HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

I have received a few Birth Announcements recently, which I plan to place in my album, as they are all family or from other people we are close to. I am impressed over the creativity of design. Announcements are looking pretty funky these days.

When it was my time to be on the front of an announcement, apparently, you picked pink or blue, and teddy bear or duckling. The color was an easy choice, as with the color, the associated gender was already printed. The teddy bear versus duckling choice was often to much pressure for people. Things really got thrown out of whack when gender neutral yellow was introduced, for parents who wanted to buy their cards ahead of time.

Wouldn’t it be fun to order birth announcements when you adopted a pet? Pets are family members, and more and more people consider them their “children.” It would be both a special way to let family and friends know how important welcoming a four legged family member is to you, and to spread a smile to your loved ones.  In fact, someone I knew put balloons on their mailbox when they adopted their puppy.  Sometimes the “baby” will be 90 lbs, and be 30 inches tall, but there is room to customize the statistics, as well as cards without the vital stats.

When I was ten years old, we lived in a rural area where subdivisions had started to pop up. We lived in such a subdivision. No one had fenced in yards, and the animals from the marsh sometimes wandered around the neighborhoods. In fact, there were many rabbits who burrowed in our backyards. One day, I had witnessed the horrible site of a mother rabbit and her babies. The babies looked like they had died trying to climb out of the burrow. They were arranged in a straight line from the back, to just a little out of the burrow. The lawn treatment truck had just been there, and the chemicals had killed them. I was beside myself, but my mom said, “It’s just one of those things.”

Since, I have always been sensitive to what I have put on the lawn and in the garden. Organic gardening is something that is so easy to do, especially on a small scale, such as in your garden.  There is some controversy in the minds of critics.  In some countries, for instance, they might not use pesticides, but may use natural matter that may not be suitable for use with plants that are going to ultimately be consumed.  It is kind of like my theory about junk food: “Just because its all natural doesn’t make that potato chip any better for you.” While I can’t personally regulate that, what I can regulate is what is grown in my own garden. I am particularly concerned with the safety of pets as well as the safety of the eventual food the plants will become.

There was recently a segment on Designing Spaces, a show which appears on TLC and We, that features products from Saferbrand. Organic products are defined, and some are demonstrated. It is important to note that organic pesticides ARE indeed effective if used correctly, contrary to some opinions.

The delivery, to me, in the segment, appears a little stilted, but the information is good.

WPvideo 1.10

I picked up a few new things from the video. What stuck in my mind the most is that sometimes the bottom of the leaf isn’t sprayed to deter insects, and we forget about that.  I would imagine it is just like putting on sunscreen and missing a spot.  Sometimes, also, the individual is not covering the whole insect with the product.  In my observation, we tend to go crazy with spraying something with ant and roach killer to “make sure that it’s dead,” but we are a little too sparing when it comes to a preventative product or an organic one.

Two important people in my life are renovating their kitchens. One has an intact kitchen that is perfectly fine. They just want to update. The second has their kitchen totally demolished and is starting from scratch. In fact, there is nowhere to cook, unless you want to somehow get the bathroom sink water very hot or cook on the grill. They are both exploring the idea of granite countertops, but were a little surprised there is such things as Granite Sinks.

It was hard for me to get my head around that one, as I pictured it being something awfully hard. Actually, they are a composite, and they also have bonded silver ions throughout the material that make the sink virtually antibacterial (99.9%).  too bad they don’t also clean themselves.  They come in neutral colors, not the marbled looking pattern you would imagine. The first thing I thought of when I heard that they were almost totally antibacterial was a memory of my childhood. My mother would blow a fuse if she saw me touching raw chicken that was thawing in the sink. It was like a siren went off and people in white Hazmat suits started filing into the kitchen.  Of course, the sink is no substitute for food safety, but it sure may make a difference.

The other practical idea was the idea of bathing small dogs.  The kitchen sink is so perfect for the little dogs, especially if the divider between the sinks is somewhat low slung.  You could put the front legs on each side.  Of course, I don’t do this anymore for sanitary reasons, but if I had a TruGranite sink, I sure would be able to without much flap.   Since it is extremely scratch resistant, little nails form excited feet won’t leave dings in the surface.  I can’t wait to try it.

