Gardeners checklist for February

February is just around the corner, and once that's out of the way, so is Spring and gardening chores.

I found some very useful information at Demesne gardening site which offers helpful tips on what you can do in February to prepare for this year's garden. Even though February may be too early in your part of the country for some of these chores, there's still some good tips here for planning your garden. And it always helps me with my winter blahs to plot out what I'm going to do this year and get my hands in some dirt, even if it's just potting soil in my basement. So here is the February gardener's list:

"February is cold and dreary in many parts of the country, but it's important to do as much preparatory work as you can this month, because once March comes you'll have dozens of garden chores that seemingly need to be done all at once.

Make sure all your tools have been cleaned, sharpened, and are ready to go. There is nothing quite as vexing as having a perfectly good weekend opportunity to mow the lawn only to discover that the blades are dull or it otherwise needs service. It's your last best chance to get your implements in prime working order this month. Waiting could result in longer wait times as other procrastinators discover the same thing.

It's a good time to inventory your supplies including seeds too. Seeds, if kept dry and cool, will often be just as good as they were last year. Use them up, but don't rely on them.

Now is the time to build the trellis for your indeterminate tomatoes, squash, and gourds, so purchase materials this month.

Have you made your plan of what you want to grow this year?

If you plan to start from seed, have you ordered your seeds?

Set up flats for starting seeds. Full spectrum lighting and a heat mat can facilitate growing a variety of annuals, perennials, and vegetables for this year's garden.

Do you want to add arbors or other support structures? Order now to have them delivered before your plants go in the ground.

If you have a garage or workshop, repair and repaint garden furniture this month.

Once you plan your plantings, pots, and beds, you can design an irrigation system that can save you time and money in more efficient watering for a maximum yield.

Prune shrubs and trees—especially fruit trees—this month if they don't bleed (like elms and maples) or bloom early (lilacs, rhodies, and azalea).

Destroy insect eggs before they hatch. Inspect, pick off, and destroy without resorting to pesticides if you can.

Prune grapes. Trim oldest wood and leave only primary stems. Each stem should have four to six canes from last years growth.

Build frames for new raised beds.

Books
The Ann Lovejoy Handbook of Northwest Gardening: Natural Care and Sustainable Design "

Wild Cat Wednesday #19

Mad Dog Monday #19

when you're at peace with yourself, anywhere is home

(photo origin unknown)

Benefits of walking your dog

All I have to do is put my tennis shoes on, and both dogs head for the back door and their leashes. I find it humorous that neither dog minds wet grass when we go walking; they plow through it joyously. It's a different story at home when they stick their heads out the door and see fog, let alone a light misty rain or snow. Oh no, back inside they go and will hold it endlessly until the weather clears.

If you've ever watched Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, you know he advocates walking your dog as the first step for any behavioral problem. The reason for this is that dogs are natural travelers, and they have a need to explore new territory every day in order to remain mentally healthy and stable. When I adopted Rosie two years ago, she was emotionally unstable from whatever abuse she suffered in the past. She clung to me like I was her lifeline for the first few days, and anything and everything scared her. The one exception was when we went walking. Her first full day with us started off with a walk. I was amazed how this trembling little girl transformed as soon as we started walking. She and Abby immediately fell in stride with each other, shoulder to shoulder, tails wagging, and sniffing the same spots. She was a normal, happy dog for that time we spent walking. When we returned home, both dogs were tired out from their explorations, and laid down peacefully next to each other. I really think walking them together right away formed a bond between them, and they just accepted each other from that point on, with no growling or fighting over territory. My family couldn't believe how easily Abby accepted a new dog into her domain.

I believe Cesar's methods work. Walking your dog stabilizes him or her mentally and physically by letting them expend energy. If a dog doesn't get exercise beyond his yard, he or she will be bored and that can lead to bad behavior. Dogs have different energy levels. It's the high energy dogs that will use their boredom in destructive ways, and are more likely to suffer separation anxiety when you leave them home alone. Small dogs may not need as much exercise, but walking benefits them as well. I know it may be difficult to find time to walk your dog every day, believe me. But I see a real difference in my dogs on the days we walk compared to the days when we don't. Try it and you'll be convinced too.

Wild Cat Wednesday #18

talk about being a bed hog....

(photo origin unknown

Mad Dog Monday #18

Best positions in bed...

(photo origin unknown)

The Friday Funny....computer Hell

I feel this guy's pain!

Help for puppy mill adoptees

A dog raised in a puppy mill has probably experienced cramped living conditions at the very least, endless days and nights in a tiny cage with little to no human contact, and in many cases severe neglect and cruelty. This can leave deep emotional scars long after they are adopted into a loving and caring family, and the dog will most likely need extra care to rehabilitate him or her.

I've run across a free eBook by Kyla Duffy of HappyTailsBooks.com that was written specifically to help new owners of dogs adopted from a puppy mill situation. While fostering dogs taken from puppy mill breeders, Kyla has learned that these dogs have unique needs but that there is very little information available on the subject.

