3 consequences of using chemicals on your yard. How it’s hurting the ecosystem, our water, animals and livestock.

I’ve become acutely aware of how using fertilizer and insecticide has negatively affected my life. My dogs life in particular.

Recently I had taken one of the cats to the vet because he was losing hair. The vet did skin scrapings, and blood work and found no mange, no fleas or ticks, and no infections. He concluded that the cat had developed an autoimmune disease from being exposed to environmental toxins. Fertilizer and insecticide are used regularly, and have been for years, at the location where the cat lives.

Upon doing research I found that excess use of synthetic fertilizers over time can create unhealthy algae blooms, runoff kills aquatic life, and exposure over time negatively affects domestic animals. Not to mention humans….think about the Roundup issues. (I’ll list just a few websites that talk about these things at the bottom of this post.)

3 consequences of using chemicals on your yard. How it’s hurting the ecosystem, our water, animals and livestock.

Personally it’s affected my dog. (We don’t live there, we just go out to take care of animals.) Her immune system has become so sensitive that she can no longer eat red meat proteins, absolutely no commercial dog food, (read the ingredients… it’s full of chemicals), and she develops an allergic reaction if she walks in the grass. I have to give her a Benadryl. She can now only eat fruits and vegetables, olive oil, and a very small amount of tuna for salmon for her protein. If I try to give her any other type of protein, rice, corn, oats, barley, meat….she will be vomiting within the hour.

Two years ago, the momma cat had a kitten with an underdeveloped leg, that had to be subsequently amputated. He’s fine and living his best life now as a house cat, but I’m beginning to believe that it was caused from his mother being exposed to all of the stuff that is used on the property.

Let me be clear…I know that nothing was done intentionally. No one was intentionally trying to hurt the ground, or animals. But the simple fact is that it has.

So what can be done? It’s not my property, so I can do nothing but express what I’ve researched and learned and take care of my animals.

On my own small garden, I use no pesticides other than chili powder and garlic powder. I sprinkle that in and around my plants and I have no issues with insects destroying anything.

Why am I saying all of this? Because it’s our responsibility to be good stewards of this planet and the animals and ecosystems that are here. Do some research for yourself and see how deforestation is killing and completely eliminating entire species. It’s not just here, it’s everywhere. Go watch the show on Hulu, Secrets of Elephants…there’s a prime example of humans ruining the planet.

It’s no secret that I am an animal and create lover, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve begun to see behind the scenes and how careless the inhabitants of this planet are to the only place we have to live. We are destroying the planet. Where else can we survive and live? NOWHERE. I don’t care what everyone says about Mars, no one is living there, so the point is mute.

I wish I had known then what I know now.

Would you roll around in the chemicals you put on your yard? Or spray yourself with the insecticides that you put on your plants? If you wouldn’t, then don’t do it.

I’m a firm believer in what goes around, comes around.

Do better.

✌️

Shassy

https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/lawn-care-chemicals-how-toxic-are-they/#:~:text=Many%20chemicals%20remain%20active%20from,contaminated%20grass%2C%20can%20cause%20illness.

https://time.com/6184986/are-lawn-fertilizer-chemicals-bad-for-you/

I have read many research papers, articles, testimonies on this, but this blog post is meant to express my concern, and encourage you to do your own research. Don’t take my word for it, although I’m right. But as with anything on the internet, you can find both good and bad opinions and publications for whatever you want. My PERSONAL EXPERIENCE is negative with excess use of chemicals, so I can testify to that. You an also find much more information on how chemicals and living an unhealthy lifestyle can cause cancer, obesity, high blood pressure, hair loss, skin loss…. I could go on and on.

So it’s not a fairy tale, and it’s been proven that chemicals kill. Obviously, we’ve used them in war to eliminate our enemies. Shocker.

So what are the three consequences? Toxicity to humans and animals, toxic ground water, and death. We can’t live like this anymore, and it’s showing. Of course illness is a business in this country, so…but that’s another post for another day.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Keywords: chemicals, kill, autoimmune, skin loss, hair loss, obesity, lawn chemicals, cancer, dogs, cats

Come for a walk with me.

I needed to just “be” today. I’ve been struggling, and it was a beautiful evening, so I just took my shoes off and headed out for a walk.

I knew when I got close to the barn, I’d have some company. CGC, Chapo and Little T came with me for a bit. For some reason Little T has been hiding out in the woods lately. We have two others, Bubbles and Millie, who like to live out in nature a lot. They come in and stay in the cat houses when it’s cold, and are always there for chow time, but they prefer to be out doing cat things.

