Friendly Fill-Ins and the Letter I

Happy Friday, friends! Are you here for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? If so, let's get right to it. We'll share the fill-in statements below, in case you missed them yesterday. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I am never _________.

2. For Easter (or Passover) this year, I will _________.

3. I would want the Easter Bunny to leave me a basket filled with _________.

4. When times get tough, _________.


My answers are below in bold, yet again complete with long explanations. Feel free to skim read so that you don't fall asleep.

1. I am never without my furbabies in my presence or on my mind.
(When I'm at home, I'm pretty much always happily surrounded by a kitty or two and/or a pup. When I'm not home, they're constantly on my mind. I don't think I'm a very paranoid person in general. That being said, the one way I am paranoid is when it comes to my furbabies' health and safety. I even installed cameras in my house so that I could keep an eye on my kitties and pup when I'm not home.)

2. For Easter this year, I will be enjoying a small gathering with my parents and sister.
(We usually celebrate Easter with extended family, but social distancing has turned this year's Easter gathering into a small one. That's why, for Easter, my sister and I will be going over to our parents' house to have a quiet yet tasty feast of a lunch, of course followed by lots of desserts. And don't worry, all of the furbabies in the family will also be enjoying some Easter goodies.)

3. I would want the Easter Bunny to leave me a basket filled with cat toys.
(I already have some Easter goodies to give my kitties and pup, but I certainly wouldn't complain if the Easter Bunny left a basket of toys for them as well. One of my favorite things about every holiday is giving gifts to my furbabies. I love seeing them excited and happy.)

4. When times get tough, choose happiness.
(I know this is way, way, way easier said than done. I'm certainly not trying to downplay what's going on in the world. Nevertheless, lately I've come across a number of quotes referring to happiness being a choice, and I think there's value in that notion. There's a light at the end of every tunnel, you just have to look for it and watch it get closer. It may not always be easy, especially at times like this, but the best thing for yourself and others is to remain as positive and happy as possible.)

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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Now we'll move on to today's installment of the A to Z Challenge.

If you've been keeping track, you'll know that today we're on the letter I. In our theme of "A Day at Rosie's Restaurant", we've entered lunchtime. Today's lunch is a type of stew.

Today, Rosie has prepared Irish Coddle. This is another term for Dublin Coddle, which I mentioned is an annual meal I eat for St. Patrick's Day. Irish Coddle, or Dublin Coddle, includes ingredients such as sausage, bacon, carrots, potatoes, and onions, all made into a tasty stew. Help yourself to a bowl or two!

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Now, of course, it's time for Eddy! Today's photo is nothing high quality, and it's not the one I initially intended to share today. Nonetheless, I snapped it just the other morning while I was trapped in my own bed. I'm often held hostage by two certain furbabies while I'm sleeping, and I decided to share proof of that today.

Eddy very often sleeps on my legs, like she's doing in that there photo, and Evan very often sleeps on my right side. Who else is held hostage by their kitties at night?

On another note, do you see that bald spot on Evan's side? That's the spot where he sometimes licks himself bald in a rather neurotic way. Evan has always been a bit of a high-strung little fella, and as I mentioned a few months ago, I took Evan to the vet when he started neurotically licking at his left side to the point of baldness. Evan was essentially diagnosed by his veterinarian with neurosis and anxiety. He was prescribed amitriptyline, an anti-anxiety medication, and he has been getting it every day for something like half a year now. We get the transdermal version made by a local apothecary. Even on the medication, Evan does sometimes still lick that one particular spot on his side in a neurotic way, but the medication usually lessens that tic quite a bit. That being said, we recently got a refill, or a new batch, of the amiptriptyline. On that new batch, Evan started licking himself far more than usual. However, I very recently got him yet another new batch in hopes the other batch was just a bit faulty. We'll see if the new batch allows Evan's anxious tic to stop and his hair to grow back.

Is that enough rambling for one post? Yeah? Well then, have a happy Friday!

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip relates to the aforementioned meal of Irish Coddle in a more tangential way. Our tip today is to always know what ingredients are in a meal, especially a more complex meal, before letting your furbaby have a treat of a taste. Meals like Irish Coddle, for example, can contain a variety of ingredients that you might not know about at first glance. Not only is there onion in the stew, but the liquid portion of it is traditionally composed of beer or other similar alcoholic beverage. Onion is toxic to cats and dogs, and alcohol is also very toxic to them. Even the sausage and bacon common in Irish Coddle can pose dangers to cats and dogs, due in large part to their fatty and salty nature. So, always know what ingredients are in a meal before allowing your furbaby even a small taste, or before leaving it unattended on a table or counter. There could be hidden dangers in a meal you're not familiar with, and your furbaby's health is not worth any risk.