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Sunday, April 4, 2021

Happy Easter from the Contributors of ReviewThisReviews

The Writers of ReviewThisReviews Wish You a Happy, Healthy, and Safe Easter Holiday

We would like to thank our readers for their time, following, and support.

It's been a tough few years, and we hold onto hope for you, yours, and ours, that we soon get past these challenging times.

Have fun, rejoice, take a break, and enjoy the Peter Rabbit cartoon featured below :)

If you're viewing via mobile, the cartoon link to YouTube is here.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Saturday, April 3, 2021

Mothers Day Cards from the Dog

Let's review some Mother's Day cards for a dogmom. As a dogmum myself I have to say that I have never received a Mother's Day card from the dog, but apparently it is something that is increasing in popularity.

I guess it's quite understandable that the dog would send Mothers Day cards as we lavish a lot of attention on our fur babies. A number of people I know have a family of furbabies instead of human children whether by choice or not - why shouldn't they be celebrated?

I came across the idea of Mother's Day cards while looking at Zazzle's selection of Mother's Day cards. If you purchase your Mother's Day cards online through a print on demand site such as Zazzle you will get a great quality card that usually has an option for you to personalize it. There is often a larger selection of cards and you can find a number of original designs. You are also helping a small designer to contribute to their family's income - trust me they do a happy dance every time they make a sale!

There were so many designs to choose from that it was really hard to decide on just a couple of feature so if you don't like the ones below check out the rest here - Selection of Mother's Day Cards from the Dog.

I love this Mother's Day card as it's a very simple design that can be beautifully personalized by adding a photo of your own dog/dogs and even changing the text:

Best Dog Mom | Coral | Photo Mother's Day Card

Another card that can be totally personalized (and a picture of the dog with their mom would be perfect) is this next one. This is one that I personally prefer over the other as I love the I Woof You sentiment!

mother's day pet dog mom photo cute heart holiday card
by mymerakishop

These are only two of the thousands of cards that are available, so feel free to click on the link above these cards if neither of them grab you.

The great thing about Zazzle (besides their amazing card quality and printing quality) is the comprehensive range available so you could even search for labrador Mother's Day cards, pug Mother's Day cards etc.

What do you think of the idea of receiving a Mother's Day card from the dog? I love it and may just have to leave this article open on the computer for my husband to see!

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Friday, April 2, 2021

Frontline Flea & Tick Drops for Dogs and Cats Reviewed

frontline flea and tick drops for dogs and cats

Each spring I am reminded that there are a few things I really hate about the arrival of warmer weather. The main one is ticks. I absolutely abhor ticks!

I have always lived in the beautiful state of Tennessee. There is so much to love here. We have the benefit of experiencing all four seasons, we can grow beautiful flowers, trees and plants, plus we have a wide range of terrain that includes hills, mountains, woods and farm land. Unfortunately, ticks love our state too.

We enjoy walking in the woods, on trails, and exploring the world around us. We always take our dog with us and ticks love our dog as much as they love our state. Those mean critters hop on him with evil intentions, but he has a Frontline of defense that leaves them wishing they had chosen a different host.

I remember well the first time we armed our first dog with Frontline. After a day of frolicking in the woods with our daughter, he laid down on the entry tile to sleep. When he awoke, a pile of dead ticks were surrounding him. Ah, the perfect tick!

Since that day, all of our dogs have been protected by Frontline Plus, which also kills fleas.

How & When to Treat a Dog with Frontline Flea & Tick Drops

FRONTLINE Plus Flea and Tick Treatment for Dogs (Extra Large Dog, 89-132 Pounds, 6 Doses)Check Price When to treat you pets may vary by location. I suspect some lower southern states need to treat their pets year round. In Tennessee, we grab the Frontline as soon as the first warm day arrives. That is usually in late February or early March. Since ticks go dormant during the winter (days with temperatures of under 32°), our dogs get a break from the medicine between October and March. After that, the drops are applied once a month to keep them protected.

The word "drops" implies that there isn't much liquid applied, but that really isn't an accurate description. The vials contain the amount of medicine required based on the pets weight. For our Labrador retriever, his vials contain about a teaspoon of medicine.

The vial applicators are plastic and are vial shaped with a neck so you are able to apply the liquid all on one spot of skin between a dogs shoulder blades. You must separate his fur and apply the medicine to his skin (it is absorbed through the skin).

