Friendly Fill-Ins and Photo Fails

TGIF, right? Now that it is indeed Friday, how about the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? If you'd like to join in, please do so! My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. Every fall I _________.

2. It is never too early to _________.

3. I would describe my lifestyle as _________.

4. _________ requires a lot of patience.

My answers are below in bold.

1. Every fall I go all out for Halloween.

(I've probably beat this sort of answer into the ground. I love Halloween, and you get the idea. All of my indoor Halloween decor is already up, but so as not to freak out the neighbors, I have held off on putting up the outdoor decor. It's about time, though. I might even put it up this weekend.)

2. It is never too early to start your Christmas shopping.

(I've never really been one to procrastinate. It stresses me out too much to wait until last minute. I was this way even as a kid. That's probably why, especially when I reached adulthood, I got into the habit of starting my Christmas shopping in July, sometimes even earlier. I'm actually almost done with all of my Christmas shopping, and that makes me so happy. I love knowing that once the Christmas season starts, all of my gifts are in hand and ready to be wrapped.)

3. I would describe my lifestyle as controlled chaos.

(Generally speaking, I live a pretty simple, calm life. After all, I'm not a very spontaneous or social person. But, I do live with six cats and a giant dog, so chaos just sort of happens. All the time. In a sort of controlled way. Sort of. This answer probably makes no sense, but it's what I've got to offer.)

4. Dealing with people requires a lot of patience.

(No offense to any of our human friends out there. You're all great. In the real and daily life that occurs in-person, though, people are just a lot to handle. Sometimes clients at work are just so much fun, and so are co-workers, and please note my sarcasm. I'm probably also a bit worn out with people thanks to one of my neighbors. If you want the long version of that story, feel free to read on while I vent my frustration. I'm also curious if anyone else has gone through anything like this.

So, I have a neighbor who told me she wants to put up a fence. Generally speaking, this would not bother me in the least. But, then she told me that instead of determining the property line like she's required to do in our city before putting up a fence, she instead wants to just tear down the fence that for probably 20 or more years has been attached to the gate that leads into my back yard, and she wants to put her fence there. I'm pretty sure that's my property, since it is kind of attached to my gate, but she pretty much told me to my face that she doesn't care. The thing is, I kind of like my fence, and so does pup Astrid, since it sort of allows her to safely enjoy our back yard. My neighbor also already had a fencing company out to give her an estimate, and apparently they told her that a shed I built in my back yard would get in their way of maneuvering while they put the fence up where she wants it, so she also told me I need to move my shed. When I didn't do so, she turned me into the city. The city ruled in my favor, telling my neighbor that she can neither make me move my shed nor put up a fence without knowing the property line. Now my neighbor is really unhappy. In fact, after the meeting she called with the city, which I was also invited to, she actually threatened me. She also threatened my shed, but don't worry, its feelings weren't hurt. Because, you know, it's an inanimate object. Anyway, none of this is your problem, and I'm sorry for unloading it on you. This is my first time ever having a true issue with a neighbor, and this is new and very confusing territory for me. I must admit, though, that this venting session helped me feel a bit better about the situation. Now, back to regular programming, where I don't complain the entire time.)

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 it's time for the Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop, hosted by none other than Melissa and Mudpie of Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries, & Meows.

As always, our resident blooper queen Eddy is more than ready to share some blurry and distracted goodness with you all. See?

Happy Friday, friends!

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Doodle of the Day

How about a doodle in honor of decorating for Halloween, as I happily mentioned in the fill-ins today?

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Tip of the Day

Today's disaster preparedness tip is a rather specific one, and it is to consider using a pet rescue alert decal or sticker at your house. These decals or stickers are meant to alert rescue response teams as to how many and what kinds of animals are in the home. They can be placed on a screen door, on a window near a door, or somewhere similar where rescuers can easily see it. This type of information on what animals are in the home can help in the case of a house fire or any emergency evacuation, especially in cases when you are in any way unable to inform response teams as to how many and what kinds of animals are in the home and in need of rescuing. There are a variety of these decals or stickers available online, but one easy way to get them is through the ASPCA, as you can visit their website and order free pet emergency alert decals for your home.

Alerting emergency personnel of the animals in your home can help them to more quickly rescue your companion animals in the event of a fire or other emergency. This being said, though, please do ensure that any such decals or stickers are kept up-to-date. Not only is this important for ensuring that all animals in the house are properly accounted for, but is also important for the safety of emergency personnel. For example, if one of your furbabies has passed away but it is still included on an displayed pet emergency alert at your home, then emergency crews might put their lives at risk looking for an animal who is not even present. So, while these pet emergency alert bulletins can indeed benefit your pets' safety, also ensure that you use them properly in order to keep emergency personnel equally safe.