Friendly Fill-Ins

We do have some fill-ins to fill in today. That being said, this week the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge will only be found on my blog, as my co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing is taking a blogging break to spend time with her sweet cat Noel, whose health is sadly declining. Please send your purrs and prayers to Noel and Ellen.

In case you missed the fill-in statements yesterday, I'll share them again here.

1. _________ never fails to improve my bad mood.

2. I feel out of place _________.

3. I would like to find a treasure chest filled with _________.

4. If you ask me, _________ keeps the doctor away.

My answers are below in bold.

1. A purring cat never fails to improve my bad mood.
(I'm sure this is the case for most of you as well.)

2. I feel out of place when I'm away from home.
(I've mentioned before that I'm a diehard homebody. One of my future goals is to work from home, because leaving the comfort of my home and my furbabies for work every day is not really my cup of tea. I don't mind the occasional outing for shopping and to go on walks and the like, but aside from that I just really like being home. I have enough hobbies, like art and writing, to keep me busy and happy at home. I'm even such a homebody that I don't like vacations, though I do enjoy staycations. Just like last year, my aunt is currently planning a family vacation to Florida for an entire week in November. My aunt even pays for everyone's room and board in a giant house on the beach, so the vacation ends up being low cost for anyone who wants to go. That being said, though I really appreciate my aunt being so kind, I never go. I can't imagine a week away from home, though that might sound strange to some.)

3. I would like to find a treasure chest filled with resources for the homeless.
(I don't even fully know what a treasure chest could be filled with to truly help the homeless of both the furry and human sort, but I'd sure like to find this solution nonetheless. Perhaps this treasure chest would be filled with oodles of money? Tickets to forever homes? Food supplies? I'd take anything that would help homeless kitties, pups, and humans find safe and sound homes.)

4. If you ask me, the unconditional love of a cat or dog keeps the doctor away.
(After all, science says kitties and pups can help us feel happier and live longer!)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below.

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Ready for Eddy? Believe it or not, on rare occasion you can catch a snoozing Eddy with the camera.

This is very rare, though. So rare that these photos are from many months ago, and I haven't achieved any photos of a snoozing Eddy since then.

These photos really aren't all that clear and focused. I can't even get a non-blurry shot of this girl when she's sleeping. That's probably my fault, because I'm certainly no professional photographer.

Due to her facial nerve paralysis, Eddy literally always sleeps with one eye open. Her right eye never fully closes. Luckily, it never dries out, in large part because the third eyelid does function properly, as you can see in the second photo above.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Doodle of the Day: Flashback Friday

Today's flashback doodle is from last year's Talk Like a Pirate Day. This momentous day falls on September 19, which this time around is next Thursday. That's why I figured I had a good enough excuse to share this pirate doodle as today's flashback. Of course, I obviously had to drown the doodle in autumn.

For at least the past two years, my one-eyed angel Rosie has starred in my Talk Like a Pirate Day doodles. I remember last year feeling inspired to also throw in a confused pup Astrid, since the day is often called Meow Like a Pirate Day as well as Bark Like a Pirate Day. I didn't want any pups feeling left out.

In case you were wondering, Rosie was most definitely the boss of Astrid when the two lived together. Astrid always knew to give Rosie her space, otherwise the whappy paws would come out. I wonder what this pup would do if she found herself on a boat with Rosie and an entire crew of kitties. Astrid loves her some kitties, but boy that would be an interesting crew of pirates. Then again, Rosie always despised other cats, so she'd likely be the most displeased with a whole crew of them.

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Did you know?

Did you know studies have found that the mere act of looking at your cat or dog can stimulate your brain to release oxytocin, a neurochemical that makes you feel joy? Just the sight of a kitty or pup is enough to improve your mood! Interacting with your cat or dog can also reduce cortisol, which is a stress hormone. As we've mentioned in previous factoids, studies have also found that life with cats and dogs can help reduce your blood pressure and your risk for cardiovascular disease, just to name a couple more examples. The power of a companion animal's unconditional love, of course in addition to their sensory abilities, is also why dogs and cats have been found to offer many emotional, mental, social, and physical benefits to individuals with PTSD, autism, and a variety of ailments. What would we do without cats and dogs in our lives?