reptile adventures at the library

When you think "library," do giant reptiles and squealing children come to mind? If not, then you have not been fortunate enough to witness Rich Ihle's Reptile Adventures this summer. The Phoenix Public Library hosts a fantastic kids summer program, where nearly every weekday there is someone cool presenting something awesome at various libraries across the city–and it's free to attend! We go to our local Ironwood branch every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. to catch the fun. Yesterday's presentation was our favorite! Rich Ihle, the creator of Reptile Adventures brought his friends, small and large, for families to oooh and ahhh at. The kids were all pumped, and Rich delivered. His funny, friendly attitude, coupled with the confidence and sternness to keep the kids' energy from getting out of control made for an incredible experience.

Rich began his presentation by telling everyone a bit about himself and how he came to be the "reptile guy." It seems he had a deep love for these creatures from an early age and would spend all of his money on reptiles. He encouraged the kids to find their passion and open books to learn all they can about it, as he did, which I thought was a wonderful message. He also expressed the importance of caring for pets properly, and how much work they can be. The guy kept it real.

Like all good entertainers, Rich brought out the little guys first. We met Sunset the Bearded Dragon, Slim the Blue-tongued Skink, and Freckles, the Leopard Gecko, among other friends.

I was totally impressed with them, but had no idea that the big guns were waiting in the wings.

Enter T-Bo the Rhinoceros Iguana.

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He was incredible! And incredibly huge! Rich's interactions with him were nothing short of a headliner at The Comedy Spot. The kids (and adults) were squealing and shaking with excitement. Rich took him for a ride on his cooler, a giant-iguana RV, of sorts.

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Just when we thought we'd seen the grand finale, out came Sunshine, who we got to touch.

What an experience! You can still catch Rich and "The Ultimate Reptile Experience" at libraries around the valley during this week and next, the last week of the program. I would highly recommend it, even if you don't have kids! Rich and his friends are also available for birthday parties, school presentations, and special events.

i broke down: Shamrock Farms'® new flavored sour cream

A couple of months ago, I was invited to tour Shamrock Farms, a leading local dairy farm. The farm is fairly large, and, as I expressed when I toured, I think that, while at the facility, the dairy cows are treated very well, considering the production volume. When I visited, I was invited to try Shamrock Farms' newest product, then in development, their flavored sour cream. The three exciting flavors were released into stores this week (I saw them at my local grocery store, so it's for reals), but my family and I had the privilege of sampling them a couple of weeks ago ('cause we're just cool like that).

As you may know, I've been working toward living a vegan lifestyle, so, yes, I was a bit conflicted about consuming sour cream, not something I frequently do, but in the name of product research and deliciousness, I caved.

The flavored sour cream comes in three varieties: Creamy Ranch, French Onion, and my absolute favorite, Zesty Jalapeño. I thought about making something fancy and complex, but reconsidered. I wanted to taste this new product for what it really was, especially if I was falling off the wagon in it's honor. So I made tacos.

We frequently make vegan tacos, but this time, we went vegetarian. I use a "meat-ish" base of tempeh, onion, and taco seasoning, and even our meat-eating friends think it's delish. They don't just say that. They actually have seconds. We put on all the trimmings, then topped each taco with a large dollop of zesty jalapeño sour cream.

YUM. I loved this flavor best because it is so flavorful, with real bits of jalapeño, and, well, zesty, as described, but just when you think it's going to be too spicy, the creaminess mellows it all out. Even our littles loved it!

Shamrock Farms' new flavored sour creams are currently prominently displayed on a front end-cap in my local grocery store, and I noticed when I was there yesterday that each one had a nice little coupon attached. You can also print a coupon from the Shamrock Farms Web Site. If you visit the site, you can also check out serving suggestions. And if you're so inclined, enter the "Dip. Mix. Top." contest.

Enjoy! And if you're falling off the wagon like I did, don't feel too guilty. Sometimes it's worth it!

Disclaimer: Shamrock Farms provided me with sour cream samples in exchange for my honest opinion.

too hot for tootsies

As we Phoenicians brave today's high temps–threatening 119°–I am inspired to plead the masses not to walk a dog in the middle of the day. I mean, please. I can't believe how many dogs I saw out for a walk when driving home from my mid-day visits today. Really? Would you want to walk on the scorching asphalt with your bare feet? Try it.

