Friendly Fill-Ins and Photo Fails

It's another Friday edition, and we could not be more happy about that. As always, we'll kick it right off with the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. In case you missed the fill-ins statements yesterday, I'll share them again here. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I didn't _________ until I _________.

2. I try to _________.

3. My fear of _________ keeps me from _________.

4. If I were a ghost, I would haunt _________.

My answer to these fill-ins are below in bold.

1. I didn't fully realize my fondness for specially abled furbabies until I experienced my angel Rosie's geriatric years.
(My calico angel Rosie lived to 21 years young. In her advanced years, she developed kidney disease, severe arthritis, pancreatitis, and even lost an eye. I had to give her many medications multiple times a day, including subcutaneous fluids every single day. I loved it. I found that her special requirements offered us precious bonding moments. I believe I can thank my Rosie for preparing me to care for my hind limb paralyzed boy Evan, and for helping me realize that my life would feel incomplete without specially abled furbabies, who certainly share with me as many benefits as I can offer them. Two months after Rosie passed away, I even sought out a specially abled furbaby to adopt, in my special Rosie's honor. That's how Eddy joined the family, with her neurologically induced spinning and tilting.)

2. I try to stay positive.
(Sometimes I succeed, which is of course the ideal scenario. Sometimes, though, I fail miserably. Fill-in #3 below addresses that a tad bit more.)

3. My fear of failure keeps me from diving in headfirst.
(Though I do try to combat and overcome self-doubt, I can't deny that I often have a fear of failure. I at times find myself wondering if I'll ever be able to achieve all of my goals and aspirations in life. This then prevents me from making real progress on said goals and aspirations, because I instead sit around fretting rather than cracking down and diving in. I've been working to improve myself in that regard. Many days I truly am able to muster up some much needed optimism and discipline, but there are still days that are all shades of pessimism and lack of progress. I think we all have those days, though, and those days are like nasty puddles of mud that you simply have to slog through until you reach the other side.)

4. If I were a ghost, I would haunt animal abusers.
(If I was the scary kind of ghost who truly haunted and frightened and shouted "Boo!", I'd want to focus my creepy existence on those who need to be scared a little. You know, like those who prey upon the innocent. If I was a friendly ghost like Casper, though, and if haunting simply meant doing friendly sorts of things, I'd probably just do what I already do every day and hang out with my furbabies and family. A little transparency couldn't stop me from lounging on the couch with my kitties and pup.)

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,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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The next bit of Friday fun is none other than the Pet Photo Fails! Blog Hop, hosted by Melissa and Mudpie of Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries, & Meows.

Our blooper star is, of course, Eddy. This time around, she went for some frightfully festive Halloween bloopers. I was actually trying to get Eddy to pose with a certain little ghost who floats around and takes up residents on some of the shelves in the house. I even tried to distract Eddy with treats in order to get her to pose with our spooky friend. The result was, of course, a collection of bloopers.

Forget about the Headless Horseman. Headless Eddy is obviously way better.

We actually have even more bloopers from this photo shoot. But, Eddy wants to wait to share some of them next week, when we'll certainly still be in the Halloween mood.

Eddy and all of us here are wishing you a frightfully festive Friday!

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Our Halloween giveaway ends today at 6 pm, Central Time in the US. Up for grabs is a little cat-o'-lantern pillow this here human's mom sewed.

Also in the giveaway are some frightfully festive kitty toys and a little something I'm crafting up at my art desk. Just visit our post from Tuesday and leave a comment on that post to enter to win. To go to that post, just click here. We'll announce the winner tomorrow, we'll contact them, and we'll send out the goods first thing next week.

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Halloween Doodle of the Day: Flashback Friday

Today's flashback doodle of course stars Eddy. More specifically, this doodle is the one in which I drew Eddy wearing her Halloween costume last year. Does anyone remember Eddy's scribbled up costume from last year? Anyone? Yes? No? Here you go:

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Halloween Tip of the Day

We've been giving all sorts of tips related to pet safety during trick-or-treating and other Halloween festivities. And, today, we have yet another tip related to that. Then again, it is almost Halloween, so perhaps it's permitted.

Today's tip is to help your kitty or pup get rid of some extra energy by engaging them in some form of activity before any Halloween festivities begin. This way, your furbaby would have less pent up energy and therefore less anxiety or frustration while they are tucked away somewhere safe while you hand out candy or celebrate this spooky holiday in another way. Helping your kitty or pup use up that extra energy of theirs could involve playing a game such as fetch with them, or directing their attention to interactive toys. If your fubaby is one who needs or likes walks, then you can also drain and prevent pent up energy by taking them for a walk prior to trick-or-treat hours. This would again enable them to release some of their energy before being secured in their safe room while you hand out candy. All in all, pent up energy can lead to issues such as anxiety or frustration in a cat or dog. This is why it might be a good idea to take your kitty or pup for a stroll, or to play with them in the house, prior to locking them up somewhere safe and away from the door on Halloween night.