A Birthday and the Letter F

It's all about calicoes today. A certain calico named Tonks will kick things off. Literally.

Tonks was indeed kicking some toys around when this blooperish shot was snapped. In particular, she was kicking around a silver vine stick at this point in time.

You know what else? Today is Tonks' birthday! That means it's also the birthday of her siblings, Winky (who owns this here human's sister) and Flitwick (who owns this here human's parents). These adorable sweeties are 2 years old today.

Happy birthday, Tonks, Winky, and Flitwick!

***

The other calico we have for you all today is of course angel Rosie. She is, after all, the star of our April A to Z Challenge.

As part of our "A Day at Rosie's Restaurant" theme, each day Rosie is sharing an item from her menu. The first few days of this alphabetical challenge have been dedicated to breakfast foods, and today is the last day of the breakfast menu at Rosie's Restaurant. This last breakfast food is a classic one.

How about some French toast? Take a seat and help yourself to some French toast topped with maple syrup and butter, with a cold glass of milk on the side. Eat up!

Happy Tuesday!

***

Tip of the Day

Today's tip relates to diabetes and syrup, or even honey. If you have a kitty or pup with diabetes, there is a chance that you'll at some point have to combat hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Low blood sugar in a diabetic furbaby can occur for a variety of reasons. For example, it can result from a diabetic cat or dog refusing to eat, vomiting up their food, being accidentally overdosed on insulin, or being given insulin when they are not eating a sufficient amount of food. Signs of hypoglycemia include weakness, lethargy, seizure, and coma. You can potentially help a furbaby who refuses to eat snap out of a hypoglycemic by rubbing a sugary substance on their gums. If they are more alert yet still refusing to eat, you can also syringe feed a small amount of sugary substance into their mouth. Forms of sugar that can be used include maple syrup, corn syrup, honey, or even regular sugar dissolved in water. Of course, it is always best to first obtain information and advise on hypoglycemia from your veterinarian, such as when a cat or dog furbaby is first diagnosed with diabetes.

E is for...

E is obviously for Evan. It also stands for something else today, though. So, Evan wants to know if you're ready for another installment of the April A to Z Challenge?

Continuing on with our theme of "A Day at Rosie's Restaurant", Rosie has for you the penultimate breakfast meal on her menu. What might that be?

Egg sandwich, anyone? I've always liked a good ol' egg sandwich. I actually prefer it in the form of egg salad on toast, but that didn't look as nice or identifiable in a doodle. So, a fried egg with lettuce is the version of an egg sandwich that Rosie cooked up for today. Help yourself to this breakfast sandwich!

Happy Monday, friends!

***

Tip of the Day

Today's tip of course relates to eggs. Even better, today's tip doesn't really even mention true food toxicity. This is because, for the most part, eggs can make a very healthy treat for cats and dogs. As long as the eggs have no shells and are not raw, they are a safe treat that offer a variety of nutritional benefits. Eggs are not only high in protein, but they are also sources of iron, calcium, and vitamins A, B, and D, just to name a few.

There are just a few precautions to make with eggs, as we mentioned previously. First, do be sure there is no shell on the egg when you feed it to your kitty or pup, in no small part because of the shell's sharp edges. More so, do be sure the egg is cooked and not raw. Raw egg can potentially lead to Salmonella infection, in both humans and animals such as cats and dogs. One last comment is of course to only feed eggs to your kitty or pup as as treat. They can indeed make for a beneficial treat, but do make sure they are only fed in moderation. Eggs are relatively high in fat and calories, and so feeding them too much or too often can lead to weight gain or other similar issues in cats and dogs.

Spring Cleaning

Evan asked for help snapping a selfie showing how he helps his mom spring clean.

When your human's trying to vacuum or mop, it's best to block the rug and the floor beneath it. Helpful, right? Evan sure thinks so.

Evan's selfie snapped while his mom tried to spring clean is of course our contribution to the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by the Kitties Blue over at The Cat on My Head.

Speaking of spring cleaning, we finally have for you our poem for Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

I usually share my weekly poem and its illustration on Thursday, but since the A to Z Challenge is going on this month on every day except Sunday, I decide to move my poems and their illustrations to Sundays. Our usual schedule will return come May.