Once dry, the Frontline is waterproof and will continue to protect your swimming pups.

A few words of caution:

Wear disposable gloves when treating your pet with Frontline
Do not touch the liquid yourself. I found this out the hard way. I get a severe sore throat if I accidentally touch the spot, even if I wash my hands quickly.
Avoid petting the animal in the application area until it is completely dry (experience tells me that is about a day)
We apply it at bedtime which allows 8hrs before we are likely to accidentally touch the application spot
Do Not apply Frontline to young puppies less than 8 weeks old according to the package, but I recommend consulting your vet for the appropriate age recommendation. We have never used it on a puppy less than a year old.
Don't let other animals lick the treated spot
Do Not apply more often than once a month

Now, you may wonder, with all of these cautions, is it really worth it. Easy answer, yes! Ticks carry diseases that could not only kill your pet, but would also kill you should the tick or its offspring prefer you to the dog.

I've read the numbers of people who die annually from tick transmitted diseases. They seem low when reading, especially if you weigh that number against how many people hike regularly. However, I have personally known someone who died of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and it no longer seems as rare as one might think if you just read the statistics.

Having grown up in the south, I know ticks are common. Dogs and cats can't check themselves for ticks. Unless a human just happens to pet them when the tick is embedded and recognize the nasty "lump", a tick can live on a dog for weeks, months or even years based on the tick species and gender. One of the last things a pet owner wants is a tick infestation.

As with any medication, check with your pet's doctor before using Frontline. If the vet doesn't mention tick prevention to you, you now know to ask them.

FRONTLINE Plus Flea and Tick Treatment for Large Dogs Up to 45 to 88 lbs., 3 TreatmentsCheck Price FRONTLINE Plus For Cats and Kittens Flea and Tick Treatment, 6 DosesCheck Price

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Thursday, April 1, 2021

Crisis by Felix Francis – Book Review

The title given to a book often reflects what the story is about. And sometimes the meaning of the title only becomes clear as you read further into the story.

In Crisis, a horse-racing thriller by Felix Francis, we learn in the opening paragraph that the main character, Harrison Foster (known as Harry), is a legal consultant and that his specialty is crisis management.

And today's crisis involved a murder – not that anyone knew it at the time.

Synopsis

Harry is sent by his London firm to Newmarket, the well-known center of thoroughbred horse racing in England, to investigate a fire which destroyed a stable block in the Chadwick family's stables and killed seven very valuable horses. One of the horses – Prince of Troy – was the odds-on favorite for the Derby. Turns out that there is far more to the 'simple' fire than initially thought when human remains are found in the burned out shell of the stable. Since all the stable staff are accounted for, who is the mystery victim?

Harry knows almost nothing about horses; indeed, he actively dislikes them. But since he represents Prince of Troy's Middle Eastern owner who wishes to learn the circumstances surrounding his prize horse's death, Harry is thrust unwillingly into the world of thoroughbred racing.

Soon it is clear to Harry that the Chadwick family who own the stables where the horses died in the fire is a dysfunctional racing dynasty. There is deep resentment between the generations and sibling rivalry is rife beneath a thin crust of respectability. As Harry delves deeper into the unanswered questions surrounding the fire, and as he learns more about the secrets held by the Chadwick family, his life is put in danger. Can he solve the riddle before he is bumped off by the fallout?

Author Felix Francis

Felix Francis is a British author, son of the famed author Dick Francis (former steeplechase jockey for the Queen of England and fictional crime writer of numerous horse-racing mysteries). Felix co-authored with his famous father on the last four of his novels. Since Dick Francis' death in 2010, Felix has continued writing Dick Francis Novels in the same vein, with 9 current books to date. Number 10 (Iced) will be published in 2021.

Summary

Crisis is available in
several formats on Amazon

Crisis by Felix Francis is an edge-of-your-seat horse-racing thriller in the Dick Francis tradition.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Spring Into the Garden, Give Nature a Helping Hand! A Garden Review

Spring has sprung! Gardeners and Conservationists are all jumping for joy!

But wait a minute, before you get all excited about getting your hands dirty and your gardens in shape, let's take a few minutes to think and see what Mother Nature would have us do instead!

