Friday, July 3, 2020

Friendly Fill-Ins

Happy Friday! We'll get right to the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. If you'd like to participate but missed the fill-in statements yesterday, we'll share them again here. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.


1. My plans for the weekend include _________.

2. I _________ fireworks.

3. I'm grateful I have the freedom to _________.

4. _________ make(s) a house a home.


My answers are below in bold, accompanied by their usual long, tiresome explanations.

1. My plans for the weekend include a whole lot of blissful nothing.
(I love nothing more than having a weekend with little to no plans. I just want to stay home and relax with my kitties and pup, and that's exactly what I'll be doing this weekend. I also want to get caught back up on blogging and visiting you friends of ours, work on some art, write, read, and all that jazz. I'm still trying to rest my hand a bit since it decided to up and develop carpal/cubital tunnel syndrome, but I also really can't help but try to do all my usual things. I have today off as well as the rest of the weekend, so I'm beyond happy. There will be a couple dog walks in there, and probably a mowing session, but I can handle that if the rest of the weekend is full of a whole lot of nothingness. Oh, and there will be a pizza and ice cream party with my parents and sister tomorrow for Independence Day, which I won't complain about one bit.)

2. I have a love-hate relationship with fireworks.
(I sort of appreciate the celebratory concept of fireworks, and I think they're pretty to watch from afar. Beyond that, though, I'm not a big fan of fireworks. They're loud, dangerous, potential fire hazards, are too often used irresponsibly, and they scare animals, both domestic and wild. I'm lucky that not a single furbaby in my house is scared of fireworks, but I know that's certainly not the case for all animals. My heart breaks for animals, both in homes and outdoors, who are afraid of all the fireworks that constantly go off this time of year. I also feel bad for soldiers or anyone with PTSD that is triggered by fireworks.)

3. I'm grateful I have the freedom to think for myself.
(I'm grateful I have the freedom to think my own thoughts. I'm grateful I have the freedom to speak my thoughts. I'm grateful I can express my thoughts and beliefs in ways that are meaningful to me, such as through art and writing. Sort of in line with this, one of my greatest fears in life is the potential for developing dementia or Alzheimer's when I grow old. In saying this I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone who suffers from such ailments. My grandma has dementia, bordering on Alzheimer's, and seeing it firsthand makes it all the more a devastating and terrifying disease. Losing the ability to remember, losing the ability to have one's usual thoughts, losing the ability to fully express oneself—those are thoughts that plain and simply terrify me. My prayers are with all those who are affected by dementia or Alzheimer's.)

4. Furbabies make a house a home.
(My house would not be a home without my kitties and pup. I'm certain I'm not the only one who thinks this, and I'm guessing I'm not the only one who will give this same answer for this fill-in.)


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.



***

Now, how about your Friday Eddy fix? As seems to always be the case when it comes to photos of Eddy, today's shot is nothing even remotely high quality. With this one, I mainly wanted to show off Eddy's eye color. I love her eyes. They're an aquamarine sort of color, and I'm always trying to snap shots that justify them. I don't know that this shot really does that, but here's Eddy's pretty eye nonetheless.


Do you see Evan in the background there? Eddy and Evan were giving me their usual morning cuddles before I got up for work. I love these cuddle sessions.

Have a fantastic Friday!



***
Flashback Doodle of the Day

Both my new doodles and flashback doodles have mostly been in home settings lately. I've scribbled up lots of calm and cozy imagery, so how about something a bit more bright today? Let's go for this colorful kitchen that showed up in my sketchbook last year. Remember this one?




***
Tip of the Day

Just as humans can develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease, cats and dogs can develop cognitive dysfunction. Given that this mostly affects older animals, it's sometimes more descriptively called senior pet cognitive dysfunction. As pets age, their brains essentially age with them. This means that their cognitive function can ultimately decline, just as humans' can. In the veterinary and pet education world, signs and symptoms that can result from senior pet cognitive dysfunction have come to be remembered using the acronym DISHA. The areas of an animal's life that can affected by cognitive decline are, as indicated with the acronym DISHA, disorientation, interactions, sleep-wake cycle changes, house soiling, and activity level. In other words, a cat or dog with cognitive dysfunction might act lost or confused, might interact with animals and people in ways abnormal to them, might not sleep or wake at times normal to them, might urinate or defecate inside the house despite being house trained, and might either become less active or more active in a potentially restless manner.

