If you have spent any time on our website then you no doubt know we are dog people (animal people really) and that we live in North Carolina. In our fair state, it is still legal to euthanize animals using a gas chamber. This is a cruel and unusual way to die. If you are in NC, please take a few minutes to send a letter (email) to your legislators to ask them to abolish the gas chamber. SUPPORT H6/S199 – Davie's Law – an act to abolish the gas chamber and provide for humane euthanasia in NC shelters has been introduced in the House and Senate. * In the House, the bill has been assigned to the House Ag committee. Please copy and paste all of the following email addresses into a new email – you only need to send one email to all of the Reps at once. Please write 'SUPPORT H6' in the subject line and in the body just ask the Representatives to support H6 (Davie's Law) – a bill to provide for the humane euthanasia of animals in animal shelters. Please remember to add your name and the county you live in so they know you are a NC resident. Dewey.Hill@ncleg.net, Larry.Bell@ncleg.net, Van.Braxton@ncleg.net, William.Brisson@ncleg.net, Bill.Faison@ncleg.net, David.Lewis@ncleg.net, Arthur.Williams@ncleg.net, Cary.Allred@ncleg.net, Lorene.Coates@ncleg.net, Leo.Daughtry@ncleg.net, David.Guice@ncleg.net, Bryan.Holloway@ncleg.net, James.Langdon@ncleg.net, Darrell.McCormick@ncleg.net, Annie.Mobley@ncleg.net, Edgar.Starnes@ncleg.net, Fred.Steen@ncleg.net, Cullie.Tarleton@ncleg.net, Joe.Tolson@ncleg.net, Russell.Tucker@ncleg.net, Alice.Underhill@ncleg.net, Edith.Warren@ncleg.net, Michael.Wray@ncleg.net * In the Senate, the bill has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary I committee. Please copy and paste all of the following email addresses into a new email – you only need to send one email to all of the Senators at once. Please write 'SUPPORT S199' in the subject line and in the body just ask the Senators to support S199 (Davie's Law) – a bill to provide for the humane euthanasia of animals in animal shelters. Please remember to add your name and the county you live in so they know you are a NC resident. Martin.Nesbitt@ncleg.net; Peter.Brunstetter@ncleg.net; Daniel.Clodfelter@ncleg.net; RC.Soles@ncleg.net; Josh.Stein@ncleg.net; Charlie.Albertson@ncleg.net; Phil.Berger@ncleg.net; Andrew.Brock@ncleg.net; Harry.Brown@ncleg.net; Debbie.Clary@ncleg.net; Malcolm.Graham@ncleg.net; David.Hoyle@ncleg.net; Clark.Jenkins@ncleg.net; Ellie.Kinnaird@ncleg.net; Vernon.Malone@ncleg.net; Floyd.McKissick@ncleg.net; Tony.Rand@ncleg.net; David.Rouzer@ncleg.net; Richard.Stevens@ncleg.net; Jerry.Tillman@ncleg.net Thank you for supporting this important cause. Glynne Soaps glynne@glynnesoaps.com

I love history! OK, I love American History. I believe it is just in my blood. In January we were unable to go to Ft Fisher for the commemoration of the Battle at Fort Fisher, I was still recovering from the crud I aquired over Christmas. However, as Jenn said we were able to go to Ft. Anderson on Valentines Day for the commemoration of the Battle of Fort Anderson. It is always fun to hear those cannons roar. Coming up next weekend in Wilmington, NC the Cameron Art Museum will commemorate the 144th anniversary of the Battle of Forks Road during the 4th Annual War Between the States Living History Weekend. The Battle of Forks Road was a significant skirmish that followed the fall of Fort Fisher, directly preceded the fall of Wilmington, and led to the final surrender of the Confederate armies. Living history re-enactors will recreate the final fight to take Wilmington on February 20, 1865. The reenactment will take place on Cameron Art Museum’s historic site, the original battlefield of the Battle of Forks Road. The site is where Major General Robert F. Hoke made his last stand against Union soldiers, primarily comprised of African American troops (referred to as U.S. Colored Troops during that era) from several divisions, before evacuating Wilmington. The “Sable Arm” of the US Army was made up of freed men and former slaves who volunteered for service after the Emancipation Proclamation. Join in the fun on February 21st. Remember to dress warmly and bring friends and family to enjoy this outstanding educational program. Activities include a commemoration ceremony and a lecture on the history of the Battle of Forks Road by historian and