Dogs' paws can burn, and burn bad. They are a bit more tolerant of the immediate sensation when walking on a hot surface because their paws are pretty tough, but damage is done. The dog may limp, lick their paws, or show other signs of distress several hours after the burn occurs.

My rule of thumb is to never walk a dog when the temperature is over 100°. I let my clients know that I'll be happy to do some rigorous indoor play, or a nice game of fetch in the grass if it's not too hot out.

Instead of walking your dog at noon, consider a early-morning or late-evening stroll. Be aware that concrete and asphalt can hold heat well past sundown, so test it with your own bare foot before proceeding. If you can comfortably stand, you're good to go.

You can also try dog booties for protection.

Simple solutions.

So if you don't want the insanely angry gal in the pooch wagon screaming at you to get your mutt off the street during your lunch break, please consider the benefits of the siesta, instead.

big tipper: my haul from Farmyard

Aren't big tips just the greatest? As the owner of Well Minded, I don't always get a gratuity, but I sure appreciate it when I do. Today I got an awesome tip from a client who is also a friend. She is away for a while, and I'm caring for her dogs, so she was unable to pick up her CSA basket from Farmyard today. Instead, she gave it to me as a tip, and I couldn't be happier about it! I've had the pleasure of testing out some of the gorgeous produce from Farmyard before, as my client friend can't always consume all she receives, but I've never had a whole basket, so I'm quite excited, and already planning what to make with it for the next few days.

I was provided an address and a Farmyard tote to return when picking up this week's haul.

Although I needed my navigation system to find the neighborhood, once I got there, the house was unmistakable. The front yard presented rows of tomatoes, lettuce, squash, and the like. When I pulled up, it was something out of a Norman Rockwell Painting, only modern. Rebecca waived and greeted me warmly. She knew who I was, even though we'd never met. She was collecting some small yellow tomatoes from the garden, and her bucket was overflowing, literally, so I followed behind, picking up the dropped tomatoes that trailed behind her.

She invited me into her home, where her big yellow lab lumbered a welcome just as warm. Rebecca took my tote and handed me a fresh one full of her garden's bounty. It included a bunch of sorrel, some giant zucchini, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, a variety of small tomatoes, two jalapeños, some garlic, a bunch of apples, and a dozen eggs. Gorgeous! Rebecca explained what I was receiving and even provided a recipe for using the sorrel, something I've honestly never cooked with. I'm excited to try it!

I am especially impressed with the eggs. As a verging-upon vegan individual who loves her eggs, it makes me feel better about falling off the wagon when I know they come from happy, healthy, pampered chickens, which is the case with Farmyard. We've considered getting our own chickens because they make great pets and provide eggs, but haven't taken the plunge quite, yet. I love caring for my clients' chickens, and often get tipped in eggs, Little House on the Prairie-style.

The kids just loved the jewel-toned eggs and couldn't keep their hands off of them. They are beautiful.

As I started the car, Porter chomped into a freshly picked apple, which was satisfying to us both.

What a wonderful first experience we had at Farmyard. We've been considering signing up for a CSA for quite some time, and this might be just the thing to send us over the edge!

keeping it small: size matters to me

When I started pet sitting full time, I initially tried any advertising I could think of. In order to build an initial client base, I threw lots of time and money down every conceivable avenue, only to receive very little in return. I learned quickly that networking and building relationships in the community was the fastest and best way to build my client base. Though we're always accepting new clients, we're now a manageable size, considering it's basically just myself and one other sitter. I prefer to keep it small because, well, let's be real: I'm a control freak. That, and I love the fact that I know each of my clients very well. They are almost like family. We partner with our clients to make sure their pets get the best care. Many of our clients have been with us since the beginning in 2005, and we're so grateful to have these relationships that often last through multiple "generations" of pets.

We now build our business primarily from client and community referrals, which is the best way to go for us. Just as our clients want to have the best pet sitter in all the land, we want to have the most awesome clients. By gaining new clients through referrals and spending time in the community, we can more readily trust that this will be the case, and they usually feel very comfortable knowing that a trusted source has said we're the best.

Because we value referrals so highly, we offer our clients an ongoing, graduated referral reward that gets better each time the referred client uses our services. Our client who is kind enough to refer to us gets rewarded over and over! It's been a great success for us, and it's a good feeling to know that we can say thank you to those who spread the word about Well Minded.

Growing our business this way allows us to create a family bond with our clients. I love that when a client's name pops up on my phone, I know exactly who they are and who their pets are. Size does matter. And we prefer to keep it small.