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| Happy Birthday Little Butterfly! Posted: 21 Apr 2009 11:31 AM PDT
I don’t generally memorize the exact dates of my tattoo acquisitions, but April 21st 1998 will always stick out in my mind. I received my first professional tattoo at a Fresno shop called Acme Tattoo. It has since gone out of business and I only knew the artist’s first name (Nate). I had just turned 18 years old. I knew next to nothing about tattoos, other than they are permanent and that I could get a variety of diseases from a dirty needle. I knew nothing about sterilization practices or aftercare. The scratchers I’d encountered as a very foolish minor used bleach for sanitation and Neosporin for healing. I’m not a professional tattooist, but I don’t recommend these methods.
The tattoo was designed after a monarch butterfly sticker I had on my electric guitar. It’s the size of a half dollar. I started small when I was first getting tattooed and though I am very heavily inked now, I am glad that I made that decision. I knew before Nate was finished that I would never let somebody do a homemade tattoo on me again. Besides the health risks, the professional machine was less painful. After the tattoo healed it looked wonderful. People often asked me if it was fake because it was so bright and detailed for such a small piece.
Nate was nowhere to be found when I wanted to get the tattoo touched up in 2005. Monet Patrick did it for me when she added a second small monarch and the large one on my back. She was working out of Tower Tattoo at the time, but now she is available at Bound By Tradition in Fresno. I don’t know what happened to Nate. I will always be grateful for his professionalism and for teaching me about why it’s important to go to a reputable artist and shop. Posted in Carrie Burrows, Tattoos Tagged: acme tattoo fresno california, april 21st 1998, bound by tradition tattoo in fresno california, Carrie Burrows, homemade tattoos, monarch butterflies, tattoo education, tattoo health issues, tattoo professionalism, tower tattoo fresno california      |
| Earth Day 2009: Helping Urban Wildlife Posted: 22 Apr 2009 09:16 AM PDT
In late 2008 I moved to a house in urban Fresno,California. Despite its many shortcomings as a city and county, Fresno does have an excellent recycling program. The Tower District also has an active group of guerilla gardeners. I’ve been “living green” before I even knew what the term meant!My grandfathers were hunters and farmers. They taught my parents not to be wasteful or irresponsible, and my parents passed that down to my sister and I. We had a well and limited hot water on our property and were taught to never waste water or energy. Western Fence Lizards and toads took care of any insect problems we had. There was no trash service, so we separated organic waste and used a trash compactor for the rest before hauling it to town.
Many farmers and other residents in rural Fresno county use owl boxes. Barn owls are excellent hunters and they keep a cap on the rodent population. This also keeps both humans and other animals safe because rodent poison does not discriminate on who it kills.
I don’t know the names of these flowers. I am fortunate that my house already had an established yard by an accomplished gardener when I moved in. I still don’t know the official names of all of my inherited plants, but I have done my best to keep them alive and have had very few casualties. My major green project for 2008-2009 has been to turn my yard in to a sanctuary for urban wildlife - birds, squirrels, and helpful insects like bees and butterflies. I don’t use pesticides or herbicides.
This pecan tree & bird bath combination is popular with both birds and red tree squirrels. I offer the wild birds vitamin-enriched seed. They also receive all of the food discarded by my parrots. Sometimes my yard also attracts new friends who need assistance. Fresh water is readily available and I am careful not to allow water to stagnate and attract mosquitoes. I would like to find out if introducing toads or fence lizards would be appropriate for my setting.
I planted a lot of wildflower seeds in March but did not have a lot of success with them.
The poppies came with the house. I love them. They remind me of Interstate 5 between Bakersfield and Los Angeles, and of Lancaster.
I also have a small compost heap and have introduced earthworms in to my soil.
I am currently researching koi ponds because I hope to one day install one. However, I am not sure if they are energy efficient or if they would be hazardous to my tortoise Merlin. Most large tortoise species enjoy mud holes but they can’t actually swim. I don’t know very much about koi fish yet, but I’m assuming they don’t want to share their home with a nosey tortoise!
California may be facing a drought. I will be adding drought-resistant plants, time and income permitting. I also plan to plant a small vegetable garden. Merlin, my pet birds, and I eat a lot of fresh vegetables and I believe that it’s important that we have access to them. Working in the yard is a challenge for me sometimes because I am partially disabled and have severe pollen allergies. But so far, the awards have outweighed my discomfort! Posted in Animals, Birds, Carrie Burrows, fresno, Life, North America, parrots, Pets, Social Issues, Tortoises, Updates Tagged: bee gardens, bees, bird gardens, Birds, bottlebrush plants, butterflies, butterfly gardens, california drought, composting, conservation, drought resistance plants, earth day 2009, fresno california, gardening, green living, guerilla gardening, koi fish, koi ponds, ladybugs, merlin, nature, owl boxes, owls, praying mantids, recycling, squirrels, toads, urban wildlife, water conservation, western fence lizards, worm beds      |
| Posted: 25 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT  May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009       |
| April 26th 1992, there was a riot on the streets, tell me, where were you? Posted: 26 Apr 2009 05:16 AM PDT
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Bottlebrush plants are drought-resistant and attract bees & hummingbirds. 
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