so, I am curious as what drew you to a particular one, or what the overall decor of your place is.  Are your tastes eclectic, and it meshes right in, or is it a conversation piece among overstuffed chairs?

PETA has launched a Christmas campaign, running something they call the “Santa Clause” ad. It encourages children to leave soy milk out for Santa this year, as they claim cow’s milk causes impotence and would leave Santa not so jolly. Some see the ad as controversial or in poor taste, but it may be one of those cases where any press is good press.

While there are benefits to drinking soy milk, except in the case of folks with soy allergies or women with certain aggressive cancers, PETA is making a very wide assumption here. The underlying aim is to scare people into abandoning animal products, but the campaign is not surrounded in complete truth. I am not entirely surprised given PETA’s sensationalistic nature.

The truth is, that hormones and antibiotics added to dairy products are not good for us, but not all milk contains it. If conventional milk is consumed regularly in large doses, it can contribute to weight gain, early onset of puberty and other issues. It is not good for anyone.  However, when an organic, hormone and antibiotic free milk is consumed, none of these risks remain. So, in other words, if you are giving your children hormone free, organic milk, you have nothing to worry about. It is available at health food stores, and also check around for local dairies. Due to the popularity, some mainstream grocery stores stock the brands with larger circulation.

Some small scale dairies run by local families sometimes still sell cream on the top milk. In fact, one small local dairy runs and ice cream stand, and you can see their cows roaming around in the pasture, gazing away, behind a group of picnic tables. These farmers use selective breeding to increase a cow’s milk production or are just happy with what the cow produces rather than feeding the cattle antibiotics and hormones. Some small farms who cannot afford to process their own milk join up with others, too. It is a great way to support local farms.

Lactose intolerance is another issue that is sometimes brought up.  I was considered lactose intolerant, and then found I was reacting to the hormones rather than the actual milk. By drinking organic and local milk, I can drink some milk, though I don’t often, or more so eat ice cream again.  Another good bet is goat’s milk.

So, I am sorry to PETA that they will not have to be peddling an ad implying that Santa Claus needs to surf for Viagra online to hide the side effects of his habit from Mrs. Claus.  I know that there underlying message is that using any sort of any use of animal products is negative.  I suppose spreading half facts versus the truth gets people more in an uproar and that is probably what they prefer.  I will drink my chocolate soy milk AND eat shovelfuls of double chocolate milk based ice cream.

It is a good idea, especially if you have children, to switch to hormone free milk.  While you are at it, keep an eye out for your local farm stands and find out who sells cream on the top milk.  It doesn’t last very long as it is not heavily processed, but is much healthier.  And the farmer will know all the cows by name, too.

There are many hotels and motels that are pet friendly. However, just because they allow pets to hang out does not mean it is a home like situation. Some hotels allow you to leave pets in your room while you get a quick bite to eat, but others do not, and require you to be with the pet at all times. Of course, if you are just crashing for the night, it is easy, but if you are staying for a number of days, it becomes a challenge if there is now way to cook in the room and there aren’t any outdoor cafes where you can eat with your pet. Of course, in the winter time, that would be a little chilly.

That being so, luxury vacation rentals seem even more out of the question. However, I stumbled across Masterpiecerentals.com. Not all of the accommodations are mansions, some are more modest, but they are all private residences or condos. You can rent a house out for a night or for a few weeks with no worry about cleaning staff coming in and out of the room and potentially stressing your pet. Not all properties allow pets, but a very fair amount of them do. While in some cases, it is more expensive than a night at a hotel, when you stay for a week and way the expenses you would have dining out, it is obtainable. Also, many of them can sleep more than two people. Just doing a spot check, I saw that many slept six. Some large homes and cabins sleep up to 16. There is a great potential to go with a few family members and save a lot of money.

For this Thanksgiving and Christmas, if there are numerous relatives out of town, or if no one lives in the same city, what about all meeting at another location and having a few days of togetherness? Maybe its not for everyone, but there would be room. Of course, you would have to see how many bedrooms the arrangement had to determine if there were privacy or it was a case of fold out sofas.

