My Say What Blog Archives

Nov 11th Veterans Day – Thank a Veteran or Active Duty Member!

Veterans Day is more than just a holiday—it’s a celebration of resilience, camaraderie, and the indomitable spirit of those who have answered the call of duty. It’s a day to reflect on the freedoms we hold dear and the price paid for them.

But above all, Veterans Day is a day of celebration—a celebration of the triumph of the human spirit, of resilience in the face of adversity, and of the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood forged in the crucible of service.

As we gather with family and friends to honor our veterans this Veterans Day, let’s take a moment to honor and express our gratitude to the brave individuals who served our nation in the armed forces. Veterans Day is a time to reflect on their unwavering commitment and the incredible courage shown in defending our freedoms by supporting and uplifting those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom.

This Veterans Day, let us celebrate the courage and sacrifice of our veterans and recommit ourselves to honoring their legacy by striving to build a better world for all.

Thank a veteran on Veterans Day—perhaps a neighbor or family member. Let them know that we deeply appreciate their dedication, sense of duty, and the service they have dedicated our country.

Finally, a day never passes without my thanks to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces whose dedication keeps our great nation free. (I know you’ve heard me say this before, but I can’t help it. Comes from living in a military town all my life & marrying a soldier.) We are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. You may not agree with me, but that’s what is great about this nation. You don’t have to. I’m entitled to my own opinion, as are you.

Thank you to all who served!

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog, My Say What Blog by Tena Stetler with no comments yet.

Jul 1st Pet Safety Tips for the Forth of July

Pay Special attention to your pet’s safety on the Fourth of July. Here are a few Pet Safety Tips to keep in mind:

Did you know? More dogs go missing on the 4th of July than any other day of the year. With all the noisy fireworks, loud parties, and distractions, it’s no wonder so many pooches bolt and get lost on Independence Day.

July Fourth is a significant date for Americans across the United States. Celebrated with parties and FIREWORKS. it is imperative pet owners pay special attention to their four-legged friends during the holiday festivities and afterward. Ensure that the information on your pet’s collar is current and make sure your dog is microchipped and/or has a GPS device. If they escape, there’s a better chance they’ll get returned.

Always keep you dogs and cats inside when fireworks are going off to avoid their nature to find a safe haven. Make certain your pets are walked prior to fireworks going off, close all windows and doors. Draw the curtains. Ensure your pets are wearing ID tags, even if in the house, as many animals are expert escape artists. Never leave your dog alone in a vehicle during the celebrations. You can also prepare a den for your pets inside the house with blankets and pillows in a location they will feel safe. There are thunder shirts you can buy for your dog that relieve the stress of thunderstorms and I’m told fireworks too. As far as our pet box turtle, Sammie, she 51 years old, but the fireworks don’t seem to bother her. Since a lot of what she feels come from vibrations though out her world, we make sure she has a den in her house with overhead logs to feel safe. She has lots of experience with this holiday, so she handles it just fine. From time to time we escape the city and take everyone with us for a nice quite mountain Fourth of July. Still we see all the fireworks from afar. But they can’t be heard or felt. a win win for all. Pet Safety Tips – Now let’s talk a bit about companion parrots who have to endure this noisy holiday too. Let me give you an example. Taco and I sit outside in the sunroom every evening after I’ve finished writing for the day during spring, summer, and fall. Over the past week (end of June first of July) the boom of fireworks are prevalent from early revelers. Taco is normally a fearless Eclectus. She’s learned the outside hawks can’t get to her through the glass of the sunroom. Thunder and lightning doesn’t bother her either, she’s been conditioned from an early age to understand there is nothing to fear. Now softball size hail falling is another story and a tale for another time. But, the sudden, unexplained noise from the fireworks has her flying off her perch and cowering on my shoulder. So we have to go inside during this time. Boo Hiss.

First we need to remember pet birds (unlike dogs and cats) are prey animals. They have evolved with their eyes on the side of their head, to enable them to spend long periods of their life looking over their shoulder. Some birds can even see better behind them than in front of them. By nature, birds are neophobic, meaning they naturally want to retreat and avoid anything unfamiliar. By perceiving a new object or sound as a potential threat until proven otherwise, they increase their chances that they won’t end up as someone’s dinner! This means birds and Parrots are constantly evaluating their environment and can become stressed much more easily than you may think. Let’s consider some ways to help our pet birds and Parrot reduce the amount of stress, anxiety and fear they suffer with the loud booms, and sudden light displays. Pet Safety Tips – Suggestions for birds in the home…

Where possible put your feathered companions in a room without any windows.

