A Labor Day Picnic for You 

A Labor Day Picnic for You 

Summer is ending, the leaves will soon be changing color, but we still have one more summer holiday to celebrate, Labor Day! The true last big party weekend of the summer, Labor Day, has an old and fascinating history that deserves to be learned about and celebrated and RiverBluff Collective wants you to celebrate and learn with us. Get ready to learn more about Labor Day and some fun hemp-derived THC products to help you celebrate. Kick back in the cut, fire one up, and let’s learn about some Labor Day stuff!

Origin of Labor Day 

In the late 1800’s with the rise of unions and the labor movements of the time, the leaders of these groups took inspiration for days celebrating labor in Canada and began celebrating various labor days around the country. Most historians trace Labor Day back to September of 1882; however, two men sharing similar names and jobs are often credited with its invention. The most commonly accepted origin of the holiday is accredited to Matthew Maguire, secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York. The other accepted origin of Labor Day is accredited to Peter J. McGuire, the president of the American Federation of Labor. Regardless of who originated the holiday, its intentions didn’t vary. Labor Day is meant to celebrate the hard work people put in over the year and spend some extra time with family and friends. In its early days, unions and companies would throw picnics for workers and families to enjoy and relax. 

When Labor Day Became a Recognized Holiday 

Oregon became the first state to recognize Labor Day as a holiday in 1887. By 1894, a majority of states had adopted Labor Day. In that same year Congress passed legislation to make Labor Day an official federal holiday and it was signed into law by President Grover Clevland. This was a first step but not in the right direction as the holiday only applied to federal workers and alienated the workers who had fought for it. That alienation led to continued strikes into the 1930’s, until all workers were allowed the day off or holiday pay when Labor Day was changed from a federal holiday to a statutory holiday by the individual states. 

Products to Enjoy on Labor Day 

Let’s build a RiverBluff Collective picnic basket in honor of the early labor days! They say don’t wear white after Labor Day, but they didn’t say anything about white chocolate. Look at RiverBluff Collective’s Cookies and Cream or French Toast bars. These chocolate bars are great for incognito consumption if at an event! What would Labor Day be without a drink or two? Not everyone is a fan of alcohol, so RiverBluff Collective offers a variety of drinks. For those looking for something light they have their 4mg THC hemp-infused seltzers in three crips flavors, Strawberry Acai Lemonade, Pineapple, and Lemon. For those looking to a bit bigger dose they have 10mg and 50mg options in their Bluff Pops. If you are with people who like to burn, you can’t beat an Apple Tart pre-roll finding its way into your basket! 

Enjoy the Day 

Remember, Labor Day is a day meant for relaxation, reflection on the work you’ve done, and spending time with friends, family, or just good people. It is the last gasp of summer, so try to enjoy some outside time if you can. Appreciate yourself, appreciate your coworkers, and appreciate all the hard work that has been done in this world to make it a holiday to be celebrated! Want to stay up to date with all things RiverBluff Collective? SIGN UP for their email group to be sent the latest deals and articles as they become available. 

5 Best Summer East Dubuque Illinois Activities to Pair with a Pre-roll 

5 Best Summer East Dubuque Illinois Activities to Pair with a Pre-roll 

Summertime has kicked into full gear, and RiverBluff Collective wants to help you make the most of your time in the warm weather while it lasts. What better way to smoke on the move than the good old fashioned joint or cannabis pre-roll, as they are now called? Pre-rolls are concealable, easily portable, single use and more eco-friendly than anything battery operated.  The classics become classics for a reason! When you’re on the move and looking for a goodtime, RiverBluff Collective has all your cannabis needs (and even some stellar tips on where to enjoy them!) So, kick back in the cut, fire one up, and let’s learn about some fun things to do while high on weed. 

Hiking 

This one may be cliche but remember what was said about classics! The weather is nice outside so enjoy it while you can. You could take a walk around the block a few times and get roughly the same amount of exercise, but where is the adventurous spirit in that? A hike in the wild is good for reflection and a peaceful place to toke. 
 
