Save the Earth - Make Dirt!

A few weekends ago, I attended the Home Gardeners School sponsored by Rutgers New Jersey Agriculture Experiment Station (NJEAS). The day long program was presented by the Office of continuing Professional Education. It was a wonderful, fun, and educational day with a mix of gardening talent – professional to us mere amateurs.

One of my favorite classes was on Backyard Composting. Now, I’m a recycler from way back. When I first got married, newspaper and cans and such had to be carted away to the recycling center. So every couple of weeks, my husband and I would load up the car and schlep all the garbage to the facility. I didn’t mind. I could see how much we were keeping out of the landfills. We still recycle everything we can today. Only now I’m lucky enough to live in a town that has curbside pick up for just about: cans, plastics, cardboard, newspapers and office paper.

When we bought our house, one of the first things we did was start a compost heap. Gardening wasn’t my forte at the time (heck, I’m still learning!), but I did know that compost was great for soil and it helped reduce garbage.

And composting is easy. Here are a few tips and links to get you composting


- So many things from your kitchen and home can be composted: vegetative food scraps, egg shells, lint, hair, shredded newspaper, coffee grinds, etc. There are some things to stay away from: meats, fats, oils, dairy products and poisonous or diseased plants. All makes sense, right?

- Carbon and nitrogen need to be in balance. That means making sure you have a mix of greens and browns. If you’ve just tossed on some kitchen goods, toss on a layer of dried leaves. This will hold in the moisture and keep things in balance.

- Chop up leaves, banana peels, whatever is going in to the compost bin to help speed up the process.

- Compost should be damp, like a rung out sponge. Too dry and the materials won’t deteriorate. Too wet and it stinks.

- Grass clippings are great for compost – but not too much! Even better, “Grasscycle” – just leave short clippings on the lawn. They deteriorate quickly and provide mulch and moisture for the lawn.

It may take a full season for your garbage to turn to rich, warm dirt, but as Alton Brown says, “Your patience will be rewarded.” Once you have some of that gardening gold, it will be a wonderful additive to your soil. To find out more about composting, check the links below and make dirt!

NJEAS Gardening & Landscaping Publications

Composting Basics

Backyard Composting Basics from Garden.com

Lots of Composting Tips & Tricks at HGTV

Fair Season Begins this Weekend

On Sunday,March 30th, we hope you'll stop by the Paramus High School Annual Spring Craft Show. It's a great show, with over 125 crafters. On Century Road in Paramus, NJ, it's been a kick off to spring and the start of the fair and festival season for years.

Celtic Chairde Creations will be there, waiting to show you our full line of sooth body butters, fabulous face masks, lip balms, the always popular lotion bars, and many exciting new creations to keep your skin soft and your spirit soaring.

We've been busy these past few weeks. We've been making fresh products, packing them up and getting them ready for the fair. We also have some exciting new products to share.

*New scents for body butters, such as Tropical Paradise. It hints of blooming plumeria, fresh pineapple, and romantic walks on the beach.

* Salt and sugar scrubs like Orange Ginger. They gentle exfoliate your skin, removing the tiredness of winter and getting your skin ready for the summer to come.

* Look for yummy new lip balms as well as our best selling healing lip balm - Tingles!

Check back often, as we update our list of fairs we'll be attending. And if there are any fairs you think we should attend - just let us know!

Celebrate As Young As You Feel Day!

Today is, officially, As Young as You Feel Day! Chronological age doesn't always affect how you truly feel inside. Sometimes young people feel older - and some times older people just feel younger.

Today is the day that anyone can go and sit on a swing set, climb the monkey bars, or eat that Twinkie you haven't had since you were a kid!

Don't worry about acting your age - get out and feel peppy! Here are some things you can do to celebrate As Young As You Feel Day!

1. Go to a playground and swing or slide.

2. Shop at all the stores your kids do. Try on the clothes and ask other people there how they look. If you like the clothes - buy them.

3. Go to an arcade and play the video games.

4. Watch cartoons or your favorite movies from when you were younger.

And if any one says, "Act your age", you can say with all sincerity - "I am acting my age because it's As Young As You Feel Day!"

What will you do for As Young As You Feel Day?


As Young As You Feel Day is copyrighted by Well Cat Herbs, For more information, see Well Cat Holidays.

