Calypso - The Goldfish Red Cap Diva praying

My fish is a Diva!

I'm not kidding either...

Let me tell you a story about what just happened in the past few days...

It has been an extremely busy week, and I didn't feel like cleaning out Kalypso's 10 gallon fish bowl. She has 2 filters with bubbles and a floaty fish toy that she loves snuggling and pushing around the bowl.

Kalypso has grown quite a bit in size since I got her in the spring. I'd say she's more than doubled in size. So, I got this new 10 gallon bowl just for her as an upgrade from her 5 gallon bowl. A big difference.

Now, when I didn't feel like cleaning out all of her home the other night, I brought out her 5 gallon bowl just for the night (I call it her condominium), so I could clean the 10 gallon in the morning. It was already late at night, mind you.

She had a pretty plant new glass beads at the bottom and fresh water, and she was sitting right next to my computer, so that she could see me!

The next morning, I sat down to check my email and do about 30 minutes of work. Kalypso was fine...Swimming around, happy to see me, etc.

However, I was sitting there no longer than 10 minutes, and all of a sudden, she turned upside down, floating, as if she were dead! No warning of distress, nothing visually wrong with her either.

Freaking out, I called my mother over who turned her right-side up, and moved her back and forth to keep her gills working, as an angler would returning a fish to water.

I rushed to clean up her 10 gallon bowl, fill it and replace her fish friend and filters, etc. It was a panic and a frenzy...

No sooner did we put her back into her large home with her bubbles from her filter, did she change her tune.

Seriously, it was as though she was boycotting, saying, "If I don't have my bubbles, I'll just die!"

I think she was depressed that I took away her huge home, her fish friend and most of all, her bubbles! She loves her bubbles.

Within 1 hour, she had perked up as though nothing ever happened. She's lucky we're so diligent and I love her so much - she's a special fish - because anyone else would have flushed her...She wasn't moving and upside-down.

Boy, did she show me!!! Don't move your fish into a condominium from a huge mansion, especially if there are no BUBBLES involved! They might just die!

How melodramatic!

by Kimberly Edwards

Using a Cat Toy Ball to Exercise Your Cat

Are you a feline lover at heart? Do you have a pet that you treat like part of the family? Are you constantly looking for tips on how to take better of your cat? If you want to know the secret to having a healthy and happy feline, then you need to make sure the beloved feline gets all the exercise that it needs. Though there are some people who think that it's just normal for a cat to lazily lounge around for the most part of the day, it's actually just a reflection of how lazy or inattentive the pet owner really is.

Contrary to popular belief, cats like to move around just as much as dogs. Though it may not seem that obvious, felines like physical and mental stimulation and attention just as much as any other animal. Since different cats have different ways of keeping themselves entertained, one needs to study the specific breed in order to determine what it likes. Take the time understanding your pet a bit more and it will be much easier to know what he/she really wants and needs.

Exercise can do wonders for your lovable fur ball. Putting him/her through a regular exercise routine will not only prevent diseases, but it will also ensure that he/she develops strong and lean muscles. If you're thinking of giving your cat an exercise regimen, try not to overwhelm or force your pet into a routine that it just isn't used to. You can start it off by introducing a cat toy ball in its area. You really don't have to do much to convince him/her to play with it as it is a part of a feline's nature to be inquisitive. The key is to take it slow so you're pet has time to develop a positive mindset towards the ball. Don't do anything that will make it feel like its being pressured into playing with it.

The great thing about this cat toy ball is that it can provide the pet with hours and hours of entertainment. Not only is it considered to be an effective tool in stimulating the pet physically, but the right toy ball can also provide the right mental stimulation. Since the toy ball comes in a wide array of different colours and materials, make sure to look for one that would suit the cat best. Avoid using just any regular ball as there are some that may turn out to be dangerous for their health.

Learn How to Make Gel Candles

Learning how to make gel candles is real easy. So easy in fact that in the minute it takes to read this article you will literally know how to make gel candles. But why gel? Because you can do some amazing things with gel that you can't do with wax. First of all gel is clear which is amazing enough. And you can suspend things in gel candles. Things like decoration. Things like marbles, coins, beads, glitter, beautiful stones or what ever decorations you want and because the gel is clear these things are visible.

