Animals Around The Yard WW

American Toad

Brown praying mantis

Black squirrel climbing the tree

Neighbor's chicken 

Katydid

Unidentified . I don't know what kind of spider this is.

Salamander 

Frog

milipede

slug

birds

Another spider

I decided to share some photos of different animals that have been found in and around my yard this past summer. I see more than I can get photos of. Most times the animals or insect disappear before I can grab a camera or take a picture.

8 Things To Think About When Buying A Dog Bed

Since both my dogs are crate trained. Plus, the crates sit there not being used. I have put the crates up to make clear up the spaces. The dog beds were removed from the crates. I gave my bigger dog, Moose bed to a friend who needed one for her dog. I bought a new bed for Moose to sleep in. One that was bigger where he could lay stretched out. 

When I first got the new dog bed, I placed it in the livingroom where Moose lays the most on the floor. I know winter is coming, he will not be happy on the floor. As it will be too cold. Moose wanted nothing to do with the new dog bed. Rascal my smallest dog sure did. He took it over by dragging the toys in to the new dog bed. 

Moose took to the new dog bed when people would visit. There wouldn't be any place on the couch for him to sit. He would go to the new dog bed. Afterwards Rascal would join Moose to lay in the bed. There is plenty of room for both of them. When it is bedtime, they do not sleep in their dog beds. They sleep in bed with the humans in the house.

8 Things To Think About When Buying A Dog Bed

1. Choose the right size for your dog. 

2. Circle beds do good for dogs who like to curl when they sleep.

3. Square or rectangle beds do good for those who like to stretch out or roll over to sleep.  

4. Get a bed with a cushion for dogs with bad joints or suffer from arthritis.

5. Buy a bed made of good material. If it is itchy to you on touch. It will be itchy for the dogs.

6. If your dog likes to chew, buy a durable not chewable bed. Or train your dog to not chew on the bed. By giving them a chew bone every time they try to chew on the bed.

7. Make sure the bed has no tears or loose strings for the dog to chew, pull or get tangled up in. 

8. Buy a bed that is machine washable to extend the life of the bed. The extra large dog beds will fit in the oversize washers at laundromats.

Photo taken by  and  © belong to Sandy KS aka rusty2rusty.

If you looking to buy a new dog bed, check out these available ones on Amazon. Thank you for looking.

Visiting A Local Park

For much of Saturday, I was able to visit a well known local park. As one of my friends little girl was having a birthday party. My boyfriend, my daughter, a friend of my daughters and me went together. I was able to see many people I have not talked to in awhile.

The park has many trees throughout it. many of trees have nuts that feed the local wildlife. Such as hickory and walnut. It is great for taking scenic photos. Among the trees you will see wildlife that frequent the local area. Such as black squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, and various birds.
Behind the park runs a river. You are able to find different spots to go fishing or sit by the river.

The park offers many different playground type equipment for the children to play on. I have seen in the past single adults coming out and using the monkey bars to exercise.
There are several different open shelters houses where people can hold a picnic, birthday parties and more. A small grill is at each shelter house for visitors to use. You must bring your own charcoal.

Trash bins are placed throughout the park for visitors to place their trash in. Trash cans are important to use. As wildlife can get trapped in trash thrown on the ground or easily swallow the trash thinking it is food. Both ways are a slow and horrible death for the animal.

Do you visit local parks?

Photo taken by and © belongs to sandy KS aka rusty2rusty.

Arctic Foxes

Arctic Foxes

I want to tell you about another animal that lives in extreme harsh weather called the “Arctic Fox”. The weather is very frigid and cold. It can withstand freezing weather up to -70 C (-94 F) before starting to shiver.

The Arctic fox has a pretty coats of fur. The animal is hunted for its different colors in fur. Which are  white (winter months) , brown (summer months), and blue (a recessive gene that sometimes comes out). At one time almost to the point of extinction. The “Arctic Fox” is also known as the white fox, snow fox and the polar fox.

It is native to the northern hemisphere in the arctic regions. Such as the Arctic Tundra, northern Europe, northern Asia, and North America. The foxes range can include northern Russia, Iceland, Canada, Alaska, Hudson Bay, Greenland, Fennoscandia, and other island in the Barents Seas.
It has deep thick fur. It is brown in the summer months but changes color in the winter and cooler months. It size ranges from 18 to 27 inches long. Its bodies shape help minimize heat from escaping.