Anyway. As usual, our poetic host shared a photo prompt to help guide us. This past week's prompt was this image here:

I really enjoy this type of imagery. Anything with a quaint little house always gets me thinking. I always wonder who might live in a such a home. This week, the sight of the above house actually got me thinking about spring cleaning. Perhaps it was the condition of the house that turned my mind to that thought. So, I simply had spring cleaning on my mind, and the silly little (well, not so little) poem that resulted was this:

Spring Cleaning

Jane's grandmother asked for her help at the start of spring.

After all, the little old lady's house was in need of a real good clean.
Just like that, Jane gathered up a mop and a broom,
And then to her grandmother's house she did zip and zoom.

Jane arrived on her grandmother's porch with a smile on her face.
The house was surrounded by rosebushes blooming on these spring days.
As soon as Jane entered the home, though, her smile was erased.

"What on earth happened in here, Grandma?" she asked.
The floors were littered with items and cleaning would be a task.

Jane's grandmother at first only shrugged.
Then she said, "You can blame Bill, Tom, and Doug.
I myself am tidy and clean as a whistle,
But my roommates make the house look destroyed by a missile."

To an outsider, her grandmother's words might have sounded senile.
Jane, though, knew what she meant and could not help but smile.
The roommates her grandmother spoke of were not the usual kind.
They were furry, orange, whiskered, and none other than feline.

As if perfectly on cue, Bill, Tom, and Doug ran into the room.
They immediately knocked a vase to the floor with a boom.
The flowers and shards joined the rest of their victims on the floor.
The number of items the cats threw to the floor numbered a dozen and more.

After surveying the room, Jane began picking things up.
Undoing everything she did, though, were of course Bill, Tom, and Doug.
With a sigh, she put her hands on her hips.
"What am I going to do with you three?" came from her lips.

Looking around, Jane realized she saw none of the cats' toys.
She said, "Is that why you're destroying this house, boys?"
Knowing her grandmother spoiled her cats rotten,
Jane started looking for the toys that had somehow been forgotten.

Searching high and then searching low,
Jane faced the couch and dropped to her knees and elbows.
"Here they are!" she shouted excitedly.
From the beneath the couch she pulled cat toys that number a dozen times three.

Jane threw the toys here, there, and everywhere.
Bill, Tom, and Doug began chasing them on the ground and in the air.
With the cats now distracted with things of their own,
Jane found herself able to get in the true cleaning zone.

She picked up vases, cups, and knickknacks over here and over there.
She swept dust and cat hair from every floorboard, shelf, and chair.
When she was done, everything was sparkling clean.
She picked roses from outside and placed them in vases quite pristine.

Everything was exactly where it belonged.
That is, until Bill, Tom, and Doug again came along.
They jumped on the table and began pawing at a vase,
The one that Jane had just moments ago polished and perfectly placed.

She caught the vase just as Doug whacked it off the table.
"With these boys around," Jane said, "nothing will be stable."
"Why aren't you playing with your toys?" she asked.
Looking around, Jane realized she yet again saw not a single toy for cats.

She made her way back over to the couch.
Beside it, she yet again did crouch.
Lo and behold, beneath it was yet again a graveyard of toys.
To the cats, Jane said, "Let's make these toys always accessible to you boys."

She pulled the toys from beneath the couch yet again.
Then, blocking the toys from disappearing became Jane's intent.
She put up blocks at the base of every couch and chair,
So that the cats' toys could not disappear here or there.

In order to test the work she had done,
She tossed some cat toys and watched Bill, Tom, and Doug.
Not a single toy disappeared beneath a couch or chair.
They all remained on the floor or flew threw the air.

With the cats now distracted by their ever present toys,
They no longer partook in vase-throwing or other such ploys.
Jane had only a couple more tasks to spruce up the house,
And to finish them she went to the door and stepped out.

On the porch, Jane enjoyed sight and scent of the rose bushes.
They had plenty of flowers to offer, and so she borrowed a bushel.
She placed some in pots on the porch's freshly cleaned wooden floor,
And then hung other roses in a wreath on the sweet little home's door.

"It looks wonderful!" Jane's grandmother said with a clap.
"And you somehow finished all of this while I took my nap."
Then her grandmother looked around the living room and asked,
"How on earth are all of these vases surviving the cats?"
Jane could not help but smile and laugh at the memories of that.