Are you sold on gel candles now? Good you should be. So how do we make gel candles? If you know how to make wax candles you know how to make gel candles because it's basically the same with only some slight differences which we will cover.

Like all candles gel is made up mostly of oil. Gel candles are almost all mineral oil with a little bit of resin powder added. The combining of these will produce the solid gel. To make candles the gel is heated up to its melting point as are wax candles. But gel is heated slightly higher to about 200 degrees F and it doesn't really liquefy like wax does rather it becomes a thick syrupy substance which is a little more difficult to work with and a little harder to pour then the liquid wax. Gel needs to be carefully poured down the side of the candle container so as not to make bubbles in the candle (remember they will be visible) unless you want bubbles they are kind of decorative.

Candle wax is usually melted with a double boiler when making candles. A multi-cooker is used for gel. This is made of metal with a non-stick coating. It has a temperature dial that you set but you should still use a thermometer to verify the gel has been heated to the proper temperature. Gel can catch fire so you will need a chemical fire extinguisher.

Melting candle wax is usually stirred with a long wooden spoon or paint stick but this can cause bubbles in gel so hard plastic or metal is used for stirring.

When the gel is heated to the proper temperature, which I said above is "about" 200 degrees. This can vary with gel so to make sure you need to contact the manufacturer. You add coloring and scent when it is fully heated if you want these things. For gel you will want to use liquid candle dyes because they will allow the gel to remain clear. And only a tiny amount is needed. There is a wide variety of scents to choose from just pick the one you like.

You make sure your wick is centered before you pour your gel into your candle container and give it a few hours to cool and that's it. I said you would know how to make gel candles when you finished this article.

How to Paint Cabinet Hinges

Have you been wondering how to paint cabinet hinges? The answer is very, very carefully! That's probably not a helpful answer though. There are a couple different options available to you for painting cabinet hinges. There's a simple way to do it with just a little bit of prep work.

Let's look at the "easy" way. Using this method you won't need to pull the cabinet doors off the hinges. It will only take a couple simple supplies

Painter's tape
A hobby knife
A fine tipped model paint brush
Wet rag
Old newspapers

Prepping is the biggest time consumer here. You need to mask off the area around the cabinet hinge first of all. Start at the outside edge of your workspace and add layers as you work closer and closer to the hinge.

As the tape gets close to the hinge use the hobby knife to cut the tape to fit exactly around the hinge. It's vital that there be no exposed cabinetry. You can use the tip of the hobby knife to press all the tape into place.

Place the old newspapers on the counter top below where you're painting. Use this as your workspace for the paint can as well as catching any drips that might otherwise splash onto the countertop.

Next clean the hinge with a mild soap and water solution and let dry. You don't want to paint over any dust or built up goop.

Now comes the fun part, the painting. Use the fine tipped paint brush to evenly coat the entire hinge. Use only enough paint as needed to cover. You don't want to end up with any drips that might run down the cabinet or bind up the hinge.

Walk away from the cabinet for a few hours to let the paint dry.

Once dry, operate the door to make sure to break any paint welds that might have built up on the hinges.

With the door fully open now repaint the entire hinge. What you're shooting for in adding a second coat is to catch any spots that the brush might not have been able to reach when the cabinet door was closed.

Once again walk away for a few hours to let it dry.
After your well earned break check close and open the door a few times to make sure the hinge isn't sticking. If it operates fine and looks good without any bubbles or drips then congratulations you're finished!

All that's left to do is clean up. Be sure to pull up the painter's tape as soon after painting as possible. You don't want to risk leaving any residue behind that you'll have to scrub up.

That's all there is to a quick hinge paint job. Now that you know how to paint cabinet hinges the easy way you won't need to worry about the major pain of yanking the doors off the cabinets and removing all the hardware. All it takes is a little bit of planning and prep work and you'll have great results.