Home                           

Our Pet Page! 

  Hi! My name is Gizzy Pooh! And welcome to my page of friends! My Mom & Dad and family do think I am special! I was recently diagnosed with a heart murmer and I have an extended intestine. So they do pamper me alittle bit!

This page is dedicated to our beloved little boy-Gizzy Pooh -

 Feb. 12,2008- He left us.....

Since writing the above-Our Little Boy has gone to doggie heaven. He lived a long and very spoiled 12 years. His birthday was in July-and he would have been 12!

He meant alot to all of us as we are sure your pets do too. He spent most of his time keeping me company while I was at work and at home. I had him with me almost everywhere I went and he is very sadly missed.

He was (as you probably gathered by the name!) a cute little boy. He weighed 7lbs. 7 ou. and was a shitz shu/pom mix. 

However, even though he was a little boy, he didn't mind Mom pampering him at all. I would put all kinds of clothes on him, and , yes, even bows! And he never minded a bit! Well, maybe alittle bit! But he did tolerate me and my picture taking!

When we found out that he had a heart murmur, we took extra care with him. He was seen by a vet and pills were given, but really to no avail. But he did have ALOT of love and care from his family! 

He used to love to go for walks. But once he was diagnosed, we bought a stroller to push him in. Yes, I did get alot of stares and I am sure people thought I was crazy-But who cares! Pooh was happy and so was I!

As you can see, there is a tag at the top of the stroller! The story behind that is we went to Florida to a flea market. I was carrying Pooh in my arms as I always did. But we found a nice stroller there that the person was selling for $10.00.  We bought that and put Pooh in it and he loved riding But most of all he LOVED being the center of attention! Everyone at the flea market had to stop and pet him or talk to him and he really took all that in!

However, on the way back, we had four flat tires! Yes, who would have thought! It didn't happen all in one town either and it was on Sunday! So that will explain the $500.00! The tires! Because all we bought at the flea market was a stroller. We kid each other saying that we went there just for Pooh! It was all about Pooh! So we put a little tag on his stroller that said $510.00! He, himself, does not have a price! I wouldn't have ever sold him for no amount in the world!

Pooh was always happy and he made everyone happy. If you ever were sad, he would get up in your lap and force himself on you! He would take his little hand and pull your hand to his body-PET ME he was saying!

He LOVED to talk and sing to people. He especially loved to talk to his Nana on the phone. My parents live about two hours away and I call them everyday. If he knew I was on the phone to her, he always wanted to talk. We could almost swear he said "I love you"!

This past Halloween he proudly dressed up as Dracula! He rode in the wagon with my granddaughters and had a blast! He saw everyone and did speak to most!

He loved his Daddy! He would always find a comforting lap to get into. When I was cooking or doing something "other than sitting", he would get into his Daddy's lap!

Pooh was my taste tester! When I made a new recipe of doggie biscuits, he would try them out for me. But he was very finicky! So I knew that if he ate them, they must be ok! His most favorite treat was pup-a-ronis. He got those everyday! Especially when he would chase all the cats out of the yard! Well, I must share this story-He actually LOVED cats-BUT felt his was his duty to run them out if WE saw him talking to one!

All in all, he was a very happy little boy and a wonderful addition to our family! He will be sadly missed! He was laid to rest in his favorite bedtime blanket on Valentines Day Feb. 14, 2008.

Want to see our Butterflies? Scrool down

And this is what we did to bring those beautiful butterflies to our gardens!

Butterfly Gardens & Designs

  When we decided to first open our business, we purchased a small green house. This was the beginning of a great adventure! We planted a lot of flowers and most of them were butterfly and hummingbird attractors! Thus, everyday during the spring and summer, while we were preparing the house for the business, our yards were full of beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds. One day, a friend said to us that we have greenhouse butterflies~and hence the name! GreenHouse Butterflies! It just seem to fit!

We do not sell the plants for the butterflies or hummingbirds~but we do encourage everyone to plant these! You will be rewarded with hours of beautiful butterflies! And as they are also called~flying feathers! The hummingbirds are absolutely gorgeous too!

