Search Results for: blog neighborhood animals

What to Do With Your Fall Leaves

Oh boy. It must be fall. There are leaves coming down everywhere, and everywhere people are raking them into piles. In our neighborhood, we have folks who come around in a big truck to take the leaves away. What? I want those leaves! What can you do with leaves, you might ask? Turn them into giant pumpkins. This might be a temporary solution, but if you have a lot of leaves they are perfect for slipping into a big orange garbage bag. Put a scary face onto the bag, and you have an instant giant Halloween decoration, no blowing up … Continue reading →

Fall Activities with Baby

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I’m not very big into Halloween. I don’t usually dress up (although my kids think I should) and I only do what is necessary to make my kids’ halloween dreams come true. The great thing, for someone like me, about having a baby at Halloween is that they are not begging for candy, or going trick or treating, and a costume is just a bonus. Not really necessary. Yet, there are many people unlike me who love Halloween. They dress their babies up in cute costumes, and take them trick or treating to show off the costumes. Maybe to get … Continue reading →

When Make-Believe is Better Than Reality

You can’t turn on the television these days without wondering how it is that some things make it on air. And I’m not just referring to Honey Boo Boo. Even the commercials make me wonder if I am living in an alternate universe. Case in point: Motts for Tots. The TV ad features an adorable little boy innocently drinking his Motts for Tots juice box when all of a sudden his mom (let’s hope it’s his “mom”) comes up from behind and starts to squeeze and tickle him. While he is sucking on his juice box! What parent in her … Continue reading →

Should Pets Be Kept Inside or Outside?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much our views on owning pets have changed. I grew up keeping all pets in the house. Everyone I knew did the same; the most they had were indoor-outdoor cats. Since moving down here, I’ve encountered other takes on pet ownership. A lot of people in my area keep their dogs outside 90% of the time. They might only bring them inside during extreme weather: storms, particularly hot or cold days, etc. A lot of people also keep their cats outside all of the time, which is a more accepted practice. What’s … Continue reading →

Make Reunions Happen: Be a Noble Foster

My old neighborhood was full of military families, due to the large naval base nearby. Aside from the license plates from myriad states, military-related bumper stickers, and the occasional person in some kind of uniform, it was just like any other neighborhood. That included the large number of pets in many of the homes. Another thing we saw a lot in our development was moving trucks. That’s just a fact of life in a military town. Once in a while mine or another rescue is contacted by a moving family that can’t take their pet where they’re going. These families … Continue reading →

Bat Watching

Oh, summer is almost here. At least last week it was. I could feel it in the clouds that didn’t sprinkle that much rain on our heads, and I could see it in the bats that fly over our heads at night. Yes, the bats are back. Our little bats hibernate over the winter. Come mosquito season, they emerge and start feasting. As someone who mosquitoes really love, I am thankful for the bats. Bat watching also makes a fabulous evening activity. Head to any pond or other area of still water where you might find a few mosquitoes, and … Continue reading →

Growing Green Kids

Earth Day 2012 kicks off in just a few hours. How are you planning to celebrate? Contrary to popular belief, the special occasion is not only commemorated by tree huggers and granola lovers. Rather, these days, Earth Day organizers are targeting tech-obsessed kids in hopes of inspiring a new generation to go green. In some parts of the world parents are being encouraged to get their kids to give up their favorite electronic devices for the day, and instead turn their attention to preserving the earth’s natural resources such as air, water, plants and animals. This, of course, is easier … Continue reading →

Groupon Snags Edward Norton

I’ve written before about Edward Norton in my Green Celebrity series. This week, Groupon, the deal-of-the-day website, announced that it is teaming up with Norton for an Earth Day challenge. Norton played green for the big screen (as the Incredible Hulk), but this time, the socially conscious actor is hoping this Groupon challenge will help raise funds for green causes. Norton, who is also a U.N. Ambassador for Biodiversity, also is involved in Crowdrise, which I’ve also blogged about before. In case you missed that blog, Crowdrise is a fundraising site for charities. In addition to Norton, other celebrities such … Continue reading →

Spending on Pets Skyrockets

Despite our recession (though apparently it’s recovering), some industries are on the rise. One of them, according to BBC News, is the pet industries. That’s right, in a time when pet food banks are growing at Animal Control facilities across the country and some people are still losing/struggling to stay in their homes, Americans are spending more on their pets than ever before. As you might guess, 65% of the overall amount spent is on food and veterinary costs. More people are also buying pet insurance. Maybe this just indicates that more people are looking to own more pets. This … Continue reading →

DIY Summer Camp

Spring break wraps up today. Tomorrow it’s back to school; much to my second grader’s chagrin. After nearly two weeks of vacation all I can say is… I’m not prepared for June. Spring break gave us a taste of summer and now I know why area day camps filled up in February. As in the second month of 2012, nearly a half-year away from the start of summer vacation. Parents around here don’t fool around when it comes to getting rid of their kids when school is out. I mean immersing their children in valuable summer enrichment programs designed to … Continue reading →