Fish, Dogs and Other Pets

Both friends and acquaintances tell me every day how great it is to own pets, to have little fluffy creatures running around your apartment, or almost static ones in an aquarium, or something similar. From cats and dogs to tarantulas and even pigs, any animal can be a pet nowadays. I’m just waiting for the day when we’ll have dinosaurs in our backyards, or is that only possible in Jurassic Park?

Nevertheless, we can own almost every type of animal on the planet, either in our homes, or in zoos. It makes no difference, they are all pets to us. Yet sure, having one in your home certainly beats visiting one every once in a while in a public place, far from your house. But, no matter where an animal was, or how cute it was, my grandmother never allowed them in our home. And we obeyed her wishes, not really because we respected her, but more because she owned the house in which we lived in and it wouldn't have surprised me really if she had had us thrown out if we hadn't obeyed.

Not having a pet in my childhood is probably the reason why I didn't really understand what is so special about having them anyway. But I was bound to change my views after hearing about them every single day. The things that occurred afterwards were bound to happen.

Now, I am a proud owner of one cute little puppy and an aquarium full of colorful fish, and besides these, I am thinking about getting another pet - haven’t really decided what kind I will get, but I’m in no rush.

It is obvious from the paragraph above that I changed my mind about having pets, and I want to tell all of you that you should, too, if you are one of those who still don’t have a pet, and who have an opinion about the subject that is negative in any way. “One of those” – it’s like I’m implying that you are bad people, but don’t sweat it, I’m not. I’m implying that you are something far worse! Just kidding – I just want to point out that you seriously need to consider stop being “pet-less”.

If you are considering it, great, it will be easy and it will make you happy. Plus, it will get you more in touch with nature and in this ugly-looking 21st century where technology is sacred, industry is the means to achieve it and nature is just a resource, ready to be consumed for the betterment of what is sacred to us. We really need to pay more attention to our surroundings. If not that much, at least you’ll be one of many who show respect for the greatest victims of modern society.

Maybe this sounds to “green” for your taste so you should just think about many other things you can gain from having a pet. Furthermore, think about how easy it will be, just like I previously mentioned. It will be easy because you have them everywhere and you have so many different kinds that it’s almost impossible not to find the one that will suit you best. Like I said before, we can own almost all species and the only ones we don’t are probably the endangered ones and the ones that are extinct – again, a little joke.

If you are like me by any chance, then fish will definitely be good for you. I haven’t found anything that is as soothing as just standing in front of my aquarium and looking at them. Add some interesting things to the landscape of the aquarium – little fish forts, algae and similar, and it’s complete. Nothing more to add... well, except for the fish of course... and a filter, a pump, and all the other gadgets that are used in a fish tank. You know all that already, I presume. Feed them regularly and there’s nothing more to do but to look at them and relax. Attach some light to the rest of the accessories and it will be even more beautiful. Just looking may sound silly to some, but you still need to try it before you can judge.

On the other hand, maybe you simply are not a fish person, maybe you want a pet that you can actually touch and play with, without it dying in your hands. I am partly like that and that’s the reason why I got a puppy, too. Dogs are a man’s best friends, aren't they? Yet, cats are still more popular. I never understood that. Yes, they are cute, and fluffy, and they can purr, and... Oh well, it seems I do understand why they are so admired. And there it goes! I know what my next pet will be. You see how easy it is?

I mentioned tarantulas before – they too can be a good choice. That is, if you are not afraid of spiders. But then again, there really is no reason to be afraid of them. They truly can do nothing harmful to people. They eat flies and other small insects. And when you think about people training lions and playing with them, an oversized spider doesn't seem scary anymore... Hey… lions? That sounds like a good idea, but is that even legal?