If we can help you in any way with planning your garden~send us an e-mail! We will be glad to give you suggestions on the plants that are good to use for this purpose.

But please, take a minute to enjoy some of our "babies" in our gardens!

Swallowtail Caterpillar  swallowtail on parsley  forming

Black Swallowtail chrysalis     Just born!  swallowtail on shrimp

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly caterpillar   Gulf Fritillary Butterfly emerging from a chrysalis   

   Monarch Chrysalis  Monarch Caterpillar (5 days old)    

                                                                                                                                                                   newly emerging     Monarch Butterfly

  This is our Red Slider Female. She is laying eggs in this photo and the next photo are 2 of the 10 that she laid on June 12, 2007. More photos (hopefully) to come of the young ones! This is the two eggs that we managed to get a photo of! She didn't want us this close!

The use of pesticides and the destruction of natural habitat are probably the leading causes of declining butterfly populations. You can save the butterfly population. Plant a butterfly garden and DON’T USE PESTICIDES!!

Most butterflies live for just a few weeks or a few months. For the species to survive, therefore, the females in that species must lay fertile eggs before their short lives end. To ensure the survival of the caterpillars, eggs must be laid on or near the appropriate larval host plant. When the eggs hatch, the tiny caterpillars usually eat their egg casings and then begin to feed on the host plant. After reaching their full size (often just a few weeks after hatching from the egg), the caterpillars stop eating and crawl away from the host plant. At this time, they begin to look for a safe place to form a chrysalis (see some chrysalis’ on this page). IF YOU SEE A CATERPILLAR THAT IS LETHARGIC, DON’T TOUCH IT!! This is a very vulnerable time for them! They are preparing to go into a transformation! This is the last time you will see this little guy! The next time you see him/her, they will be a beautiful butterfly!

Your Garden:

Butterflies don't need anything fancy or expensive. All you need are flowers for nectar, host plants to lay their eggs on, rocks for muddling and nourishment & shelter from wind! Also, You might consider planting an herb garden if you enjoy herbs (to see~NOT EAT!)- many butterfly species do too! The swallowtails that you see on this page ; the eggs were laid on parsley and once hatched, they ate the parsley!

To butterflies, the plants in a garden are more important than the design. They need flowers for nectar throughout the growing season. Select your plants carefully as you want to have blooming plants throughout the butterfly season. So, in other words, when one set dies back, another is blooming! When planting your flowers, plant three or more patches together of the nectar flower, and watch the butterflies drift from clump to clump. To enable the sight of most of the flowers (and butterflies) in your garden, plant the shortest flowers in front and the tallest ones in the back. Plant flower species in masses as butterflies seem to choose those flowers that are most abundant. We will help you select plants and flowers that are the best for your area!

Another way to attract adult butterflies to your yard is to offer places (food plants) for females to lay their eggs. Some females are pickier about which host to lay their eggs on than others. We will research as to what type of butterfly is in your area and give you a good list of plants that will work best as host plants!

Butterflies will bask in the sun when it is warm out. This is where the muddling dish and basking bricks are used. Buy a clay saucer, fill with river rocks and sand. Put in just enough water until it glistens. This is a place where you can find your butterflies sunning and also they use this for their drinking and nourishments. They do not drink like we do. They have get their source of liquid and nourishment from the sand. Overripe fruit, allowed to sit for a few days is a very attractive substance (to them!) as well. Try cutting a slice of watermelon and place it in the garden! In a few days, there will be butterflies all over it!!

Not only is it a good idea to leave open areas in a yard for butterflies to sun themselves, but also give them a partly shady area like trees or shrubs, so they can hide when it's cloudy or cool off if it is very hot.

It is advisable to plant the butterfly garden in a location that is sheltered from the wind. Remember, butterflies are like feathers! Very light! So the slightest wind can blow them away and disturb them from laying eggs or eating! When designing a garden, incorporate plants or shrubs in a strategic area so that the butterfly can bask in peace.