Whatever you decide, I think renting a home would be a great way to include the pets during the holidays across the miles.

Many animal charities have pet food, old towels, and a variety of other things on their wish lists. Those are easy for the general public to procure. What about vaccinations and other supplies or incidentals?

A great idea is to give a few lower denomination prepaid credit cards. This way, an organization can place them in the hands of volunteers for their gas money if the organizations transports pets from shelters to safety. They can also use it to send someone out to get supplies in a pinch. Of course, there are many times when people simply volunteer their time and resources, but sometimes people have time but no resources. With a prepaid credit card, they can put gas in the tank of a volunteer vehicle, or perhaps the organization’s donated van or Spaymobile. This makes it easier for volunteers knowing that they won’t have to be responsible for gassing up a group’s van, especially if they have the time to volunteer because they are unemployed.

The organization will also be able to make purchases online and over the phone. There are some wholesale companies that they may want to get supplies from, but cannot because the organization doesn’t have a credit card, so they end up paying more for things.

Of course, you can also get prepaid debit cards to help you budget. There is no danger of overdraft that way. When you are done you are done. For small organizations and loose bands of volunteers, they provide less red tape. They can simply be handed the card, and just keep track of their receipts versus chasing someone down for a check. It is especially hard if the check writer is a volunteer themselves and are working their “day job” at the moment one needs the cash. Another thing is that it helps a group hold onto the purse strings. It may be tempting to give more volunteers access to the cash, but prepaid cards insure that if someone proves unreliable, they cannot walk away with sensitive information, or very much.

If you are looking for a new idea, and the group you wish to donate to does a lot of pick ups, a prepaid debit in low denominations may be the perfect idea. Of course, a higher denomination is a great auction donation, but they will also do in a pinch for the day to day affairs.

In my area, at least, it seems that foreclosures are slowing down.  That is a good sign, being that most of the time foreclosure means that pets lose their homes, too. I can’t help but think, however, that some situations could be avoided if people only lived a little less than within their means.  I know some families who aren’t spending frivolously and just to have a tiny house or apartment is stretching themselves.  On the other hand, I have gone to several estate sales this year where there was no death.  It was just about people who walked away or were being foreclosed on.  Some of the homes were quite opulent.   What puzzled me is that they are gigantic, yet only had two or three bedrooms.  It was not as if they had a large home because they had a large family.   I just couldn’t help but feel if they had an average sized house and saved money that they would have stayed in their house.

Some people turn to credit counseling just before or just after they get to that point. Of course, there are some negotiations you can make without this. If you have paid on time all along, you can often negotiate a better rate with your credit card company. Do it before you have to tell them you will be in arrears. Unfortunately, some people believe that a credit counselors are going to teach them how to manage money. Not all of them do. For the most part, you pay a fee for them to negotiate with your creditors. Sometimes they can provide a useful tidbit of information about recent laws that keep people in their homes that you may not know, like what is available with the Federal Government’s Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan.

I think the bottom line is that nothing replaces a healthy relationship with money. We may not always have a lot of money, but if we save the surplus when the sun is shining, and spend it when the storm comes, maybe it will help.

A few days ago, I was musing over Thanksgiving cooking injuries. In fact, I was also chatting about it with My Favorite Guy. He had his share of non-holiday related BBQ grill stories to tell. Most of the stories involved friends and coworkers and the accidents mostly occurring when the incorrect equipment axis and the second guessing oneself syndrome kicked in a the same time. For example, lifting open barbecue grills to try and hear the crackle of the fire trying to catch is a common eyebrow stripper.

The moral of the story for some people may be to avoid propane altogether and go with something a little more traditional. With an open BBQ grill, you can see if the flame is lit. You also do not have to sit and listen for “the noise,” similar to trying to listen to determine if the pilot light is lit on a conventional oven. I can imagine sitting outside and having a romantic evening by the fire, and making sure dinner didn’t burn, all rolled into one.