Arctic fox has to eat to stay alive. It is considered an omnivore. It will eat smaller creatures than itself. Such as lemmings, various seabirds, fish, ringed seal pups,  voles, and waterfowl. Arctic foxes also eat small invertebrates,  insects, seaweed, carrion, eggs, and berries. They will also scavenge leftovers from large preys kills as well. Such as wolves and polar bears.

Arctic foxes will pair up during breeding season. They will stay together and raise the young pups together in an underground den. Breeding happens between April and May. Gestation periods last around 52 days. Litters can range as small as four up to fourteen pups. The largest number in one litter on record is twenty-five. Pups start emerging from the den at three weeks. They are weaned by time they are nine weeks old.

The photos are from Pixabay, a free photo website.

Growing Tomatoes In Pallets

In the spring of this year I had planned on planting a big garden. To many things happened to prevent this. yet, I was able to plant a small garden in the front yard in the flower beds.

I planted a bunch of seeds. I wasn't sure if they would sprout. My daughter and i pulled all the weeds out of the flower bed. As it grew weeds and grass for years. After pulling the weeds we placed thick cardboard in the flower bed. We placed three small pallets and frog statues in the flower bed. Afterwards we placed mulch all around the statues, inside the pallets and out. We added numerous seeds and steadily watered them.

After a few months things started to grow. Lazy Susans, Marigolds and pear tomato plants appeared. Plus weeds where the other seeds were planted.
I am not sure if I actually planted weeds. Or the birds, squirrels and rabbits that frequent my front yard took off with the seeds.

By the start of August I was picking pear tomatoes. One day a neighbor came over. We started talking about my tomato plants. He asked if I sprayed anything on the plants. I said no. Only put the pallets, mulch and seeds. I occasionally water them as it rained enough times i didn't need to. yet, that was it.

He grabbed a tomato and ate one. He said the tomato tasted better than ones you can get in a store. My boyfriend grab ones and ate it. He to told me how good they tasted.
It made me secretly wish I wasn't allergic to tomatoes. I would of ate one too. The compliments made me feel good. I smile when I look at my small garden each morning seeing more tomatoes producing.

Photo taken by and © belongs to Sandy KS aka rusty2rusty

Women's Denim Printed Leggings By SwagLAMode

I came across the denim printed legging by SwagLAMode. The denim jeans are offered with thirteen different prints. Designs are made in the USA, but the leggings are imported. materials use to make these are 40% Viscose, 50% Polyester and 10 % Spandex. Sizes available are S-XL. Also in Plus sizes.

I chose the denim jeans covered in roses. As roses are one of my favorite flowers. When the jeans arrived, I got them out of the box to look at. I thought there is no way these jeans are going to fit. They look too small. Like they would fit much better on a small child. 

I had my daughter try them on and model for me. She wears a size large, the jeans fit nicely. The denim has nice stitches. I could not find any flaws. 

I love how the jeans are stretch when you move and doesn't restrict or get tight in movement. The material is soft and does not irritate the skin. This is a plus, as my daughter loves to wear soft materials.

If I had to rate these jeans from one to five,. Five being the highest rated. I would rate these a five. I would recommend anyone who wish to has soft jeans with cute printed designs to order a pair.

Photo take by and © belongs to Sandy KS aka rusty2rusty.

Fast Food Maniac Review

I have never been much of a fan of two many fast food joints. Unless they are the mom and pops shops. Or well known burger joints like Five Guys. Reading Fast Food Maniac has caught my interest in learning more about how restaurant have come about and their history. I love learning how certain foods have came to pass. Being a foodie myself, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book with its humor. I have never really heard a Howard Stern show. Only seen him in the news. I would in a heartbeat read another book he recommends or is a part of. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this is book and learning some untold history. It makes me feel smarter after reading it. I never heard of Jon Heinz til I read this book. I like his satire and plan to see if he has written anymore books. I don't want to give to much about the book without giving it all away. If you like satire and comedy mixed together with a bit of history. Check it out.

If you are interested in learning fast food history and more. You can buy this book through Amazon.com

I was able to receive this book for review through Blogging For Books. 

