Mud Pie

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Caring for your pet turtle require a good bit love and knowledge. There are certain things that every turtle lover should know before adopting one of these adorable little reptiles. However, once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature to you.

First and foremost is making sure it has a nice place to live in. Ensure that the water is always clean, that there’s enough shade to keep your turtle cool, and also enough light for the required amount of Vitamin D3 that it needs. Try a small UV lamp for such things, as well as a small shaded area for it to retreat to when it has gotten enough light. When caring for your pet turtle, it’s best to try and match the cage or outdoor pen to be as similar to their natural habitat as you can make it.

The proper way to look after a turtle strongly depends on the type of turtle that you get. It could be a turtle inclined to cool weather, or one that prefers its atmosphere warm. Do your homework on your specific turtle to find out the particular needs that it has. It’s important to know if you want your turtle to feel comfortable and don’t want their immune system to suffer.

One thing you will not want to do is set up improper decorations in the turtle’s new home, such as tree bark or wood chips as it may try to eat these. The same goes for plastic plants. When caring for your pet turtle it’s best to arrange some smooth pebbles much bigger than the turtle’s mouth, if you are trying to decorate.

Wash your hands after handling the turtle. It’s not to say that you will ABSOLUTELY get Salmonella every time you touch it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Try also to give your baby turtle some natural spring water, as tap water contains certain things such as fluoride and chlorine, which can make your turtle feel a little sick.

Different varieties of turtles have different eating habits, so you may want to ask a vet about the right food for yours. If you buy a turtle in a pet store, ask the sales clerk what they know about that turtle and what is best in caring for your pet turtle. When cared for properly, a turtle can live many years, or even decades. It’s almost like a buddy for life.

Puck is a grandfather who writes articles in his spare time. You can check out his latest work about how to cook corn and also new information about corn pie.

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Wearing a gun on a tactical or duty holster has its advantages and disadvantages. While it is in plain view and readily available, the threat of the weapon being removed from the holster against the carrier’s will is higher. There are three levels of weapon retention which correspond to the number of security features used for holstered gun protection. The higher the level, the more secure the weapon. The more secure it is, the longer it takes to disengage, draw and fire the gun.

Control Options

Which retention level to use is either a matter of personal choice or employer mandate. With the additional number of safety devices added to weapons and holsters on today’s market, secure gear is more reliable than in the past. Additional tactical training for law enforcement, security and military personnel has decreased the likelihood of loss of weapon control. The more the user practices the required actions, the more agile and second nature the movement becomes.

Level I

The original retention device was a thumb strap with a snap. While still available in a more advanced form, it provides minimal protection from someone trying to obtain a gun from law enforcement or security personnel. The modern day thumb guard must be manually disengaged before every use and reengaged afterwards.

Level II

Most police officers use this retention level. It is a compromise between speed and safety. It generally consists of an external and internal safety device. One example of Level II retention would include a thumb-break. Some versions have an auto-lock technology that engages the trigger guard when the gun is holstered and does not release it until the user draws the weapon.

Level III

This retention level requires at least three prohibitive items, whether inside or outside of the duty or tactical holster. Each manufacturer’s models are unique and designed specifically for safety first, with as little effect on swiftness of drawing the weapon as possible. Level three combinations include a trigger guard, pivot guard, thumb break or angled holster.

Risks

Holsters take a lot of abuse. They are routinely banged and bumped in the car, caught in seatbelts, slammed against walls and floors, and subjected to rain, snow, mud and extreme temperatures. They are expected to fit comfortably and work perfectly every time a gun is drawn without causing undue wear and tear. It is important to use a product that is reliable and durable in the event of a struggle and in case of an emergency situation.

Author is a freelance writer. For more information on tactical holster please visit http://www.blackhawk.com.

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I have a friend. Let’s call her Maryanne. She lives in constant fear of people, their opinions or her and wrongdoings she may have caused in their eyes.

Take the other day. In every story, there are threads of unbelievability but this example is as genuine as nickel. Maryanne had a child over to play with hers. She arranged for her daughter to walk the girl home and phoned the neighbor to let them know. It was raining. When I say raining, I’m going to classify this as a shifting moisture in the air. It was not a storm, just a little humidity falling down here and there. Well, the person sounded unimpressed and said she would drive three doors over to pick up her daughter because it was raining. After this call, Maryanne was stressed. Who could have expected this? She did all the right things. She became critical of herself and the assumed opinion of the other person.

Now, having grown up as a duck on the west coast, I found this totally hilarious. I’ll admit that my mother’s favorite lines when I was going up were, “go outside”. Seriously, there could be a storm hitting and we’d be expected to play. This ended with some great mud pie adventures and as we lived on a hobby farm, some inconvenient additives to the mud. But that’s an aside really.

I explained to Maryanne that this other person wasn’t right. How could she be? I explained to her why she wasn’t right and I also said Maryanne didn’t know her opinion. I further pointed out that even if Maryanne’s neighbor believed her to be a bad person as a result of this action, then surely it should have no effect or impact on Maryanne.

I’ve met a lot of people who have struggled with this basic concept and that’s why I wanted to right this article to get you thinking. I don’t think that you have to be a people pleaser to have fallen prey to these self doubts. In fact, I can remember going through much the same thing when I was a teen. But it didn’t last long.

Have you ever walked into a store where the person at the counter is grumpy at you and practially throws the bag at you?

If that’s a yes, great. If that’s a no, I think you need to think back even farther. Because, I think everybody has gone through this and you somewhat think, did I cause the mood of this cashier with an attitude?

Truly, you most likely didn’t cause this person to act this way. It could have started with the wrong cereal or an argument with someone first thing in the morning and the day just got worse from there. Rather than looking up and imagining that life could get better, the person chose to act this way. In you come and you didn’t do anything wrong.

So what do you do? Make eye contact. Tell them that their mood is affecting you and you would like to point out that life really isn’t that bad. By getting to the heart of the matter and trying to cheer up the person while pointing it out, you then can safely avoid getting into a state about why the cashier didn’t like you and what you didn’t do.

Here’s another one.

Have you ever had someone nearly run over you while crossing a street or walking on the sidewalk and had them gesture angrily at you?

Now what do you do here? You can’t confront them. Gesturing back could only make it worse. You have to evaluate the situation you are in. All you’ve done is occupy the sidewalk or the road. If you really didn’t do anything wrong, then this should not affect you in the least. Better yet, saying this out loud and releasing some of the sudden tension will ensure that it will not stick to you.

So in the case of Maryanne, I would advise to look at the situation. Is she wrong? No? Good. She has to hold onto that impression of herself and know that she’s a good person. If she would like to go the next step, she may choose to talk it over with the person down the street there and then. If not, she can just shrug it off.

The keys are thinking about whether you did something wrong, knowing you didn’t, knowing yourself and confronting the other person when it is blatant.

As one of my bosses said, it’s time to put on our tough suit every morning.

Robyn Whyte is the CEO of Stargazer Press where you can find amazing books at http:www.stargazerpress.com/novels.htm .

Find Kate Rizor’s ‘The Governor’s Wife’, a contemporary romance from this talented author. Try Victoria Graydale’s ‘The Wizard’s Daughter’, a medieval romance.
Check out V.B. Rosendahl’s juvenile mystery ‘Bitter Tastes’, the first in the Kathy and Martha Series. Or see our amazing educational resources for teaching reading, home of Stargazer’s Guided Reading Kit for K-3, Stargazer’s Reading Games and Stargazer’s Kindergarten Primer.