Wishing you all lots of sun and health on these spring days!

***

Tip of the Day

To go along with our above talk of spring cleaning, we thought we'd offer a brief tip on the allergies some kitties and pups have. Just like humans, cats and dogs can have seasonal allergies, of course including spring allergies. Grass and pollen, for example, can cause allergy flares in some furbabies. They can also have allergies to dust, mold, and a variety of other environmental features. Symptoms of such allergies include sneezing, itching, red or watery eyes, and a variety of others.

So, how can you help reduce allergic responses in your kitty or pup? It's not always easy, but you can try some things that might help. For example, keeping windows and doors closed can help reduce the amount of pollen, dust, and other allergens that enter the home. You can also wipe down the paws and fur of furbabies who go outdoors, so that any allergens that might have accumulated on them are less likely to affect them or spread throughout the house. On that same line of thought, you can also take off your shoes and change clothes upon spending significant time outdoors, again for the purpose of reducing the amount of allergens spreading throughout the house. Regularly cleaning floors and other areas of the house can also help, as can regularly changing the air filter in your home. Of course, another option is giving an antihistamine to a cat or dog with allergies, but this option should always be discussed with a veterinarian. Cats and dogs can of course also have allergies to food, but that is a whole other conversation you would have to have with your veterinarian.

D is for...

We're here with another installment for the A to Z Challenge.

Going along with our theme of "A Day at Rosie's Restaurant", angel chef Rosie has yet another breakfast food to offer. This one starts with the letter D, and it's sugary sweet. Can you guess what she has for you all to enjoy?

Donuts! The middle plate there contains Dutch donuts, fried goodies containing raisins and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Then there are of course plain yet colorful donuts, and their donut hole counterparts. Rosie made plenty to go around, so help yourself to some donuts!

Of course, we're going to count this donut doodle towards Athena's always fun Caturday Art blog hop as well.

Happy Caturday to all!

***

Tip of the Day

In line with today's donut doodle, let's talk about dough. Obviously, making desserts such as donuts requires dough. When it comes to our kitties and pups, it's best to keep them away from any dough you might need for donuts, bread, or any other baked good. This is because if a cat of dog ingests unbaked dough, in the warmth of the stomach it can rise and thereby cause issues such as bloating and distended stomach. Symptoms of such issues include a visually protruding abdomen, as well as vomiting, weakness, lethargy, and a variety of other concerning symptoms.

Additionally, keep in mind that dough containing yeast offers extra dangers. If such dough is ingested by a cat or dog, fermentation of the yeast can occur, which in turn results in the production of alcohol. This alcohol can then be readily absorbed into the bloodstream, and at that point your furbaby could be fighting for their life due to alcohol poisoning. So, for more reasons than one, keep unbaked dough well out of your furbaby's reach.

Friendly Fill-Ins and the Letter C

Happy Friday to all! How about we kick today off with the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? We'll share the fill-in statements again below. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. April is a good time to _________.

2. This time last year, _________.

3. I am determined to _________.

4. I have no intention of _________.


My answers are below in bold.

1. April is a good time to spring clean.
(This is such a cliché answer. That being said, my house as well as my garage are in dire need of a deep clean, and spring is the perfect time for that. I'm so excited. I wish sarcasm was more evident on a computer screen, because that last sentence was a complete and total lie.)

2. This time last year, the world was a vastly different place.
(The other day, I heard someone say how strange it is to be living through a major historic event. I find that to be a very intriguing way to look at this pandemic.)

3. I am determined to live a more minimalistic life.
(My answer to #1 above is going to help me with this. I've been doing pretty good with decluttering over the past couple of years, but my house and I still need quite a bit more work to really arrive at true minimalism. Honestly, though, I'll never be a true minimalist. I have too many crafty hobbies and furbabies to allow for that. But, I'll get as close as I can.)

4. I have no intention of living a life without furbabies.
(Duh.)

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, what else do we have on the docket today? For one, the A to Z Challenge.

Our theme is of course still "A Day at Rosie's Restaurant". These first few days of letters are in honor of the meal known as breakfast. So, what's on angel Rosie's breakfast menu for the letter C?