I’m digressing; let’s get back to fish again. I remembered. You don’t really have to keep them in aquariums. If you want something more dynamic, you can get a pond for your yard. That’s even more close to nature than aquariums, which are more downtown-small-apartment oriented. Ponds are great for all kinds of houses. And, you can also get some bigger fish, since they tend to be more active and thus more interesting. The cleaning part of this can be a bit more tiresome, but then again, you can’t get away from some sort of work, if you want to own a pet. As much as they are great companions, fun, etc., they are still a big responsibility. Always have that in mind when you are thinking about getting a pet. Now I sound like a parent… Sorry about that.

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Order, above all – Home Design Order!

Order is the thing that keeps the world going. Everything has its order, everything operates in some order and everything can exist because it functions through order. When you disrupt the order, everything can fall into chaos. And even though we liked Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, and him saying that we should introduce a little anarchy into the established order; that simply is not the way it should be. He says it himself, finishing the previous by saying that everything becomes chaos; chaos is no good to anyone.

We humans are creatures of habit, and we need that order. That’s why it is not strange at all that we do everything in our lives in accordance with something, some order that we, or someone else established. That’s why none of us likes it when something is not in order.

The best examples are our houses. You wake up one morning and you realize your whole house is a mess. Not in the sense that it’s dirty and it smells like a hundred cats call that place a home, but in the sense that it’s simply messy. Nothing is in order and it looks like a tornado struck it. That’s when you realize that the thing you really have to do is organize all of that, find a place for everything, or to go with the same figure of speech, you put everything the way it was, before the tornado struck.

Organizing everything you have in your home can sometimes be a pain in the rear. No, scratch that, it always is a pain in the neck. Yes, I changed the idiom in this second sentence. But that is beside the point. What I was saying was how annoying organizing things in the house is. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really not the person who should tell you that that’s annoying. I actually love organization, because I’m a bit of a control freak. So you see my point there? No? I thought not. I wanted to say that even though I like organization, I still hate organizing when it comes to my home, and all the things in it.

Bringing everything back in order will make us feel better. The house will look better and it might even feel better itself. An inanimate object feeling something, I’m going all science fiction over here. Anyway, bringing some material things in life back to some order makes you feel good because we are creatures of order. We are creatures of habit, like I said previously, but we are creatures of order too. Who knows what kind of creatures we are as well, besides these two.

As much as we live in order, animals do too. The only big difference is that rarely something disrupts that order, because nature is a perfect mechanism. It is us who destroy that order that nature imposes on all living things. Maybe we don’t like that something else wants to impose anything on us, because we value our freedom above all, maybe we just don’t like nature being the leader... who knows, it’s not really important. The important thing is that nature doesn't do it, we do. I sense some hypocrisy there – we like order, but we don’t like the one that nature has.

It really is amazing how everything has its place in nature. That whole circle of life thing, the food chain, etc. Everyone has its place, no one goes hungry, and everything is great! If it were that way with us humans, the word utopia wouldn't signify a perfect yet an impossible world, but would denote only the former. Nothing would be impossible. Then the word impossible wouldn't even exist and we wouldn't be able to say what I just said. Hmm, interesting...

Anyway, the most astounding part of the world of nature is the life under water. Of all of nature’s creations, the ones that live in all the waters of the planet are the ones with the largest amount of order, if we can say it like that. The sheer size of that world, the number of species, everything about it surpasses almost all the rest combined. Nature is at its best down there. In the depths of the world’s oceans is the magnificence of everything that is not human. Those are the few places where no man has ever set foot. It is the kingdom of the fish, with its own order. The most amazing thing about it is how every single part of it has its place; the word order has a new definition down there, as it is pure perfection.

Maybe those are the reasons why are we so amazed with that world. Maybe it’s the order that caught our attention, who knows. I think it is the order, because like I said before, it is order that keeps us in existence and that is what makes us grow and prosper. And it stands to reason that we, who are not as perfect as nature is down there, will be full of respect for that world.

