...Pizza Referee

Whoever coined the expression “fighting likes cats and dogs” certainly doesn’t know my cats and dogs.

I have two cats (Toby and Gizmo) and two dogs (Scout and Kona) and they all get along great! They get along great NOW that is…because we weren’t always a happy family. It’s taken a few years to reach a balanced energy level in our household.

I often catch the “kids” playing together, snuggling together, and last night, even sharing together.

The always rascally Toby and the up-for-any-and-all-new-adventures-and-isn’t-life-so-exciting-and-fun-and-did-you-say-treat Scout & Kona are true team players.

I caught Toby on top of our kitchen counter, pawing at a freshly baked pizza. Much like playing with a tinsel ball or catnip mouse, Toby was using his paws to push pizza slices onto the floor where two big, open mouths were eagerly waiting to gobble up the gooey, cheesy goodness.

They tag teamed the ingestion of three slices before I busted up the fun!

I was too impressed with their teamwork to get mad at them. I mean Toby could have easily nibbled away at the pizza by himself as he perched on the countertop. But no, he wanted to share the love that we call pizza with his brothers. How generous. I’m so proud.

Note to self: Don’t leave any more food on the countertop.

...Sookie Stalker

No, I don’t mean Snooki of Jersey Shore “fame.” I’m talking about Sookie Stackhouse of Bon Temps fame. I’m talking about the wonderfully addictive book series written by Charlaine Harris.

The 10th book in the series, Dead in the Family, will be available in exactly seven days from now! I have been anxiously waiting for this new book since the last book came out in May 2009. Charlaine you are so cruel to make me wait a whole year for new Sookie stories!

My love for Sookie began from watching the first season of HBO’s hugely popular True Blood series. One of my friends had read the books the show was based on and lent me her copies of the Sookie Stackhouse aka Southern Vampire Series.

I was instantly addicted, devouring all eight books in the series. I stayed up late reading…would get up early in the morning to read…would read at lunchtime…would bring my books with me everywhere just in case I had an extra second to eek out a few pages. Harris’ writing style is casual and funny, and her characters are complex, surprising at times, and human (even though they’re not!). Sookie is a tough cookie and I admire her for that. (So unlike Bella in the Twilight books.)

Thankfully I’ve been able to get a little of my Sookie fix by enticing a coworker to just “try” the books. As a die-hard Twilight fan, she was reluctant at first. But she soon became entranced with the books, and even changed her mind a little on Twi/Stephanie Meyer. (We both think Meyer totally ripped off some of Harris’ themes, but I won’t get into that here.) It’s been so much fun to discuss all of the mysteries and romances in the books as my coworker reads them for the first time.

Adding to my Sookie fix, over the last year I have re-read several of my favorites in the series (can you say Eric & amnesia!) and right now I’m re-reading book nine, Dead and Gone, to refresh my memory and ramp up for the new title.

Let the countdown to the new book’s release begin!

...Dolphin Trainer

As a child when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said a dolphin trainer. I was fascinated with dolphins, even though I had never seen one in real life…and I really didn't know what the job actually entailed...and I didn’t particularly like to swim…and I was actually kind of afraid of water. Just a few minor details indicating dolphin training probably wasn’t the best career choice for me. And yet dolphins continued and still to this day continue to fascinate me.

I was reminded of my childhood dream job a few weeks ago when I saw real dolphins in the wild. While on vacation with girlfriends in Ft. Myers, Florida, we witnessed maybe a dozen dolphins swimming in the smokey blue Gulf of Mexico. We could see them jumping through the waves right from the shoreline. They were magnificent! I was squealing and clapping - I was a little kid again. While I didn't get a photo of the dolphins, this is where they were swimming...

It was my first time seeing dolphins in the actual wild, in their natural habitat. I have seen them before, sadly, in captivity when I was a child. As I'm now older and wiser and able to control my activities and actions, I know better and make a point to never go to those terrible roadside marine and animal parks. I don't want to support the captivity and often neglect of those animals.  