Come for a walk with me.

I watched them hunt together one day….one stood on the edge of the grass line, and the other pushed out whatever critters they were going after. It was quite interesting actually. Bubbles and Millie are extremely bonded. I did not raise those two, and, well their backstory has some trauma, but I don’t want to go there right now.

I’ve heard many times that putting your feet on the ground, barefoot can really do amazing things for the soul. I firmly believe that. I always feel good when I’m barefoot. Especially if it’s raining. My mind and soul can relax, my anxiety fades, and my mind clears.


Voted Best Portable Power Station by CNET

bluetti-power-ac200p-2000w

This is why I’m working so hard to be able to get my vehicle reliable, so I can try to heal my heart, mind and soul from a lifetime of trauma.

I’m not giving up.👊

Here’s a short clip of our walk today. A longer one comes out on Friday on YouTube.

Hope y’all have a great Tuesday.

✌️

Shassy

Morning fog, with the sun shining through.

Keywords: walk, mental health, mind, body, soul, cats, sunshine, fog, dogs, cats, grounding, coping skills

©️shassyswalkabout.com

When your horse holds your drink on her booty. 🤣 #1

Sadie is the ultimate version of “putting up with my shenanigans”.

She is so patient with me and my “let’s see what weird things we can do today”. I can lay under her, crawl between her legs, sit down in front of her, pretty much anything.

This didn’t come instantly. We didn’t know each other when we got together. She had a rough past with her first owner. So I had to spend time, just spending time with her. She had to learn that every time I raised my hand, she didn’t have to flinch anymore.

I took my time… and that trust took two years to build, at liberty.

Sadie was a workin’ horse during her first years. If you what that means.. then you get it.

Then before I got her, she was with a wonderful friend her taught her that not all people were bad. That she enjoyed my friends grandkids riding her around, and she took such good care of them.

Now we are retired, we ride for relaxation and just to spend time together.

She’s happy to leave the barn now, and go on a relaxing ride.

Her working days are still in her memory though… she spots a cow from a mile away, and will move to a gate to open it, if I ask it of her.

When your horse holds your drink on her booty. 🤣 #1

I call her the brush buster, because I’m guessing she had to look for cows/calves at one point, in the brush… and she will just go through it, instead of around it.

I can see the past learned behavior coming to the forefront, when she thinks she has to work…but we don’t “work” anymore. But those memories are still there.

Don’t worry Sadie girl, I got you… nothing but blue skies and fun rides from now on. 💜

I’ve had quite a few horses, I’ve lost them due to domestic violence and abuse. Having my horses stolen, due to undiagnosed mental health, ptsd on my part, has been a sad haunting memory for me…

But all of my horses knew love. To me, that is all I could send with them.

I’ll admit, I struggle still with guilt… which I shouldn’t do, but my heart and mind battle are the hard days.

Don’t miss a moment… they could be gone in a heartbeat.

✌️

Shassy

Keywords: horses

animal bonding

recoveryfromtrauma

love

animals

healing

hearthorse

ptsdawareness

Trying to find my wayward horse. My best friend at 22 years old.

https://youtube.com/@horsygirl

#horses #jeepminicamper #mentalhealthawareness

When I’m out doing things, mowing, working on the jeep, or just relaxing…I let Sadie out to wander around. She has a dedicated pasture for herself, but I pull her off of it during the winter to manage the grass. Since spring is on the way, I’ve been letting her out to run around the rest of the 180 acres.

When it’s time to come in, I just whistle and call her name, and she comes back. Yesterday I saw her heading west along the fire lane and I thought I’d go meet her, but when I got around to that area, she wasn’t there. Clearly she took a left and headed straight to the barn, because she knew it was chow time.

I haven’t owned her her whole life. This is year 5 for us being together. I’m finding that even an old horse can learn to do new things. I’m working with her at liberty, and it’s been the most amazing thing to learn and watch her communicate with me, and me communicate with her. This summer I really would like to see what she’s willing to do…at liberty…and see what new things we can learn about each other, and together.

Horses are amazing. They tolerate our mistakes, and our inability to know from the start, their communication language. When I was younger I had a different idea of what training a horse meant. I’ve always tried to keep an open mind, and always be able to learn new and different ways. Stepping outside of myself and being able to learn from her, has been the most rewarding.

One of my favorite things to do is just go out and “be” with her.

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Just wanted to share how awesome my girl is. 😊

✌️

Shassy

#horses #ranch #mygirlsadie

SALE!!! Product Highlight from the best CBD company in the business. #1 Small Business, thousands of satisfied customers, and it’s all small batch, third party tested.