Cinnamon rolls! Is there anyone out there who doesn't like cinnamon rolls? My dad doesn't like them. I think that's crazy. Cinnamon rolls are delicious. But that's just my humble opinion, of course. If you are a fan of cinnamon rolls, Rosie's got some warm ones coming out of the oven for you!

***

Don't worry. We didn't forget to give you your Eddy fix today. I'll warn you and admit that this photo of Eddy is not a high quality shot. It was yet another photo taken at night, with the only lighting being the obnoxiously bright lamp I had at my disposal. I wanted to snap and share this photo for a reason, though.

I told you it was an exceedingly low quality shot. But, that's not the point. I wanted to share this photo because it shows at least one of my girl Eddy's extra special qualities.

For those who don't know, when I adopted Eddy, she was a 10-week-old kitten with some sort of neurological anomaly. After she was trapped out in the country by a local rescue group, she suddenly developed an unexplained head tilt and facial nerve paralysis, and she could only walk in circles. I adopted her, and over time she largely recovered from whatever neurological issue she had mysteriously developed. She does have a couple remnants of that neurological flareup, though, and those are a mild head tilt and right-sided facial nerve paralysis. Eddy's head very often tilts to the right. Also, on the right side of her face, her lip remains curled up so that her canine tooth always shows, and her right eye never fully closes. That's what you're seeing in the photo above. That's Eddy sound asleep, her primary eyelid still open, but her third eyelid coming out to play. Luckily, her third eyelid still functioning means that her eye never dries out, even though the primary eyelid never fully closes. I love Eddy's special quirks. They make her even cuter than she already is. Not that I'm biased or anything.

Well wishes to all!

***

Tip of the Day

Following today's talk of cinnamon rolls, let's give a little tip on cinnamon. Cinnamon has been deemed non-toxic to cats and dogs by organizations such as the ASPCA. That being said, cinnamon certainly should not be given freely to furbabies, as it can still potentially have dangerous side effects. A cat or dog can safely consume cinnamon in small amounts, such as if cinnamon is used in a safe recipe that your furbaby tastes. This is why it is deemed non-toxic.

In concentrated or large amounts, though, ingesting cinnamon could possibly cause irritation in your furbaby's mouth, or potentially elsewhere in their body. Cinnamon could also be dangerous to your cat or dog if they inhale the powder, or if they're exposed to cinnamon essential oil. This type of exposure can lead to various forms of respiratory distress, as well as low blood sugar, liver disease, vomiting and diarrhea, and a variety of other potential issues. So, if your furbaby eats something that contains a tad bit of cinnamon, do not fret. Do, however, refrain from letting your kitty or pup gulp down large quantities of cinnamon, and try to keep them from sniffing cinnamon, both in the powder and essential oil form.

B is for...

Let's kick this post off with a bit of an explanation regarding our weekly poems. Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge takes place on, of course, Thursdays. We always participate in this fun challenge, and we will continue to do so in April. That being said, just for the month of April, we'll be sharing our weekly poems and their accompanying illustrations on Sundays instead of Thursdays. This is simply because the April A to Z Challenge takes place every day except Sundays, and so to make things easy and simple that's the day that we'll share our weekly poem and its doodle during the month of April. So, if you'd like to see our Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge poem and illustration, visit us on Sunday!

Okay, now we'll move on to today's A to Z Challenge contribution.

As we've mentioned before, our theme for the A to Z Challenge is "A Day at Rosie's Restaurant". We're currently sharing some of the breakfast foods on the menu at my calico angel Rosie's restaurant. Yesterday, Rosie shared her apple turnovers for the letter A. Today, for the letter B, Rosie has some tasty breakfast burritos.

Help yourself to a breakfast burrito, or two! They're stuffed with beans, eggs, cheese, and anything and everything in between. Head on over to Rosie's Restaurant for a taste!

***

As is the case every Thankful Thursday, Thimble will now share some of the things for which she's grateful.

Thimble is thankful for lights and reflections on the ceilings and walls of the house. Those lights are just so fun to stare at and chase! This time around, Thimble caught sight of some fun reflections on the ceiling while she was getting a belly rub. Of course, a good ol' belly rub is yet another wonderful thing for which Thimble is grateful.

We're of course also thankful for all of you!

***

Last but not least, we have for you the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. Ellen of 15andmeowing is the mastermind behind the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. April is a good time to _________.

