Reviewing the Conbola Portable Cordless Fan with Lantern

The Conbola cordless fan was recommended to me by a friend who is an avid gardener and lives in a state that is farther south, with a warmer climate, than where I live. She used the fan while gardening on warm days. I may live farther north but I can't stand our humid and hot days. This fan made this summer's camping trips so much more comfortable. 

The Conbola Portable Cordless Fan

The Conbola Portable Cordless Fan is advertised as a durable, portable fan that can be used while camping, garages or jobsites, fishing, and in combination with beach umbrellas. This fan can also be used in kitchens, at desks, and in any area that you'd like just a bit of a personal breeze. It is a quiet fan. Our building at work is an older building with heating and cooling issues. I know that I will take this fan with me to work so that I can work at my desk in comfort when the building feels like a sauna. I am not exaggerating. Almost anyone who works in an old building 

• Portable; cordless
• Quiet Fan; four speeds
• LED light; 3 settings
• 270 degree rotation
• hooks for hanging
• 24 - 48 hours of operation
• USB-A port that can be used to charge your other devices
• rechargeable, USB C, 25400mAh Battery
• charging cord included

This fan comes in different styles. I choose the fan with the USB-C charging system. Before camping trips, I am able to fully charge the fan at home then pack it in with my camping gear. There is also a solar recharging version if you would prefer. 

Camping

I have never enjoyed hot and humid weather. But I love to go camping. I prefer primitive campsites which means in a tent, or a sleeping bag on the ground. Maybe in the back of the bed of the truck. Definitely, without water or electrical hook-ups for RVs. I'm older now, so I have an A-frame, pop-up camper which provides some conveniences but I still choose the secluded sites with no water or electric hook-ups. 

This summer I was thrilled to have a Conbola fan with me. On one particular camping weekend, the weather was hot and humid. Even while I was parked under a thick stand of shade trees, I had a hard time being comfortable. But I had the Conbola fan in the pop-up camper. This fan moves far more air than I had expected. And the battery lasted much longer than I had expected. Initially, I ran it for only short periods of time (an hour at a time) to try to ensure having a fan for the entire weekend. After that first day, I ran it for hours at a time, with confidence. 

Portable Cooling on the Homestead

I may decide to use this fan in the winter to better circulate the hot air from the woodstove. I had also thought that this little fan would be perfect if I still had rabbits. Rabbits have fur and are easy to keep comfortable in cold weather. But rabbits are like me in that they don't do as well during hot summer days. Rabbit owners are often sharing tips with each other to help keep their rabbits cool. This fan would easily hang on their cage and provide a cooling breeze (note: under roof or other protection. I do not believe these fans are water resistant).  I imagine that there may be other situations in which pets and animals would maybe require cooling. And, as my gardening friend demonstrated with her Conbola fan, some folks benefit from taking a fan with them while gardening. 

As a Gift

This fan would make a great gift! I'm thinking of dorm rooms, craft/art studios, attic bedrooms, folks who have booths at summer festivals, and people who like to be prepared for low or no power emergency situations. Or, do you know people who live in the same home and participate in "thermostat wars" because one person is too cold and one is too hot? This would make a great gift for the person who prefers to have a personal breeze blowing. I am positive that you are able to think of someone who would put a quiet, cordless fan to good use. 

Related Links

I found my Conbola Fan on Amazon during a time that the price was reduced. 

If you prefer to shop the Conbola website, you will also find a large variety of their fans, lighting, and energy storage.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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The Day I Started Questioning Time: A Journey That Began at Eight Years Old

 

I've Been Obsessed with Time Since I Was 8 Years Old

That sounds like a strange thing for an eight-year-old to say, doesn't it? But I remember it vividly. 

I was eight, my brother was six, and we were trying to let Mom sleep in. 

Our mornings were often filled with old Shirley Temple movies and wild imaginations. We'd turn a blanket into a "boat," grab canned goods from the kitchen, and pretend we were setting sail — sometimes to escape danger, sometimes just to explore.

