Tuliqi

Birdy Mom Training

2008-05-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

On a sunny Anchorage evening this week I headed over to the BP Energy Center building to attend the Bird Training and Learning Center's class on how to take care of wild baby birds.

Every spring over 300 chicks, ranging from chickadees, robins and swallows to ducks, ravens and bald eagles are brought to Bird TLC. These baby birds may have been injured, fallen from their nests, abandoned or orphaned and would not survive without human intervention. Volunteers are needed to help care for the chicks until they are ready to take flight and fend for themselves.

When I heard about the class I figured this would be a fun and an organically useful thing to do. Since Tuliqi is named for migrating birds maybe we could even care for some baby birds in the store. I quickly discovered that being a foster Mom to a bunch of bald baby birds is a major time commitment. Many chicks need to be fed every 15-20 minutes from 7am until 9pm every day for several weeks. And since they feed every 15-20 minutes they also poop every 15-20 minutes. Some volunteers simply carry the birds around in a fanny pack, feeding them and removing soiled layers of tissue paper as they go about their day.

In addition to Tuliqi I have a very full time "day" job running a company here in Alaska. Somehow I couldn't see me sitting in business meetings or taking clients to lunch wearing a fanny pack and constantly squashing the heads of mealworms to pop them into half a dozen gaping, peeping little beaks. Who knew that if a bird swallows mealworms alive the worms eat their way out through the bird's throat and kill it? News to me, I can assure you. In case you are wondering, mother birds use their beaks to crush or cut off the heads of the worms before feeding their chicks until the chicks learn to do it for themselves. I didn't get to see what a mealworm actually looks like but they crawl, and I'm not good with crawly things. The whole idea of squashing worms' heads all day sounded distinctly unappealing. I had to face the facts - I'm just not cut out to be a birdy mom.

I learned a lot from the seminar though. By the end of the training I had a whole new respect for the real mother birds - they have to work pretty hard to keep their offspring alive in those critical first three months of life. And I now know that, if I see a flock of swallows around my house as I often do in summer, I should call Bird TLC and let them know. There may be a volunteer out there, looking for a place to release the fledging swallows they have nurtured for weeks. What a great job the staff and volunteers of Bird TLC do - thanks for sharing your knowledge with me.

What Does Tuliqi Mean?

2008-04-11T12:11:00.001-07:00

Here at Tuliqi we are often asked what the name means and how to pronounce it. First, the name is pronounced "tooly-key". I created the word from the Polynesian word "tuli" and the Inupiaq eskimo word "tuliq" or "toolik", which refer, in both cultures, to several species of migratory birds such as the ruddy turnstone and the golden plover. These amazing birds travel thousands of miles every year from the shores of the South Pacific to the Alaskan tundra. Just as the tuli make their nests from natural materials, here at Tuliqi we help our customers create their own personal nests, i.e. their bedrooms and bathrooms, from natural and organic materials. As a New Zealander who lives in Alaska I feel a bit like a tuli myself.

Sportsmen's Show in Anchorage

2008-04-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the annual Sportsmen's Show in Anchorage. It was packed to the gills as usual with booths displaying inflatable rafts, wind generators, bear-proof fences, hunting rifles, GPS systems that let you keep track of your dog, and the usual camping gear and hiking boots.
I stopped by the Bird Treatment and Learning Center booth to find out about volunteer opportunities. Tuliqi is already a donor to this great Anchorage organization which takes care of injured birds and abandoned chicks. Bird TLC gained fame recently when it took care of the dozens of bald eagles that nearly drowned in a truck full of fish slime - not the finest moment for our noble national symbol! Anyway, I discovered the Bird TLC needs volunteers every spring to take care of and feed baby birds. The training class is on May 6 so I've signed up.

Welcome to Tuliqi!

2008-01-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

In the midst of our busy lives the bedroom and bathroom become our sanctuary – the place where we take time for ourselves – to rest, relax, renew and reflect. When we close the bedroom door we close out the speed, the noise, the technology of our urban and suburban environments. We find a place to reconnect with the natural world – the feel of organic cotton sheets or a silk bathrobe against our skin, the warmth of down duvets, the pure clean of botanical skin care, the scent of glowing candles or of bath salts dissolving in freshly-drawn water.

TULIQI's collections for bedroom and bathroom are inspired by the beauty of wild earth – its forests and mountains, meadows and lakes, beaches, glaciers and oceans. At Tuliqi we seek out natural beauty products that evoke the earth's most beautiful and untouched places. Our products are chosen not only for their quality and design but because they are made from the earth's finest natural fibers, materials and ingredients.

Welcome to TULIQI – naturals and organics for body, bed and bath.