The other thing I like about the grill, at left, is that it could double as a fire pit when you were finished cooking.  The idea of marshmallows in the fall and winter just seems like such an anachronism, but I love it.  There is a Fire and Ice festival here in the winter where you can do just that, but being able to do so at home is much more appealing.

When you are finished, you can break it down into five pieces. Since it is made of cast iron, there is some weight to it, so being able to disassemble it will make your backs and knees thank you. This way, when the weather is at its worst, it won’t be exposed to the elements. Even though it is cast iron wears well, I still like the idea of putting things away when they are not used. It can be put away until the spring, or you can clear an area in the snow and cook any time.

Have you roasted marshmallows or roasted chicken in the snow?  If so, I would be curious to hear your stories.

Thanks to alert readers, I have been informed that the Georgia SPCA is in grave danger of closing.  They have been very hard hit with the influx of flood victims and have lost a major donor. Because of this tolling combination, they need your help now more than ever.

It has been publicized very little across the nation, but there are still many people who have not been able to return home, particularly Northwest of the city of Atlanta.  Their homes have been condemned, some have foreclosed as the financial cost of repair is insurmountable, or families are waiting for approval to repair their home. Many shelters have closed and families have nowhere to go.  They want to go home, but some of their homes have been condemned.  The Chattahoochee has come over its banks again, and the weather doesn’t seem to give residents relief, not to mention what effects Hurricane Ida will have.

Pets who have been extracted from the water were taken to several local shelters such as the Georgia SPCA, and Cobb and Fulton County shelters.  The SPCA also acted as an emergency shelter during the crisis. Unfortunately, since they have been shuffled around, there are many pets who are out of time, never having found their families, or the families are homeless and have no way to claim them.  The Georgia SPCA has held on to some animals in hopes of reuniting them with their families, but the extra refugees and the slow adoptions have taken a toll.  The Georgia SPCA is very important for us to keep open. They not only have provided refuge to flood victims, but has saved some very nice dogs and cats from death row at local county pounds on their last day.

The Georgia SPCA has also lost its biggest sponsor, Charter One.  If it doesn’t somehow replace the funding, there will be no money to pay the ten employees, keep the lights on, and keep the dogs and cats fed.

What you can do:

• Donate money.  No amount is too small.  If every reader donated $5-10, it adds up.  Please dig deep if you can. You can go to their website and click “donate online.” It is going to take many $5 to replace major funding, but if enough people do it, it can make a difference.  If you live in the area, consider donating in person also to save Paypal fees.
• Adopt.  If you live in Georgia and have been considering a new family member, check out the dogs and cats that are available and waiting for new homes. Here is a current list of dogs and cats awaiting a home. 
• Donate vaccines and heartworm preventative.  Common vaccines can be obtained from veterinary supply companies, and sometimes wholesale pet supply catalogs and vet offices.  Heartworm preventative can be obtained on the internet, feed stores and vet offices.
• If you do not have the ability to donate money, donate miscellaneous supplies like pet safe cleaners and dog food. Any little bit will help.

I don’t really know why a fall holiday with potential for winter weather inspires so many people to want to cook outside.  Maybe it is that warm snap we sometimes get in November.  Even though it may be only fifty degrees, in comparison to thirty degrees, it feels like spring.  Teenagers wear their shorts to the bus stop, but of course, regret it later in the evening.

Little did I know that Thanksgiving was such a big day for the Fire Department.  I had always assumed that summer with drunk picnickers, or Christmas with faulty electrical systems, would top it.  Apparently, there are many folks throughout the United States that attempt to deep fry their turkeys outdoors.  People that have hardly cooked in their life buy a turkey fryer and have at it.  Little do they know that the oil is incredibly hot and tipping it over around the wrong combustibles can cause a fire, or worse, severe burn injuries. The other common call is from people leaving the house for hours while the turkey cooks.