One morning, standing in the hallway, I asked my brother a question that still echoes in my soul today:

"Why are you you and me me?"

He probably shrugged it off, eager to get back to our blanket boat, but that question never left me. Even at eight, I felt the weight of my own existence — this sense that "I" was something separate and conscious, and that somehow Time and existence were connected in ways I couldn't understand yet.

---

When Time Became a Fascination

As I got older, that awareness of Time grew into an obsession. 

Not the kind that makes you late for appointments or stare at clocks (though I've done both), but the kind that makes you wonder: what exactly is Time?

I became drawn to time travel movies and stories that twisted the rules of reality and blurred the boundaries between "then" and "now." They weren't just entertainment for me — they were portals into possibilities. I didn't separate the spiritual from the scientific; I was open to it all.

Can we move through Time? Are we souls who return again and again? Or are we simply fleeting passengers on a one-way track? I never dismissed any of it — God, aliens, reincarnation, time loops, you name it — because every theory felt like it was reaching for the same truth.

Now, as an adult, I believe our souls are timeless. The "me" I felt at eight still feels like the "me" I am today — wiser maybe, but still that same spark. 

The answer to "why are you you and me me?" has softened over the years into something beautifully simple: love and kindness are the only measures, Time is the vehicle. You are always you, and I am always me.

I've come to understand (for me) that we are always our spirit, always our consciousness, always us. It's never been a crap shoot, which is one of the things I felt at 8 years old, that I no longer feel at 65 years old.

No matter who we are, where we came from, or where we go, it's love and kindness that anchor us. When we step away from that, Time loses its purpose, the vehicle stalls — it just becomes noise in the background instead of a rhythm in our heart. The rhythm of growth NEEDS love, it NEEDS kindness. The rest IS noise that only slows our learning down.

---

Writing My First Poem About Time When I Was a Teenager in the 1970s

By seventeen, I could already feel Time slipping by. I remember taking the train from my small town to Toronto to visit a friend — about a three-and-a-half-hour ride. Somewhere along the way, watching the world blur past the window, I wrote a poem about Time.

It was the 1970s, and I was a teenager — but even then, I felt the strange ache of hours passing too quickly (crazy, I know! I was so young yet felt the ticking clock). 

Later, in my thirties, I rewrote that same poem, layering it with the wisdom and wear that life had given me. 

In my fifties, I revised it once more, adding even more perspective, as if each decade had given me a new lens through which to see Time.

If I am gifted more Time, will I revise the poem again? I think about that.

Below is that poem, one that has traveled with me for nearly 50 years now — a kind of map of how Time has shaped me.

TIME'S GIFT

Time heals
Promising closure
Shrinking scars like popping bubbles
As it prepares our gift
Time's benefaction is objectivity to our past
Building an awareness of yesteryears
Defogging our vision for truth
Generously donating our package of clarity

Time lies only to those
who misuse its precious moments,
Lines entrenched on our face
can devour redeemable blemishes
By gracefully accepting our package
healing eyes can widen to witness dissipating mist

Time promises blessed tomorrows
Let us put away our spinning wheels
plunge forward with our lesson
accept our bequest from Time, and yes!
We will have morning smiles

By Barbara Tremblay Cipak, Copyrighted

50 Years of Poetry - We Will Have Morning Smiles - Available on Amazon

Time Travel Movies and Timeless Lessons

It's fair to say I've seen nearly every time-travel movie ever made. 

I seek them out, not for the science fiction, but for the spiritual resonance they carry. There's something about them that feels true on multiple levels.

Many philosophers suggest that Time isn't linear — that everything, past and future, is happening all at once. Whether that's scientifically provable or not doesn't matter much to me. What matters is that it feels right.

The only real Time that exists is this moment — the present.

When I first read that idea, I couldn't quite grasp it. 

"What do you mean, only the present exists?" I'd think. We have memories, plans, regrets, and hopes — of course, Time is more than just the present.

But as I've aged, I've come to understand what it really means:
You can reflect on yesterday and plan for tomorrow, but you can only live in the present.

