Biodegradable packaging

While browsing Bon Appetit's site this morning, I found an article about biodegradable fast food bags. You would think this would be a given. How can the bags not already be biodegradable? They are thin paper...not plastic. I did some research and found out that there were newspapers found intact at a NY landfill that were 50 years old. Hmmmm.... You have to wonder if it weren't for some unusual circumstances, because, when we used newspaper in the garden for mulch, it became part of the soil in 3 years time. Maybe they used thicker paper back in the day. Something to ponder, I guess.

One link leads to another and I found the compostable packaging that we had seen at a Heifer International Fair. Their clamshell containers look just like the plastic ones we see every day and they are fully compostable in about 3 months. They are the most innovative green product out there. Simply Amazing. I plan to use these in the cafe. I would be a fool not to!

Consistency and shitty bathrooms

We went to our favorite little haunt, which will remain nameless, and were disappointed for the first time ever. Even as we pull into the parking lot, we are saying "this place is so consistent! Always perfect!" Spoke too soon... our first not-great experience and I am not going to write on it because we have had so many great times here and I don't want my first review to be a bad one. And... I think it was the bartender's fault mostly... why sour the place because of one person and a flat, uninteresting dessert tray?
So, we left after one not yummy cocktail and went to have a margarita at the reliable Border. We didn't eat and the drinks were good, but I want to touch on just one thing... the bathrooms.
The Border packs 'em in 7 nights a week. The service is great, the food is good. Money is being made here. Why are the bathrooms so awful? You walk into a 2 foot wide space and if there's anyone else in there, you begin an uncomfortable dance to squeeze into one of the stalls without knocking someone into the sinks. The sinks, mind you, that are circa 1964. The color on the walls is nasty, the counter top old and wretched. Why won't the owners invest some money in a bathroom remodel? Seriously, why? Are your customers not worth it? Surely, this would be the ultimate in customer service...

The Kennel Shop Augusta, ME

Great store! All the stuff you love about Petco and PetSmart(except the treat bar), without the inflated prices. And... a nice bonus: the employees actually know something about the products they sell.

We were sent to this store in Augusta by the breeder that we got our American Bulldog from. We were greeted immediately as we walked in and the entire staff was available to us, as needed. They didn't stalk us around the store, but were available to us readily when needed.

The girl who helped me pick out dog food was honest and told me that we did not need the most expensive food for our pup, instead showing me a mid-priced meat based dry food.

Ginger picked her own toys and cost us an extra 50 cents at checkout by eating a treat from a bucket within her reach. We bought her a collar, leash, two toys, a 16 pound bag of food, that one extra treat... all for about $60.

They even let us use their restroom, after my explaining that the three hour car ride was murder. Thank goodness for employees that understand good customer service can sometimes mean breaking some rules. See my kids yellow eyes? Yeah, thanks!

**** Good selection

**** Good prices

*****Yummy treats

*****Great Staff