My Girl Zoey

SALE!!!! Click here to see what’s on sale! Humble Collective CBD

Sale!! Product Highlight
This is on SALE right now. I use this for my girl Zoey, and if you follow me, you know we’ve had some health problems from mainstream processed kibble, and I was feeding hi end food.

Sale!! Product Hightlight

The first product I want to show you is the Pet CBD Oil. I’m going to site directly from Sarah’s webpage so you get exactly what’s in it, and also post some reviews.

*coupon codes do not apply while product is on special

We strongly believe that plants grown organically with care will always yield the best medicine. This full spectrum CBD oil is crafted from sun grown Oregon hemp, gently extracted by CO2, containing a rich profile of complementary cannabinoids, terpenes and micronutrients. We know pets are family and they deserve quality plant medicine too!

Consult your veterinarian before use, especially if your pet has underlying conditions or takes other medications.

How to use

Shake before using. Use dropper to apply serving in pets mouth, on treats, or in their food. Wait 4-6 hours before repeating dose. Ideal serving size will vary from 2 drops to 1 ml+.

Ingredients

Organic MCT coconut oil, full spectrum hemp extract**

**Contains Less than 0.3% THC

Disclaimer

Our products are derived from natural sources, so slight variation in color, scent and taste is normal. Earth medicine works unique to the individual, so listen to your body, and discontinue use if any adverse reactions occur.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. You should consult a licensed health care professional before starting any dietary supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing or have any pre-existing injuries or medical conditions.

Products on this site do not contain more than 0.3% THC by weight.

CBD and hemp products are not for use by or sale to persons under the age of 18.Cited directly from Sarah’s site”

SALE!!! Product Highlight from the best CBD company in the business. #1 Small Business, thousands of satisfied customers, and it’s all small batch, third party tested.

Second product I want to recommend is the PawAble dog treats.

Again, I am copying directly from HC’s site, with Sarah’s permission.

“CBD Baked Pet Treats

Our CBD infused Pumpkin & Peanut Butter treat bites are packed with human grade SUPER FOODS to help boost your pets Immune system. These treats are a great source of omega-6 fatty acids and antioxidants, at 2mg per bite, they are compatible for pets both big and small.

Local Michigan product! From BC Hemp Co based in Berrien Springs, MI

CBD Infused Treat Counts:

1 oz. 70mg bag = 25 CBD infused treats 3mg/Treat
3 oz. 200mg bag = 70 CBD infused treats 3mg/Treat

Certificate of Analysis
How to use
Ingredients
Pumpkin, Brown Rice Flour, Oat Flour, Cage-Free Brown Eggs, Peanut Butter Powder, Coconut Oil*, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cinnamon, Organically Grown Michigan Hemp *Organic
Disclaimer
Our products are derived from natural sources, so slight variation in color, scent and taste is normal. Earth medicine works unique to the individual, so listen to your body, and discontinue use if any adverse reactions occur.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. You should consult a licensed health care professional before starting any dietary supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing or have any pre-existing injuries or medical conditions.

Products on this site do not contain more than 0.3% THC by weight.

CBD and hemp products are not for use by or sale to persons under the age of 18.” Cited directly from HERE.

Sale!! Product Highlights on sale.

I have never had an issue with any of their products, ever. Never a reaction, never anything but good. I highly recommend you try them out.

Like I’ve said before, I won’t recommend something I haven’t used, or use myself.

✌️

Shassy

SALE!!!! Click here to see what’s on sale! Humble Collective CBD

Find me in my other socials. If you want to…I’m not the boss of you. 🤣🤣🤣

Or here via my Linktree.

NO MY SITE IS NOT GOING OFFLINE. Working out some technical issues.

Find me on my other socials, if you want. I’m leaning further #out #of #Facebook. All of my videos (reels) will also be on my website. (My latest reel is at the bottom of this post.)

Why? Because I like it better, and have to do what’s best for my noggin.

Trying to keep up with everything, is hard some days, and the key to everything online is consistency. So I have to choose which #platforms are #performing better, with the least amount of “issues”.

Everything is linked in my #linktreeinbio

I won’t delete the account, but just won’t be posting as much here as time moves forward. I’ll see how it goes.. because things can change.

I have posted strong opinions about it, but I’m attempting…haha…to find my filter for my mouth.

