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.

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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!

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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?

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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.