Merry Sixth Day of Christmas!

Hello and Merry Sixth Day of Christmas, friends! We're so sorry for yet another late post. End-of-year shenanigans are well underway at my workplace, so it's been extra chaotic. Truth be told, I was working on this post after work yesterday, but then I sort of fell asleep well before 8 pm, and then I didn't wake up until it was time to leave for work this morning. Today is my last work day of the year, though, and for that I am beyond grateful. Speaking of being grateful, it is indeed the day of Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Of course, as always, Thimble also has a thankful thing or two to share.

Thimble is grateful our Christmas trees stay up until after the first week of January. This is because the the Twelve Days of Christmas span until January 5, and then Christmas season doesn't fully end until after Three Kings Day, which is on January 6. So, Thimble is thankful that she gets to enjoy her trees for at least another week.

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Before we share the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, I'll say that I know today is the day of Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge. Though one of my major goals in the impending new year is to quickly get back to our regular programming that we lost our footing on this year, we are pushing today's poem back a day or two. It will be coming very soon!

Now, how about those fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I had hoped to _________ in 2021 but didn't.

2. A goal I have for 2022 is _________.

3. I'll be _________ when 2021 ends.

4. I hope 2022 brings _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Truth be told, I don't really want to waste one of our new Christmassy doodles on a post going up so late in the day. So, how about this oldie that was technically the illustration to a poem back in 2019? I recently saw an image of a festive horse, and it reminded me of this old doodle.

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip on winter feral care is to remember to put water out for ferals and strays you care for. This sounds and often feels impossible, given that water freezes in cold temperatures. However, it is often possible to make water accessible to ferals or strays even in the winter months. Yesterday's tip discussed ways to successfully feed moist food to ferals in the winter, and most of those methods will also work for water. You can start by simply checking the water as often as possible, and removing ice or refreshing the water to ensure that it remains a liquid and not a frozen solid. You can also warm the water bowl, or even put out warm water, to delay its freezing. Other options include putting microwavable heat pads beneath the water bowl, using an electric heated bowl, or using another heat source in the area where the water is kept. With all such options, though, always keep safety in mind, and only choose and use heated products that best prevent burns and fires.

There are a couple of other considerations to make when putting water outside for ferals and strays in the winter months. To begin, try to keep water bowls elevated off of the cold ground as much as possible, to help keep it from freezing rapidly. In addition to this, using a deep bowl inside of a wide bowl will also help it to freeze less rapidly. Another option is to have a source of running water, such as by offering water in some sort of fountain, as moving water does not as easily freeze. And yet another way to help keep water from freezing rapidly in the winter is to put the bowl in the sun.

It also important to note that, as much as is possible, try to avoid putting water near where ferals or strays might sleep. This is because spills can indeed happen, and damp bedding material can make warmth and comfort difficult. So, there are many considerations to make when successfully offering water to ferals and strays in the winter months, but it is indeed possible, and of course also beneficial to them and their health.