Do you enjoy a fried turkey or tofurky every year, but are afraid that Uncle Larry will again burn off his eyebrows? Viking Grills seems to have a more logical and much safer solution. They have an outdoor cooker that will slow cook a bird. It will give the adventurous a chance to try another flavor aside from the usual oven roasting style.   Above all, it is very safe.  The lining is ceramic.  The cooker is meant to go along with an ensemble of Viking Grill equipment, or can be used solo. Of course, you will need to purchase a stand. That just goes without saying.

If you are looking forward to the last hurrah for outdoor cooking, or you are looking around for your equipment for next summer, I found that Viking Grills also has other components that make outdoor cooking safer. The trend seems to lean towards using equipment that looks like the safe indoor models, yet equipped for the outdoors, rather than a makeshift pit.

Whatever you do this Thanksgiving, give the fire department a break. Use your head, and not just your flipping hand when you cook.

I was looking for more ideas for auction items for a few upcoming charity auctions, both silent and live. I have been to a few where there were gift baskets, but they didn’t generate a lot of interest. I think it was because they were filled with items that were basically advertising specialtiessuch as mugs and mousepads with the logo of the business that donated them, or the items were very unrelated. The ones that were the bigger hit were those that featured liquor, or were nice enough for the winner to give as a gift to someone.

I found some inspiration over at Giftwish. The baskets feature a very tight theme, and the contents of some of them are quite luxurious.  What I never thought of before was making up or buying a gift basket that wasn’t actually a basket at all.  It could be a platter or a suitcase as well, like the one at left.   The site has other possibilities, too.  You can construct your own gift basket from the ground up, or you may buy all the different items individually. If you have ever received a gift basket, and then wish you had gotten more of a particular item, there is your chance.

Surely, there are items that you can pick up at your local better grocery store, but there are truly some things that the recipient might not normally try.  There are artisan cheeses, for example, that are very afforable.  The selection greatly expands on what might be available at the local store.  Also, sometimes folks are hesitant to commit to buying a large portion if they don’t like it, or don’t know what to try.  There are assortments that will make the process easier.  Of course, you can also buy one at a time.  How about putting a certificate up at the charity auction and then the donor buys three cheeses of the winner’s choosing?  That sounds like a gourmet would bid it up.

I was watching a design show awhile back. I don’t remember which one. There was a composting toilet featured. It was in either a public place, or in a home where other random people were allowed to use it. I expected some people to say they thought it was weird, and some people say they appreciated the idea. I thought the interviewees were a little extreme, talking about how they felt so connected to the earth by using it or that their life was changed. At any rate, it got me wondering if this was even a practical idea. After all, the one on the show was built into a semi-outdoor bathroom that looked more like a natural habitat for something.

I have learned that there are two different concepts for composting toilets. The first, shown at left, features a central composting system. The toilet itself acts as a standard toilet, and then the waste water goes into this system. The second is a self contained toilet, shown below.

Both systems turn waste into compost, mainly oxidized salts.  The compost is very clean.  If I installed a  composting toilet, I most likely would not use compost on vegetables.  There is some literature that leads me to believe that human and canine waste is not the best or safest fertilizer.  The best fertilizer is still manure from herbivorous animals.  I might use it on the lawn, or more so, perhaps still toss it in the trash bin.  Some people might say that it sort of defeats the purpose if I was throwing it away.  On the contrary, it will still greatly reduce the water I use.  Some of the toilets use as little as one pint of water, and prevent the toilet from creating a strain on the public sewage system. The compost will take up a very negligible amount of space at the dump, and will just return to the soil.

Have you heard of these toilets?  If so, what do you think?

I have received a lot of mail recently of folks looking for the story I ran back around the first of the year. It was a story of our squirrel rescue. I have decided to rerun it by popular demand. The story itself is not very literary. I think people just like to see cute photos.