Balance and New Beginnings - Welcome Spring!

The first day of spring is a day full of promise. As light and dark balance, we are invited to wake up from our sleepy winter hibernation and start anew.

For me, spring has always felt more like New Years than January 1st. Who wants to think about revitalizing, resolutions and new beginnings when you're still recovering from Christmas and the whirlwind of madness that surrounds it. In January, you want to just relax and rest - but when Spring begins you're ready to take on the world again.



There was a time when the start of spring was considered the New Year. The old Roman calender looked at this as the time to start fresh, just as the flowers and plants were starting again.

During spring we throw open the doors and windows, letting in the fresh air. Although today it was a little too breezy for opening all the windows. I use this time of year to sort through those pesky little pockets of mess that have been piling up. I just take 15 to 30 minutes and concentrate on one spot. Sometimes, hectic lives lead to lots of mess around the house. If you look at it all together, you might not want to start. But just picking one section and one spot starts you on something. And with time those somethings will add up. I picked up that tidbit from Fly Lady, a true source of inspiration for those of us who have chaotic lives.

I also run out to the garden in spring, following the same process. It will be time to start the herbs soon, so the beds must be cleaned and readied. This is very important, because many of these herbs end up in our beauty care products.

Now is the time we plan our line for the year. What scents sound sensational? What ingredients seem interesting? How will we combine them to bring our customers, friends and family body butters, lotion bars and skin satisfying treats? It's all a part of the rejuvenation of spring.

You can help,too. What are your favorite spring and summer scents? How do you start fresh in spring?

An Unusual Weekend of Goings and Comings

It's been a long week, and it's only Wednesday. But it all started last Friday.

Our dear and faithful friend, Tasha, passed away on Friday. Tasha was, as most dog owners will tell you, more than just our pet, she was part of our family. For 16 of her 18 years, she was the family playmate, vacuum cleaner and guardian (we adopted her from a shelter when she was about 2 years old). But 18 is very old for a dog, and her health was failing. My husband, son, daughter and my self were all there to see her off. I know she's somewhere, running at full speed as she had years ago.

Naturally, there was a sadness over the house as we remembered the things that were Tasha's, and the way she was in healthier times. But on Sunday, it was time for another parting, one mixed with happiness and sadness.

Rhonda is a loving, sweet little kitten, about 5 or 6 months old. She came to us in a rather unusual way.

I was getting ready to head to my day job when I received a call from my boss. "When will you be here?" he wanted to know. For a second I thought I had missed a meeting or something, but he needed me there because a kitten had almost been hit by a car and it looked terrified. As the resident office cat lady, he figured I'd be the best to handle it.

So I loaded the pet carrier into the car, along with a little food, and headed to work. When I got there he took me to the spot where the little angel was hiding. Sure enough, she was terrified, letting out little meows. She was hiding under a bramble of wild blackberries, so I wasn't thrilled about having to climb through to get her. A little coaxing and sweet talking, though, and out she came, right into my arms. She rubbed and meowed and munched up the food I brought. I had to give her only a little, because you could see she was starving.

I brought her home at lunch time, and she took to my husband right away, following him around and demanding his attention. You could feel every bone in her back and side, the poor thing.

But time and kitten chow and lots of loving heal many things. Within three weeks, she was looking more as a regular kitten should look. Having a few too many cats already, I took her to my favorite shelter, the Animal Rescue Force. There, one of the volunteers fell in love with our sweet tuxedo girl. The Sunday after dear Tasha left us, Rhonda's new family came to pick her up. They were delighted, and excited, and she took to them right away. It was a sad but happy farewell.

There's more though. I spoke of comings. You see, there's another cat that lives outside our house. She's a feral cat, who tolerates only rare pets from the people who feed her. She usually hangs around when she's pregnant. Guess what she did on St. Patrick's Day?

So, at the moment, it's a little quieter in our house. The older cats are all settled in their ways, barely making a fuss. We still have to put Tasha's things away. All the quiet will change soon enough, though, when the Irish brood come in for people training before we send them to their new homes.

See, we're animal people around here. That's why, if you'll notice, there's a cat in the logo of Celtic Chairde Creations. They add such interest to our lives. With all the comings and goings, I still wouldn't trade getting to know and love them all.