Touch of Nature News

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A Touch Of Nature
May 1, 2005 Issue

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What's Happening Here at Bluebird Cove
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We've had some new furniture added to the Bluebird Cove Garden! We had special friends visit us last week. If you remember our trip to Charleston last Fall, this is one of the couples we met there. Charlie is a man of many talents since he retired and working with steel and welding was one of his new-found hobbies. We had seen a bench at a shop in Charleston that we all fell in love with. He had me take some photos and the memory faded for all of us ... except Charlie! He went about to duplicate it and make one for us. It arrived in the back of his huge pickup truck. Was I ever shocked! And grateful, excited, and thrilled to have it. The neighbors have been coming up the driveway to look it over. AT 250 pounds, it won't be moved around the yard. Here's a picture of the bench and Charlie! Steel Butterfly Bench for Bluebird Cove

Our House Finch family is about to fledge. One of the two babies has been sitting on top of the nest like he owns it. It's amazing how fast they grow. Soon I'll be cleaning out the basket in the upper corner of our front porch so it can await another guest couple. Who shall it be?

Our pond is now officially finished. The pump is wired into the outlet on the screened porch with a remote to turn it on and off. Funny, I've never had good things to say about remotes .... but! I surely do love this one!

Over a week ago, I identified an American Toad calling for a mate. I was so thrilled to know our pond is already calling for residents. The next day I was approaching to fill the birdbath end of it and saw the frog dive under. What excitement! Our desire for the pond was more for the frogs than for ourselves because we missed hearing them. We had a pond in Alabama before movnig here.

Hope you are enjoying Spring as much as I am. I've planted a bunch of seeds and have been busy with the watering to get them to sprout. I keep that image of tall plants blooming as I labor to get the garden to the full-bloom stage. It's terrific to have great weather again!

Hugs to all!
Donna

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Nature's News
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Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Rediscovered

Not seen for 60 years, called "the flagship of American extinction," the ivory-billed woodpecker is alive and soaring through Arkansas' ancient cypress swamps. What "a ray of hope" amid continual gloomy news about Earth's environment.

Death Valley Spring Blooms

I'm wondering if most of you had heard the news of the "once in a lifetime" bloom in the Death Valley desert? I don't read the news or watch it since it's 98% awful and I get filled in plenty just by hearing people talking around me.

Somebody did email me about the beauty that came out of the floods that washed away so many of California's areas this past winter. Because of all that rain, the desert bloomed in all its possible beauty this spring. Beautiful photo of the blooming

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Those Amazing Birds!
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Pale Male: Red-Tailed Hawks in New York City

Did you read about the hawks that had their nest torn down near Central Park? The city and country and the world rallied to give them a nesting area back. After 21 days of vigils and petitions, Pale Male and his mate had a nesting spot back again. Symbolic of the underdog surviving against all odds in a mega-city that would appear to be all concrete and asphalt, nature shows its resiliance through this pair of hawks who choose to live there. They have fledged 23 chicks. PBS has done a documentary and a book has been written.

Digital Bird Song Identifier

How about a machine that analyzes and identifies the bird songs you are hearing outside your window. Aim this device in the direction of the song and it will tell you in seconds what bird it is. A bit pricey for the home, but it can be a dream project for some of you :-)

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Nature's Bounty For Us
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Essential Oil Recipes and More - New Free Newsletter!

Emailed twice a month with an essential oil recipes and tips, Q&A, and more. As a subscriber you will be able to submit questions to the editor. Q&A will be placed in each issue. Enjoy the fun of using essential oils around your home and as part of your healthy lifestyle. Aromas add zest to life!

Natural Solutions by Health Topic

Do you need to build better health and wellness? Herbs have been used by people around the world for thousands of years. Get information about a health topic you would like to know more about.

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Gardening For Wildlife - Restoring the Balance
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Making Compost
From Gardens Alive

By making compost, you replicate nature's own system for feeding plants - turning organic waste into life-giving humus. Here's a simple recipe for cooking up a quick batch of healthful compost for your garden:

*Green Plant Matter* - grass clippings, vegetable vines, pulled weeds (no seeds), hedge clippings, vegetable peelings

*Dry Plant Matter* - autumn leaves, straw, cornstalks, small twigs

1. Combine the ingredients (in any combination, but a mix of both green and dry is best) in a Compost Digester bin. To speed decay, chop or shred the materials and mix in the appropriate Compost Alive! product.