We love animals of the seas and rivers, and that is why we have them everywhere: in zoo’s, in water parks, in ponds and aquariums of our homes. We want them in our homes, as we are amazed with their perfection. Yes, we do need to feed them, keep their aquariums clean with all the pumps and filters that we buy to achieve that, but it still pays out in the end. When you embellish your aquarium with some pretty lights, put in some castles and all sorts of accessories, it makes you happy. And it really doesn't make them any less special if we have to take of them, they may be fragile and weaker than us, and they may not posses the brains like we do, but their perfection lies in something else, and I hope that I have made it very clear throughout this text and that now all of you can see that perfection.

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Nature in Your Home Makes You More Human than You Have Ever Been Before

Many people who are about to design their homes in different ways are breaking the rules of traditional design and opt for something new. Of course, it is always better to think of your own way to design and decorate your home, but there are several more general „patterns” that will help you during the process. You can, for example choose this well-known pattern of a traditional house. In that kind of house you will have a lot of wooden furniture, a fireplace, old rugs and vintage wallpapers. Of course, a rocking chair is an inevitable addition to that sight. You can also choose a pattern of a more „modernistic” house. Many young couples pick this one. It includes predominantly white walls and and a lot of stylish, unusual furniture. In this article I would like to write about one approach to home design and that is a „naturalistic” approach. As you may guess, it includes a lot of elements that resemble nature. But they need not only resemble it, they can be nature itself in your home. You, probably, have already thought of one or two of those elements. But there are several, and even those you have thought of have many different classes and versions. So, let's start with nature.

Do not sleep with the fish – let the fish sleep with you

The first thing I want to talk about are aquariums. Many people love fish and their aquariums are not really there for decoration, but they are indeed a very important part of it. When a guest enters your living room, the first thing he will notice is your aquarium and the fish moving in it. The only way to make it more noticeable is to take good care of it. However, cleaning it, changing its water and feeding the fish is not enough to make your aquarium look beautiful. There are certain ways to decorate it and make it more unique, and I am going to write about a few of them. First of all, the shape of the tank itself should be taken under consideration. If your room is full of cubical elements with sharp edges, then your tank should be like that. It would be the best if you can fit it somewhere so that it covers the empty space between your bed and your wardrobe, for example. But, if your room is filled with pillows and different not-so-square-shaped objects, there are tanks that will fit that kind of environment as well. You have probably seen those oval ones in cartoons, where usually only one fish is being kept. But these kinds of tanks can be a lot bigger.

Furthermore, they need not be oval necessarily. There are ones which are square shaped with blunt edges that will also fit perfectly to that kind of environment. The next thing that will make your aquarium more beautiful is lighting. You can choose a variety of colors and add them to the bottom of your aquarium thus making it a beautiful colorful paradise. It is also very interesting to have neon lights in there while all other lights in your house are turned off. If you want to support this „natural” approach, there are also light-bulbs that are environment-friendly and which will not cause any harm to nature. Of course, some tools are there to help you with cleaning your aquarium. Aquarium filters, for example, can help you a lot. It will reduce the amount of time you spend brushing and changing the water, and it will save you a lot of energy.

Spongebob Squarepants and Squidward are living at the bottom of the sea... in your aquarium

You have maybe heard of a certain type of aquarium called „marine” aquariums. As the name itself suggests, marine aquariums keep animals from the ocean and from the seas. Since the environment on the bottom of the ocean is different, this kind of aquariums require more energy and, of course, more money. There are a lot more things to look after than there are in regular fish tanks.

For example, water in marine aquariums should be salty. There are, of course, containers with salt, which can be bought at any aquarium equipment store. The salt is added to water, thus keeping the salt level always at the right amount. The second important thing is that water at the bottom of the ocean is very freezing. But technology has advanced enough to help us solve that problem as well. Devices called „Aquarium Chillers“ are also available at most shops which do that kind of trade. Those devices will keep the water in your aquarium cool enough so that plants and animals will be able to survive. Finally, organic waste may be hazardous in these kinds of aquariums, therefore, there are devices called “Protein Skimmers”, which remove that kind of waste in order to save the disaster that could happen in there. Once again, I do admit that these aquariums are really hard to maintain, but the beauty of them is unexcelled. They can fit in almost any environment, even in those that have nothing to do with nature, because things that live at the bottom of the ocean are colourful and above everything else, magnificent and beautiful.