Alternatively, cover any windows with blankets, to block out those sudden burst of light. Covering the bird’s cage with a thick blanket can help muffle any loud noises, plus it helps make the bird feel more secure. The use of white noise machines or having the TV or radio on a little louder than normal can help drown out the sudden noise of fireworks.

Please note, noise isn’t normally the problem, as Parrots are noisy by themselves, but the sudden sound of an unknown loud noise is what frightens them. If bird(s) don’t live in a cage it may be wise to utilize a travel cage. Even Parrots who have had their wings clipped have been known to fly off when scared which could cause injury! Some pet bird owners have been known to play recordings of random noise, including those of fireworks to their birds – be it in the home or those outside in an aviary before firework season begins. The idea is that they eventually learn that unknown noises won’t harm them.

After the celebrations are over, make sure to check your yard any pick up any debris from the spent fireworks or maybe those that didn’t go off. These are harmful to your pet should they chew or ingest these items! Most importantly in keeping pets safe: NEVER TAKE YOUR PET TO A FIREWORKS DISPLAY! The American Veterinary Medical Association and AKC have more safety tips. Check them out. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog, Holidays, My Say What Blog, The Pikes Peak Region and tagged fourth of July, Pet Safety tips, Tena Stetler by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.

Apr 2nd Gardening in Colorado is Challenging to Say the Least

Gardening in Colorado is challenging! While tulips might be peeking out, the forecast predicts snow. I lived here all my life, and gardened as long as I can remember. Didn’t I say Gardening in Colorado is challenging! Yep, thought I did. From the short growing season to the huge hail storms. Still, we’ll soon be able to tackle April chores as our gardens emerge from winter’s sleep. Thanks to Kim Snowdon, Colorado Master Gardner, here are a few tips to get you going.

• Lawn care: Get lawns off to a good start by aerating and applying a light application of nitrogen fertilizer. Avoid broadcast pre-emergent herbicide; spot spray weeds if necessary. Check irrigation systems for leaks or broken heads. Water at a rate of an inch per week when weather is dry. Overseed thin or winter-damaged patches with appropriate grass seed. Yeah, well we gave up on the sloped front yard, installed artificial turf last year. Love it. But our dog refused the artificial turf idea for the back yard. Mystic wants real green grass to romp through.

• Trees, shrubs, and perennials: Once soil temperatures reach 55 degrees you can start planting trees, shrubs and hardy perennials. The cool soil will assist in establishment of transplants. This applies to plants you want to divide and transplant to different locations in your garden. Bare root (BR) roses should be soaked in water before planting. Fertilize BR roses with rose food or fertilizer with a high phosphorous content, such as 9-14-9 to promote blooms. Decomposed manure, bone meal or fish emulsion are good additions to the soil around newly planted roses.

• Spring pruning: Early blooming shrubs (forsythia, lilac, quince) flower on last year’s growth; prune after they finish flowering. Summer blooming shrubs (butterfly bush, blue mist spirea, other spirea species, mock orange, hydrangea) develop buds on new wood and can be pruned in early spring. Prune roses by

cutting back winter-damaged canes, then remove canes that cross or grow inward for a more open structure. Healthy canes can be pruned back to 12-24 inches tall; cut 3 inches above an outward-facing bud.

• Cool season annuals: Flowers such as pansies, alyssum, sweet peas and snapdragons tolerate light frost. Wait to plant more tender annuals until after Mother’s Day. Direct sow perennial seeds, collected or purchased, following the directions on the packet. Some seeds require stratification (exposure to cold) or scarification (breaking seed coating through abrasion).

• Ornamental grasses: Cut back ornamental grasses in spring before new growth appears to about 6 inches. Some cool season evergreen grasses such as Blue fescue might not require cutting back, but rather comb through leaves to clean out dead foliage.

• Spring weeds: Spring moisture encourages weeds. The roots of annual weeds are shallow and easy to pull. Early diligence pays off. Spread mulch 2-3 inches thick to reduce germination of annual weeds. Perennial weeds such as dandelions have a deep tap root but can also be removed by hand using specialized tools. Pollinators depend on some of these earliest of flowers, so pesticide application should be done carefully to minimize the impact on beneficial insects.

