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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Choosing Secondhand Goods



I love doing my share to help the environment by going to resale and thrift shops, and participating in freecycling--both giving and receiving.


So today, I stopped by the newest thrift shop in my city, which is the one above. Cool name, eh? Way Kool Thrift Store opened a month ago and the owner says they are very busy; I hope it continues that way. I'll be stopping by from time-to-time to see if anything interests me.


It's terrific to see so many thrift shops around. Not only can you save considerable money by buying unique and household items from secondhand stores, it's also good to contribute to the redistribution of products. And if or when you no longer have a need for one or more of your own possessions you always have a place to take them if the item is still in good condition.


Many forms of secondhand exchange have sprung up in recent years. Creative Reuse Centers, bike cooperatives that take donations of used bikes and components, Freecycle networks that connects thrifty locals through its Internet forums, and Car-sharing (in the UK known as car clubs) where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. They are attractive to customers who make only occasional use of a vehicle, as well as others who would like occasional access to a vehicle of a different type than they use day-to-day.

Frida Kahlo and Her Animals

Frida Kahlo de Rivera (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954. Born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón) was a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán, and is best known for her self-portraits.

 
 
“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it's true I'm here, and I'm just as strange as you.” -- Frida Kahlo
 
 
 
"I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best." -- Frida Kahlo
 
 

Companion Animal Documentaries and Cookbooks





I watched two great documentaries on Netflix about dogs called: Dogs Decoded: Nova, and Science of Dogs. I highly recommend people see them, especially dog lovers. Both are terrific documentaries.

My partner Jeffrey is the cook in the family and I am the baker. Today, as Jeffery cooked some food for our Chihuahuas, I decided to try out the doggie treat cookbooks I bought months ago to bake them some treats. So, from the book: The (small dogs) Doggy Bone Cookbook by Michele Bledsoe, I made "Chasing Cheese" (They also make a cookbook for large dogs; I guess you just use more ingredients). And from the book: "MacPherson's K-9 Cookbook: Easy to make Dog Biscuit Recipes" by Mary MacPherson, I made "Sniff N' Bite Biscuits". Both cookbooks come with their own plastic dog bone "cookie" cutters: 1 cutter from the small dog cookbook, but 3 sizes of cutters from the other cookbook.

The results: Both dogs love the treats!!

They (and their relatives) also made kitty cookbook versions: The Kitty Treats Cookbook by Michele Bledsoe, and Easy-to-make Cat Treat Recipes by Dianne and Sarah MacPherson, which I plan to get and make some treats for my Siamese cat.

The Truth About Male and Female Dogs



 
I've read many books on dogs, specifically Chihuahuas since I have two of them. What I have noticed in all the books I've read is although they give good instructions on how to house train, groom, feed, and avoid illnesses regarding your companion animal, not one mentions in depth on the many personality, less noticeable physical, and emotional differences of a male and female dog; I wonder why there is not much information on this in a book?

This is about as much information I could find anywhere:



It's difficult finding information about male and female differences in general, and much less on male and female difference according to specific breeds. Surely there are many differences.

Places where I do find information about the differences between genders, they are in regards to when choosing a companion animal and not pertaining to just scientific research.

Maybe authors feel there isn't much to say about gender differences, but I feel that those who write a half-way informative amount in an article could flesh it out into a book, or even a decent size booklet.

I think possibly the best thing for me to do is not to look for companion animal books for the average person interested in getting a companion animal, but to look for some sort of historical, zoological dog book to find the full truth about male and female dogs, or any kind of companion animal.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Vegan Iced Latte

 

I went grocery shopping at Fred Meyer over the weekend and found this new vegan treat by Silk! Fred Meyer had both Silk Iced Latte vanilla and mocha. I chose the vanilla to give it a try. 

The Iced Latte vanilla taste pretty good although I wish the flavor stood out more; the sweet taste is subtle but maybe not, as I have a very sweet tooth...Next time I'll try the mocha and compare the two.

This Silk beverage is great as an alternative to morning plain coffee. Silk makes awesome vegan drinks (I love, love, love their soy nog!!) and I'm glad there's another beverage of theirs to drink!

Friday, April 12, 2013

The Portland Mercury's Guide to Domesticated Animal Companionship



The Vegan Capital of the World's local free paper, The Portland Mercury, this week has a special on companion animals. The articles contain a lot of good basic information about you and your precious companion. Check out the full issue articles online at its title below:

Pets: A General Introduction


Thursday, April 4, 2013

Vegan Pizza, Part Deux

 
 
I made this vegan pizza before, which I mentioned  in my blogpost titled: Vegan Pizza (where you can also find the recipe). I promised to show you a better looking version, so here it is above, made a week ago. The hummus is below all the toppings; this is how I meant to make it originally, but had forgot to add the hummus after adding the toppings, plus other reason mentioned in blogpost, Vegan Pizza.
 
Next time, I'll add vegan meats to it and maybe some bell peppers as well.

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Animals Killed Counter

The Animal Kill Counter: Basic Version << ADAPTT :: Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today and Tomorrow

Animals Slaughtered:

0 marine animals
0 chickens
0 ducks
0 pigs
0 rabbits
0 turkeys
0 geese
0 sheep
0 goats
0 cows and calves
0 rodents
0 pigeons and other birds
0 buffaloes
0 dogs
0 cats
0 horses
0 donkeys and mules
0 camels and other camelids

These are the numbers of animals killed worldwide by the meat, egg, and dairy industries since you opened this webpage. These numbers do NOT include the many millions of animals killed each year in vivisection laboratories. They do NOT include the millions of dogs and cats killed in animal shelters every year. They do NOT include the animals who died while held captive in the animal-slavery enterprises of circuses, rodeos, zoos, and marine parks. They do NOT include the animals killed while pressed into such blood sports as bullfighting, cockfighting, dogfighting, and bear- baiting, nor do they include horses and grey- hounds who were exterminated after they were no longer deemed suitable for racing. Courtesy of ADAPTT

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