Separating from the urban and suburban settings many live in can help people disconnect, even if for just a few hours, and reminds us how many of our problems aren’t as big as we think. Feeling even some of your worries melt away is priceless! The Mines of Spain are beautiful this time of year and filled with enough trails to burn through more than one day. If you are looking for more of a quick hike, a march out to either of the points at Chestnut Mountain Resort provides some of the most breathtaking views of the Mississippi River you can find. 

Camping 

Camping is just extreme hiking! Disconnecting for a little bit can melt worries away but being disconnected for a long duration can do wonders for your confidence. Leaving the house knowing you will have to find a place to sleep & make food without modern luxuries, all while carrying everything you will need on your back, is a humbling experience. No better time to uplift the situation than by lighting up!  Whether choosing a traditional campsite or just hiking and suddenly deciding you’ve found a good place to set up camp for the night, nothing beats looking up at the stars before falling asleep and wondering what else is out there. That’s right! You transition right from hiking into camping into thinking about aliens. A joint will be necessary. Most of the cool campgrounds are on the banks of the Mississippi so they can only be used when the water level is down. That puts them out of commission a lot, but if you get a weekend, they are open! Check out Miller Riverview Park & Campground, Frentress Marina and Resort, or choose one you like from this list. Luckily, most of us know someone with a yard and every yard can be a campground when motivated! It is extended hiking so bring multiple pre-rolls! 

Float On a River or Lake 

Hiking and camping both involve a lot of walking in extreme heat. Not everyone is down for that, so why not do the complete opposite? Outside to beat the heat on or in the water is the best place to be. Floating on water, stoned, relaxing in the sun, is a very freeing experience as the water pulls you along. This is the cheapest, lowest effort option available on RiverBluff’s list. Get an innertube, floaties, or any other inflatable object and find water. You’ll be floating and relaxing with a cannabis pre-roll in your mouth in no time at all. Remember, wear a lifejacket people! There are rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams everywhere including one of the largest rivers in the world right outside East Dubuque.

Find A Weird Spot to Chill 

Ditch your comfort zone and go people watching someplace weird! One of the best parts about this planet is no matter where you are there is someplace weird nearby. Most people go to the normal sites, so you see the same type of people you always see, and they are always crowded with normies. You’ll meet interesting people in weird places almost without fail. If you want to venture slightly out of state, The House on the Rock is absolutely amazing! A cavalcade of oddities and mysterious items, it served as one of the settings for Neil Gaiman’s bestselling novel, American Gods. If that doesn’t trip your fancy, just google strange places and take your pick. The Mathias Ham House isn’t as weird but it is creepy which is just as good. 

Get Lost in a Museum 

As the temperatures rise you may be in search of air conditioning! You know who has this? Museums! Do you want to take a good hike in a nice temperature-controlled room? The places are huge. Want to see the stars? A lot of them have a room for that specific purpose. You don’t need to get wet to stay cool when air conditioning exists! You want to see weird and strange things? That is exclusively what museums show off. Get lit and get lost in a museum. Burn some calories, stay cool without getting wet, and learn about something you wouldn’t have before. No better place in the area than National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium! Check out our Smokables page to find the best pre-roll for you.

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The 4th of July and Pets: How to Soothe Their Nerves 

The 4th of July and Pets: How to Soothe Their Nerves 

As summer approaches and the 4th of July grows near, the use of firecrackers and fireworks increases dramatically. We are out later at night and live to light up the dark skies! We barbecue and have family gatherings to celebrate our families and country, but our pets don’t know what we are celebrating, and the loud noises can cause panic attacks in some pets. When preparing to celebrate this summer, remember to think of your four-legged fury companion! There are many ways CBD can help your dog this 4th of July season. So, let’s kick back in the cut, fire one up, and learn about some pet stuff. 

There are two main factors that contribute to pet anxiety during the summer: 

  1.  The explosions on the 4th  
  1. The separation anxiety caused by us spending more time outside without them

These problems are unavoidable. Even if you don’t light off fireworks, someone else certainly will. With nice weather, social calendars can fill up quickly and have your pet feeling ignored.  Loud noises while you’re not home can cause even further anxiety. Luckily, there are ways to combat that anxiety with hemp-derived products for pets. 

