by Wonder Worman | Oct 11, 2010 | Sidetracks
Hey Everyone!!! Meet Bob and Lucy.
Bob is on the left! Lucy is on the right, and my hubby, Carlos, is holding the two!
We just adopted Bob from the pound in Madras on Saturday and bought Lucy from a breeder when she was a pup. She’s 4 now. We think they are about the same age.
I usually brag about my Red Wigglers being the best sidekicks out there, consuming and transforming usable waste into rich, organic compost. Today’s a day to write about Bassets. Basset Hounds are really mellow, loving dogs which make really cute and cuddly sidekicks! I’ve written about wanting to hug a wiggler and thank them for all that they do for our planet. I know that’s gross and not possible. It’s actually rather weird….but hey so am I!
Soooo, I am going to hug my Bassets along with my family and thank them for all that they do for me! I look at these two cuddly, sweet dogs and smile! How could you not??!!!
Here are some books about Bassets! Claude the Dog is a sweet, sweet book about a Basset at Christmas! This was my first intro to Basset Hounds, and I have loved them ever since! I have not read The Hound from the Pound but seeing it reminded me of Bob since we rescued him from the pound! I am sure you can find these at your local bookstore or library, but if you can’t click below!
by Wonder Worman | Sep 27, 2010 | Sidetracks
This past weekend, ‘Little a’ and I went to visit the HA Ranch in Tulelake, Ca. My super, terrific, lovable, dearest
friend, Jenn and her husband Jack, who’s also super and terrific and, of course, lovable in a rugged sort of way, run a huge operation on a billion acres of land. It’s not quite a billion acres more like 30,000, but it sure feels like a billion compared to my cozy lot here in Bend.
Jenn and Jack have cows, lots and lots of ’em, chickens, sheep, and new this year, rabbits. (In a post later on this week, I will share my new venture, composting with rabbit poop). They have been running the HA Ranch with other family members for about 10 years after making a life change and huge move from Long Island! The property is amazing, and there aren’t any neighbors for at least 2 -3 miles. The only sounds out there are the ocasional “moos” and “cackles” from the livestock and “screams” and “hollers” from the folks, especially when my brood comes for a visit!
While venturing on the acreage, Jen and Jack took me into the bunny barn which is more like “The Bunny Mansion”….G rated version, of course! Take a look at that massive structure. Jack built this with his Pa and some siblings who venture out to the HA Ranch, escaping the hustle and bustle of the city life.
Jack is amazing! There’s nothin’ he’s ‘fraid of, or no job he can’t tackle!
Inside there’s a row of bunny cages, lots of hay, and lots of poop! I took some home with me and will discover the ways of the poop!
….in a later post!
This visit was not only for poop collecting, but for my ‘Little a’ to see her buddies and of course, for me to hang with my Jenn! We have been besties for about 25 years! Jenn is a city slicker! It’s in her blood, and there’s nothing that can take that away from her. While she does live in the middle – of -no where, she will continue to yell and swear even if you are standing a few inches from her face! She is a New Yorker through and through! I am happy to see that hasn’t changed! I love everything about her….her brutal honesty, her fierce love for her kids, family, and friends. She has this amazing passion for life and a continued drive to better herself.
I am proud of her and will forever be visiting the HA Ranch!
It’s a magical place full of so much opportunity!!!
(Max Man was sick and needed to hang with Carrrrlos which wasn’t too bad for them. They got to catch up on some hours of HaloReach!)
by Wonder Worman | Sep 20, 2010 | Red Wiggler World, Sidetracks
My sweet, “Little a” went to work pulverizing eggshells for our red wigglers. Eggs shells contain calcium which the worms need to survive and to help with reproduction. Being a red wiggler merchant, this is important to me. I need to have the perfect environment for the worms to reproduce. If the worms have too much calcium, they have a gland unique to their species. The calciferous gland is located in their digestive tract. This helps regulate the amount of calcium in their blood.
