2025 Blog Posts

As the official start of Spring is soon approaching, on March 12th there is National Plant A Flower Day. The purpose of which is to encourage people to plant a flower to celebrate the joy and beauty that flowers bring into our daily lives. Studies have shown that having flowers, arranging flowers and even watching someone arrange flowers can have a positive effect on your overall wellbeing by reducing stress and as a proven mood enhancer. In honor of National Plant A Flower Day I thought I would share some flower fun facts.

· The most popular flower to give on Mother’s Day is the rose.

· The flower most purchased is the tulip with annual sales revenue over $65 million. The number one selling potted plant is the orchid. I don’t know about you, but I’ve given up on orchids. As someone known as the “resident plant lady” I can never get them to bloom again. Not surprisingly, the orchid is named as one of the hardest plants to grow – now I don’t feel so bad.

· Sunflowers have the most google searches of any other flower in the United States.

So, plant a flowering seed on March 12th, place it in a nice sunny window, make sure to keep the soil slightly damp and watch it sprout. When the temperature gets warmer, you can move it outdoors and with a little bit of nurturing, watch it grow and flower!

Back in 2013 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 3rd as World Wildlife Day. A day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora. I’ve always had a appreciation for the environment and all of its creatures. I remember as a young girl having a magazine subscription to Ranger Rick which I’m pleased to say is still being published by the National Wildlife Federation ten times a year with its first issue published back in 1967! I don’t recall to whom it was addressed, but I also wrote a letter about the atrocities of the baby seals being clubbed for their white coats. To help acknowledge World Wildlife Day below is a list of 12 animals that are no longer on the endangered list.

1. Southern White Rhinoceros

2. Yellowstone Grizzly Bear

3. Manatee

4. Bald Eagle (you used to never see bald eagles in NJ, now I see quite a few)

5. Chatham Petrel (bird)

6. Arabian Oryx (desert antelope)

7. Brown Pelican

8. Virgina Northern Flying Squirrel (not sure if they were the VA Northern but I’ve had quite a few humanely captured in my house, but that’s for another story or blog!)

9. Northern Sea Elephant

10. Stellar Sea Lion

11. Monito Gecko

12. Panda Bear

So, if you know a young person, educate them on the importance of protecting the environment and that without conservation many of the animals listed above may have become extinct only to be seen in captivity.

The other day I got trapped into “click bait” (no pun intended) when my Apple feed had an article about fart walking?! I know… but it is a legitimate term, both NPR and Food Network recently posted about it. Essentially it is a short walk after a meal to help with digestion and relieve gas. That got me wondering about other forms of walking. I am a walker and most days when the weather cooperates, I use my lunch break to take a walk around our “work neighborhood”.

According to Aditva Birla Capital there are five essential styles of walking for improved health.

1. Chi – it a form of walking combined with meditation to help calm your mind
2. Brisk – is what it sounds like, it’s defined as 100 steps per minute
3. Stroll – is essentially what I do, for the most health benefits it’s recommended that you do an hour a day for at least five days out of the week. I would say do what you can, any is better than none. If you don’t move it you’re going to lose it!
4. Nordic- mimics the motion of cross country skiing and is a heavy cardio workout
5. Race – is a competitive form of walking. “The distinctive technique used in race walking involves a straight leg and a heel-to-toe motion. The hips sway from side to side, and the arms move in sync with the legs, creating a fluid motion.”

Whatever you call it just go out there and do it. Who knew there are so many physical and psychological benefits to walking?! Let us know, are you a walker? If so, what kind?

A former staff member sent me an article from The New York Times recently that talked about social housing being a possible solution to the lack of affordable housing in this country. It was an Op-Ed piece from two members of congress who want to introduce a bill called the Homes Act. Their point is, “instead of treating real estate as a commodity, we should build more affordable homes…these homes would be built to last by union workers and then turned over to entities that agree to manage them for permanent affordability,” like non-profits.

The NY Times article references Vienna (Austria) as a city who has made social housing work. In another article published earlier this year from PD&R Edge Home, “the effectiveness of the housing program has helped in making the city (Vienna) one of the most livable cities in the world, as judged by The Economist and Monocle in 2012, and as the city that offers the world’s highest quality of life, according to Mercer’s Quality of Living survey for the past four years.”

