Friendly Fill-Ins and the Letter O

Happy Friday! Are you ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins? If so, we'll share the fill-in statements again below. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I can't wait for _________ to reopen after the quarantine.

2. I am in no hurry for _________ to reopen after the quarantine.

3. These days, _________ is my default mood.

4. Have I ever told you _________?


My answers are below in bold. I apologize that some of them (I'm looking at you, #4) are accompanied by a painfully long explanation.

1. I can't wait for my church to reopen after the quarantine.
(I know not everyone is religious, but I am. I'm Catholic, and the Easter season felt so strange without the usual church services. There are multiple ways that I can watch live church services online, but it admittedly does not feel the same. Aside from going to work, the only other thing I for certain do every week is go to church. Since I'm still going to work every day, and since I'm essentially always at home when off work, the only thing this pandemic has kept me from is church. I miss going to church.)

2. I am in no hurry for restaurants to reopen after the quarantine.
(I certainly do not wish any restaurant owners or workers to be without jobs. The only reason I put this answer is because I don't eat out at restaurants very often at all, so I haven't felt affected by the changes in restaurant availability during this pandemic. I wish the best for all restaurant owners and workers, and for all those whose livelihoods are affected by this pandemic.)

3. These days, reflective is my default mood.
(I struggled with what to put for this one. I'm guessing a lot of people might answer with feelings of anxiety and uncertainty, which is completely valid and understandable. As for me, I've been feeling a bit reflective, thinking about how the world was just a couple months ago, and how it will hopefully grow to be once this is all over.)

4. Have I ever told you why Evan's birthday is April 15?
(Evan is like many rescue kitties in the sense that his birthday is a guesstimate. I met him at the end of May 2013, when he was roughly 6 weeks old, and I just had to guess a birthday for him. I actually feel bad about the reason why I picked April 15. Ready for a lengthy story time?

I worked at a cat clinic when I met Evan. When I arrived to the clinic one day in late May in 2013, I found him abandoned in a carrier outside the front door. He had a snotty, crusty little face thanks to a nasty URI. He had explosive diarrhea thanks to coccidia. What's more, he was dragging his hind legs behind him thanks to a coyote attack, something I only knew because a letter had been left with him. He was also hissing and spitting up a storm, as he was apparently a semi-feral barn kitty.

At that time, I was the only employee the veterinarian had hired to work at her cat clinic. It was a clinic that offered not only typical veterinary services to cats, but also offered boarding as well as had cats up for adoption. I was the only employee there to answer the phone, assist clients at the front desk, assist with appointments, assist with surgeries, and feed and clean boarders and adoptees. I loved all the animals I worked with, but it was nonetheless incredibly stressful trying to juggle all the daily tasks on my own.When I found Evan outside the clinic's front door, I realized he would require extensive care that I would have to add to the other tasks I was juggling. So, when I backtracked his approximate age of 6 weeks and realized the little orange kitten in need of intensive care was probably born mid-April, I decided to give him the birthday of none other tax day in the US. His was a taxing case during a taxing time, so that's what I went with.

I really feel bad for picking that day. I've since kept that as his birthday, since it is the day that was first chosen for him. Despite the fact that April 15 is technically tax day, I love my boy Evan so much and really don't find him taxing at all. He's my hero.)

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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And now, of course, we have today's installment of the A to Z Challenge.

"A Day at Rosie's Restaurant" is our theme, as many of you probably already know. Today's letter is O. So, what did Rosie prepare for the occasion?

Oysters Rockefeller! If I'm being honest, I had no idea what it meant for an oyster to be Rockefeller style. I'm not much of a fan of seafood, and I've actually never eaten even a single oyster in my life. So, I had to look up oysters Rockefeller. If you're like me and have no idea, oysters Rockefeller are oysters in a half shell, topped with a sauce consisting of butter, parsley and other herbs, and bread crumbs. Sometimes spinach is involved. Lemon also often plays a role. Honestly, oysters sort of freak me out, so I just looked up oysters Rockefeller, used the first one or two images I saw as inspiration, and went from there.

Is anyone our there a fan of oysters? If so, help yourself to this dish. It's all yours.

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Now, are you ready for Eddy? Today's shot was yet another one I snapped from a weird angle while Eddy was distracted by the window.

I'm not positive whether Eddy was looking outside or looking at her own reflection, but either one would've been a lovely view. Perhaps she was admiring her whiskers. They're especially stunning in this shot, don't you think?

Have a fantastic Friday!

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Tip of the Day

We talked about oysters for the A to Z Challenge today. So, are oysters safe for cats and dogs? In moderation and as a very small treat, your kitty or pup could enjoy a taste of oyster. That being said, be sure to give them a taste of oyster only if it is prepared in a safe way. Do not feed raw oysters, as they can potentially contain bacteria or even viruses, and it is generally just not advisable to feed raw seafood. Try not to feed a cat or dog fried oyster. Rather, if you wish to let your kitty or pup have a small snack of oyster, make sure it is steamed or prepared in another safe, healthy way. As we always say, also do not feed oysters or any other food that contains ingredients that could be harmful. For example, do not feed oysters prepared with onion, garlic, excess salt, excess fat, and so forth. As you probably already know, also keep those oyster shells away from your furbaby. Not only can they be choking hazards, but they can also be sharp and therefore painful and dangerous to chew or swallow. All in all, if fed in moderation and if properly prepared, oyster is not necessarily harmful to dogs and cats. If you have any doubts regarding how an oyster dish is prepared, if you have doubt on whether your kitty or pup is allergic to foods such as oyster, or if you have any doubts at all, simply do not feed it to your kitty or pup, and speak to a veterinarian as needed.