All natural tick/fly/gnat/mosquito spray

In a clean, empty spray bottle, (mine is 28oz.) mix together:
4 ounces of Avons' Skin So Soft Original Bath Oil
1 cup of vinegar (either white or apple cider vinegar will work)
40 drops of 100% pure citronella essential oil

40 drops of 100% pure marigold essential oil

Fill the bottle the rest of the way up with water

Shake well each time before applying it to yourself and your pups and since the oils and water will separate quickly, be sure to shake it up while using it.  If it's just not quite getting the job done, add another ounce of Skin So Soft and 10 drops of each of the oils.

Of course, because of the ingredients, don't spray on eyes or open wounds, but just a light mist on your dog's fur/hair and a light mist of it over the top of your clothing will do wonders to keep those nasties away from your family!

#INDIVISIBLE Honor the light inside each

Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, issued a national Call to Action for Americans with his letter, "An Open Letter: How Can America Win This Election?" In it, he asks us to blog, video, tweet, FB or otherwise use the internet communication devices and services to express our individual view of how America could be, and how we can all put citizenship over partisanship.

I'd like add my voice now and it chimes in with Ghandi's:

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man."

In my version of America, our Animals would be our Friends and Companions rather than Possessions. I assert that each individual creature who lives and breathes can not be a possession. It can only be itself. S/He has the right to both give and receive love & kindness to and from those around them. S/He, if adopted into a human family, as the right to expect love, kindness, fresh food & fresh water, shelter, grooming, consideration, empathy, attention, fun, health benefits, and a full enjoyable life from their human(s). I think they also have the right to a voice. I genuinely think that each family who chooses to adopt an Animal Companion into their family must have at least one member of the human group go learn Animal Communication so there's an open line for conversation. Animals should be treated with respect and their lives honored every bit as much as a human respects and honors other human's rights.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the basic rights of humans, according to the US Constitution. Perhaps we should spell out that Life, Respect, and 2 Way Communication are the basic rights of Animals and make it a World Constitution, adoptable by every nation. Only Great Nations with a high set of moral progress could stand forward and adopt this idea *and* ensure those rights+ for each Animal Companion.

Atrocities against Animals and Children should be met with disciplines twice or thrice as harsh as those against other adult humans. Those who are helpless should indeed be more entitled to protection.

Where I understand that most Christians don't believe an Animal has a soul, it still matters that we treat them as though they do. What if Animals are really Guardian Angels incarnate? What if they're here to test Christians and their goodness?

I say that if there's a light in their eyes, they have a soul, because only a soul can emit such a strong light. If you don't believe an Animal has a soul, look into their eyes. Go on, really look! There's something special inside each and every one of them. It's the same thing you see when you look into the eyes of a human. It's the same light.

In my version of America's future, and the whole of the World's future, the light is honored, respected, and loved, no matter what shape the body takes.

Gardening without Chemicals

You can easily mix your own simple and effective sprays.  Following are probably the most popular among those who like to keep chemicals out of the garden.  I use these solutions instead of chemicals to keep my Grrls safe.  See the Roundup post I've got to see what just this ONE commonly used spray can do to your Dog!

I have two sprayers for the two things I use most often.  One labeled GARLIC and one labeled VINEGAR.  I use them pretty consistently throughout the Spring-Summer-Fall seasons, so I keep them on my back porch.  The others aren't used that much in my household.  For the soap spray, I just put it in a hand held spray bottle and squirt directly on the plants on the deck.

Vinegar Weed Killer

One gallon white wine vinegar - straight.

Pour into a yard sprayer.  Choose a morning when there won't be any rain for a couple of days.  Spray the leaves of the weeds thoroughly and leave on while the sun is shining.  Don't water where you've sprayed the vinegar.  The weeds should begin to wilt in 2-3 days.  If not, apply vinegar again to the leaves and pour some straight vinegar at the root base.  Wait another 2-3 days.