Today, I have had such a pounding headache. Part of it has to do with the sudden humidity we are experiencing. It just feels like you could cut a hole in the air with your scissors, rather than mere pea soup. The other reason, as you have probably guessed, is that I haven’t done a “stay up all night” session of trying to contact rescues for dogs at a shelter in a long, long time. Today, relatives are around the house and three different radios are on, and I am the type of person who likes quiet. That kind of background noise isn’t white noise to me. It is downright distracting. I almost need something else to drown it out, but the addition of yet another music source just doesn’t seem appetizing to my ears.

Last night, I was in a church, or more properly an activities building. I was there to help out with a support group, but they also had a yoga class going on. The room was lit ambiently and there was a candle on the counter in front of the door. It was really interested to observe when people walked passed the door to get where they needed to go, they automatically were quiet. I could hear that they had Crystal Singing Bowls in the room. I had heard them awhile ago while I was at a fair with my dog, but had not heard them outside of a sales booth. It really is a relaxing noise and really drowned out the kids in their music class next door (they sounded like they were beating the crap out of eachother but I was corrected…they were rehearsing for a show). I will rate it much higher than the twelve radio atmosphere any day.

What I learned today at Silverskyimports.com, is that crystal singing bowls are actually graded. In fact, you can even get a certificate stating the sound quality. That info is definitely being filed away under the things to tell people when there is a lull at a party.

I did some more digging and found out that the company supports Tibetan refugees. They have an area on their site where interested parties can donate money to individuals displaced from Tibet. The funds will be divided up between purchasing food, textiles and clothing, and directly to Buddhist monasteries that house monks or may distribute items. I did not read anywhere that stated the money went to an organization, other than the company is collecting them.

If I find out additional information, I will be sure to post it here for you to read.

When you look at the play areas and grounds at Guide Dogs of the Desert and the San Francisco Humane Society, you may notice how immaculate the grass is, and that it puts a Golf Green to shame. It has a consistent green color and there are no spots that have been burned by dog urine, and no weeds. How can a non profit organization possibly afford perfection? They must have a volunteer who works for a lawn service, or is a retired botanist.

Actually, they have neither. The grass is actually fake. Yes, it is artificial turf, and their enclosures have been designed by Easy Turf out of southern California. I can see how that would work for agility competitions where the need to pick up dog accidents may be reduced. How does a group possibly use the artificial turf to let dogs play on and it not puddling up? Upon further reading, I have learned that when dogs go to the bathroom, the urine sinks below the “grass” and into the soil. More properly, there is a sand infill. It does not puddle up. Of course, when dogs go “number two” people still have to pick it up, but there will be no yellow or brown spots in the grass due to urine burn. There will also be no muddy spots to dirty up paws, and there will be no digging spots.

This greatly reduces the need to have a full time groundskeeper. Also, it reduces the time staff and volunteers spend bathing dogs. Of course, dogs are cleaned and bathed, but the emergency baths due to rolling in the mud or finding a stinky. sticky mushroom are cut down. It frees up their time to do one on one training, or promoting adoption.   Chemicals needed for the grass is also reduced.   I have a friend whose dogs are allergic to grass.  Perhaps this would help.

I have to admit that at first I found the idea puzzling, but in the long run it would probably save a lot of time and resources, and the health of dogs as well.

I wrote before on my astonishment that people could sell their Word Of Warcraft identities.  You can create a character, gain skills, and then sell them to someone so they don’t have to start out from scratch.   Now, I discovered that you can order a wow game card right online from Buymmoaccounts.com.  Instead of going to the store, you will be sent a code right in an email to begin or continue playing right away. The cards give you a sixty day play time to start or to add to your existing time.  Guess there is no reason to have to get out of bed now.

What is still rattling around in my mind is a way to have some sort of WOW tournament for charity. They have golf tournaments, so why not. Would it be a marathon, where people are pledged how long they can play, or would it work differently? Hold that thought, I’ll come back to it later.

Hypothetically speaking, if you were to come up to me at this very moment and offer to sell me dark chocolate, the likelihood of me buying your wares would be very, very high. What is so special about how I am feeling at this moment? It really doesn’t differ from any other moment. It is plain and simple: I just love dark chocolate. I don’t love it enough to want to marry it, mind you, but it is a very strong positive association with me.