author Dr. Chris Fonvielle, Jr. Re-enactors dressed in period costume will demonstrate life as it was in the mid-1800s. They will conduct artillery and firearm demonstrations, battle site tours, encampments, and family activities of period games and crafts. Come on out it's free and open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. For more information and a complete schedule of events, please call Cameron Art Museum at 910-395-5999 or visit www.CameronArtMuseum.com. Cameron Art Museum is located at 3201 S. 17th Street (corner of Independence Blvd. and South 17th Street). Parking is free. We’ll see you there! In the mean time, don't forget to visit our store www.glynnesoaps.com Gayle sales@glynnesoaps.com

Well, my job here as Sales Manager is going great! I love the perks (rides in the truck, meeting new people, my own office chair, the list goes on and on) I just wish I could figure out how to get my assistant to buy me lunch. Just last week we had a fun lunch meeting with our soapmaker at Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn. (There were some pretty fun birds there. They sat in a bush and would hop down to where I thought I could taste them, but then fly away if I got close.) We sat outside and had a whole lot of fun, except I didn’t get to eat lunch. Obviously, I just need to put some money in my pocket and buy my own. Things here at Glynne’s Soaps have been very busy. Yesterday, we had some kind of excitement here! George and I went in the backyard as usual while my assistant took our foster dog, Linus for a walk. We do this a couple of times everyday, so, no big deal. Linus and I do not get along too good. This means our people always separate us. Anyway, yesterday, George fell into the pool while my assistant was away. I tried my best to get him out and was in a little bit of a panic! I ran circles around the pool shouting instructions. Fortunately, George was able to get his arm hooked in the ladder and stay afloat with out having to keep paddling…but he was very scared (me too)! Finally, my assistant came and got him out of the pool. He was shivering so much I could hardly check him over to be sure he was OK. I tried to lick him dry but my assistant dried him off with a towel, and then wrapped him in a blanket and held him until he stopped shivering. He is OK today, but keeping his distance from that pool! I have been asking for my own phone. OK, really I want a Blackberry! From a Blackberry, you can go on your facebook and twitter. If I had had a phone yesterday, I could have called for help (it’s my story and I’m sticking to it). On Saturday, my assistant and our soapmaker went to Southport, NC. They visited a shop called “Cool Dogs and Crazy Cats.” Now, I cannot vouch personally for this place, but my assistant and our soapmaker say it’s a great place to shop. It is full of fun toys; clothing and everything a cool dog or a crazy cat would want or need. They even have a bakery with lots of yummy treats. Maybe that is where I can go for lunch!! I promise to get there myself soon, so I can give a real review. In the meantime, head over there and check it out for yourself. OH! and they now carry our all-natural dog soaps. Please remember to visit our store www.glynnesoaps.com. Wrigley Sales manager wrigley@glynnesoaps.com follow me on twitter @wrigleysoapguru for our special deals

For Valentine’s Day this year, we went to Brunswick Town, NC for the commemoration of the Fall of Fort Anderson. Fort Anderson was a large fort used to protect the mouth of the Cape Fear River and the town of Wilmington during the Civil War. The fort fell on February 22, 1865. The day featured artillery, infantry, naval/marines, and torpedo demonstrations. Our favorite part of the day is the cannon firing. Gayle took a pretty cool video of it: [video:youtube:T0e30WyK6t8] It is loud, and I jump every time, but it is extremely interesting to watch. There are also artisans displaying period crafts and other items. It is also interesting to see all the Reenactors that have set up camps for both sides. You can see and feel a small part of what it must have been like to live in the camps during the Civil War. We were there during the afternoon, and many soldiers were cooking at the camps over an open fire. It is impressive how true to live they keep things. After leaving Fort Anderson, we traveled