There has been anecdotal evidence that CBD can help your pet. We say anecdotal because few studies on CBD’s effects on pets exist and sadly, it is not much better with humans. The first and most prominent study on the effects of CBD on pets was performed in a 2017 Cornell University study and showed the benefits that CBD had on treating arthritis in dogs. Using that study, some veterinarians have used it to correlate it treat other issues found in both pets and humans. Our customers have been extremely positive about their experiences treating their pets with CBD. The average dosage for pets is debated but most say it is roughly 0.40mg per pound but you can always use a conversion calculator

If you’ve been considering CBD for your pet, there is no better time to try it than the 4th of July season. RiverBluff carries CBD for pets, as well as dosed dog teats, and tinctures for humans can also be dosed down for pets. Unfortunately, these products aren’t available in our online store, but you can stop into our East Dubuque IL location and talk to one of our wonderful budtenders to see if CBD might be right for your pet. To stay up to date with all the latest deals and articles be sure to SIGN UP for our email group today! 

How To Infuse Your Pre-Roll 

How To Infuse Your Pre-Roll 

Most people who smoke joints eventually want to try out something new and more intense. An infused joint would be their perfect next step! An infused joint is a pre-rolled cannabis joint that is enhanced with additional cannabis extracts like hash, kief, or live resin. Some burn great and some not so much, but no one denies their effectiveness. Infused pre-rolls are heavy hitters and more costly due to their infusion of cannabis concentrates, but what if you could make them yourself? Would it be cheaper? Would it burn more consistently? Yes, and yes but constantly doesn’t necessarily mean consistently better. That will depend on the time and care you put into your creation. So, kick back in the cut, fire one up, and let’s learn about making some concentrate infused stuff! 

The Parfait (Cone) 

The parfait is the easiest to produce infused pre-roll by far. Let’s start at packing a cone first. You pack a cone like a little musket. Put ground herb in top and use the stick to pack it. Repeat until desired smoking size then twist and fire. To make the parfait, you do the same process but will add in the concentrate of your choice at the dosage you want. The best parfaits seem to be 5 layers going from herb to concentrate to herb to concentrate, to herb. You’ll want to use a dryer concentrate like sand, bubble hash, or some badders.

The Snake (Hand Rolled) 

The snake bumps up the difficulty a notch as you’ll need to know how to hand roll. We won’t be going over how to roll a joint here as there are a thousand ways to roll a joint by hand and videos explaining how to do most of them. The best advice is to pick your method and watch it be done multiple times. Get some wraps and herb and vow not to smoke until you roll something worthy of smoking. With that said, when you lay your herb into your paper put a line of whatever concentrate you prefer in and twist it up. You can use less dry concentrates here as the herb will get coated as rolling. Speaking of coating… 

The Coating 

There is another easy way to infuse your pre-roll and it is as simple as it sounds. Once you have your pre-roll prepared, use a wetter stickier concentrate and give your roll a light coating. Then take a dryer concentrate and roll the now sticky joint in it to give it a new outside texture. These are tougher to dose, so be careful when preparing and firing up! 

The Doom Bringer 

This method takes all you’ve learned thus far and rolls it into one. It also is the easiest to explain because you’ve learned all the methods already! Take your parfait or snake and give it the coating method. This is the hardest to perfect though as getting a pre-roll with that much concentrate to burn correctly is a lot like asking your pet to do the dishes. It is probably never going to be perfect, but it should get better with practice! To see all the fixings we have for your next infusion, check out our Smokables page for all of our instore offerings.

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How 7/10 Came to be Celebrated 

How 7/10 Came to be Celebrated 

Dispensaries are flooded during your typical holiday weekend. Afterall, cannaconsumers love to celebrate! Those who love cannabis have even founded their own holidays. Almost everyone knows that 4/20 is the unofficial national weed day, but do you know about 7/10 the unofficial National Dab Day? 7/10 hasn’t been celebrated as long as 4/20 but it grows in popularity year after year. We’re going to take a deeper look into 7/10 and its humble rise from street slang into the average cannaconsumer vocabulary. So, let’s kick back in the cut, fire one up and learn about some holiday weed stuff.  