Spaghetti With A Twist

When cooking for my family that has allergic reactions to favorite foods. I must change up how I make them. Spaghetti is not only a cheap and easy meal to make. It is normally made with a tomato sauce. I am allergic to tomato's. If I eat anything with tomatoes, I get blisters on my lips, inside my mouth and my throat. It doesn't feel good.

Two ingredients my family can agree on is mushrooms and broccoli. I took it up upon myself to make a creamy white sauce and added the two vegetables in it.

I have to say it is rather tasty. If I had to rate this dish from one to five. Five being the highest rated. I would rate it a five. 

Why? 

This was a new dish. Each of my family member ate everything on their plate. They loved this dish. This is not common in my family. Usually someone is complaining about something. This dish will be added in to my family's routine of favorite dishes.

4 cups of cubed chicken

1 jar of Ragu Alfredo sauce

1 package of mushrooms

4 cups of broccoli

3 cups of water

2 teaspoon of cornstarch (optional)

1 teaspoon of chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 package of spaghetti

While the spaghetti noodles is cooking. I use a big sauce pan to prepare the mushroom and broccoli sauce. I start by adding the broccoli. I use frozen broccoli. I added the mushrooms and cubed chicken. I add in the jar of Ragu Alfredo sauce. Mix all together. Than add the 3 cups of water, sea salt, ginger and chicken stock. If the sauce is too thin. I add the cornstarch. I mix well. I bring it to a slow boil for 10 minutes.

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Photos taken by and © belongs to Sandy KS aka rusty2rusty.

New Highschool Is A Year Ahead Of Schedule

My teens fast track was two weeks ago. Fast track is when the students can go in on a certain day to pick up their IPads after paying the fee. Plus, get the Ipad all set up for the school year. As new programs may have been added. While others were took off.

A day or two after fast track, students were able to pick up their yearly schedule and meet their new teachers. See where their classrooms are and find their new lockers. While figuring out the combinations work or not. Plus, pick up a school supply list.

While visiting the school with my teens, I was able to see the new high school while being built. It will be bigger to accommodate all the high school students to one area. 

The current high school will be housed by the middle school students. As the middle school is old. It was built in 1918. One floor is not used because of the damaged. No air conditioning or elevators. The school will not be torn down because it has historical value. The traffic on the main stripe of town will no longer backed up. By parents waiting to pick up their children while blocking enter way into the downtown area twice a day.

I was able to see the new high school under construction. I heard it is a year ahead of schedule. If we have a mild winter, the school will be a year ahead of time. Depending on what they have done, depends on what they can do when snow hits. Oh, make no bones about it. The snow will come. As it falls every year. 

My teens started school last week. I have got most of the supplies they need. I don't have all of it. As I need to buy my teen son a particular calculator for a class. It costs around one hundred dollars. I still need to buy the teens more clothes for school. I was able to get them a few but not much. A sale is coming up at Rue 21 which I plan to take them too. The teens can pick new clothes out. At the same time I save money. This way they get more of what they need.

Photos take by and © belongs to Sandy KS aka rusty2rusty.

September Writing Challenges

I am going to compile a list of different ideas or themes to write about in the month of September. I am doing this to help out those who need help in coming up with different ideas to write about. You may use as many or as little of the ideas and writing themes as you would like. 

1. New Moon, What September means to you?

2. Back to School, school supplies

3. Campfires, favorite fall flavors

4. Newspaper, newspaper carrier

5. Canada, Labor day,  be late for something day

6. Harvest, wilted, leaves

7. Brazil, Independence Day, Neither rain nor snow day

8. Foods to make in September,  grandparents day

9. First quarter, Kernel sanders birthday, KFC, Chicken

10. Swap ideas,

11. Breathtaking september photos

12. Party planning

13. Write a letter saying good bye to summer and what you will miss til next year, Hershey's birthday, chocolate

14. Things that help make disabilities invisible

15. festival, felt hats, Shout of Dolores

16. Full moon, mayflower

17. Apple, apple dumpling

18. Make an apple wreath or other DIY craft

19. Respect of the age

20. Favorite fall scents or smells

21. Sum up your summer

22. Autumnal Equinox, elephants

23. Healthy Breakfast

24. Heritage 

25. Facts about September, trivia, facts

26. Johnny Appleseed, apples

27. Famous September birthdays, birthday

28. Good neighbors, neighbors 

29. Decorating for fall

30. preparing Your garden for the winter

Photo from Pixabay, a free use photo sharing website.