Here’s how Vienna’s social housing model works. The city purchases land zoned for residential use, they bid out to developers and then sell the land to the winning developer at an affordable price even offering low interest loans and other favorable terms if needed. In turn, the developer must rent out 50 percent of the units to lower-income residents with the remaining offered to moderate income individuals and families. These income requirements only apply when families and individuals move in so tenants can stay as long they want. In other words, there is no income cap where any future increased income would make them ineligible and have to find new housing. This allows for tenants from all socio-economic backgrounds to co-exist together in the same complex.

Can this work here in the United States or in our own “backyard” of Sussex County? Time will tell but it is definitely worth looking into different approaches to the affordable housing dilemma we face. In an article from the Housing Community Development Network of NJ, their president and chief executive officer stated, “Ensuring that all NJ residents can exercise their human right to housing requires bold investments and programmatic solutions to address our vast shortage of available and affordable homes.”

I’m sure most of you have heard if you don’t like the weather in New Jersey just wait a few hours and it will change. I, like many, am weather obsessed…local weather (News 12 NJ), NY Metro weather (predominantly ABC but when it’s winter will also look at CBS, NBC, etc.) When Lonnie Quinn of CBS has his shirt sleeves rolled up you know it’s going to be a big one!

The funny thing is that meteorologists have the best job. They can be completely wrong and it’s OK…they just chalk it up to “mother nature”. Being weather obsessed I did a deep dive into MSN weather for this area and here are some interesting all-time stats.

• Hottest Month – July

• Coldest Month – January

• Wettest Month – September

• Windiest Month – March (ever heard of the Ides of March?)

Speaking of the weather, let’s not forget that the unsheltered are completely exposed to the harsh elements. As stated by the National Coalition for the Homeless, “With nowhere to stay except the streets, people experiencing homelessness have a much higher risk than the general population of developing exposure-related conditions such as hypothermia and frostbite. These conditions can be immediately life threatening and may also increase the risk of dying from unrelated conditions in the future. Increased homeless services, especially additional shelter availability, are necessary to accommodate the amplified need in the winter.”

With no emergency shelter in Sussex County, it is critically important to support agencies who provide homeless services. Please consider donating or volunteering your time, you can find more information and how to participate on our website.

We live in very fast-paced, hectic times. Self -care has become such a “buzz word” in recent years, we all know we should focus on it but how do we actually incorporate it into our daily lives. Casey Tallent a psychologist at Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center suggests that we add the following 5 wellness days to your calendar each month.

1. A Day To Connect: call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. Make time to have coffee or a meal with someone special in your life or someone you would like to know better. Maintaining social interactions are proven to help you live longer.

2. A Day To Catch Up On Sleep: most of us don’t get the recommended seven or more hours of sleep. Have this day be all about helping you sleep. Buy new pillows, sheets or download one of the many free apps that focus on sleep with sounds, music or sleep stories.

3. A Day Devoted to Yourself: I would sometimes call these “mental health days”. Take the day off from work and do whatever you want, whatever gives you joy and happiness. No guilt.

4. A Day With Less Social Media: I would add a day with less news as well. Although I like to be informed, the news can be quite repetitive and depressing. See if you can go a day without looking at your phone.

5. A Day Without A Schedule: we all have commitments and responsibilities but it’s nice to take a breath, a break from the routine and have the day unfold organically. Bonus you’ll never be late and the time will always be right.

We’ve all heard about birth stones, even birth month flowers but did you know there are birth month birds? Below is a list of birth month birds with some distinguishing traits from Birds & Bloom. Take a look and see if your birth month bird coincides with some of your own characteristics.

· January: Owl – Wise and formidable. They’re commonly seen as a symbol of smarts.
· February: Parrot – Spunky, smart, colorful and filled to the brim with personality, parrots always inspire smiles.
· March: Robin – Curious, friendly.
· April: Canary – Warm, cheerful can easily entertain themselves.
· May: Nightingale – They’re elusive birds that keep to themselves.
· June: Dove – Patient, helpful.
· July: Eagle – Are regal birds, tenacious, strong.
· August: Kingfisher – Drawn to water.
· September: Hawk – Resourceful and powerful.
· October: Swan – Wisdom, grace in dealing with others.
· November: Rooster -Talkative, outspoken.
· December: Raven – Super friendly and smart.

If you’re curious my birth month bird is the Parrot. One of the greatest feelings is being able to make people laugh and I’ve always enjoyed whenever I came across a Parrot. Especially when they start mimicking you, then you start laughing and the Parrot mimics that too! Share your birth month bird, do you see similarities?