I have transitioned my "even if they don't love this, it's useful & consumable" gifting from bags of coffee, to spices from Diaspora, Co. They're an amazing source for South Asian spices, as well as much fresher versions of the regular ones you'd get in the store (how many spice companies include the HARVEST DATE of the spice you buy??). They also come packaged in super cute boxes if you buy multiples of three so it's been easy to add some personalization & then wrap :))
Gift guides are getting ripped on this year but I love seeing all the cool stuff out there ... like the carpet shoes!
I have a book that came out in August and in just a couple days I am flying to Los Angeles to record the audio version. I'm very excited. Here's the book, since you asked:
I tried everything to get rid of squirrels in the feeder. EVERYTHING. I even broke down and gave my tiny nemesis rodents their own feed. But, no . . . The hot sauce is truly the only win. And it has to be squirrel hot sauce. They laugh at red pepper flakes. They chuckle at human grade hot sauce. It has to be so-hot-you-will-nurse-1st-degree-burns-if-you-don't-wear-gloves hot sauce. Cole's Flaming Squirrel ended up being my best find, and just a very little goes a long way. The squirrels don't even look in the direction of my feeder now. It's their Voldemort, and I don't mind.
The squirrels are hooligans. Peppermint spray works well. I put a few drops of peppermint oil in a spray bottle and mix with water. It doesn't hurt the surrounding wildlife and my garden smells great. You do have to reapply every few days. I agree that hot bird seed works the best. There's a brand called Melody Select that you can get at Chewy for ten bucks for a four-five pound bag. Rural King has it too, for a slightly higher price. Don't know if you have Rural Kings in Northern IL. I live in Central IL where there are plenty. Some people suggest you mix cayenne pepper directly into regular bird seed, but the pepper tends to clump and it's too strong, which can hurt the squirrels. If you look at the hot bird seed, you can't tell where the pepper is and it's milder. But it works!!
Hi Roxane - Love the Bird Buddy recommendation. I have had a similar problem with squirrels (and bunnies and raccoons and deer) and discovered one can buy "hot pepper" bird seed. Birds can't taste the pepper, but mammals do and will stay away.
An amazing list. Thanks for introducing me to Miranda Thomas pottery. I love the black carved teapots. And the little Blue Birds of Hope are beautiful. At 25 dollars, they are more budget friendly for me. They're from a limited edition, so I hope I can get my hands on one, or two, or three. And, of course, the Scrabble recommendations are right on the mark. (I hope Debbie is a good loser.)
Speaking of birds, making an origami crane out of beautiful paper is fun, and if you put a string through it, you get a great Christmas tree ornament. Or hang it on a branch and put the branch and bird (or birds)in a ceramic vase. https://origami.me/crane/
I've gotten to love Heading bandannas and scarfs. The patterns are taken from old books, the material is soft, and they're reasonably priced. https://headingprints.com/pages/bandanas
I love your list! Today I put together a gift basket for the partner of my 23 yo son and I included your The Selected Works of Audre Lorde. Obviously. I am gifting intersectional feminist texts to everyone this year. Thank you!
I love this list! Lumos Transforms founded by Nkem Ndefo is doing beautiful work to support people with accessible somatic tools such as the Resilience Toolkit. They are doing a fundraiser now to support "rights defenders" with resilience practices to reduce burnout. https://lumostransforms.com/project-roadmap/
this is an excellent gift guide, thank you!
I second that!
I have transitioned my "even if they don't love this, it's useful & consumable" gifting from bags of coffee, to spices from Diaspora, Co. They're an amazing source for South Asian spices, as well as much fresher versions of the regular ones you'd get in the store (how many spice companies include the HARVEST DATE of the spice you buy??). They also come packaged in super cute boxes if you buy multiples of three so it's been easy to add some personalization & then wrap :))
link: https://www.diasporaco.com/
Thank you--I love giving spices as gifts.
Gift guides are getting ripped on this year but I love seeing all the cool stuff out there ... like the carpet shoes!
I have a book that came out in August and in just a couple days I am flying to Los Angeles to record the audio version. I'm very excited. Here's the book, since you asked:
https://www.factandfictionbooks.com/becoming-little-shell-signed-chris-la-tray
“One thing about me is that I collect Monopoly sets from around the world.”