This very moment — writing these words, breathing this breath — is Time. Everything else is memory or imagination. 

It took years, but I FINALLY understand that at my core.

---

When Time Stands Still

Living in the present doesn't mean ignoring the future or the past. It just means that you live fully in the moment you're in — even when that moment hurts.

Life has its seasons of chaos and heartbreak, but even in those times, I've learned that joy can still exist. It might be quieter, more fragile, but it's still there — tucked into laughter through tears, or a single kind gesture that reminds you that love never disappears, it just changes form.

That's where Time stands still — in those sacred, love-filled moments.

---

Closing Thoughts: What Time Has Taught Me

If Time has taught me anything, it's that every second matters — not because we're racing against a clock, but because each moment is a chance to choose love over fear, kindness over indifference, and presence over distraction.

Maybe that's why I've always been obsessed with Time.

Because somewhere deep down, I knew it wasn't about minutes or hours —
It was about being alive in them.

Blessings, Love Barbara xxoo

P.S. I've written a flash fiction story about the concept of life, lessons learned, and ultimately Time and what matters available here on ReviewThisReviews - you can find it here.

A Video I Created at 60 Years Old, Sitting Quietly With My Mother

My mom passed away in 2021, and she will forever be a part of my every breath, in this life and beyond. This video remains my current reflection on what Time means to me, now that I am 65 years old.

If I were to revise my above poem, "Time’s Gift" again, I’d add the message from this video: that life’s lessons matter, yes, but it’s the love we share and receive that truly sustains us and moves us forward.

Dedication – With heartfelt appreciation to my fellow writers at ReviewThisReviews.com, and especially to Sylvestermouse and Margaret, whose friendship and creativity continue to light the way. Time has been my friend because you are in my life.

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Love in the Present Tense - Book Review

Love in the Present Tense is an inspiring story of love in all its many forms. 

Synopsis of Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Love in the Present Tense

Pearl is a street kid who, on her 13th birthday, becomes pregnant and accidentally kills the baby’s father, a police officer. She spends the next five years moving around, trying to keep hidden from the police who search for her and attempting to keep baby Leonard safe. Eventually, her past catches up with her and she never returns after leaving Leonard with her neighbor, Mitch.

Mitch is far from the ideal caretaker--he’s having an affair with a client’s wife--but he and Leonard must find a way to bridge the gap between them as they bond as parent and child. As time goes on, Leonard becomes very close to Mitch, but he never stops feeling Pearl's presence in a tangible way: her 'forever love' for him.  And Mitch discovers that taking care of Leonard is the best thing that ever happened to him.

The story's characters include a tough teen (Pearl), her sweet son (Leonard, age 5 at the beginning of the story, smart and loving and suffering from a degenerative eye disease), and the 25-year-old neighbor, Mitch, who maintains a home business. 

Summary

Narrated in the alternating voices of the principal characters, this novel is an examination of relationships and special bonds. Events go back and forth in time from one chapter to the next. Mitch and Leonard grow up together, through the power and the magic of the human heart.

Author Catherine Ryan Hyde once again gives us an astoundingly wise portrayal of human nature. 

*Review of the novel, Love in the Present Tense, was written by Wednesday Elf

 

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Wednesday Addams American Girl Doll Review

Wednesday is a popular Netflix series based on Wednesday Addams of the Addams Family. The first season, which aired in 2022, saw Wednesday, who is played by Jenna Ortega, try to solve a murder at Nevermore Academy. 

The series received positive reviews from the critic with Wikipedia saying that it was "the second most watched English Netflix series." The second season was released in 2025 and the show has since been renewed for a third season.

DOLL DESCRIPTION

The show is popular enough to have created some interesting merchandise including the American Girl doll named Wednesday who appears here on this page. The Hollywood Reporter says that the American Girl doll company has “gone goth.” For this doll, American Girl partnered with Amazon MGM Studios.

