Organic Gardening

Switching from pesticides and any harmful chemicals in order protect and nurture their plants to organic is a difficult decision which farmer must make. There are a lot of things to consider. They have to weigh in all its advantages and disadvantages of using organic products and non-organic products first before they make a decision especially when they are already used to using the same brand of pesticides. Are they willing to risk a good harvest which is guaranteed by their trusted pesticides in exchange of a chemical free produce and healthier environment? Perhaps most farmers would think twice. Who wouldn’t?

However, I admire those farmers who choose organic fertilizers such as live worms and composts even if it does not guarantee a bountiful harvest. As an environmentalist myself, I would also chose the natural technique in farming. Although live red worms are icky and may turn your insides out, they are still the best choice for me since that also means protecting our mother nature. I also tried raising them to ensure that we have enough live worms for all the plants we have. In fact we already tried fertilizing the decorative plants in our living room and the vegetables in our little plot in the backyard three days ago to check if it is indeed effective. I am pleased with the result. The plants have greener leaves and blossoms have a richer color as well compared to those times when we were still using pesticides.

For someone who cannot keep a plant alive for a long time without any help from the green thumbs, seeing my plants grow healthily because of live red worms feels like I hit the jackpot. I am proud of my plants that I show them off to my friends who are also into gardening. They were disgusted with the worms at first but after explaining to them that these icky crawling worms are the reasons why our plants are healthy, they want to have these worms in their yard as well.

Remembering Choco

Losing a family, friend, lover or pet is a terrible thing that can happen to anyone. It is a phase in our lives which we do not wish to experience. If we are all given a choice, surely not one of us would wish our love-ones to die before us. However, the passing of a love one happens for a reason (whatever reason that may be). We do not need to understand it. We just need to believe and trust in the Higher Power as He knows what is best for us.

In all honesty, I have a hard time dealing with the passing of a loveone too. It is never easy. Just two days ago, while I was at work my cousin informed me that our 13 year old dog passed away at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The news caught me off guard. He was just fine when I left him earlier that day. But sometime around noon, my cousin said that he had a hard time breathing and his mouth was foaming. They took him to the nearest vet hospital but our dog passed away before they reach the hospital. I am grateful that my boss is kind enough to send me home early after seeing how distraught I was. For us, he was not just a dog. He was family, friend and brother rolled into one.

We buried him next to our other dogs. In honor of his death, we also planted Snowstorm Giant Snowflake on his grave. The graves of our other dogs also had Snowstorm Giant Snowflake on their respective graves. This type of flowering plant is not hard to grow. Even beginners can grow this type of flowering plant without any problems. This plant does not wilt easily as well. Furthermore, since the Snowstorm Giant Snowflake is an annual plant, he will have flowers all year round. Somehow, seeing this flowering plant grows and bloom all the time bring peace to my heart. I only hope and pray that wherever he is right now, he is happy and at peace.

Glass Terrarium As A Gift This Valentine's Day

Whether there is a special occasion or not, it is in our nature to shower our family, friends and love ones with gifts. It is our way of showing how much we appreciate, love and value them. It also our way of conveying to them how important they are to us especially when words are not enough to tell them how we feel. Furthermore, giving someone a gift can also be a symbol of gratitude. In some instances, it can also be a symbol of acknowledging the good things they have done.

Every February 14th, Valentine’s Day, we often give our love ones a bouquet of flowers, valentine’s candy or those heart shaped candies on a stick, chocolates and/or a valentine’s card. But I never gave anybody any of these gifts. In my opinion, they are overrated and too common. Instead, I give something that is unique or something which I personally made. This coming valentine’s day, I am giving them terrarium glass containers. I already started creating a miniature garden for my mom on one of these glass terrariums knowing how much they adore plants. Glass terrariums are not only unique but they are also perfect as a centerpiece. I also bought several hanging glass terrariums for my sister-in-law which she could use for her air plants. For my, boss and best friend, I am planning to give her a Tear Drop Terrarium Kit with Airplant as she loves do-it-yourself sort of things. The terrarium kit includes a Sand pack, Decorative seashell, Magnusiana air-plant and of course the 7.25" Teardrop Glass Terrarium. I am sure she will love this.

There are a hundred ways to express how appreciative and grateful we are to someone. Gifts are symbols of expression, love, and appreciation. However, there are times that they can mean nothing especially when they are given out of obligation. So every time we give someone something, we should give sincerely or never give at all.