Friendly Fill-Ins and Eddy's Photo Fails

Hello and happy Friday, friends! We're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and we'd love for you to join us. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. I used to dislike _________ until _________.

2. If it weren't for _________, I would never _________.

3. I find _________ very intimidating.

4. _________ gives me the inspiration to _________.

My answers are below in bold, and are yet again accompanied by all of my rambling.

1. I used to dislike the thought of reading e-books until I met my Amazon Kindle.
(Don't get me wrong, because I still love reading physical books. That said, my parents got me a Kindle for Christmas over 10 years ago. It took me awhile to really form a bond with it, but now my Kindle and I are very good friends. E-books save me money and shelf space, and are also very easy to transport and are simply easy to read pretty much anywhere. Again, I still love physical books, but I now very regularly read on my Kindle, something that years ago I never thought would be true.)

2. If it weren't for my previous job, I would never have developed my customer service skills.
(I'm not a people person or a social creature. But, my previous job forced me to become good with people and to be good at customer service. Back then I worked at a veterinary clinic, where being the sole employee of a rather abrasive veterinarian forced led me to learn how to keep people happy and coming through our doors. It was one day when one of our clients commented on how friendly and social I was that I realized I had developed a whole other personality while at work. The customer service version of me is someone I don't even recognize when in my natural, comfortable state.)

3. I find my to-do lists very intimidating.
(I have various to-do lists, such as one at my day job, one for home projects, one for personal and creative projects, and so on and so forth. Some of the stuff, especially my personal and creative goals, are things that I very badly want to accomplish, but even that list is daunting some days. Sometimes even things we desire can feel overwhelming, but such it is to be human.)

4. My furry family gives me the inspiration to be and do my best.
(I wasn't entirely sure how to word this one, but the short story is that my kitties and pup are some of my greatest inspirations in all areas of my life. They motivate me to be my best and do my best, both for their sake and mine.)

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 blooper queen Eddy is ready for this event. And she's ready for it by walking away from the camera.

I have a great many bloopers like this from Eddy. I ask her to pose for the camera, and she happily turns away.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Are you ready for an insanely long tip? Yes? Good. Because that's what we have for you today. Yesterday, we discussed the presence of parasites even in the winter, and the resulting importance of preventatives. During this discussion, we talked about how mice can carry parasites, and so how mice in the home can lead to the risk of parasites in our furbabies. Parasites are not the only way mice can affect our furbabies, though. As we mentioned yesterday, mice can often find ways into homes during the winter months, as they are seeking warm places to stay. As a result, some people move forward with ways of eradicating mice in the home. When it comes to such methods, always consider how they can affect our furbabies. For example, the common wooden snap traps can obviously cause pain and injury. If a curious paw or nose finds the traps, such as if lured by the scent of peanut butter or cheese on the trap, it can snap closed and cause damage to little paws and noses.

As an alternative to the wooden and metal snap traps, there are mouse traps that are considered safer. One option includes plastic snap traps that do not contain metal that could easily break or otherwise harm a cat or dog paw. There are also sticky traps, which do not contain the danger of snapping parts, but these do of course contain adhesives, which can cause risks such as stuck paws or fur, or the dangerous consumption of adhesive material. There is also the debate on whether sticky traps, or other traps, are humane for the mice. If you are looking to spare the life of the mouse, you can also consider various live traps, or catch-and-release traps.

No matter what kind of trap you use, if you use them, always put them somewhere that your furbaby cannot reach. This might mean putting traps in cabinets that you ensure your furbaby cannot open. Sometimes traps can also be placed under boxes or containers constructed to allow a mouse access, but to block a furbaby's access to the trap beneath. In other cases, traps could be placed in rooms or areas of the home where your furbaby cannot access, such as rooms with closed doors, attics, crawl spaces, and so forth. This of course goes for the more dangerous traps, but also even the safer ones. This is because no mouse trap poses zero risk, and a curious kitty or pup might try to get a mouse even in a trap. While cats are of course classically known as being mouse hunters, it is still perhaps ideal for them not to regularly play with or consume mice, such as to avoid parasites, choking, and so forth. As a side note, when I worked at a cat clinic, a cat once came in with a mouse head lodged in its throat. This is why you hear me mention to perhaps avoid allowing your cats to catch mice, in order to prevent dangers such as this.

Of course, this lengthy discussion on mice in the home would not be complete without mentioning the danger of rodenticides. Rodenticides can contain incredibly toxic ingredients, such as anticoagulants. This means if a kitty or pup manages to come in contact with or consume the rodenticide itself, or even if they find a mouse who has come in contact with or consumed the rodenticide, serious side effects can occur. For this reason, simply avoid using rodenticides. This is for the safety of your furbaby, and also for the safety of ferals, strays, and wildlife who can also be affected by the serious side effects of rodenticides. There are rodenticides on the market that are listed as safe for cats and dogs, but using those would of course require proper research.

All in all, mice in the home is not an ideal situation, for reasons including health and safety. Mice can carry disease and parasites, and can potentially and dangerously chew on wires and cables in the walls or other areas of the home. That being said, though, only use mice prevention methods in your home that are guaranteed to be safe for your furbaby. Find and block entry points for mice in your home, garage, and so forth. If need be, only put out traps that are as hidden and safe as possible. You know your home and furbaby best, so proceed accordingly.