Friendly Fill-Ins and Adorable Eddy

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 will keep my old _________ over a new one any day.

2. My theme song for the year is _________.

3. _________ is the most relaxing part of my day.

4. _________ is the most stressful part of my day.


My answers are below in bold, and are yet again accompanied by lots of rambling that you are more than welcome to skip.

1. I will keep my old car over a new one any day.
(My car is a 2010, so 15 years old. It has its issues, and I've had to put more money than I'd prefer into keeping it running. But, it's also paid off, and I have no desire to go car shopping anytime soon. I personally don't like a lot of the features on a lot of new cars, and I also just really like knowing and trusting the same car I've had for well over a decade. So, 15-year-old car, please just keep chugging along.)

2. My theme song for the year is "Welcome to My Nightmare" by Alice Cooper.

(I promise this makes sense. Or at least in my head it does. Sometimes life as we know it is a functioning nightmare, sometimes even in a fun way, kind of like this song. And sometimes all we can do is invite others to join our crazy party. I'm sure that genuinely makes no sense. So, the reality is that Welcome to My Nightmare is actually what I'm calling the writing project I'm most heavily working on right now. This is the story I very much intend to finish writing this year, and so I figure why not have its namesake song be my theme for the year?)

3. Evening couch time is the most relaxing part of my day.

(I have a set of chores I get done every evening after work, including laundry, preparing meals, cleaning dishes, and prepping and administering Evan's evening meds. I also walk pup Astrid some evenings. Once I get all of that done, though, I get to sit on the couch to watch TV and just generally relax. Evan always joins me on the couch, and the other kitties and the pup also usually take turns stopping by to sit with me for a bit. I love it.)

4. The morning rush is the most stressful part of my day.

(I actually love mornings and am in fact a morning person, and I look forward to reaching a point in my life when I can get up early to have slow, calm mornings. For now, though, I do work full-time outside of the home, and I have a lot of tasks to get done every morning before heading to work. I get up between 5 and 6 o'clock in the morning in order to do all the kitty care, including filling food bowls, scooping litter boxes, prepping and giving Evan his 10 or so morning meds, as well as putting food out in a feeding station I have for feral cats in our neighborhood. I also walk pup Astrid most mornings, and do a separate workout. Then I get ready for work and head out. The reality is that my sweet orange tabby boy Evan has accumulated lots of health issues with lots of medications as he's gotten older, and so my morning kitty care has become a lot more time-intensive than it used to be. I'll never begrudge Evan or any of my furry babies for needing extra care, though, because I love them so much.)

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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It's time for your Eddy fix. Are you ready? Are really, truly ready for the cuteness? We hope you are, because here it is.

These photos not only serve to show you how adorable Eddy is and how majestic her whiskers are, but for her to show off the Christmas tree that she happily enjoys all year long.

Especially when she was younger, Eddy had such a fascination with Christmas trees that I put one up in the corner of my bedroom and decided to leave it up for her all year long. That there is our year round Christmas tree.

Eddy doesn't climb the Christmas tree as often as she used to, but she still does so sometimes. I know she does it most often when I'm not there to witness it, given how many of its branches I find on the floor and have to put back in the tree when I get home from work.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Now that I've finally gotten some camera issues sorted out, this weekend we'll finally be sharing the wonderful gifts our Secret Santa Paws sent us. That's one of the main reasons we're still sharing festive doodles, because it's still Christmas around here. And for today, here's a young cat lady who was gifted none other than a little hippo for Christmas.

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip on caring for ferals and other outdoor cats is to perhaps consider offering them toys, such as inside a shelter you've set up for them. Cats are cats, and even feral cats often have a healthy instinct to play. Pick toys that will not scare them, and toys that will not make them fear being heard by predators. For example, perhaps avoid toys that jingle, squeak, or that make other loud noises. What's more, when picking out toys for them, also pick those that can be easily cleaned. Pick toys that are plastic and can be soaked and washed if dirty, or toys made of fabric that is able to be easily and thoroughly washed. Even ferals and other outdoor cats often have a desire to play, so perhaps do consider offering them toys that safely allow them to do so.