10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green

1) Save energy to save money.
–Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.
–Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
–Unplug appliances when you’re not using them. Or, use a “smart” power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts “phantom” or “vampire” energy use.
–Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
–Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.

2) Save water to save money.
–Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.
–Install a low-flow showerhead. They don’t cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.
–Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.
–Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.

3) Less gas = more money (and better health!).
–Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.
–Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.
–Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.

4) Eat smart.
–If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it’s even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.
–Buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.
–Watch videos about why local food and sustainable seafood are so great.
–Whatever your diet, eat low on the food chain [pdf]. This is especially true for seafood.

5) Skip the bottled water.
–Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.
–Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.
–Check out this short article for the latest on bottled water trends.

6) Think before you buy.
–Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products. Whether
you’ve just moved or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist or FreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items cheaply or for free.
–Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.
–When making purchases, make sure you know what’s “Good Stuff” and what isn’t.
–Watch a video about what happens when you buy things. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse.

7) Borrow instead of buying.
–Borrow from libraries instead of buying personal books and movies. This saves money, not to mention the ink and paper that goes into printing new books.
–Share power tools and other appliances. Get to know your neighbors while cutting down on the number of things cluttering your closet or garage.

8 ) Buy smart.
–Buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.
–Wear clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.
–Invest in high-quality, long-lasting products. You might pay more now, but you’ll be happy when you don’t have to replace items as frequently (and this means less waste!).

9) Keep electronics out of the trash.
–Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.
–Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxics and is a growing environmental problem.
–Recycle your cell phone.
–Ask your local government to set up an electronics recycling and hazardous waste collection event.

10) Make your own cleaning supplies.
–The big secret: you can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap.
–Making your own cleaning products saves money, time, and packaging-not to mention your indoor air quality.

Dealing with August Heat & Humidity

How do your animals handle the intense heat and humidity of summer? Yes, normally August is hot hot hot and we should all be used to it by now, however this year we have had such crazy weather patterns here in the northeast. Between the weeks of rain in June and July, and this very high percentage sticky humidity with highs in the low 90’s…it has gotten unbearable at times!

I live in CT and currently have two dogs and three horses.  While we keep the dogs mostly in our house which is air conditioned, we also have a little kiddie pool out in the yard that they like to ‘dip’ in occasionally to cool off.  We keep our walks and car rides to a minimum and the trips to the lake to swim frequent, and there is always a full bowl of nice cold water for them to drink. Our dogs seem to not mind the heat under these circumstances, so summer is just another month for them.

As for the horses….it seems to be a different story lately. My horses usually spend all day outside grazing in the fields and then are in stalls overnight with hay. The stalls each have a fan for them overnight, so they stay nice and cool even when humid 24 hours of the day. I have friends that switch it up in the summer and turn their horses out during the nighttime and keep them in during the day while it is this hot….however, I live down the road from my horses and am a bit leery about them being out at night without any supervision…just in case!

Outside, they have a nice big run-in shed out in the field that was built ‘into the ground’ sort of speak, so it stays nice and cool. There is also a fan running all day in there to keep the air moving and the bugs out.  While the rest of the year, they are normally out in the field 90% of the daytime and in the run-in shed 10% of the daytime, I am finding that over the last few weeks of this hot/humid/sticky weather, they are spending just the opposite. That would be 90% IN the run-in shed and only 10% out in the field grazing! They hole themselves up in the nice cool shelter standing in front of the breeze from the fans, run out and eat some hay or graze for about 15 minutes, then run back into the run in shed!  Even they are ready for some rain and cool weather to show up!

They have a HUGE water trough right outside the run in that I keep filled with clean cold water for them to drink to keep them hydrated, and we fly spray like crazy this time of year to keep the bugs away….even though it doesn’t always work……and they each wear a fly mask as well. Beyond the fans and cool run-in shelter, we also do ‘hose-downs’ or baths during the hot day to keep them cool and comfortable.  Other than packing them up and moving to a cooler/drier climate every summer, this is the best I have thought of so far………  I am trying to make them as comfortable as possible.

Does anyone have any other great suggestions for how they deal with the heat and humidity of summer with their pets they would like to share? I am sure there are many things people do that work that I haven’t even thought of.

Until then…..bring on the Fall!!!

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Dolphin Over the Door Hook – Item # HM186

Retail $16.95

Material – Metal

Measurement- 9″ x 10″

Robin’s Review

Perfect for any room when you need a few more hooks. The best part about this hook is I literally placed over the door and it looked great. There was no worrying whether I hung it straight, no holes in the wall and the door closes completely. The dolphin design will go with any room. The hooks are strong enough to hang heavy bathrobes and towels or to hang your clothes out for the next day. You may also want to use it to hang a mirror in the back of your door by tying a ribbon around the hooks and attaching it to the mirror.

(4 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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For More Great Animal & Nature Themed Gifts Visit Whales & Friends

I always think that the relationship between my cat and dog is unusual, but in reality – I have seen cats develop relationships with other non-felines.  When I lived on several acres in the woods there was an old fox and cat “couple” that used to visit us. On a fairly regular basis I would see the 2 frolicking in my yard while standing at my kitchen sink first thing in the morning. My son, who was 4 at the time, and I would watch with fascination as these 2 potential enemies played as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Yesterday my father shared with me a viedo clip that someone forwarded to him. It combines 2 of my favorite things- the song “What a Wonderful World” by the great Louis Amrstrong, and a clip of another unusual pair. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rooyt3ptNco

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Riley Roo

I was married for 18 years. Throughout my marriage, my husband, children and I had several pets. We were divorced 2 years ago and at the time we had Riley and Jasmine (aka Miss Kitty). I don’t think anyone can ever fully understand the fallout from divorce, but during the decision making and throughout the process, you try to consider every aspect of your feelings, those of your children and your soon-to-be ex-spouse, and there is a great deal of  logistical planning. Although we had an amicable divorce and spent a great deal of time in easing the transition for our children,  it turned out that we hadn’t given the feelings of 2 members of the family enough consideration. Our dog and our cat. I know it may sound absurd to some of you, but we ended up in a real pickle when it came to those 2. As most of your readers know by now- Riley and Jasmine (aka Miss Kitty) are very attached to one another.