Where Did It Come From? 

Did you know, 710 spun 180 degrees spells OIL?! Oil has been associated with cannabis concentrates longer than any other slang term as hash oil is one of the first known uses of cannabis concentrates. 710 would then become a slang term for dabs by street dealers and enter the Urban Dictionary in 2010. In 2011, Rap star TaskRok of Highly Educated began to use the term in interviews and in conversation with other artists. That same year he released an album under the group Task & Linus titled The Movement full of cannabis references, including the song 7:10. He was very vocal about the benefits of dabbing while downplaying the benefits of traditional smoking. Without a doubt, dabbing exploded in popularity between 2010 and 2013.  

Why Did It Become Celebrated? 

As all things cannabis became more accepted and grew in popularity, those who are active in cannabis culture naturally sought out more days to celebrate our culture. 7/10 didn’t really become celebrated until 2013 when LA Weekly dropped an article titled 7/10 Is the New 4/20. The term 710 was spreading with its newfound notoriety, even 420 glass cleaner released a new formula for oil rigs called 710. Now, 710 was visible in most smoke shops and people began to ask questions and wanted to become educated on its history. The more dabbing grew in popularity, the quicker cannaconsumers took to own 7/10 as another one of our cherished holidays. Today 7/10 is almost as well-known as 4/20 when it comes to green holidays and shows no signs of slowing down! 

And So, We Dab 

So, on 7/10 we dab. We dab together to be social and celebrate the wonderful culture we all live in, a onetime counterculture that is now just culture. With that said, you should probably get stocked up for the holiday and boy do we have some recommendations! Unfortunately, we don’t carry any oils on the site, but you can stop into our East Dubuque location and check out our amazing selection available by visiting our Smokables page. The selection is ever changing but they are all top notch and priced to go! Don’t worry, if you aren’t a dabber, carts are oil too so you can still join in the festivities. Not sure what to pick and need more information, just check out this Dabs: The Sleeping Giant of THC Products article. No matter what your plans are for 7/10, take a moment and reflect on how far the world has come to celebrate a day like it and enjoy the holiday. If you want to stay up to date on the latest deals and article SIGN UP for our free email group. 

Tolerance Breaks and You 

Tolerance Breaks and You 

The world of smokeable hemp and hemp-derived THC products is an amazing and wonderful place but for everyday consumers the reward fades over time as they build what is known as a tolerance. To get back to reaping the full reward of your smoke session, you may want to take a tolerance break aka a T-break. Yes, taking a T-break requires you to avoid your favorite plant for a period of time but the outcome is worth the break! We’re going to talk about the science behind it, ways to occupy your time during one, and the other hidden advantages to a tolerance break. So, kick back in the cut, don’t fire one up, and let’s learn about taking a break from weed stuff. 

How THC is Stored in the Body 

THC is stored in the body’s fat cells. Simply stopping for a bit will allow the body to burn off some of those fat cells and help the body naturally reset its tolerance. With no new THC entering the cells, your body’s tolerance will decrease over time. Just like over exposure to anything, giving your body a break will benefit you long-term.

 Ways to Occupy Your Free Time 

During a tolerance break you will have time to kill and there are plenty of productive ways to fill that time. If you have been putting off tasks like housework or getting ahead on future tasks or work, you now have some extra time to devote to them. If you have a hobby or ever wanted to start a hobby, you have more time to do so during this period. Probably the most common thing to do during a tolerance break is exercise. This is good for the body and helps with the tolerance break as it burns fatty cells. The important thing is you have extra time and there is nothing more valuable than that. 

Hidden Advantages of Tolerance Breaks 

Outside the time regained there are other little advantages that make tolerance breaks well worth it. First, think of the money you can save during this time. Is there something you’ve been meaning to buy? Well, now you’ll have extra money for a bit to put towards it. Second, you can help end the stigma that THC is addictive by simply stopping for a bit and not falling into disarray. Lastly and most importantly, you’ll get that old time high that you may have forgotten. It will take you back to the days when you first discovered THC and the nostalgia will wash over you. 

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