2. This time last year, _________.

3. I am determined to _________.

4. I have no intention of _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Tip of the Day

As we said yesterday, we're doing our best to make our tips throughout this month relate to our alphabetical doodles. Since today's item on Rosie's menu was the breakfast burrito, how about we have a little discussion on an ingredient common in burritos? We're referring to beans, such as black beans, lima beans, pinto beans, and so on and so forth. So, are these beans safe for kitties and pups? The answer is both yes and no. If the beans are prepared properly, and if they are fed only in moderation, beans can make for a relatively healthy treat for cats and dogs. After all, beans in general are a good source nutrients such as protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamin B, and iron, just to name a few. Plain, cooked beans offered as a moderate treat can therefore provide some benefits to our furbabies. Then again, beans can also cause some increased flatulence even for our furbabies.

The above all being said, there are times when beans can do more harm than good to our furbabies. As we indicated above, plain, cooked beans are the way to go. Raw beans can potentially be dangerous, especially in the case of raw red kidney beans. What's more, don't feed your kitty or pup beans from a can, unless you are absolutely certain that it contains just plain beans. Many canned beans contain preservatives and lots of added ingredients that can be dangerous to furbabies. For example, beans with added salt, sugar, garlic, onion, extra fat, or other various ingredients can lead to a variety of health concerns for a cat or dog.

Beans can indeed be healthy as a small snack for a cat or dog. We didn't mention green beans above, but they're a great example of a healthy bean, as long as they are served plain and preferably cooked. Given the vast variety of other beans out there, though, if you have any doubts about offering them as a treat, consult your veterinarian.

A is for...

Today is the first day of April. We're not fooling you, even though it is April Fool's Day. If I'm being honest, I really dislike the concept of April Fool's Day. I don't like surprises, and I equally despise pranks, so this is not my sort of day. But I digress.

Okay, back to the point of this post. So, April is the month of the A to Z Challenge.

For those who don't know, the A to Z Challenge is exactly what it sounds like. In April, you pick a theme and share thoughts or creations related to that theme, from A to Z. You follow the alphabet throughout the month, Sundays being the only day you don't share something alphabetical. Today being April 1, it's time for the letter A.

We previously shared that our A to Z Challenge theme is "A Day at Rosie's Restaurant". As per usual, my contributions to this alphabetical challenge are coming in the form of doodles. They all star my calico angel Rosie, as well as the restaurant I've scribbled up for her. Throughout April, Rosie will be sharing what you can find on her restaurant's menu, from A to Z. In addition to going in alphabetical order, Rosie is also sharing her menu in order of the typical daily meals, starting with breakfast foods, then moving on to lunch and dinner foods, and then desserts.

So, what breakfast food does Rosie have to offer for the letter A?

Apple turnovers! This dessert-for-breakfast sort of thing holds special meaning for me. When I was a kid, my grandma used to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with us. On New Year's Day morning, she'd always make sure we had apple turnovers for breakfast. Rosie was also always there to celebrate, and to drink my milk.

If you'd like an apple turnover to kick off your day, give Rosie's Restaurant a visit!

***

You know what else the letter A stands for?

Astrid! Wednesday is usually our Woof Woof Wednesday post, so of course Astrid wanted to make her appearance. I wasn't about to deny her that. We hope you enjoyed her window whiffies shot, which looks identical to roughly a gazillion of her other window shots.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

***

Tip of the Day

We're going to do our best to make this month's tips correlate with the food, or at least some related component, that's in our alphabetical doodle for that day. For today, that of course means we're talking about apples. So, are apples safe for our kitties and pups? In moderation and with some precautions, bits of apple can make for safe and even healthy treats for your furbaby. Apples contain a variety of beneficial nutrients, vitamin C and fiber being just a couple of them.

The above being said, there are certain components of an apple that can pose a risk. Apple seeds, for example, should never be fed to your furbaby. This is because they contain a compound called amygdalin. When chewed or digested, this compound produces cyanide. As you all surely know, cyanide is toxic. It is also best to keep the core away from your kitty or pup, not only to prevent the ingestion of rogue seeds, but also because it can pose a choking hazard. So, apples can indeed make for a safe treat, as long as they are fed in safe chunks without seeds. As always, though, apples and other human foods should only be fed to your kitty or pup in moderation.