10 Unusual Gift Ideas for the Holidays
/Find inspired holiday gifts.
That feeling of finding just the right gift for someone. . . . Anticipating their surprise, pleasure—how touched they’ll feel that you thought of it.
Versus.
That dreary drudgery grumbling feeling of just buying something perfunctorily, distaste for this consumerist culture battling with your guilt at offering such a blah present!
As you know, sometimes people experience the gift you give them as an indication of whether you actually know and understand them. Whether you really care.
But no pressure:)
If you’re stranded on Indecision Street and don’t know where to go or what to buy this season, here to rescue you are 10 (+1) ideas. In addition to being fun in themselves, many of these support national Small Business Saturday. (That’s the day after Black Friday).
Some of these ideas work well as a gift for a couple or family too and offer a way to spend more time together.
NYC-based gifts that offer something a little different.
PS Nope, we didn’t receive payment in exchange for these recommendations. Happy holidays!
8 Beneficial Insects to Welcome to the Garden
/Most insects are your pals.
For every mosquito being a jerk, there are 98.5 insect species who are not only a) not-bugging you but b) keeping the food web alive for everyone else here on Planet Earth.
The fact is, most (98-99%) insects don’t cause humans any problems at all. * Millions of them aren’t taking a detour from their lives to visit your garden.
They are not thinking about you at all. They are indifferent.
That’s why you like going out into your garden and are not living in a plastic bubble.
And when you consider that insects account for 90% of all animals on the planet (biologically speaking, insects are members of the Animal Kingdom) it’s amazing how little we actually interact with them.**
So let’s meet some of the insects taking care of your garden.
Hey, who made that nest?; when 57th Street was a wilderness, & then artists' row; unusual Italian food in Bklyn; ice-skating under the Bridge.