Garlic Spray Insecticide

One whole elephant garlic bulb
Two cups water
One gallon water
Combine in blender the entire garlic bulb and two cups water, and blend on high speed until garlic is finely pureed. Put in storage container and set aside for a day. Strain out pulp, and then mix liquid with one gallon water in sprayer. Spray tops and bottoms of leaves thoroughly. Apply about once a week, and after a rain.

Soap Spray Insecticide

Detergent-based liquid soap, such as dishwashing liquid
Water
Mix one-tablespoon detergent per one gallon water in sprayer. Apply liberally to both tops and bottoms of leaves. Reapply about once a week, or after a rain.

Fungicide Spray

(Treats Powdery Mildew & other fungus)

One gallon water
Three tablespoons baking soda
One teaspoon dishwashing liquid
One tablespoon bleach ( Warning - NO more than this amount )
Mix all ingredients in sprayer and spray all areas on the plant that look affected. It's best to remove all leaves and other parts of the plant that are the worst affected. Apply sparingly to unaffected areas, and keep in mind that too much bleach can harm the plant. Try to avoid getting it on healthy leaves.

Hot Pepper Spray

(Helps repel rabbits, deer, and other nibblers)

6 - 10 Hot Peppers
2 cups water
1 quart water
Combine peppers and two cups water in blender and blend on high speed for 1 - 2 minutes. Pour in storage container with lid and put aside for a day. Strain through cheesecloth, and add this liquid to one quart of water in sprayer. Spray plants liberally every week and after a rain.

Spring Peas

This year is the first year I decided to plant something along the fence of my "pooh yard."  It's the yard we have so the Grrls can go in and out at will to do their business but I don't have to worry about them getting into the road or chasing the neighbor's chickens or running about with neighbor dogs as A Dog Pack (read: Human's "Gang" equivalent).

I chose to do snap peas and sugar peas all along their fencing.  I have really pretty fence up - it's railroad ties as uprights and there's a red stained wood that has the hog wire attached to it.  It's nice.  And it's perfect for climbing plants like peas.  I also planted grass in their yard, so I'll be regularly watering it over the summer, too.  The peas should grow up and provide a nice shady spot fort them to lay on the grass and be outside when it's nice.  Seems like a dogs' perfect environment.  They could even reach over and nibble a pea if they wanted one while they were lounging around.

So, all the necessary ingredients were accounted for and I planted my peas.  They've all come up now and I'm starting to train them to go up the fence.  All's well.

I thought.

A few days ago, though, I went out to see if any of them needed to be redirected toward the fence and found several that had been trained to the fence already were eaten down by something.  I didn't look closely at them, just noted they'd been eaten and went to get my Garlic Spray (see recipe at the end of the post).  I sprayed the whole yard with Garlic that day, thinking I had an infestation of bugs that would be eating all my garden plants.  I did find some aphids on the lilacs while I was spraying, but other than that, nothing.

I went the next morning to check on the aphids in the lilacs first to find that didn't like the garlic and left.  However, the starts of peas I trained just the day before were eaten down.  Again.  I decided I'd better really have a look at those peas.

About this time, Molly runs up to find out what I'm doing.  She's on the inside of the fence, I'm on the outside.  Where I'm perplexed about what's going on with my peas, I still need the ones tall enough to reach the fence to be trained to go grab the fence or my shady spot isn't going to happen.  Carefully, I push a pea over to the fence so it's little tendrils wrap around the fencing.  Great!  Next one.

Just as I'm tenderly pushing the pea start over to the fence, making sure it's got a good hold on the fence, out  of the corner of my eye, I found out just how big my "bug" was.

Molly happily chomped down on that poor little start of a pea and ripped it right off the fence.  She showed no mercy, nor did she show any remorse when I asked her what she was doing.  She grinned at me, chewing her tasty prize, swallowed and wagged her tail, then proceeded to where I was trying to get the second pea to take hold of the fence.  Luckily for the pea, I managed to remove it from the fence before Molly could get devour it, too.

Now, I have to figure out what I'm going to train the peas to climb so they can grow into that shady spot.

