Friday, March 27, 2026

Friendly Fill-Ins and Blurry 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. My plans for this weekend include _________ and _________.

2. I meant it when I said _________.

3. I should probably _________ more often so that _________.

4. I will never jump on the _________ trend.


My answers are below in bold.

1. My plans for this weekend include working on my April A to Z Challenge drawings and writing.
(I have lots of my usual chores and other such weekend things I'll be doing, but I also really want to make significant progress on two creative endeavors I want to pursue in April. One is the annual A to Z Challenge, for which I need to make a lot more progress on the drawings I'll be creating for it. Second, I have some experimental plans for my main writing project in April, and to achieve that goal I need to get ahead and write a lot this weekend.)

2. I meant it when I said my cats come first.
(I had a long explanation typed out for this, but I decided to delete it all and let this answer speak for itself. The short of it is that while there are lots of "it's just a cat" sort of people out there, that's not my way of thinking or life. This also goes for any pups I'm blessed to share my life with.)

3. I should probably get out more often so that I'm less awkward around people.
(That said, will I go out and about and learn to be more "normal" in social settings? No. The likely answer is simply no. And as a major homebody who loves being with her kitties, I'm fine with that.)

4. I will never jump on the "scarcity" commercialism trend.
(I wasn't sure how to write this answer, so I'll give an explanation that I'll try to keep short. My answer here refers to all of those items that are "limited edition" or "seasonal" or fall under any form of the "scarcity" mentality that commercialism tries to rope us in with. The online algorithms have recently been showing me videos of hordes of people flocking to various stores to fight over limited edition items. I'm talking about some of the recent limited Starbucks cups, limited releases of Hello Kitty and other franchise items at home goods stores, and even basic but still limited edition Trader Joe's tote bags that people are apparently obsessed with. I didn't realize how crazy and at times violent this trend had become until I was shown all of these recent examples. I can't believe where commercialism has led us.)


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.


I had a particular, gorgeous photo of Eddy picked out for today, and then I realized it's blooper day! Since Eddy prefers to give more bloopers than non-bloopers, though, it was easy to find something blurry to share. And it's from the same photo shoot as the original shot I was going to post today.


Eddy isn't the only bloopery kitty in this shot. The original photo I was going to share, which you'll see next week, included a little Thimble in the background. She's in the background of this one as well, but she's a tad bit decapitated.

Have a fantastic day!



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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Just as we did for the past couple of days, today we're sharing a flashback doodle inspired by my newest favorite series of fantasy books. Among other crazy things, this series of books involves a talking, decapitated head (of a certain sort that we won't go into detail on because we're a PG-rated blog) that is particularly sassy and a tad bit feral. That sounded a lot like my girl Eddy, and so I let her hang out with the decapitated head. It's weird, I know, but this chaotic series of books makes me so happy and inspired, and out of that comes drawings like this.




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Tip of the Day

Today's National Pet Poison Awareness Month tip is an add-on to our tip from yesterday, when we reminded you to keep doors closed and other obstacles in place to keep your furbaby safe from substances and areas with poison. Taking that one step further, if needed, child-proofing products can be your your best friend even for those furry children in your life. For example, do you have a curious kitty or puppy who has found ways to open cabinets and drawers? This can put a furbaby at risk, such as if those cabinets and drawers contain human medications, cleaners, or other toxic items, or even sharp or other dangerous objects. To prevent prying paws from opening cabinets and drawers, you can get child-proof, or pet-proof, locks that make cabinets and drawers difficult or impossible to open without dexterity, or opposable thumbs. There are also child-proof locks to keep main doors securely closed. This can come in handy if you have a kitty or pup who knows how to manipulate certain door handles.

We've mentioned this on here before, but also don't forget the usefulness of baby gates. They also make gates that are more specifically pet-proof, such as tall ones over which dogs and cats cannot easily jump. These can be used to block access to certain areas of the house to ensure your kitty or pup's safety. For example, you can use baby or pet gates to block access to the kitchen, especially if potentially toxic foods are being prepared. These gates can also be used to block off garbage cans, laundry areas, or other areas of the home where potential poisoning might occur.

Just as with a human child, our kitties and pups can get themselves into trouble. Consider all areas of the home where danger might arise, and then do your research on what you can do to best prevent emergencies from dangers such as accidental poisoning. Try to always be one step ahead of your kitty or pup, as difficult as that may be.

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