The calcium in the bedding also helps balance the ph. Calcium will bring the ph to neutral, neither acidic or basic. The ideal composting conditions.
Many vermicomposters have shared there is no need to worry about adding too many egg shells if you eat eggs daily.
I didn’t take a picture of the final product. It was a bit finer than what you see here. This is really close, though. I then took the bag out to my Wonder Worman bin and sprinkled it on top and then gently mixed it in about an inch.
Thanks for your help “Little a”
Happy Wormin’
by Wonder Worman | Aug 11, 2010 | Less in the Landfill, Sidetracks
Last month, my hubby got me a ticket to my favorite city in the world, NYC! He was tired of hearing me moan and groan, “I haven’t seen my brothers in over a year!” So he decided I needed to go on a “vacay”. I got on the phone and called my family and my greatest friends from childhood and college! We had the days packed with adventure and craziness! I do love a good time!
Blah, Blah, Blah. I can go on and on about my days/nights.
Back to the purpose of my post! NYC recycles. I had time to roam the city and I came across this trash can. Boy, I love this city!
As I continued my journey across town, I came across this really AWESOME poster! And this really AWESOME restaurant, Otarian on 8th Ave. I love this city even more..is that possible?!
I stopped, read the poster, and took the picture so I could check there site out.
www.otarian.com
check it out!
They have this cool program called Carbon Karma which rewards you for eating at their restaurants. Once again
check it out!
www.otarian.com
I really, really, really, really love this city!
They are a low-carbon restaurant for various reasons. The one I LOVE the most is their composting program! They compost their veggie waste and it’s done in my favorite city in the entire world!
Have I mentioned how much I love this city!!!
by Wonder Worman | May 31, 2010 | Red Wiggler World, Sidetracks
I went to Camas, Washington over Memorial Day weekend with my family to check out Doug’s business Northwest Redworms. Doug is a really neat guy loaded with red wiggler information. His place is about 10 acres, and he has lots of chickens, too many to count, a cow named Mud, and some cats that wander around the place.
My visit’s goal was to ask questions and to learn from his success. When we arrived, he was loading up a guy’s pickup truck with worm castings. The castings were rich in color and actually looked like a batch that I recently harvested. Seeing the similarity, really got me excited. By the way, this guy drove from California just to get Doug’s castings!!!
We then began the tour of his business. He had bins all over the place. Some were made from concrete molds and were about 5 feet long with holes on the bottom. Others were made from wood rescued from the landfill. He had bins under trees and bins under frost sheets. The coolest compost piles were the free standing ones filled with animal droppings. Figures I’d like that! He was testing Alpaca Poop, too. After getting the gloves, we got busy digging into the pile. It was loaded with red wigglers, and there was steam coming off the top. I was amazed! The worms were there. After all of the research with hot composting, I thought the worms would not survive. The pile also had veggie waste and yard debris mixed in with all of the poop! I have a client who wants to start composting her Alpaca poop and will definitely be able to steer her in the right direction. I am excited to share my new found knowledge with the worm loving community of Bend!
I need to stop here cause
1) I feel like I am a terrible writer
2) and I have a feeling no one is even reading this blog!
kinda negative on my part! but have to say what’s in my brain!!!
more later….. I think LOL
by Wonder Worman | May 19, 2010 | Sidetracks
Super Composting Wonder Worman Bins are too heavy for me to pick up and deliver alone so I rely on my faithful sidekick Carlos. Graphic designer, super husband and all around cool dude, Carlos is always willing to fit my deliveries into his busy schedule.
He lifts, loads, unloads and carries my Wonder Worman bins to my AWESOME clients!!! Not only is he the muscle, he is the creator of my super sweet logo, brochure, website and soon to be released , informative poster for homes, schools and offices. I am ever so thankful to my man. Who knew that when we married 14 years ago I’d be giving him a shout out for being my worman sidekick!!!!!
Hey Everyone!!! Meet Bob and Lucy. 