Garlic Spray Insecticide

One whole elephant garlic bulb
Two cups water
One gallon water

Combine in blender the entire garlic bulb and two cups water, and blend on high speed until garlic is finely pureed. Put in storage container and set aside for a day. Strain out pulp, and then mix liquid with one gallon water in sprayer. Spray tops and bottoms of leaves thoroughly. Apply about once a week, and after a rain.

This recipe does a small yard, like in the city.  If you're doing a country yard, like mine (3/4 acre), you need to do this recipe 4-5 times.

Recharging and Interruptions

It was time for a nap and Molly chose really well - with the Energizer batteries that were recharging.

But then I made a whistling sort of sound and disturbed her.  She looks lopsided here and reminds me quite a bit of a white Grover muppet!  :)

She figured out it was me making that sound in short order, though...

And decided that she'd go back to her napping

but then figured she'd best keep an eye on me.

For my personal remembering...

Healthy Pet: Repel Pests Naturally

Authored by CJ Puotinen on Wednesday, 04-25-2012

How to keep your dog comfortable this season

Winter’s over, and all sort of interesting bugs will soon come a-calling. Unfortunately, many conventional flea and tick treatments contain toxic chemicals that can remain on your pet's fur for weeks. Learn natural strategies for keeping spring from, well, going to the dogs!

Q: How can I keep fleas under control?
A: Try spraying your pet and his bedding with natural products containing neem (gentle to pets but toxic to parasites) to prevent infestation. In addition to fleas, neem can help keep your dog free from ticks, lice, mites, flies, and mosquitoes.

Another natural flea preventive is a homemade spray made of 50 percent apple cider vinegar and 50 percent warm water. For best results, use unfiltered, organic apple cider vinegar that has not been pasteurized. Fill a spray bottle with the solution and spray on your pet’s fur daily. Pay special attention to the base of the tail and behind the ears.

A gentle herbal shampoo that helps repel fleas will contain useful ingredients such as bergamot, citronella, eucalyptus, geranium, juniper, lavender, neem, pine cedar, or rosemary.

Q: Are there any natural products that help repel other types of bugs—such as mosquitoes—from my dog?
A: Diluted essential oils of peppermint and lavender are great for repelling insects. Commonsense precautions include always diluting essential oils in a carrier oil (such as grape seed or jojoba) before using them topically. First, apply oils to a small area of your pet’s skin to watch for negative reactions.

Eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, rose geranium, or citronella essential oil can also be applied to a heavy-duty woven nylon collar or a bandanna. Use an eyedropper to put one drop of 100 percent pure essential oil on the collar each week. If your dog seems to tolerate the smell, you can try two drops per week. (Do not use these collars on cats, as most essential oils are toxic to them. Pregnant women should also avoid using undiluted essential oils.)

Q: What do I do if my dog gets stung by a honeybee? 
A: Honeybees leaves their stingers behind. Gently flick the stinger away or remove it with tweezers. Rinse the sting with cider vinegar or strongly brewed chamomile tea. A drop of full-strength or diluted essential oil of chamomile or tea tree oil can be safely applied to a bite or sting on most adult dogs as long as you avoid the eye area. Do not use this disinfecting treatment on cats, very small dogs, or young puppies.

REFERENCES:

for more information about natural pet care, read The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care by C.J. Puotinen ($21.95, McGraw-Hill, 2000)

Photo album!

Our Lady Bug with half a hair cut.  Compare leg sizes!  Hahaha!

My white MollyGirl...  She's so dang cute!  She's always being cute at me, too...

The lovely Yenna, even with matted ears.  It's going to take us a few days to get her ears back to their normal beauty.  Not that she cares.  She's just glad the grooming is over for the day.

Lady Bug after her groom (both sides):

My MollyGirl, in Ansel Adam's style:

It's was especially cold in the house this winter, as you can tell by the "sweatered fluff "sleeping 

in front of the fire:

Molly's fluff was so long, I had to do something so we could see her eyes.

Here's what I came up with.  :)