The World's Greatest Water Filter

The World's Greatest Water Filter (I'm convinced) was designed and installed in each and every duck! We bought three ducklings this spring, and unlike our chickens, they will drink any water-- no matter what it looks like.

Chickens are a bit pickier, and who can blame them?  I prefer clean drinking water myself, but DUCKS... they swim in it, bathe in it, and then take a slurp.  At first, I was worried it may harm them (showing my ignorance of ducks when we brought them home), but that's certainly not the case.

We are about to purchase a water filter for our home.  I came in a couple of days ago and commented to my wife that the ducks must come equipped with a Royal Berkey!  In case you don't know about the Royal Berkey, it is a water filtering system that sits on your counter-top and filters H2O much better than the filters in our refrigerator or filter pitcher.  In fact, the Berkey will make ditch water drinkable!  You can read more about it HERE.

How & Why I Stopped Taking Zyrtec

Like most people, I struggle with seasonal allergies.  The typical culprits like pollen, ragweed, and leaf mold set me off.  You've probably experienced the symptoms: runny nose, sinus pressure, headache, clogged throat.

So, years ago I started taking OTC antihistamines to deal with the effects. I tried two or three before I landed on Zyrtec because it seemed to pack the most punch. Just half a dose before bed, and I was knocked out.

But after awhile, I started noticing some negative effects. First, a half dose was not providing the same relief that it once had; however, taking a full dosage rendered me extremely drowsy. Plus, around twelve hours after taking even a half dosage, I would find myself very irritable.  I began to wonder if the irritability was worth the sinus relief.  The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when my wife started reading about the drug's damaging effect on the liver.  She challenged me to stop taking it.

Common sense tells us that if we are accustomed to taking something regularly and we stop, we should replace it with something else.  So what did I start taking instead of Zyrtec? Glad you asked! I started taking a multivitamin and a grape-fruit seed extract tablet, plus one teaspoon of local honey at least three times per week. It has been six months or more since I have taken Zyrtec, and my sinus issues are better than ever. Plus, I don't struggle with afternoon irritability, and my wife's not worried about my liver.  Do you know of any alternatives to the regular use of antihistamines?

It's Time to Clear the Clutter From Your Inbox!

Admit it! You and I both have too much junk in the Inbox.  There are lists I subscribed to looking for a $2 coupon, and now I get ads three times each week.  I find myself not even opening the email. It's as if the email does not exist, yet it's clutter that I have to deal with each day.

You're probably thinking: I agree, but I don't have time to go through and unsubscribe to all of those.

Guess what?

You don't have to spend that much time on it.

Start with a simple plan to attack the clutter.

Determine that you will unsubscribe from one list every other day.  Within two weeks, you will have removed 7 annoying email generators. You'll begin to have room to breath in your inbox, and your stress level will drop. Within a month, you'll be close to being finished with the chore.

Give it a try!  Start small and be consistent. Get rid of the virtual clutter!

After that, apply the same approach to your closet or garage.
That's what I need to do!

A Search Tip for Craigslist

Do you search for bargains on Craigslist?


The key to success on Craigslist is about timing.

Since it's not an auction, the rule of first come- first served applies. If you aren't able to monitor the postings often, your chances of finding the item for which you are searching shrink.  Therefore, consistency and patience are crucial, and there's not short-cutting that process.



Here's one tip I try from time to time.  Being a recovering high school English teacher, I can confidently say that at least half of the general public struggles with spelling. Sometimes when I am searching for an item, especially if it has a proper name, I will purposely misspell the name a few different ways in the search box.  If someone misspelled the item, chances are people are not going to find it by searching for it.  It may be yours for the taking.

Give it a try and let me know how it works.