Find me in my other socials. If you want to…I’m not the boss of you. 🤣🤣🤣

It’s just me being tired of the control issue… my content will get 40k,
10k views, until they offer to pay me, then they toggle it, and views go down. It seems dumb to me.. but hey.. I’m not Facebook. Just had a video get over 11k views Instagram (yes owned by Meta), but it gets less than 500 over on FB… because they wanted me in their monetization program. Prior to that… things were different.

Also, I enjoy the freedom I have on my own site. Nobody tells me I’m
going to get banned/ or a community violation for saying this, or that.

Yes I understand that if I’m going to continue to build, I have to jump through some hoops. I’m just deciding which hoops.

Also, having my face in front of a screen, isn’t good for me. It’s not good for anyone actually.

My goal is to share a lot, because it’s the number one most effective way for me to cope… and I’ve got to be able to deal with my baggage…..and if me sharing helps at least one other person, then I’ve accomplished something.

My main source will be here… I’ve had this site since 2013. I’ll keep Medium,(for my poetry) Reddit (because so far I love it there) and Instagram (because it’s easier to integrate what I want)… and Twitter (because I’m a part of a great writing, poetry community over there… but even Twitter is changing)…but I’m backing off of Facebook. I’ve backed completely off of Tiktok…. I can’t stand it there… I still have an account with a couple of videos, but it’s just too much. I do have a feet page… doing an experiment with that, so not sure I’ll keep it….. yes I said feet… I’m quirky and weird, but I’m ok with that. 🤣

I’m opening an Amazon storefront because I have so many products that I get from there, that I use, and it’s just easier to share all in one place sometimes. If I can’t find it on Amazon, I share a link to it.

So there it is. Peace out Facebook. For now at least.

I can’t believe I could have lost her 4 months ago. (Story on my insta via underlined/ and or different colored words).

✌️

Shassy

I’ve been using these outdoor Spypoint game cams for over 6 months now.

I’ve been using these outdoor Spypoint game cams for over 6 months now.

Update: I’ve added in some pictures so you can see what I see when I get a notification. The only thing I can say is that if a critter messes with your cam, you might have to clean off the lenses.

This is a picture of a buck jumping over my electric fence this fall, captured by my cam.

I’ve been using

You can adjust the settings to capture instantly, or up to 30 minutes. I use rechargeable batteries because I don’t want to be constantly dumping them in the trash, which ends them up in the landfill. You can also adjust the settings, and pay extra for video. I don’t do that because it’s not needed.

We initially got them because people were coming out and fishing without permission. So this way I had some evidence before I confronted them for breaking the rules. (They were given permission, with rules, but they quit following the rules.).

I have caught pictures of coyotes, bobcat, beavers, opossums, skunks, our cats, and my horse, along with randoms of me wandering around on walkabouts…. and all of our deer.

It takes a little bit of tweaking to get your settings the way you want them, and you can change them if you feel you need to. They run off of cellular towers, so no need for wires. I plan on adding a solar panel to a couple, but with the ones in the trees, solar wouldn’t be an option, I don’t believe.

Anyway, thought I’d share. Give them a check and read the reviews. I had a couple of raccoons mess with one, and it didn’t break or hurt the cameras. They are well made. Rain, snow, heat…hasn’t affected them at all.

Click any picture or underlined word to check them out.

✌️Shassy

American Mustang Vivre la vie

American Mustang Vivre la vie

Soft breath

Flutter on my face

A warmth

Fleeting.

Wind whips by

Leaving me with your scent

Woodsy, sweet and earthy.

You’re gone

But just for a moment

I see you up on high,

So proud and strong.

I hear your voice

Reassuring me that you’re still around.

Then gone again, to be free

To be loved

To love

As it should be,

Always free.

Poetry, writing©️shassyswalkabout.com

Dedicated to the remaining wild and free mustangs, and those that are trying so very hard to let them stay that way, and out of the slaughter pipeline, where they are inhumanly, and brutally, painfully, killed.

Pass the Safe Act.

https://aldf.org/project/the-save-americas-forgotten-equines-act-safe-act-federal/

Do you love your pet?

photo of people holding siamese cat and chihuahua

Do you love your pet?

closeup photo of brown and black dog face
Photo by Lum3n on Pexels.com

I love my pets, usually more than people. They give you unconditional love and loyalty, and forgive our mistakes and arrogance. How do you show your love to your pet?

I’m always looking for new gadgets, and cool things to enhance Zoey, Simba and Sadie’s life. This site, has some really cool, top of the line… like a wifi compatible fountain waterer and feeders, sturdy cleanable cat trees, cloud waterers… totally cool stuff guys! I’m ordering a fountain, pronto!

✌️

Shassy