Just a small example but I love how unpredictable you are! A real person :)
Do you have the Monterey Bay Aquarium version (zero plastic)? The price is ridiculous, but it is beautiful! https://shop.montereybayaquarium.org/products/monopoly-game-monterey-bay-aquarium-edition-1?srsltid=AfmBOooDsG_VwTM9w5N3m868VOkoY86uIZh3xSbPNAHjsU31vI1nkWuc
I’m a therapist who adores your work and I had a session yesterday where a client and I raved about you as a social marker of goodness.
I love this guide so much, I immediately want/need/must have that Itinéraires Fantômes oracle deck from Alexandra Grant and Hélène Cixous. And I too have had to battle with greedy squirrels on bird feeders in the past and have had success with Mr. Bird Flaming Hot Bird Seed...it is pricey, but it worked in my backyard in Northern IL! https://nature-niche.com/products/flaming-hot-feast-bag-seed?tw_source=google&tw_adid=652925417735&tw_campaign=19909076396&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACbzzSkeSn4wRr-4Yp-ELCrJyge3C&gclid=Cj0KCQiAu8W6BhC-ARIsACEQoDAkaNLnsYinJRqU5tcx246gtS9A4bGf12o9kYqYsbIV6_REKIbgcX0aApkPEALw_wcB
I tried everything to get rid of squirrels in the feeder. EVERYTHING. I even broke down and gave my tiny nemesis rodents their own feed. But, no . . . The hot sauce is truly the only win. And it has to be squirrel hot sauce. They laugh at red pepper flakes. They chuckle at human grade hot sauce. It has to be so-hot-you-will-nurse-1st-degree-burns-if-you-don't-wear-gloves hot sauce. Cole's Flaming Squirrel ended up being my best find, and just a very little goes a long way. The squirrels don't even look in the direction of my feeder now. It's their Voldemort, and I don't mind.
https://coleswildbird.com/products/flaming-squirrel-seed/
The squirrels are hooligans. Peppermint spray works well. I put a few drops of peppermint oil in a spray bottle and mix with water. It doesn't hurt the surrounding wildlife and my garden smells great. You do have to reapply every few days. I agree that hot bird seed works the best. There's a brand called Melody Select that you can get at Chewy for ten bucks for a four-five pound bag. Rural King has it too, for a slightly higher price. Don't know if you have Rural Kings in Northern IL. I live in Central IL where there are plenty. Some people suggest you mix cayenne pepper directly into regular bird seed, but the pepper tends to clump and it's too strong, which can hurt the squirrels. If you look at the hot bird seed, you can't tell where the pepper is and it's milder. But it works!!
Hi Roxane - Love the Bird Buddy recommendation. I have had a similar problem with squirrels (and bunnies and raccoons and deer) and discovered one can buy "hot pepper" bird seed. Birds can't taste the pepper, but mammals do and will stay away.
I love this. I detest shopping and gift guides are so useful for me. I will check out several of these sites for loved ones.
An amazing list. Thanks for introducing me to Miranda Thomas pottery. I love the black carved teapots. And the little Blue Birds of Hope are beautiful. At 25 dollars, they are more budget friendly for me. They're from a limited edition, so I hope I can get my hands on one, or two, or three. And, of course, the Scrabble recommendations are right on the mark. (I hope Debbie is a good loser.)
Speaking of birds, making an origami crane out of beautiful paper is fun, and if you put a string through it, you get a great Christmas tree ornament. Or hang it on a branch and put the branch and bird (or birds)in a ceramic vase. https://origami.me/crane/
I've gotten to love Heading bandannas and scarfs. The patterns are taken from old books, the material is soft, and they're reasonably priced. https://headingprints.com/pages/bandanas
Such a great gift guide.
I love your list! Today I put together a gift basket for the partner of my 23 yo son and I included your The Selected Works of Audre Lorde. Obviously. I am gifting intersectional feminist texts to everyone this year. Thank you!
Wow, this was one of the best gift guides I've ever read, with so many items I'd never even seen! Big thanks!
I totally love this list. Haitian monopoly? YES!! Merci, Roxane.
I love this list! Lumos Transforms founded by Nkem Ndefo is doing beautiful work to support people with accessible somatic tools such as the Resilience Toolkit. They are doing a fundraiser now to support "rights defenders" with resilience practices to reduce burnout. https://lumostransforms.com/project-roadmap/
So many amazing ideas!