As your furbaby ages, keep an eye on their overall activity and behaviors. You know your furry companion better than anyone, so you are the most likely to notice any changes in the way they act or feel. If you start seeing signs of cognitive decline in your aging cat or dog, discuss this with your veterinarian. There are some medications and even diets that have been used to potentially help treat senior pet cognitive dysfunction. It might not always be easy to see our furbabies age, but it is our obligation to care for them and to help them age as gracefully and safely as possible.

12 comments:

Pam and Teddy said...

Wonderful fill-ins......I used to love fireworks but find I'm less tolerant of all that noise these days! Quiet - I love QUIET! My Mother passed away from Alzheimers in 2001 so I totally understand hoping that it doesn't knock on my (or your) door. It was devastating the day she no longer knew who I was when I visited her. The mind is such a wonderful and complicated thing - and it's difficult to imagine NOT having the ability to express feelings, thoughts, memories, etc. I could see it in her eyes that she was frustrated that she was unable to even speak sometimes. Let's just say we refuse to be visited by dementia OK? OK!!!!!

Hugs, Pam :)

Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty said...

Lovely doodle once again!

messymimi said...

That is a beautiful eye color.

Great fill-ins, i agree that any cognitive decline is scary, in people and pets. We had a cat who, if she’d been a person, could have been a special education child. She got more and more easily lost in the house as she grew older, so we confined her to our bedroom and she was more content with that. She already had problems, but you could tell as she grew older she lost what little mental faculty she’d ever had. We loved her from the day she was born and orphaned until she crossed the bridge at 13.

Eddy does have pretty eyes!

Hope your wrists heals up quickly.

The Florida Furkids said...

Great Fill-in answers. Mom loves to watch the Macy's fireworks but hates the ones in our neighborhood.

The Florida Furkids

Yvonne said...

Our fill ins are similar this week. I hope you have a great weekend!

violaetcetera said...

Of course I answered #4 the same way... It's just wonderful to share your home with furbabies.
My heart cat Sammy had dementia at the end of her life (she was with us for 18 years) as well, but she always calmed down when we were near.
Have a wonderful weekend!

The Island Cats said...

Eddy has such pretty eyes! We feel the same way as you do about fireworks. They're so pretty to see...but so noisy! Maybe someone could invent quiet fireworks. :)

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...

Those are beautiful peepers! Love your answers...your weekend plans sound purrfect!

pilch92 said...

I love all your answers. I am sorry your Grandma has dementia though, that must be so hard on you and your family. Very cute drawing. Eddy is a cutie and so is Evan. Have a wonderful 4th- enjoy that pizza. XO

Cathy Keisha said...

What a cute doodle! TW loves fireworks but only the official ones shot by experts. At the old house, three of her neighbors set their laws/sheds on fire. The closest she's ever seen fireworks is from across the river where she hopes to see the Macy's display tomorrow.

Sandee said...

Love your fill-ins. I'm not a fan of fireworks either because they scare many of our four-legged family members. I hear you about #3. I'm looking at 68 years old in a few months and I worry about the same thing.

Thank you for co-hosting the Friendly Fill-ins. I look forward to them each week.

Have a fabulous Independence Day. ♥

Peachy, Stippie, Angel Binky and Granny said...

Great fill-ins. I't only since this last year that I don't care about fireworks anymore, actually since I'm older. Granny never liked fireworks since she almost got hit by a rocket, when she lighted it while standing over it. She was about 11 years old then. You're both very cute Eddy and Evan and we like your doodles so much💗Extra Pawkisses🐾😽💞