We all have a story....

Hearts have been played.

Friends have been lost, but not forgotten.

Lives brought together or maybe torn apart.

Dreams remain unfulfilled, unchanged, unspoken.

And yet the sky is still blue, and the stars remain the same.

We wonder, we ponder, and we hypothesize.

We pay less attention when it counts.

Chance left behind for what we can quantify.

We’ll lose our faith in everyone we know.

And yet we will forget that no one wants to die alone.

Love your skin, but don't forget theirs'!

Flea sprays for Cats & Dogs; Horses too

All animals find a variety of insects to be annoying. The bites from these insects can also be unhealthy. Fortunately there are natural solutions that are mild, but effective. Even people can benefit from these easy to make pest control sprays. Mosquitoes and black flies can be chased away using these sprays too.

Since these products are considered pesticides, they are regulated by the EPA, not the FDA. These minimal risk pesticides are governed by these rules. .Only ingredients on the active list may be used to chase pests away. These active ingredients may only be carried in materials that appear on the inerts list Fortunately many of the ingredients that we use to formulate natural body care products are on the list. This includes all of the edible veggie oils as well as the common emulsifiers. Both Neem and Karanja oil are very useful edible oils in these applications since they act against a wide variety of pests. Neem oil is safe for use on cats.

While the active ingredients list may appear somewhat restrictive for essential oil use, mint oils can be used. The mint plant family is quite large and contains mint, rosemary, lavender, pennyroyal as well as catnip and many other common EOs. Many of these EOs can be used to repel insects.

Dogs, horses and humans are quite tolerant of many of these essential oils and creating pest control products for them is easy. But since cats lack an essential enzyme that detoxifies many compounds, extra care must be taken in formulation products for them. Citral containing materials like citronella and lemongrass are definitely out for them, but can be used effectively in all other applications. Catnip aka Catmint is a good choice for them.

The following formula is specifically designed for cats, but can be used in other applications too. It can be modified for other applications by substituting other pest control EOs for the catnip.
You should spray the animals lightly and use a heavier application on bedding areas to send the lurkers packing. Regular Light applications will defeat the pests much better than single heavy applications..

Catnip Flea Spray

This recipe makes about 32 oz of flea spray or insect repellant.

32 oz Water

2 tablespoons Polysorbate 20

2 teaspoons Catnip essential oil or Essential oil blend

1 teaspoon Neem oil

Combine the essential oil blend and Neem oil with the Polysorbate 20. Slowly begin to work the water into the Polysorbate 20 / oil blend. It may appear cloudy, but it will not separate. Package in Plastic or aluminum bottles equipped with spray misters.

Enjoy a pest free day!

http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/form_petfleas.html

Are we losing touch because we are too connected?

Part One:

I was standing in line at a certain Seattle based coffee shop and I noticed that everyone had their heads down, staring at their ‘smart phones’. None of these 15 or so patrons were there with a friend having coffee, or even acknowledged the person taking their order. They simply muttered their order to the barista—without looking up at her—then handed her a credit card. It was all very cold, detached, impersonal, and a little sci-fi movie scary to be honest!

Now, I am not saying that it is necessary to have a 5 minute conversation with a stranger about their life, especially when I am behind you in line and in need of my coffee fix. However, since when have we become so detached from human interaction that we no longer give someone the simple common courtesy of looking them in the eye…?

Just think about what we are missing out on by being so distracted by our tech… As a case in point, this particular barista was about 23 year’s old, long brown hair, petite, hazel eyes, and a nice smile. There were at least 3 decent looking guys without wedding rings on, and they didn’t even realize that this young attractive female was standing right in front of them. Since when has checking email become more important than flirting with a cute coffee girl?

We sit at a bar with friends and everyone has a phone in their hands. We check our Facebook status more than we check our mailbox. Our thumbs are stronger than our calves because we spend more time texting than we do walking. We email, IM, and video chat so often that we’ve actually convinced ourselves that this is just as effective as a phone call or actually being face-to-face with a friend.

Are we becoming too comfortable with the idea of minimal human interaction…?