There are also several things that can be very useful when it comes to decorating your home with nature. For example, certain fountains and sculptures can effectively give an impression of a „natural” house, but they are a topic for some other discussion. Once again, it is important to use your imagination before everything, because after all, you still want your house to be place for humans and not for some tropical lizards. Everything can be overstated, even in this kind of activity which seems to be easy and fun at first. I do not deny the fun part of it. Come to think of it, buying and owning an aquarium must be the most interesting thing I have ever done, because it fulfills my life and it makes me feel like I am human more than I ever was.

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A Certain Approach to Nature!

Our story begins in the period of time when matriarchy was dominant. Namely, once upon a time, the central figure in society was a woman, believe it or not. Our ancestors believed that the great goddess was a woman, and that the woman was actually the representative of mother earth. People lived in belief that we were all children of nature, and nature was idealized. Of course, their religion was based on bringing sacrifice to goddess and other stuff that does not exist in today's world (at least, I don’t think so). However, there came the time when man realized that he also has a role in reproduction, and that nature and women are not the only creators of life. Through the course of history, the central figure changed from a woman to a man. For example, man became the head of a family as the main deity became male. But that is the period of time when this synchronization that existed between men and nature was disordered. Namely, men realized that they have the power to control. First of all, they started controlling one another, and, not being satisfied with that power, they decided to gain control over nature. Now lets move several thousand years forward. Nowadays, we live in a society that is mostly dominated by men. However, certain things have changed, and we have developed as human beings. Most of us became aware of this inequality, and we decided to give women a chance. But aye, there's the rub. We think that we control every aspect of nature nowadays, and we are not even aware of how quickly she is dying out. Both men and women must join their forces in order to save what’s left and live in harmony once again.

In this article, I want to talk about the decoration of your house. If you are one of those people who would like to help nature, and who enjoys just being out there, having the sun shining all over their faces, you would maybe like to decorate your house so that you bring all that nature into your home. There are several ways you can do that. For example, you can have many exotic plants in one special room, or you can have different exotic animals caged in your bedroom. But the most natural way to express your attitude towards nature are aquariums. Owning an aquarium has its pros and cons, but the feeling of having a part of „where life came from” in your living room is one of the best enjoyments you can have in a lifetime.

Pros and cons of owning an aquarium

First of all, you can make your life a bit more interesting with a new hobby. Many people enjoy fishing and spending time on their boats and yachts, but the truth is, it is much more of an enjoyment to have the fish in your home. It is scientifically proven that looking at fish calms nerves, and makes you a stronger person. I do not say that you should spend all day watching your pets swimming left and right, but an occasional look now and then would really have an outstanding effect on your temperament and on you as a human being. Secondly, this is the best decoration that you can get. Now, seriously, you can have all the sculptures and paintings that you can, but nothing will ever make you satisfied as well as an aquarium can. When a guest arrives, he will have much more fun playing with your fish than staring at a painting of an author whose name he has never heard of before. And finally, it is a lot of fun. You will spend many hours cleaning and maintaining your aquarium, but believe me, with the right tools, all that seems to be a very relaxing process. Namely, there are certain tools that can help you with maintenance. For example, as we all know, the water temperature needs to be different from the temperature where we live in. Fish that live in deep seas can only survive if the temperature is much cooler. Therefore, aquarium heaters are tools that will constantly change the temperature and keep it adequate, in order to keep your fish and other sea and river creatures alive. You can also include aquarium filters if you are going to shop, because they will save you a lot of time and energy when it comes to cleaning the water and cleaning the aquarium itself.