There have been many food based network marketing plans over the years for various juices that allegedly did differently things, or spices that you may not be able to get elsewhere. I have not jumped on the bandwagon, as many of the items are indeed available elsewhere. However, whoever thought of marketing “healthy chocolate” like Xocai is a genius. Eight out of ten folks polled in the United Kingdom not only crave chocolate, but eat at least 18 pounds of it each, annually. I think that my intake is MUCH higher. I am still not going the MLM route, but the secret is probably out that if such individuals were to walk up to me, I would probably be tempted to be their biggest customer. In fact, that is why I could never sell Xocai. I would eat every single chocolate out of my inventory and no one else would be able to buy it. Xocai is loaded like anti-oxidants like regular dark chocolate but its “value added” with extra nutrients.

In otherwords, if you are a chocolate lover who dreams of peddling chocolate to the masses, but don’t exactly have Juliette Binoche’s magic touch for making it, it may be something you want to look into. Then, you stop by my house and let me eat it all. Is that a fair trade?

Just keep it away from pets. Pets can get sick or die from eating dark chocolate, based on concentration and the pet’s size, so please be careful.

One of the things some folks don’t bargain for when considering a pet is the issue of shedding. Dogs shed. Cats shed. It is just a fact of life. Sometimes, of course, a dog or cat may shed more than others due to its breed. There are a few ways that you can reduce shedding. The easiest way is the most simple.In fact, it is just as simple as brushing. When you brush your dog or cat, the hairs that have already been released and are ready to drop on the floor are removed, leaving more in the brush.

Vitamin supplements can be used if your pet sheds excessively.  This could be the sign of a skin condition of health issue.  I know several dogs who have developed beautiful coats with the addition of vitamins in their diets.
Special shampoos can also be used to combat shedding. They usually have fatty acids and aloe in them to soothe the skin and coat. If your dog sheds excessively “all of the sudden” and it is not the change of season, you might want to get them checked out.There is a whole slew of other tips at Buydogbeds.org that are really helpful.  Believe it or not, one reason dogs show up in shelters is shedding.  Not every dog, but too often not to mention and make people aware of what a simple fix it is.

When I was a kid, my brother and I were quite dazzled by our solar powered calculators. We hid in the closet, or extended our arm under the bed just to see if it would still work. We would watch the display fade in and out and see if it held our calculations. Now, solar technology is a bit more advanced, and the item in question will still work out of the sun.

The Citizen Eco Drive watch has a battery that recharges in the sun or artificial, and never needs to be changed.  It will save you time from crisscrossing around town to find a battery, and will prevent a number of batteries from ending up in a land fill.  It will run 180 days on a full charge, so you don’t have to worry about it blinking out if you have your arm propped under you, or a pesky brother throwing a towel over it to see what would happen.

There is a whole line of Eco Drive watches at BlueDial.com for quite a bit off of the retail price.   In fact, Father’s Day is just around the corner if you are in the United States.  If you are in Australia or New Zealand, where you celebrate Father’s Day in September, you have time to save up. Wouldn’t it be quite the gift for your long suffering dad?  If you were anything like us, yours deserves a watch, a plaque, and a vacation.

There is a special discount for HoundsGood readers over at KiKi’s Fashions. KiKi’s is an online retailer of maternity clothes that don’t look like the tents you remember from decades past. If you have any public speaking engagements, even pitching your charity or cause to the local homeowner’s association, it is important to look well put together. Arriving in sweat pants just won’t cut it.  If you look like you can’t manage, they will wonder how you will manage what you are pitching.

Now, for a limited time, if you use BLOGFRIENDS as a coupon code, you will receive 20% off of your order. If you use the codes on the website (Kikisfashions.com), you will receive 20% off if you spend $100 or more, so I think you will agree this is the better deal.

Would you believe that the dress, at left, is a maternity dress?  Something like this could be very stylish when you have a cocktail party to go to all the sudden.  Trying to squeeze yourself into your old hot numbers just will not work.  Put on a cute pair of shoes and a beaded clutch and you are good to go.   Alternately, you could dress it down with a cardigan and flat shoe, and a more casual bag when you have a business lunch to go to.  It would add a little fun for summer.