There you have it, tips for Gardening in Colorado. One last thing, hail. There is hail cloth or material in gardening shops to put over your garden that lets the sun and rain in but protects plants from that nasty four letter word HAIL. I saw it last year after hail devastated my tomato & veggie garden. You can bet I’ll get getting hail material this year. Be sure and check it out.

If you have more suggestions, please leave a comment below.

Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged and perennials, Cool season annuals, Cool season veggies, Gardening in Colorado, hail, Lawn care, ornamental grasses, Short growing season, shrubs, Spring Pruning, Spring weeds, Trees by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.

Feb 6th Was Saint Valentine’s Day Started by the Candy Companies?

It’s February, the month of love. Right? Valentines Day and all that fun stuff. The answer to my question is a resounding NO. The history of Valentine’s Day actually finds its roots in ancient Rome and Victorian England, and it’s not as rosy as you might want to believe.

The Catholic church has records of at least three different martyrs named Valentine or Valentinus. One of them, a priest in third-century Rome, defied the emperor Claudius when he decided to outlaw marriage for young men. Valentine continued performing marriage ceremonies for the lovers in secret, and Claudius had him killed for it when he found out.

Another Valentine supposedly helped Christians escape from prison, and was also martyred for it. Yet another one is said to have sent the first “Valentine” letter from prison, allegedly to the jailor’s daughter. Legend has it, he signed the note, “from your Valentine,” a greeting we still use today.

Whichever saint the holiday memorializes, we generally agree he was kind, heroic and most importantly, very much pro-love.

Another thought, historians believe that Valentine’s Day commemorates the death of St. Valentine on February 14, others believe that the holiday actually has its origins in a Pagan fertility festival called “Lupercalia,” which was celebrated on February 15 in ancient Rome. Dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and Roman founders Romulus and Remus

Now lets turn to today Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Australia and the United States, although it’s most common in the U.K. and the U.S. Americans likely began exchanging handmade cards in the early 1700s. But it was the 1840’s when Esther A. Howland really changed the game. She began selling the first mass-produced cards in the country. Known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” she created elaborate pieces of art that had real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.”

Now how about Cupid? According to Time, the figure can actually be traced all the way back to 700 B.C., to the Greek god of love named Eros, who was actually a handsome, immortal man with the intimidating power to make people fall in love.

Now about the flowers, giving red roses may be an obvious romantic gesture today, but it wasn’t until the late 17th century that giving flowers became a popular custom.

The practice can be traced back to when King Charles II of Sweden learned the “language of flowers” — which pairs different flowers with specific meanings — on a trip to Persia, and subsequently introduced the tradition to Europe.

A whopping 250 million roses are grown in preparation for Valentine’s Day each year. Whew, that’s a lot of roses!

While a red rose has traditionally symbolized love, many other colors like deep pink, purple or white, which symbolize happiness, royalty and sympathy respectively, may be given on the holiday too. Personally, I love the bright yellow universally known as symbols of friendship or the deep purple used for symbolizing love at first sight. Yep is was love at first sight between my hubby and I.

Also, people spend millions of dollars on gifts for their pets. I slowly raise my hand. I just purchased a shredder toy for my parrot, and a squeaky toy for my dog. So I’m among the American households spent an estimated $751.3 million on gifts for their pets on Valentine’s Day. WOW!

The most popular gift of all, Candy. The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was introduced in 1861 created by Richard Cadbury. Today, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year. That’s 58 million pounds of chocolate!

Did you know that conversational hearts got their start as medical lozenges? Strangely, the story of conversation hearts began in 1847 when a Boston pharmacist named Oliver Chase invented a machine that simplified the way medical lozenges are made. The result was America’s first candy-making machine, because the pharmacist soon started shifting his focus from making lozenges to candy instead!

In 1866, Daniel Chase, brother of Oliver, devised a way to press words onto the candy lozenges, using a felt roller pad moistened with vegetable coloring (usually red). These conversational candies were not heart-shaped until 1902.

The candy lozenges became what we know today as Necco wafers. After acquisition of Stark Candy Company in 1990, Necco claims to produce about 100,000 pounds of Sweethearts every day, ramping up mid-September to meet the demand for product on Valentines Day. It produces approximately 8 billion candy hearts each year popular for other events as well such as weddings. That’s a lot of candy hearts. Myself, I like the sweet-tart candy hearts.

Well, there you have it’s just like love, complex yet so simple — Happy Valentine’s Day.

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog, My Say What Blog and tagged Candy hearts, Chocolate Hearts, Romance, Valentine's Day Facts by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.