Friendly Fill-Ins, Snoopervisor Eddy, and More Outlandish Art

Hello, friends! We're here with 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. Back in the day, _________.

2. _________ is an unconventional pet I would like to have.

3. Though _________ is my dream job, I'd also settle for working as _________.

4. I'd like to get _________'s autograph.


My answers are below in bold.

1. Back in the day, we didn't rely so much on technology.
(When I was a kid, we didn't carry cellphones and the like around with us. Not everyone had their faces staring at screens. You needed to get somewhere? Pull out a paper map. You needed to call someone? Pull out that phonebook and dial them up on the corded phone with which you couldn't leave the room. Cellphones and other technology really started ramping up when I was a kid, but I remember the days when humans were far less reliant on devices. Technology can be a great thing, but even great things come with drawbacks.)

2. A panda bear is an unconventional pet I would like to have.
(One of my favorite animals in the world, of course in addition to cats and dogs, is the giant panda. They're not only adorable, but also carefree and hilarious. When I'm feeling down, I'll sometimes put on videos of pandas playing and goofing around, and it never ceases to make me smile and laugh. It's nothing short of impossible to have a pet panda, but a girl can dream.)

3. Though being an author and illustrator is my dream job, I'd also settle for working as a cat and/or dog daycare worker.
(Being an author and some semblance of an illustrator is my life goal, but I've thought many times how I really wouldn't mind spending my days taking care of and playing with kitties and pups. There are doggy daycares in my area, and I think there should also be kitty daycares, and I'd be happy to work there. Perhaps the kitties and pups could even help me work toward my life goals.)

4. I'd like to get each of my online furry friend's autograph.
(I really can't think of many human autographs I'd really want. There are perhaps a couple, but the first thing that came to my mind was how I'd much rather have the cute little pawtographs of all of the kitties and pups we know thanks to our blog, or whom I follow on other social media.)

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, who's ready for their Friday Eddy fix? All of you? No surprise there. Here's adorable Eddy girl enjoying her favorite window view on her favorite cat tree beside her favorite year round Christmas tree.

Eddy love spying on the birds and squirrels in the back yard, and of course the neighbors. They're all of course in great need of her professional snoopervision.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Doodle of the Day

Today's doodle is weird. Even weirder than usual. It's the last doodle I've currently completed in my series of fan art for a sci-fi/fantasy series of books I have been really enjoying. I've been putting my furbabies into these bits of fan art, and Eddy gets the wackiest one. In the wonderfully wild and crazy book series of which I'm speaking (Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, for anyone curious), in addition to a talking cat named Donut, there's a decapitated doll head named Samantha that can talk and float and fly and all that jazz. There's a lot more to it than that, but we'll just say that Samantha the decapitated doll head is just as chaotic as the rest of this book series, and Eddy is my own chaotic little lady, so that prompted the creation of this doodle.

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Tip of the Day

We spent the last two days addressing how to keep your furbaby cool and safe should they be spending time outdoors in the heat. Of course, staying cool indoors in the summer is far more ideal. That being said, though, extra care may still have to be used to keep some cats and dogs comfortable even when inside the home during the summer months. This is especially the case for those furbabies who have certain traits that might make it more difficult for them to stay cool even indoors. For example, on hot days, it is especially important to monitor the condition of cat or dogs with long or thick coats, those who are overweight, those with flat faces (such as Persian cats and Bulldogs), and those who are geriatric, sick, or for another reason may have difficulty regulating their body temperature.

So, how can you ensure that your furbaby remains cool and comfortable inside the home, even when it's sweltering outdoors? First, of course, you can run the air conditioning. Ensure that the unit's filter is regularly replaced. Also make sure that the vents throughout the house are open and unblocked, so that cool air can easily make its way throughout the home. In addition to the air conditioning, you can set up fans to help keep air moving and to keep your kitty or pup comfortable.

Some furbabies may even opt for lying on smooth, cool surfaces in order to stay cool. For example, hardwood or tile floors stay far more cool than carpet, and so you might find a kitty or pup sprawled out on the hard floor during the summer months. In this same line of thought, there are also cooling mats specifically designed for pets. These mats offer a cool surface on which to relax, and they can be placed on the floor, on furniture, or potentially even outdoors in order to keep that furbaby of yours cool.

Even if your furbaby is spending hot summer days inside, it is still important to monitor them and to ensure that they are staying cool. Then again, especially for those with short or no fur, it is also important to make sure that the air conditioning or fans are not too cool for them. As you all certainly know, keep an eye on those furbabies, and then make adjustments as needed to keep them happy and healthy.