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It was one of those days that just doesn’t start out quite right. I didn’t feel like making breakfast, but I felt like eating a multi-food item meal. Cereal just wouldn’t do. By the time I got rolling, breakfast was no longer served in this one horse town (okay, I’ll be honest, its a no horse town). So, I decided to go all the way into the next county where there was a gleaming, brand new IHOP. I never made it to IHOP as you can read BY CLICKING HERE.

When I finally got back home, with our new charge, I decided to walk Good Girl II (aka GiGi - not to be confused with GoodGirl I, Gillian, the Mastiff) and take Ollie, one of our two, for a walk around the perimeter of the house. All of the sudden, something fell from the sky. They stopped in their tracks and their noses were touching the same thing. G.G. and Ollie both had their ears perked up and heads cocked in youthful curiosity.

This is what I found at the end of their noses…

They did not try to bite or hurt the little one. Apparently, he/she had fallen from the tree. The little squirrel tried to run away, but only got a few feet dragging a leg. Perhaps the dogs sensed another animal in trouble or pain. I have heard of elephants trying to save baby rhions or hippos that are not their friends in the wild from tar pits or swamps before, so its not too strange I suppose for hounds to pause at a squirrel.

I called a neighbor to come out, as my hands were full with two tangled leashes and the squirrel was put in a dog carrier with a towel. We both looked at eachother and shook our heads.

Maybe it was like the scene in 101 Dalmatians where dogs passed a message along from neighborhood to neighborhood until it got to the right place…a little bird let everyone know that day that we were already off of our schedule by taking a stray in, so what’s a few more.

I remembered there was a lady I met while seeking help for a raccoon. She couldn’t help us then, but did rehabilitate squirrels, so I called her up and she came to get the little one. He/she was not full grown yet and we were hoping that it was a broken leg, which just needed time versus deeper injuries.

So, as promised, that is the story of the squirrel who fell from the sky in front of some dogs and lived to tell the tale.

The Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., Fall Auction was a big success! The final tally is being determined, but over $1,000 will go towards helping the animals. They could not have done it if it had not been for all of you! Books, shirts, jewelry, pet supplies and even a trip will be enjoyed by lucky bidders.  There will be a package arriving at the HoundsGood household soon.  If I share what the item is, maybe I will lose all of my stealth as a bidder.  You will all know my biddder id and bid against me next time.  That wouldn’t be bad.  It would just mean more money for the animals.

Did you win something from the auction? Tell us all about it, I would love to hear about it.

My neighbors are very concerned about recycling. Not only is there recycle bin full at the end of the week, but they are always looking for ways to reuse some of those bottles and papers a few times before they hit the bin. I have found that many people are in the neighborhood are the same way. I am far from radical, but what I notice the neighbors overlook is a few old fashioned ways to trim a few dollars off of the utility bills, such as conserving water. I am not talking about brushing your teeth dry, but water use for gardening and the kiddie pool.

Rain barrels are something that never crossed my mind until I lived somewhere that did not have running water for several days. The well was on an an electric pump, and when the power went out in the area, water was lost, too. I had filled the bathtub with water days prior to flush the toilet with, and there was still a water bottle or two at the store. Even so, just the suggestion of being without makes one thirsty. As Samuel Taylor Coleridge penned: “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.” The whole situation made me wonder how I could use a rain barrel to somehow benefit a bit more from the rainy season.

While rain barrel wouldn’t provide me with delicately filtered water to serve in champagne flutes, it has many important uses. I could water the lawn and garden with water I saved. Those tasks involve many gallons at time, so catching rain water would cut my water bill during the spring and summer. During a storm, I could use the water to flush the toilets. Washing the boys is something else I could use the water for.  The dogs usually are bathed in the stationary tub.  I could fill up a container from the rain barrel and use it to rinse them.  Of course, they are spoiled and like warm water, but I am sure they wouldn’t mind a tepid rinse, as long as they were compensated with being wrapped in a fluffy towel and held awhile.

Have you considered using a rain barrel?  Do you already use one?  Tell me what you think!