the mini Beach bird: When the little blue bird who has never said a word...

Saturday, March 27, 2010

When the little blue bird who has never said a word...

3/27/2010 08:28:00 PM | Edit Post

Starts to sing Spring!!! Spring, spring!!!!

Yes folks, spring is finally here by the looks of these cherry blossoms.

(Left) Jo & I picking blossoms. (Right) Beautiful trained Bonsai trees.

Being in Georgia has been a wonderful experience for me. Although I HATE the cold, and often snow-less winter, coupled with the obnoxious heat beating down during the summer, spring and fall are always wonderful. There seems to be a certain smell to the air. Maybe it's the non-pollution smell, never really sure.

Today was the annual Cherry Blossom Festival of Conyers, Ga. This was my first year attending the event, but I know it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoined the wonderful 4D experience of the festival. There were so many stands with wonderful goodies, such as:

Mountain Melodies Mfg. - "A unique musical instrument handcrafted in the Blue Ridge Mountains." This booth was really cool. They make instrument you pluck with your fingers. Really neat sound, and very helpful and pleasant people.

Josie's Back Yard - "Gourmet dog treats, cypress bird feeders, and cypress furniture." These ladies are great! Jo's mother bought these wonderfull things called "Poser paws". They are "Cow Hooves, Smoked with Bacon Flavor, Baked and Filled with Peanut Butter, Honey and other natural ingredients." I watched our three Shepherds tear these apart within about 3 hours. Thirty minutes of licking peanut butter and two and a half hours chewing the hooves.

Little Creek Candles - "Handmade candles using the best and safest materials available." OMG so good. I loved these candles, they smelled amazing. Plus, they're refillable!!! Cool! The candles are made with PENRICO mineral oil gel. They smelled fabulous, and I was told they burn for "100+" hours (about 4 months). My favorite smell was the "Gardenia-Lily".

Soaps by Jan - "Here you will find my All Natural Products. I grow my own herbs, and NEVER useartificial colors or fragrances. Feel thedifference of All Natural." I loved these soaps. The smells were very homey, and when she told me she grew all her own herbs, I was impressed.

There was one booth, One More Generation, that deserves special attention. This organization is fighting to help endangered animals, well, get off the endangered list. OMG was started by a brother and sister team. Nine year old Carter and seven year old Olivia started OMG after sponsoring several cheetahs from South Africa. Once Carter and Olivia learned their beloved cheetahs were endangered, they started to look into the endangered animals list and realized just how many animals were on the list that could've been prevented. I had the opurtunity to meet these guys today. Both Carter and Olivia approached me themselves asking for help with their wonderful cause.

They told me of a horrible practice taking place all over the southern US. Rattlesnake Roundups. Now I'm not terrified of snakes like many people I know, but I'm also not the biggest fan. I don't believe in the killing of animals unless you find yourself in a survival situation, and when I was told about this I was appalled. Here's an exert from One More Generation.Org:

"The snakes used in these roundups are first captured from their natural habitats. In many cases gasoline is poured into dens to force out the snakes. During the roundups the snakes are subjected to brutal torture including being kicked, stomped on, whipped, burned, and skinned alive. Snakes are then callously killed by decapitation. False information on snakebites are given out at roundups to inspire fear and the justification of the barbaric animal cruelty and disregard of life that is carried out. Roundups account for the deaths of over 100,000 snakes annually across the United States (American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists). One of the most alarming aspects of rattlesnake roundups is that they are considered family entertainment."

"They are often put on like fairs and carnivals."

When they told me of the cruelty shown to not only the snakes, but all the animals that live in these borrows, I knew I had to sign up. On the Rattlesnake Roundups page you can find a letter that you too can sign and make a difference.

Yay it's Us!

Visiting the festival was great fun. It was nice to actually be outside. Here in Georgia we've have a lot of gross weather. Blech, so it was great fun to be in the sun. I think that wraps most of everything up. But here are a couple more pictures just for fun.