Packed in a special collector box with a certificate of authenticity, she sold for $295 U.S. According to American Girl Fandom, she was released on July 21, 2025 and sold out six days later on July 27, 2025. The limited-edition doll, with a run of 6,000 individually numbered dolls, was available on both the American Girl and the Amazon websites. 

Wednesday is like many other Truly Me American Girl dolls, measuring 18-inches with opening and closing eyes, a vinyl head and limbs and a soft body. This doll, of course, looks like the Wednesday character that many love. She has black pigtails, bangs that are called ‘curtain bangs', painted eyelashes, feathered eyebrows and freckles. Her black velvet dress has a white sateen Peter Pan-style collar and long sleeves. The dress features an embroidered pattern that looks like a floral print and has interesting black buttons. She wears black tights and panties and shiny black patent kitten-heel Mary Jane-style shoes. Her accessories include a Thing figurine, two bags of piranhas and a fake silver-colored obsidian necklace.

Better Homes and Gardens predicts that, at least in part because of the popularity of Wednesday, this Halloween will see a trend to “dark academia, gothic, Victorian, and downright spooky style and decor.” I agree and think that this doll would make a great part of anyone's Halloween decor collection. Plus, because of the fact that it is a limited-edition doll, I believe that it will increase in value in the years to come. 

UNBOXING VIDEO

Here's a short video unboxing of Wednesday:

BUY WEDNESDAY

Since Wednesday is sold out, you will have to look to resellers to find her. Click here to find your Wednesday Addams American Girl doll on eBay. If you can get your hands on one of these dolls, you’ll be doing the Wednesday Dance for sure!

OTHER MERCHANDISE

Other Wednesday Addams toys have included a Monster High doll and a Fisher-Price Little People figurine set.  You will find thousands of new, used and vintage Wednesday Addams-themed merchandise on eBay by clicking here. I even saw a pair of Dr. Martens Wednesday themed boots!

Don't miss out on the Wednesday merchandise at Amazon, either! Click here to see the collection there. 

Happy Haunting!

Brenda

MORE HALLOWEEN & AMERICAN GIRL DOLL READING:

Play-Doh's Count Creepyhead Playset.

Discover Jim Henson's General Mills' Monsters Cereal.

What is Summerween?

American Girl Doll Items in my eBay store!

American Girl Doll Sewing Patterns.

A Locker for American Girl Dolls.

  

 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Cute Blue Owl Collection - From the Heart

My cute blue owl design is one of those designs when I just have a general thought in mind, which is one of my favorite ways to create.

I find it more freeing, and I am especially pleased when it turns out really well, i.e. to my liking. That is not always the case. But it did happen for the blue owl design.

I began with a general sketch of an owl and then continued using my paint brush. One side looked bigger than the other; no problem, I just made adjustments and continued with the flow. That is what is so great about it; designing this way, I get to go with the flow. And like I said, sometimes it turns out really well.

My first cutesy product that I made was general in nature, a Hello postcard was first.

Cute Abstract Owl Custom Postcards
by CherylsArt

Then I made three birthday products with my blue owl painting. Approximately two weeks after my creations, six of the Hello postcards were sold. Yay. I didn't give it much thought and went on to whatever else I had going on.

It wasn't until over a year later that a set of my blue owl birthday stickers sold. This time, it got my attention. 'I should see what kind of owl items are being purchased on Zazzle.' Wrapping paper was one of them, and I had already designed a blue owl product on tissue paper. Okay, that's it. I'll make a birthday suite featuring this cute, adorable, blue owl.

And sometimes, that is how it goes for me. I don't always have everything planned from the start. It just kind of unfolds in due time.

This is how my flow unfolded for this Cute Blue Owl Birthday suite. Hope you like it. The products include wrapping paper, tissue paper, paper napkins, paper plates, birthday invitations, and more.

Cute Blue Owl Birthday
by CherylsArt

If there is an additional product that you would like me to add it to, let me know in a comment below.

Cheryl Paton

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Bread Slicing Made Easy ~ A Product Review

Alright everyone, just in case you didn't notice, it is now October and the seasons are a changing!  It means that the daylight hours are getting shorter and our habits are changing as well.  