2. Moisten, but don't saturate, the pile. It should feel about as wet as a damp sponge.

3. Turn the ingredients about once a week or more. This will help aerate the compost so that microbes get the oxygen they need to break down the materials quickly. The more you turn, the faster you get compost! An easy way to do this is with a Compost Aerator.

4. Allow compost to "cook." Monitor the pile's moisture, especially during hot weather, and add more water if necessary. In four weeks or more, depending on how often you turn, check for finished compost-it will be dark, moist and crumbly, with a sweet, earthy odor. Serve a big helping to your garden!

Information provided by Gardens Alive has environmentally responsible products that work!

Find information on gardening, birding, pest and disease control, lawn/soil/plant care, household cleaning products, pet care, and more. A free newsletter and catalog is available.

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"Green" Info - Making It a Way of Life!
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Unusual Hotels of the World

Two friends, who had spent many years visiting & promoting destinations all over the world both personally and for corporate activities, decided to create a definitive guide for the many hotels around the world that offer their guests something unusual about their stay. Be it that guests stay underground, inside an igloo, up a tree or even underwater, Unusual Hotels of the World has set out to be the online location for travellers from around the globe to access information and subsequently book rooms at unusual hotels.
Unusual Hotels of the World

Detoxify Your Soaps and Cleaning Supplies With Sunshine Concentrate!

This environmentally-friendly cleaning and washing concentrate is nothing less than wonderful. We've used it for 15 years for laundry, hand soap, pet baths, soaking produce, dishwasher, cleaning, and a multitude of other uses. This product has saved us money and health. No more "itch" of chemical soaps.

Junk Music

Donald Knaack, a percussionist that studied at Manhattan School of Music, and now lives in Vermont, has made a commitment to exclusively compose for and perform on things that have been discarded.

He says, "The transformation of trash into a sound-producing object has a great recycling message and a fresh, innovative sound. That to me is true creativity and lets me continue to test my muse." Watch a video of one of the concerts on the website.

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Muse On Nature
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"We need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it. We need a refuge even though we may never need to go there ..... We need the possibility of escape as surely as we need hope."

--- Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire, 1968

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Pets Are Nature At Home
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Pet Supplement Catalog by Health Topic

Pet Success Stories Using Nature's Remedies

Free Natural Pet Email Newsletter

Healthy Pet Corner for Birds, Cats, Dogs, Horses, Rabbits & Reptiles

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The Frugal Life - Living Well With What You Already Have
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Living more simply is a great way to effect change in your own personal environment. It helps the planet also. The Frugal Life website has lots of ideas on getting back to basics. They also have a free newsletter emailed twice a month.

Written to encourage families wanting to stretch their dollars, it includes articles or tidbits on topics such as: finance, decorating, gardening, and household tips from subscribers and questions from the website forum.

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If you enjoy this newsletter, please forward it on
to somebody you know. It's how we grow! Thanks!

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Copyright and Reprint Information
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The content, suggestions, and web links in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and not necessarily endorsed by our sponsor "The Herbs Place.com." This is a personal publication by Donna L. Watkins. The ideas and information expressed in it have not been approved or authorized by anyone either explicitly or impliedly. In no event shall Donna L. Watkins or "The Herbs Place.com" be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of this information or its publication.

You may forward or use this copyrighted newsletter on a website if you include the following credit:

Editor, Donna L. Watkins, of TheHerbsPlace.com, provides this free newsletter to subscribers. The Herbs Place provides quality Nature's Sunshine Products at wholesale prices. Visit now to view the list of free newsletters available. http://www.theherbsplace.com

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The Frugal Life - Living Well With What You Already Have
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If you enjoy this newsletter, please forward it on
to somebody you know. It's how we grow! Thanks!

****************************
Copyright and Reprint Information
****************************

You may forward or use this copyrighted newsletter on a website if you include the following credit:

Editor, Donna L. Watkins, of TheHerbsPlace.com, provides this free newsletter to subscribers. The Herbs Place provides quality Nature's Sunshine Products at wholesale prices. Visit now to shop or view the list of free newsletters available. http://www.theherbsplace.com