Fill-Ins and Photo Ops

Yet another weekend is upon us! What's even better is that here in the US, it's a three-day weekend thanks to the Labor Day holiday on Monday. And what's even better than that is that it's time for the weekly Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by the dynamic duo of 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader!

Our hosts somehow always manage to give us increasingly creative fill-ins week after week. Here are the clever fill-ins for this week:

1. My favorite way to exercise is _________.
2. Something I learned last week was _________.
3. I am sentimental about _________.
4. Some people might find it surprising to know _________.

I nearly fried my brain trying to come up with answers worthy of these. I hope I did well enough.

1. My favorite way to exercise is using my recumbent exercise bike.

(Although not the most favorite activity of my day, I exercise every morning before work. What makes it as good as it can get is my exercise bike, because I can pedal away with my legs while at the same time holding a book to read or a device on which to blog. I can even tell myself that holding up a book is the same thing as an arm workout. Right?)

2. Something I learned last week was that I may have a phobia of sloths.

(This is a weird and random one, but I guess that's not all that unusual for me. What spurred this discovery was the fact that, due to his relatively lazy and immobile nature, my sister and I often jokingly and oh so lovingly compare her cat Toby to a sloth. When I realized last week that I really didn't know much about sloths, I decided to do a little research on them. That's when, after but a couple YouTube videos, I realized that watching the poor little guys try to move around actually made me feel uncomfortable. I  love all animals, but have you ever seen a video of a sloth trying to conquer a field of grass, or trying to cross a road? It's the most bizarre combination of sad and strange. Of course, that may just be me.)

3. I am sentimental about my cats' and dogs' fur and whiskers.

(I'm not sure how weird or abnormal this is, but I tend to collect and keep any whiskers I find at my house. What's more, I have little containers with fur from each of my angel furbabies, including Rosie and my past two pups, Banjo and Shellie. And, back when Rosie was an only cat, I spent years collecting her whiskers that I'd find. On the day she crossed the Rainbow Bridge, I suddenly realized that I couldn't remember where I'd put the baggie that contained my large collection of her whiskers. I was on the verge of a total meltdown when something compelled me to look inside a purse that I had not even used in over a decade, and there they were. Somehow they had landed in that dusty old bag, and some higher power must have had pity on my panicking soul and urged me to look there. Rosie's whiskers are now tucked safely away with her cremated remains and clay paws.)

4. Some people might find it surprising to know that I am not a big fan of my mancat Evan's name.

(As many of you know, Evan was dumped at the front door of the cat clinic where I used to work, after being paralyzed in a coyote attack. I did not name him. Rather, the veterinarian owner of the clinic selected his name well before I adopted him. To be honest, and although I can't really pinpoint exactly why, I've never been fond of the name Evan (I mean absolutely no offense to anyone with this name!). However, Evan absolutely loves his name and has since the day he got it. That's why, after adopting him, I simply couldn't change it. For the record, I would have named him Fergus.)

Well, that all being said, Eddy would now like to show off her pics of the week.

Look at this little ball of energy sitting still for two whole pictures! So what that you can't even see her face? It's the small victories that count.

In case you can't tell, in these pictures Eddy was sitting on my lap while I knelt on the floor. That's what it takes sometimes, to get her to sit still for more than half a second. Lap bribery. And stay tuned, because next week Eddy will share with you the plethora of bloopers from this largely unsuccessful photo shoot.

A very happy Friday to all of our furiends!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Today's tip is an expansion of one of our first, earliest ever tips from way back when. And that tip is to make sure that you take into consideration as many factors as possible when choosing a name for your furbaby. After all, it is important that your furbaby have a name that will indeed grab their attention in any situation. Although not a proven fact, it is often said that cats and dogs might best learn names with two syllables. Longer names can potentially become confusing, perhaps with the risk of a cat or dog losing interest or recognition before it is all said. Also consider whether the name at hand sounds like a name of any other animal or human in the family, so that there won't be any confusion. And don't forget whether it could potentially sound like or be confused with other common words or commands. Popularity, or lack there of, could also play a part, especially if you want to ensure that your furbaby has a name that won't grab the attention of other same-named animals in a crowded setting. All of this being said, one very important factor, perhaps the most important, is your furbaby's own personal preference. Some animals will simply respond to certain names better than others, so it is never a bad idea to test out a variety of names to see which one your furbaby responds to best.