When it's cooler in the morning, there is something magical about nice warm bread with your morning cup of tea or coffee.

When the seasons change we just change right along with them.  Baking seems to be the one thing that my other half just enjoys so much more in the cooler months.  I guess I can't blame him. Who would want to be in a hot kitchen when it's 80 or more outside?

So now that the temperature is dropping, the oven doesn't seem like the enemy any more.

So quite often I am awakened to the smell of fresh baking bread and like a zombie, I find my way into the kitchen to see what is going on.  The oven door is open and a fresh loaf of bread is cooling on the rack.  I think I have died and gone to heaven.

Now here is the problem, both of us have issues with slicing bread nicely.  When you want a sandwich, you want some bread and some filling.  We tend to get lots of bread and a little filling.  There is no consistency to how thick or thin the slices are.  

Well leave it up to him to find a solution.  Did you know that there are bread slicing guides that can make slicing bread easier?  Well there are and they are a great solution to our problem.  With this bread slicing guide, you can have uniform thin slices or you can still have thick ones too ( if that's your choice ).

Your fingers are never too close to the blade and the crumbs just drop within the slicer so that the mess on the table or counter is minimized.  And you get bread crumbs too!  It is a win-win situation.

It has lots of slots in it so that whatever type of bread you are trying to slice, your slicing guide is adjustable to fit the loaf or baguette or bagel that you choose to cut! It is adjustable to suit whatever size loaf you put in it.  

Some of the features of this slicer is:

• dishwasher safe
• durable, made of high quality plastic
• non slip base
• easy to assemble 

So far this little helper has been a life saver for us. Now we can have our bread in nice uniform slices without any stress or guessing.  Every time we have used it, it has proven itself a winner.

You can get yours here on Amazon or you can choose another style that will suit your needs. Just know that once you have one of these, you won't go back to eyeballing how thick or thin your bread slices will be!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Reviewing Six Key Gardening Tasks To Do In Autumn

 

Autumn is one of my favourite times of year. I love the still warm yet mellow sunshine, the quieter days and slowing down of nature, the still long days but earlier nights, the sound of the rain and the slight crispness in the air. 

It all marks a transition time in the garden, there are still gorgeous vibrant autumn flowers and lots of green leaves and activity, yet we are very much leaving summer behind with every passing day. There are more seedheads and rosehips and berries in our gardens. In this time there are some key jobs we need to do now in the garden to clear, prepare and organise to get ready for winter and the spring to come. 

1. Tidying Up The Garden(with caveats.)

I usually start my autumn tasks with taking stock of what I have and what did well and what did badly. I also clear out some of the old plant material and do some cutting back. In this clearing phase I am very mindful of nature and that we do need to leave lots of cover for insects and small creatures so they can live and survive the autumn and winter. So I tend to curate the tidying up and only do what is absolutely necessary. 

I do clear out all the annuals from pots. They have grown, boomed, faded and set seed and completed their cycle. The plant itself can be discarded or put on the compost heap. I tend to tip out any loose compost onto the garden soil. Then I clean out all the pots.

With the Perennial flowers I prune them back for tidiness where needed, but leave as many seedheads and stalks for wildlife to feed on and hide in during the winter months. These can always be tidied up in the spring for a neater look.

Do be careful what you prune though, many plants and shrubs should not be pruned right now as any new growth or exposed branches may be susceptible to frost. Spring flowering shrubs should not be pruned now or you will be cutting off all the flowers.  If in doubt leave them now. 

 If I had a greenhouse I would now bring in tender plants, but instead I start getting out my fleece to cover these plants for the winter. 

All my evergreens are pruned now so that they will maintain their shape throughout winter and as they are the backbone of the garden in winter its important they look nice. 

It won't be very long before leaves start turning all their beautiful colours and then falling to the ground. I tend to leave these leaves in the borders where the worms will do their thing and take them in to the soil and above soil leaves will provide shelter for tiny insects. 