On the other hand, that constant and repeating action of cleaning can become a bit boring. If you are not the kind of person who can overcome these kinds of problems, you will have to cope up with cleaning very often, and I advise you to find joy in this as soon as possible. Secondly, your fish can sometimes be very needy and you will have to feed them regularly and even the slightest error in the feeding pattern can kill them. Therefore, if you are not a responsible person, you better let somebody else who lives with you do it. Finally, aquariums can take up a lot of space. If you are living in a, for example, one flat of standard size, you will have trouble adapting your living space to the aquarium. They are best kept in big rooms with a lot of free space in between.

I am no expert when it comes to home decoration and design, but I do know this: it is the new era that will bring certain changes into the minds of people, and all we can do is follow that change by changing ourselves and our environment. You need not necessarily own an aquarium in order to support that change, but anything that will make your approach to nature more direct will come in handy. Therefore, you need to use your imagination and decorate your home however your heart desires. I, myself, have opted for aquariums because they calm my soul and my eyes, and because I believe that water is much more important in our lives than we think.

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The Soothing Sound of Water

The world today is tough. Not only do you have to put in loads of hours in your work, so that you can earn the means to survive, but you have to cope with selfish bosses, irritating coworkers, bad office space, the traffic, the economy, and all that jazz. I think that this is reason enough to make your home a peaceful, beautiful, comfortable and well designed place, so that you can rest, think things through, and wake up the next day, ready to tackle every problem that comes your way. In this article I am not going to talk about what furniture to chose, how to color your walls, how to organize the lighting, what electrical equipment to choose, but I will talk about a certain aspect of home and garden design that has been around for centuries.  I will be talking about water features.

●     What are water features?

The term is confused with water properties, which are connected to the temperature and chemical structure of the water. Water features are numerous fountains and ponds that can be put either in your home or in your garden, depending on the product, of course (some are designed for indoor, and some for outdoor use). They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Fountains can be everything from traditional Greek statue figurines, to futuristic looking fountains that shoot beams of water that, when combined with the LED lighting that is installed within, look like a very cool light show.

Ponds can be simple – a whole in the ground with water in it, or they can come in the form a beautiful waterfall. Ponds, unlike most fountains, are ideal for keeping fish. You just have to make sure that you know the properties of the natural habitat your fish are used to by nature, and that the pond is big enough so that the fish have appropriate swimming space. This information is usually provided by the pet store where the fish are bought, or you can look for such information on the internet, of course. Then, it is all about making your pond have the same properties as the fish’s natural habitat, and there are products available in the market that will aid you in this process very much.

●     Benefits for you

Apart from the fact that you will be considered as a person with taste, a water feature in your home will help you enjoy relaxation to the fullest. When you sit down near it, after a hard day’s work, at first, you will simply look at it, admire its beauty and feel proud about yourself because you have managed to purchase such a beautiful thing. Then, as your eyes start to close, the sound of water moving will make you feel like you are in touch with nature and all its magnificence. You will fall into a quality sleep, and, when you wake up, you will be good as new. This is something that I can guarantee in light of my experience, and the experience of many other satisfied water feature owners. Furthermore, this kind of thing will add value to your home, if you plan on selling it at some point in your life, and it might even pay for itself at the end. Apart from everything else stated above, a water feature, graciously displayed in your garden, will most certainly make your house stand out from all other houses in the neighborhood, and it will turn the head of each of your neighbors, as they are passing by, which will certainly make you feel good, if nothing else.

To conclude, I have already said that in this article I will not talk about the basics of home design. Actually, each individual has specific needs, so there is no such thing as a perfect home design on the market. You have to improvise, work with what you can find, and hope that it will all turn out just as you have imagined it in the end. Take everything that you have read in this piece of text as something that should be considered as a finishing touch to your home design process. So, when you get everything you need, treat yourself to a water feature, because you will not regret it.

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