Many gardeners are just itching to get their gardens cleaned up and looking tidy and I can't say that I blame them. After a long cold winter, making things (garden beds) look nice is a job that many gardeners love to do. Why wait? Well, would it help for you to know that many bees are still hibernating within the leaves and debris that is in your garden? We have a serious problem with declining bee populations, so anything you can do to help them would be a welcome thing to do.

I'm not advocating that you leave your gardens in a messy state, but rather wait just a few weeks before getting to the "mess". That will be time enough for the bees to wake up from their winter slumbers and start looking for those first dandelions for food.

That brings up to the second thing that gardeners should really stop doing in the springtime. Did you know that dandelions are one of the first spring flowers to come up in your gardens? Well they are and they are full of good nutrition for the bees who wake up hungry. Leave those flowers alone, let them bloom and welcome the sight of those bees that are doing the hard work! If you don't want a proliferation of dandelions in your lawn, just watch the flowers and when they have all been pollinated, and start to produce their seeds heads, go out then and cut them off and dispose of them so no seeds are flying around the garden! The parent plant will produce another flower for the bees and then you can do the same thing again. Pluck the spent flower head before it sends it's seeds everywhere. This way you will be providing food for the bees without dandelions taking over your gardens. Easy peasy!

Spring comes on quickly, so you need to be ready for all kinds of wonderful things that will happen during this time. Number three on my list of things to do (or not do) is check for migrating birds in your area. Hummingbirds are the Number One bird everyone is looking forward to seeing. They too will come to your gardens hungry from their travels north! You can check out this Hummingbird Migration Map to see when they will arrive in your area!

So what can you do to help those Hungry Hummers?

Have your hummingbird feeders out a week or so before they are due in your area. Keep them clean and available with fresh nectar that is changed weekly! Why do you need to change the nectar? Well as with anything left out to the elements, nectars can go "bad". That means they will get moldy and rancid. The idea is to feed those hungry hummers, not to harm them! So clean fresh nectar is a MUST! (p.s. nectar is simply four parts water to one part sugar, NO DYES) In the early days of their migration you can make up nectar and keep it in the fridge. Just put a small amount in the feeders until you know they have found you! Once you know they are around, then you can fill up those feeders to a cup of nectar and again keep the nectar fresh!

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Migrating Birds, what you need to know!

Along with the bees, migrating birds are also having "human" problems! What are those, you might ask? Well in large urban areas where skyscrapers and really large windows are the norm, many migrating birds fly into those windows and drop like stones onto the pavement below! They suffer broken necks, wings and sometimes are just so stunned that they don't recover. This is truly a sad situation for birds that fly so far to get to their northern nesting areas. Large windows are almost invisible to the birds, so their tracking is off! How can we help them? It's easy, first is awareness and then there is something as easy as placing "cling decals" on the windows so that they will see them and avoid crashing into them. You can easily purchase these decals in many styles, some are transparent to the human eyes or others are decorative and produce an ambience in your homes as you look out those windows. It's a small price to pay for the benefit of the birds and possibly for you to enjoy them as they make their homes in your yards.

Did you know that there are several species of migratory birds in North American? Quote taken from All About Birds.org:

"Long-distance migrants typically move from breeding ranges in the United States and Canada to wintering grounds in Central and South America. Despite the arduous journeys involved, long-distance migration is a feature of some 350 species of North American birds."

Learn More About Bird Migration

If you want to know more about Bird Migration, there is a wonderful website by Cornell University that follows and updates information on all kinds of migratory birds! You can find it RIGHT HERE! This is excellent reading material for any bird enthusiast! Don't stop with dedicated Birders, get your young ones involved in becoming Bird Ambassadors, they will learn and do so many things in a fun and really rewarding way.

There are great books available for children and adults too! Easy to read and understand, they will teach you everything you need to know and look for when searching the skies and yards for those feathered friends.

Yellow Rumped Warbler

This Easter, instead of just filling our children with chocolate and candy, let's feed their minds with some easy and interesting ways to keep their future in balance. Add some of those window decals or a bird feeder to their Easter basket for an Eco-Friendly alternative to chocolate or candy!

First Nature 993091-546 16 oz. Hummingbird Flower Feeder , RedCheck Price National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: MichiganCheck Price Anti-Collision Window Bird Stickers Decals Glass Door Protect and Save Bird Strikes (Clear)Check Price