Mancat Monday with Evan and...Barney the Dinosaur?

I can't remember if I shared the image below when I created it last year, but I just stumbled upon it and wanted to share it. As a preface, when I was a kid, Barney the purple dinosaur was very popular. Though I find him creepy now, as a kid I loved Barney. My parents got me a sleeping bag with Barney on it when I was perhaps 4 years old, and I ended up passing it on to my blanket-loving Evan over 10 years ago. He has loved that Barney sleeping bag ever since then. Evan is a bit of a messy little guy, and so it's been cleaned many, many times over the years. Which led to this...

It ended up so ratty that my mom sewed it up inside some other fabric in order to create Evan a new sort of bed. So now, in 2026, this is Evan on his beloved Barney the dinosaur sleeping bag:

Evan still loves it. He's so grateful that his grandma fixed it so that, even after years of use and abuse, his beloved Barney the dinosaur sleeping bag is still around.

Happy Monday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I've shared this doodle below multiple times over the years. I got the idea from other art I'd seen with similar concepts, and I just love the message it sends. I eventually want to recreate it with my slightly updated color palette, but for now here's this version again.

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Tip of the Day

Today's wildlife tips is about those bright-eyed, bushy-tailed rodents we so often seen running about. That is, squirrels. As we've all certainly witnessed, squirrels are not all that particular when it comes to what they'll put in their mouths. They are pretty resilient, but that doesn't mean we should throw any and every food out there for them. For example, bread and starchy foods are not the best diet choice for squirrels, especially when moldy. Even peanuts and corn are not all that ideal for them, again, especially when moldy. Of course, human junk food is also not a great option.

So, if you want to throw some snacks out for the squirrels, such as to enhance that Squirrel TV, try to offer them some foods that are a bit healthier for them. What, then, are some potential foods you can offer squirrels as healthy snacks? Tree nuts are one option, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and hickory nuts. Vegetables can also be just as healthy for squirrels as they are for us, and some good options for squirrels include carrots, broccoli, and zucchini. Another option is fruit, such as apple, strawberries, and grapes. So, while squirrels may not be picky when it comes to food, if you wish to offer them some choices, there are some healthy ones you can try. Then, you and your furbabies can enjoy a healthy episode of Squirrel TV.