However I do clear leaves from the paths where they could become soggy in the rain and slippery underfoot. I also clear them from any gravel and the garden lawn as they are not good for the grass where they can cause fungal disease and in gravel they just look messy as they decompose. 

Flowers like forget me nots are way past their best now. Do not just cut them down though. They can be lifted and divided then replanted in new places around the garden to make a bigger better display next year. Lift the whole clump, divide it gently with your hands being careful to gather enough of the root system and replant about a foot apart in new locations.

2. Caring for Lawns and Grass

Spring and Autumn are key times for lawn care and renovation. In many ways now Autumn is a better time.

Our spring was so dry  that although i sowed new grass seed with the lack of rain it made watering a time consuming chore and then we had four heatwaves which scorched the grass and turned a large part of it brown. As we had a hosepipe ban we could not water it, but I knew that most grass recovers once it gets some rain.

So now in Autumn there is a chance to nurture the grass again and give it a better chance to recover.  I start with scarifying the soil, so raking it with a lawn rake, which gets rid of all the dead thatch.

Then I use a fork in the soil every few inches to aerate the soil. After that a lawn feed is a good idea and it sets the lawn up for a good season.

To read more about overseeding a lawn please read Reviewing Overseeding A Lawn With Grass Seed.

Autumn is also the time for a final cut of the lawn. We hardly mowed our lawn this year due to the hot sunny weather and heatwaves. However now it has had some rain and grown and greened up we can give it a light trim before winter. I prefer to use a manual lawnmower and review the drawbacks and benefits here

3. Planting Plans

Autumn/Fall is a good time to review our planting in the garden and I usually increase my stock and plant beautiful spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths during September and October. If you grow vegetables it is time to sow over wintering onions and garlic which are a good crop and useful in the kitchen. Tulips should be planted a little later during October and November. 

I love doing this as although we rapidly approach winter, it is an act of joy that soon after Spring will arrive.

We have enough established shrubs and roses now. However, if you are wanting to plant any shrubs, hedges, trees or roses, it is more economical to buy bare root varieties now and plant in Autumn so that they can establish well before the winter and then they will settle and start to grow well in the springtime.

It is also a good time to move established shrubs that need moving to a better place to give them time t establish and then grow on in Spring. Even if it is rainy do always settle them in with a good drink of water and if there are dry spells you may need to keep watering yourself for a while. Always water deeply to make sure it reaches the roots.

4. Mulching Borders

For borders it is a good idea to lay down a good mulch now to protect plants and nurture the soil. Mulch can be organic like bark or compost or inorganic like pebbles or slate compost to name a few options.

Just ensure you mulch a couple of inches deep and keep a few inches of space around the base of any shrub and trees stems or trunks. More Information On Reviewing The Benefits Of Garden Mulch 

5.Pruning Shrubs, Hedges And Roses

At this time of year I prune my tea and shrub roses, this is not the big prune but rather just a light cutting back so that they do not get caught up in the wind and suffer root rock as they sway. Therefore prune about a third off the top with secateurs or loppers. However if you like the rose hips you will need to leave them or prune very lightly

For climbers I do prune off any long whippy stems I don't want in September. This is mainly to prevent them from flying around in the wind and becoming a hazard. A little later on I will be tying in the stems I want and recreating the framework for beautiful roses next year.

For pruners nearly every gardener has their favourites and it is very personal. You need to balance grip, weight, cutting power, ease of use and comfort overall. For me I like the Fiskars and the Wolf ranges.

Hedges that could not be cut before due to birds nesting are now perfectly fine to prune back and Autumn is a good time to do it so it stays tidy all winter. 

 Fiskars Pruning Shears for Gardening, Multipurpose 8" Garden Shears with Sheath and SoftGrip HandleCheck Price

 

6. Taking Care Of Wildlife In The Garden

Looking after or caretaking wildlife to me is a crucial part of gardening. Here in UK we are losing so much natural habitat that nature is increasingly reliant on our gardens to survive.

