Hi, my name is Vicky. I was nine this summer when I went to Just Us Girls Camp, or as we all called it J.U.Gs, at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI). It was a really good experience—you have all sorts of different fun. All the girls in the camp got to plan the things to do over the two weeks.

The bread and butter of what I do are actual sock monkeys made from socks. It used to be re-using old socks, but that’s hard to keep up with since you want socks that don’t look too worn/dirty or are too full of holes.

I blame HGTV. Yes, you heard right. After years of watching Design Inc., Home Heist, and Design to Sell, I stupidly thought that while home renos weren’t necessarily easy, they would be quick. After all, Colin and Justin transform rooms in half an hour, right? Less if you consider the commercials.

Reduce and re-use were en vogue in Newfoundland long before the environmental movement was created. Despite the fact that my parents both had good jobs when I was growing up, nothing was wasted. It was only as an adult did I realize how the things I had always done were actually good for the environment.

It is hard to comprehend that a product meant to clean and rid our lives of germs is actually bad for us, but it’s true. Our society seems to be germ obsessed and with that growing obsession has come a new understanding of the word “clean.” Unfortunately, germ-free is so difficult to obtain that it necessitates the use of harmful and dangerous chemicals to achieve.

When I requested a review copy of Cathy Buchanan’s The Day the Falls Stood Still, my publishing contact asked me if I wanted to be part of Cathy’s Blog Tour. Now I had a vague notion of what a blog tour was, but this was the first time I ever had the opportunity to partake in one. I of course said yes.