This is how it went

Plan A – I would keep the cat, he would take the dog, we would cover one another with pet-sitting if either of us was traveling. It seemed like a good plan at the time.

 Within weeks of separating the two it was clear that neither of our pets was happy. Our normally energetic dog was “depressed”. My ex-husband called me frequently to tell me that Riley was not acting like himself. Miss Kitty was none too happy either. She seemed lost without her partner in crime.

Plan B –  I would still keep the cat and we would share the dog. For months Riley went back and forth every time the children did. Initially, Riley seemed a bit better. He would perk up the first day he came back to my house and saw his cat. By the second or 3rd day he seemed miserable again. Although happy to be with his cat, he was having a hard time being away from his master. Miss Kitty was more herself as Riley was at least home some of the time, but she was definately cranky on days when Riley wasn’t here.

Plan C – Both Riley and Miss Kitty would go live with my ex-husband and I would spend time visiting with them when picking up or dropping off the children. Although Riley was not quite 100%, and neither was Miss Kitty, thier dispositions improved dramatically. We Had a Winner – or so we thought.

As time went on my Ex decided to purchase a new house. The house is lovely, white carpet and all, however,the neighborhood is not ideal for a dog. There is a main thoroughfare bordering the back of the house and no fence. Between the choas of the new move and the restricted playtime outdoors, Riley was worse then he was when we first divorced. He began continually whining and crying, and suffered severe stomach distress – repeatedly- all over the white carpets. He was just miserable.

Plan D – I took both pets back to my house. Riley settled back in to the routine at home with me, I think becasue he was relieved to be somewhere familiar. Miss Kitty was happy to have both her dog and her lakeside house. Eventually Riley learned to deal with his master’s absence, but it took a while.

Riley still goes to visit his “Dad” once in a while, and that seems to make him happy, but it took a long time to find the right balance.

Remember that pets are emotional beings. They suffer losses and changes, basically grief, just like humans do, but unfortunately we cannot communicate with them the way we can relate to people. When an animal loses a “sibling pet” or a person that’s close to them, it may take a great deal of time to recover. 

Remember to hug your pet today. It will make you both feel better.

As some of you may remember from previous posts, my significant other travels for work and is on the road several days out of every week. As is our custom when he is traveling, we talk first thing in the morning, throughout the day and in the evening before bed. During our ritual morning phone call the other day, he asked me how I had slept the night before.  I explained that I didn’t really sleep that well because of the cat.  This is the explanation I gave him.

“Miss Kitty drove me crazy most of the night. She wanted to sleep on me and I wasn’t comfortable. Every time I  moved her off me she would either start attacking my feet, claw at the side of the mattress or jump off the  bed and claw at the rattan bureau. ”

He asked me why I didn’t simply put her out of the bedroom. I explained that I got up a few times and opened the door for her and she would just look at me and not move.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he started to laugh. When I asked him what was so funny he said “Honey, not only did you have an argument with the cat, you lost the argument with the cat.”

Ugh. He’s absolutely right.

For all you cat lovers, or friends of  cat lovers – check out our Cat-Themed Gifts at Whales & Friends

Dayton, the Glamour Girl

What more is there to say?

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Happy New Year

The holidays are over. All the presents were unwrapped, some exchanged, some put to good use, and let’s be honest, some put away for regifting next year. Many of us managed to finish every last left over and are now regretting eating them all. It is 9 days into everyone’s New Year’s resolutions. 

I struggled for a while to come up with a resolution for myself, reviewing all the standards that I, and most of the population, have made in years past, lose a few pounds, go back to the gym for regular workouts, get on a budget. I was really giving it some thought, should I resolve any of those things or all of them at once?  The answer was yes to all of the above, and then I looked across the room to my cat. She was sleeping peacefully, stretched along the back of the couch. She must have sensed me looking at her because she opened her eyes and yawned. After looking at me for a moment, she closed her eyes and went back to enjoying her snooze in the sunny spot.

As I watched her a funny thought occured to me. If Miss Kitty were to make a New Year’s resolution, what would it be? Would she vow to sleep less than 16 hours a day? Would she worry about dropping the winter weight she seems to gain every year? Probably not. As soon as the weather gets warm and she can chase moles around the yard, she slims right back down. Would she promise not to claw at the back of my leather chair anymore since she knows it annoys me? I don’t think so.

From here my thoughts turmed to the dog. What resolution would Riley Roo make? Would he promise not to shake all his fur around the bathroom after getting a bath?  Would he swear off the buscuits he enjoys after every long walk? Would he stop sleeping on the couch? Would he vow to let me brush him more often so he shed less hair all over the house? Pretty unlikely.

I realized that my pets just enjoy life for what it is. Of course they don’t have to pay the bills or worry about raising a family, but still, I think that there is something to be learned from them.

Can you imagine a day when you don’t feel the need to dream up all the ways you should improve yourself? How liberating it would be to simply stop fretting over so many things and just enjoy every day. 

My New Year’s resolution. Learn the lessons my pets have taught me.

I resolve to worry a little less. I resolve to enjoy my days a little more. I resolve to appreciate the warmth of the sun on my face.