In celebration of Earth Day, thursday's episode of Oprah had the director Louis Psihoyos and activitist Ric O'Berry from the dolphin documentary The Cove. I dragged my hubby to see it last fall and we left the theater so angry and appalled and saddened by what we had seen. I went home and signed up right away to take action. The documentary won an Academy Award this year, which presumably has brought even more attention to the film and the cause. They will be airing the film soon in Japan, so it will be interesting to see how the Japenese act to the horror happening in their own country. If you haven't had a chance to see this film, I HIGHLY recommend you do. Dolphins are such  magnificant creatures. 

...Green Geek

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day! Happy Birthday Earth Day!

Today is a day to ask yourself if you’re doing all that you can do for Mother Earth. Are you…

• Recycling? Uh, DUH, let’s hope so! My city accepts cardboard/paper, and only #1 and #2 glass & plastic bottles with necks. That leaves out a ton of other recyclables which go straight into the trash. So, you too can step it up and bring all of your recyclables to your local participating co-op. I bring mine to EastSide Co-op in NE Mpls. They have a pilot recycling program, taking #s 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. It still amazes me how quickly all of these recyclables pile up!
• Recycling your bottle caps? Did you know that most bottle caps are not recycled? Aveda has a recycling program for these caps. I collect bottle caps from my work, as well as home, and bring about 3-4 boxes of caps a month to Aveda.
• Supporting a local organic farmer? Last year I purchased CSA share and loved it, so signed up again this year. I can't wait for all of the yummy veggies coming my way starting in June!
• Capturing your rain water? I am so excited each spring when we hook up our rain barrel. It’s free water, great for my garden, gives me a great workout, and allows me to water my plants even on city-restriced watering days.
• Using reusable shopping bags? I love Envirosax. Super cute designs, super strong, and super compact.
• Washing all of your laundry in cold water? My only exceptions to this rule are towels and bedding, which I clean with warm water to kill any germs.
• Eating organically grown and humanely treated food? Eggs, for example, from organically-fed, free-range chickens noticably look and taste better. The brilliantly bright yolks even converted my skeptical husband.
• Supporting local green businesses? I like to consult Heavy Table's Atlas of Ethical Eating for eco-friendly and socially-responsible local restaurants.
• Using decomposable doggie poop bags? I have two 65+ pound dogs and they poop alot! Their poop doesn't need to be preserved for the next 200+ years in regular plastic bags.
• Using non-toxic chemicals on your skin? In your house? Take stock of all of the cosmetics, lotions, soaps, detergents, cleaning supplies you use every day. Are they toxic to you, your pets, the environment? 

These are just a few of the things I'm trying to do, but I'm certinaly not perfect. I often forget to bring my reusable bag to the grocery store. While I drive an econimcal Ford Focus, my husband drives a gas-guzzling SUV. But bit by bit, I'm trying to do better. 

In honor of Earth Day, I want to make a commitment to ramp up my green efforts for 2010. The things I’m already doing (which at one time felt like a lot) have become second nature and pretty much a part of my daily routine. As a result, I feel like I’m not doing enough! So I’ve decided to step it up.

Composting and rain gardening have been at the forefront of my mind lately, probably because a few weeks ago I arranged for a Hennepin County Master Gardener to present both topics at my work. I’m on the Green@Work committee, and we try to bring green ideas/resources/events to the people – or in this case my co-workers. Some of them get it, a lot of them don’t. Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about both topics since the presentation.

So what earth friendly actions can I really commit to in 2010?

• Composting. It’s too easy not to be doing, right?
• Planting more native flowers and grasses in my landscaping.
• Using recyclable/compostable dryer sheets, or better yet, a dryer ball/sachet.
• Learning more about beekeeping. (Earlier this year, I briefly explored the idea of raising chickens and found out that the hobby isn’t for me. Good to know ahead of time.)
• Learning more ways to be green & reading more about environmental topics. (I’m going to start with Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food.)

So my list isn’t huge. But it’s a solid start, and I feel I can actually commit to doing these things.

How are you celebrating Earth Day? What green practices have you incorporated into your daily routine?