to Southport to a cute shop called “Cool Dogs and Crazy Cats”. It was full of eclectic and fun items for dogs, cats and the people that love them. We spent a great time chatting with one of the owners. It is a must see if you are ever in the area. As a bonus, they are now carrying our all-natural dog soaps. We came home via the ferry, instead of driving back. It is always a nice ride, and this trip we met a great couple, Terry and Nancy, from Carolina Beach. We capped off the day with a quiet dinner at home. So, not exactly the traditional Valentine’s Day, but a very wonderful day nonetheless. Visit our store at www.glynnesoaps.com Jenn soapmaker@glynnesoaps.com

I have been plagued by happiness all day. To the unsuspecting this may seem like a fine problem to have but ‘tis not so. Before my eyes were truly open this morning the television was talking about a new study on happiness. Of course, my first thought was “Crap, I have to write my blog on happiness today” – not exactly a happy thought. As usual when I am trying to gather my thoughts on a topic, I carried a pen and paper for jotting notes. Unfortunately, my pad is empty and my pen is full. Therefore, I have decided to consult a guru on the topic. This naturally means I looked up happiness on wikipedia; and learned that happiness is a state of mind or feeling such as contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. While expanding my knowledge of happiness via wikipedia, I did avail myself of The Oxford Happiness Inventory, which is touted as a good tool for quantifying happiness. I am proud to report that I scored a 75% on the happiness scale. I do believe I am happy at least 75% of the time. However, it still did not tell me what makes me happy. I believed I was well on my way to compiling a list (a good list); until I read the responses on twitter and facebook. My list included the love of a dog; a fine writing pen; really good coffee; the warmth of snuggling; a book I can become totally lost in; being so silly I collapse into laughter that ends in tears; holding hands; quiet; driving a 5 speed; chocolate cake with white icin; hanging a curve; floating in the pool; perfect parallel parking; squish toys, woods; hawks flying or being able to spot them sitting in trees; gravy & biscuits; fixing something rather than buying new; a clean house; electronics; genealogy; eating at the table; sitting on the sunport (our screened in porch which used to be a carport); Little Debbie Swiss Cakes; Mountain Dew in a can; friends who know you and love you anyway. From my friends at wikipedia, I found this really cool map which shows the Satisfaction with Life index. It is all very interesting. KEY: green = most happy blue purple orange red = least happy Satisfaction with Life Index Map - Map was published in White, A. (2007). A Global Projection of Subjective Well-being: A Challenge To Positive Psychology? Psychtalk 56, 17-20. Map coloured according to The World Map of Happiness, Adrian White, Analytic Social Psychologist, University of Leicester. "The data on SWB [Subjective Well-Being] was extracted from a meta-analysis by Marks, Abdallah, Simms & Thompson (2006)." From our facebook and twitter friends/tweeps we learned these things make people happy: My husband, watching my animals play including lots of kisses, meeting Tweeps in person, helping others, a nap, chocolate Being content. Happiness is honesty and respect for the ones closest to you. Knowing that you have done the right thing regardless of what the outcome might be. Happiness is being true to yourself and to the ones you love and love you. Going on walks with my family in the evenings makes me happy Sleeping past noon. :) and naps with warm kitties. Yes-- I like to sleep! heh Being blessed with the necessities of life-car, house, clothes, food. Not lacking any needs. May not be the best or highest priced car, house, clothes, or food but at least I have shelter over my head, transportation, and I'm not going hungry. The biggest thing I can take away from all this is - it is rarely the things, which make us happy. It is the living creatures in our lives - the people - the events - the times. Enjoy who YOU are. Enjoy those you love and especially those who love you. I know I speak for all of us at Glynne’s Soaps (Jenn, Gayle & Wrigley) – Above all else, we wish you happiness in all you do.