So she decided to write her own eBook to offer help to people adopting dogs from puppy mills, along with information on the realities of puppy mills. Her eBook is available for free download HERE.

Wild Cat Wednesday #17

just hanging around....

(photo origin unknown)

Skin care and toxins

Since the skin is the largest organ of the body, and whatever you put on your skin absorbs into your bloodstream, it makes sense to choose your skin care products, including cosmetics, carefully. I found an interesting site with an article on toxic ingredients in cosmetics and skin care products. To read it, click here.

I suffer from eczema, a skin condition involving itchy, red, patches on the skin, predominantly on the face and neck area. There is no cure for eczema, so I have learned to control it through avoiding the trigger foods that bring on an outbreak, along with supplementing my diet to boost my immune system. I've also learned to be more careful of what I put on my skin to avoid irritating it, specifically lotions and makeup.

Even if you don't have a skin condition, it's a good idea to avoid products that contain toxic chemicals, that once absorbed through your skin, can cause any number of health problems. Click here to see a list of toxic ingredients found in many skin care products.

Mad Dog Monday #17

Dog for sale.....

A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: 'Talking Dog For Sale.' He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.

'You talk?' he asks.
'Yep,' the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says 'So, what's your story?'
The Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired.'

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

'Ten dollars,' the guy says.
'Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?'
'Because he's a liar. He never did any of that stuff.
(author unknown)

Your pet's health depends on their diet

My 11 year old cocker spaniel Abby suffered from skin allergies and took Prednisone for 5 years to curb continuous itching and licking of her hind quarters. Due to side affects of the medication, such as adrenal failure and weight gain, I researched allergies, and soon realized her diet could be the problem. I read about how chemicals, preservatives and by-products in commercial pet foods affect a dog's immune system. When the immune system is compromised, it can lead to illness, including allergies. Major organs will rob nutrients from less vital organs, such as the skin, in order to sustain life. When there isn't enough good bacteria or flora in the digestive tract, there is an overgrowth of yeast, which causes the skin allergy.

Ingredients in commercial pet food that cause allergies include grains, preservatives, meat by-products, and the chemicals found in them. Since Abby was a puppy, I had fed her what I thought was the best dog food. The pet food recall caused me to look closer at the ingredients. My dry kibble wasn't involved, but the canned variety was, as well as many other trusted brands, and that was just too close for comfort. I changed her diet to an all natural, grain-free dog food once a day. For her other meal, I gave her a raw meat mixture. I decided to add raw food to her diet because natural probiotics found in raw meat boost the immune system, while cooking meat decreases the affect of natural probiotics. Her dog biscuits were replaced as well with all natural or organic treats.

The new diet was a success! After 2 months I started weening her off medication, and after 3 months she no longer needed it at all. Over the past 3 years, her weight (which had risen because of the Prednisone)has returned to normal, there has been no recurrence of the skin allergies or ear infections she suffered from for years, and her coat is shinier and softer than ever. I'm convinced an all natural pet diet can greatly improve skin allergies and overall health.

After seeing the dramatic improvement in Abby's health, I now feed my both of my dogs a raw diet and no longer feed kibble.  Cats are more finicky and my two did not embrace the raw diet so I switched them to  an all natural grain-free cat food supplemented with canned cat food.  Since switching them three years ago, their coats are also greatly improved and shedding has greatly reduced.  I also noticed they don't have a problem with hair balls anymore.  So I can't stress strongly enough the importance of diet for your pet's health.

If your pet is suffering from allergies, it also helps to supplement their diet with fatty acids and probiotics, at least for a month or so until the all natural diet has time to take affect. For safety and to be sure you're giving the proper dosage, purchase fatty acid and probiotic supplements specifically for pets.

Wild Cat Wednesday #16

Cleaning your home without chemicals

Many of our home cleaning products contain dangerous petroleum based chemicals. Even if you're label savy, manufactures don't have to list the chemicals contained in their "secret formulas." When used inside our homes, these chemicals build up and contaminate the air we breathe, at the very least causing allergies and respiratory distress. The use of antibacterial soaps and cleaners is unnecessary as plain old soap kills these same germs.


If you're concerned as I am about the dangerous effects that modern cleaning products can have on your health, you'll find the article written by Dr. Mercola very useful. It provides helpful information on how to use common household products like vinegar, baking soda, borax, hydrogen peroxide, etc for all your cleaning needs around the house.

Here is the link to Dr. Mercola's article, How to keep your home clean naturally.

Mad Dog Monday #16

Why dogs bite people....

The Friday Funny....oldies but goodies

A skeleton walks into a bar and orders a beer and a mop. (think about it)


A very well-dressed, well-groomed 90 year old man walks into an upscale bar and sits down next to a very attractive lady. He orders a drink, takes a sip and asks 'so, do I come here often?'.


(from Bob Zany)