While August is a very quiet time in our garden for birds, come September and October they start coming back into the garden. It is a great idea to have a birdbath as water is more important than most of us realise.

Birds, insects and small mammals become more reliant on our gardens for food sources. This can be food we put out in bird feeders to the berries and seeds and roots in our gardens. In UK Hedgehogs require shelters such as log piles, leaf litter or bespoke hedgehog houses to live in during the colder months.

Insects and spiders need wild areas to shelter in and hunt from. So hollow stems of flowers, seed heads, leaf litter on soil it all helps them to live. So it hugely benefits these creatures to not be too tidy in our gardens. 

For More ideas Reviewing How To Help Wildlife In our Gardens

 BACKYARD EXPRESSIONS PATIO · HOME · GARDEN 912449-WB Outdoor Garden Bird Bath- Bronze- Weather Resistant Polyresin-30 InchCheck Price

 

Garden Tools We Need In Autumn

• Lawnmower
• Brush 
• Rake
• Fork
• Spade
• Secateurs- I like my Wolf Bypass Secateurs
• Loppers
• Bulb planter
• Handheld Trowel and Fork

Some people have said to me that gardening ends in September, but for me there is such a lot to do in order to help wildlife, keep the garden looking good and healthy and safe for us.

Autumn/Fall is a lovely time to be outside, nice and cool, with often some mellow sunshine and lots of wildlife to watch and plants to find in our gardens to fascinate us.

Read More Gardening Reviews on ReviewThisGardening.com

Read Diary Of A Wild Country Garden Blog

Read More Product Reviews on ReviewThisProducts.com

Reviewing Six Key Gardening Tasks To Do In Autumn By Raintree Annie

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One Click Butter Cutter Review

 On a recent trip to our son's house, Fran brought home a new kitchen gadget. She pulled it out of a bag and said Your son got this for you. Sometimes our son finds the craziest gadgets. 

My first thoughts were, is this a new handy kitchen gadget or a gimmick? Well, I couldn't wait to try it out. The instructions are easy: just pull the top off, shake out the pusher, slide in a stick of butter, replace the pusher and the top, and squeeze the trigger for a perfect pat of butter. 

I popped some bread in the toaster, pulled the trigger, and to my amazement, it really worked. The pats of butter are the perfect size for spreading on toast, melting over veggies, or topping a baked potato.

The cutter is lightweight and compact, making it easy to store in the fridge. Cleanup is fairly simple, just rinse it under warm water or place it in the dishwasher.

The One-Click Butter Cutter isn't a must-have gadget, but it is certainly a fun and handy addition to the kitchen.

For less than $20, it makes a clever little gift or conversation starter at the breakfast table. Is it essential? Probably not. But it does make buttering toast a bit more fun.

Butter Cutter,One-Click Butter Cutter Convenience,Butter Dispenser with Stainless Steel Blade and Storage Case, Butter for Making Bread, Cakes, Cookies (1PC)Buy Now

 

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The Witchy Boo-Boos of Halloween Night - A Chaotic Short Story

 

The Witchy Boo-Boos of Halloween Night

The Spell Gone Wrong

Hazel, Griselda, and Moondrop weren't your average witches. For one thing, their brooms had more duct tape than straw, and their black cat had defected to the neighbor's porch two Halloweens ago.

But this year, the sisters had big plans.

"We're taking over the town!" Hazel declared, waving her wand like she was conducting an orchestra. "Every man, woman, and child will croak as frogs by midnight!"

Unfortunately, Hazel had a small problem: she never read instructions all the way through. So, when she mispronounced the spell, instead of turning the townsfolk into frogs… she turned herself into one. With a pop and a puff, there sat Hazel, slimy and green, blinking her bulgy eyes.

Griselda laughed so hard she fell into the cauldron. 

But before she could crawl out, poof! she too was a frog. Then Moondrop, in her attempt to "fix it immediately," only managed to hop right into the same trap.

Three frog-witches croaked in chorus under the moonlight, glaring at each other from the pumpkin patch, so much for world domination.

From Frogs to Goats - Total Incompetence!

As frogs, the sisters had limited spell-casting power, but Griselda—always the bossy one—was determined to fix their slimy situation. She hopped onto a toadstool, puffed up her throat, and croaked out a forgotten rhyme she half-remembered from Witch School:

"Eye of newt, tail of bat,
Get us out of this, and fast at that!"

The air shimmered, the ground shook, and then—BOOM! Gone were the frogs. Success? Well… not exactly.

Instead of returning to their witchy selves, they were now goats. Yes, goats. With witch hats perched between their horns and long, crooked noses somehow still attached, they stood bleating on the side of a windswept mountain.

Hazel tried to bleat with authority: "We're… still… powerful!" But the only thing that came out was "Maaaahhh!"

The goats slipped and slid on the rocks, their robes caught on branches, and one of them even started nibbling on her own spellbook. Scary? Not so much. Spectacularly ridiculous? Absolutely.

Bikini Witches in Bali - It All Went South!

By now, Moondrop was done. "We are never going to make it to town at this rate," she bleated, stomping a hoof.

Determined, she concentrated harder than ever before, her goat-eyes glowing green. "This time, no mistakes!"

The mountain swirled. The goats spun like tops. A burst of fireworks filled the sky. And then—swoosh!—the sisters found themselves lying on soft sand with the sun beating down.

WHAT!

They were back in their witchy bodies! But there was one small catch: instead of flowing black gowns, they were now squeezed into neon bikinis!

Hazel's funky swimsuit sagged in all the wrong places, Griselda's hat flopped over her sunglasses, and Moondrop's green skin was already turning a suspicious shade of sunburn.

Each held a martini glass that didn't even have a paper umbrella, staring in disbelief at the turquoise waves rolling in.

Hazel finally slumped back in her lounge chair. “Maybe… just maybe… Halloween isn't our thing."

Griselda raised her glass. "To ghosts. Let them handle the haunting! We suck."

The three witches clinked their witchy potions together in defeat. 

And so, on that Halloween night, while the rest of the world celebrated spooks and scares, three witches in bikinis sat in Bali, drinking martinis, and admitting once and for all—they were better at beach vacations than at being scary.

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Walter’s Purple Heart - Book Review

Serious, sad, lighthearted and told with humor.

Each chapter is titled by a name, flipping between Michael, Walter, Mary Ann and Andrew

Synopsis of Walter’s Purple Heart

Walter's Purple Heart

Michael Steeb is an aimless 21-year-old pot farmer in Central California in the 1980s. He has no real plans or interests...until the day he connects with memories of a life that seems to belong to someone else. That "spirit" is Walter, a young American soldier killed in World War II.

Forty years ago….

Seeking answers on the Ouija board, he later comes to understand that Walter is an earlier incarnation of himself.

Michael eventually realizes that he has been given a mystery to solve. He is being asked to lead Walter's family to closure and peace and deliver the real truth behind Walter's Purple Heart. Somehow, he needs to achieve the forgiveness absent for so many years so Walter can move on, and leave his anger behind.

To accomplish this task given to him, Michael sets out to find Walter's best friend, Andrew, and Mary Ann, the fiancée Walter left behind. Mary Ann recognizes Walter in Michael immediately. But Andrew thinks Michael is nothing but a con man and doesn't believe a word he says. Michael, encouraged by the spirit of Walter, continues to try and accomplish the goal Walter has set for him. 

Summary 

A large part of the story is narrated by Walter ~ from beyond the grave.  Walter's Purple Heart is a fast-paced war drama and a deeply felt romance, with a unique twist on the prospect of multiple lives. 

A romantic story about a dead World War II soldier who transcends the barriers of time to touch the lives of the people he loved in his life.  Catherine Ryan Hyde at her best in this fascinating metaphysical fiction story.  

Related Links:

• Reviews of books by Catherine Ryan Hyde
• Book Reviews by ReviewThisReview's contributing writers can be found at ReviewThisBooks.com

*Book Review of Walter’s Purple Heart is written by Wednesday Elf

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