Nail trim day is nearly here again. Respect the death blades.

This car window decal for sale on Etsy made me snort laugh. Cut me some slack. I'm tired.

Mr Moo (bringing in the mail): Why is M sending you a greeting card? Moo: ... Mr Moo (looks at calendar): Oh. Guess who forgot it's my birthday this weekend.

Poor donut bed was not designed for these kinds of stressors. The boys keep sleeping like this so it can't be too uncomfortable. That's Franklin on the left and Freddie curled up on the right.

1/Even after an entire summer of abuse, the miniature white rose that lives in a too small pot on my kitchen window sill is still trying to gift me with one last bloom. At one point, I forgot to water it for so long every single leaf turned brown and fell off. It keeps...

I'm not sure I will ever understand why anyone who is not a wealthy straight cisgender white man thinks the Republican party has their back. They have consistently voted against helping the poor, veterans, women, children, and more. Help me make it make sense.

Seriously, Netflix? Your new UI let's us see only four titles at a time? This is a 60" screen not a phone. You need to get some people on your design team who actually own televisions. This is ridiculous.

1/In exactly 7 days, we will be in the process of picking up this handsome devil from his t̵r̵a̵n̵s̵p̵o̵r̵t̵ ̵b̵u̵s̵ pirate ship. Steve and company set sail from Texas on Thursday night and will arrive in Vancouver on Saturday morning. I will be...

1/Have you found yourself wondering "What can I *do*?" in these unprecedented times? Well, here's a great answer. Protest with your dollars (or lack thereof, as the case may be)! The violations of the First Amendment we are seeing on almost a daily basis now are extremely troubling...

It's good to be home again with my bird friends. Not sure if they're happier to see me or have the feeders full again. Let me live my delusion.

Freddie says: "'Twas not I upon whom thee did lay eyes traversing the kitchen's counter! For whilst thou accuse, mark now how I sitteth here appearing innocent, forsooth."

1/It would appear that the homestead survived our absence with the exception of this bag of Glucosamine cat treats, which was found behind my chair. Since the girls were locked upstairs the entire time, this was for sure the handiwork of Franklin and Freddie. Some of the plastic was probably...

1/Since it was a struggle for so many to decipher my little cryptic post (you guys would be in a world of hurt in an escape room), I will make the announcement plainly here: We're getting a new dog! Meet Dread Pirate Steve, the One-Eyed Wonder Dog! He is currently in foster care with an...

I surrender. I tried to be clever, but it was made of complete fail. Either almost no one saw my post because of the algorithm or no one bothered to read it carefully. Go back to the post I made a couple days ago about my birthday.

From July. A juvenile Northern Flicker wondering where the heck all the suet had gone. Fret not. I refilled it right after I took this photo. Don't want to lose my 5 star Bird Yelp review.

Happy early birthday to me. Scheduled five annual wellness exams with Dr G in October for the entire Moo Zoo. There goes the gift budget.

It's been 10 days since the MN shooting & the whole world seems to have moved on already, but this still stands. We need to be better about calling out people who generalize entire populations over the actions of a few. If you hear someone doing it, stop and correct them. We have to do better.

1/Remember that "dead" plant Mr Moo was trying to compost before I stopped him? Take a look at it now. You paid good money for your plants. Don't be so quick to give up on them! Even if all of the leaves have dried up and fallen off, look closely for signs of new growth at the leaf nodes. Those...

1/On today's "Adventures at the Moo Zoo"... We rescued a deer! As most of you know, there is a detention pond area behind our house. There is a brick wall with a large metal gate that separates it from the main road. A deer stupidly decided that, rather than cutting through our yard where there...

1/We did something fun last night. Right at dusk, we took a walk over to the Enchanted Forest, which Holly loved so much. It's an approximately 21 acre woodland butt up against our subdivision. A small creek that runs through the lower half, which means there are mosquitoes and other bugs...

Final photo dump from our day at the coast last week. 1. Camp 18 has several resident cats. According to gift shop lady, this is Hyde and he lays like this to get attention. It works. 2. The Pacific Ocean from one of the overlooks...

Little signs. Little signs everywhere. I did this puzzle on my iPad on the way to the coast last week. Now I know she's good.

If there is one thing we are, here in Oregon, it's Squatchy! Picked up this ornament for our tree while we were at the coast last week. Only 112 days until Christmas! Show of hands. How many of you are in full Halloween mode already?

Eight years ago today, this chonky little snausage left us to cross the Rainbow Bridge. EIGHT. YEARS. How is that possible? Miss you, Jet.

1/This is Sharky. He accompanies us on all of our travels. He likes to sit atop the dashboard in the car and shout directions like some tiny bloodthirsty Garmin with anger issues. The beach is always his most favorite destination. Sharky joined our family while Mr Moo and I were on...

1/Freddie made a new friend this morning. 'Friend' as in 'wanted to hug him around the neck with his teeth' kind of friend. Not sure if the squirrel had a death wish, his friends triple dog dared him to approach the back door, or what. He's not going to be long for this world if...

1/For our anniversary, I asked Mr Moo to get us a cake. Since it's just the two of us, I assumed he'd get us something small like the equivalent of a wedding cake topper. Nope! He went all out and got me another cow cake since I loved the one he got for my birthday several years ago. Even though...

30 years ago today, this was happening. Today, we're heading to the coast for the day to sit on the beach in the cold fog and maybe have some ice cream. I'm just as happy either way simply because of the company. We're a little wiser and a lot older, but still on this journey together.

1/When we had our property landscaped back in 2010, we hired a local designer. She was the most attuned with the aesthetic for which I was going. I wanted a wildlife-friendly Forest Park feel with a bit of Japanese flavor. Our yard is tiny so this was a big ask. It may not have looked like much...

Came across this quote the other day. It hit a nerve. Figured I can't be the only person out there who needs to hear this.

1/Well, that didn't take long. The anti-climb cat gate we installed at the bottom of the stairs broke last night. We have textured ceilings. Since the gate is installed using nothing but pressure mounts, it was never a super snug fit. Every time we open and close it, the mounts wiggle and loosen...

Dear Pilot, I have been using these pens for ages because I love how smoothly they write, but I can't cope with the leaking anymore! This has been happening with these pens for years. How is this still an issue? I now have green Hulk hands and a bad case of the sads.

Stop pretending this is something to worry about and acting like it's a crisis. It's not. Live your life. Mind your business.

Finally managed to get video evidence of a bird using my bubbling bird bath contraption. It’s fleeting, but he was in there!

1/African daisies are considered tender perennials. They can overwinter if you can protect them from frost. I don't have a greenhouse, so I'm debating whether I should try bringing them into the house for the winter. I got them from the 'halfway to heaven' table at the nursery for...

1/Today was Dax's turn on the magic carpet. This is the stupid cat toy we had hanging from a door knob for literally years, which everyone completely ignored. The minute I put it on the floor, it suddenly became the most valuable place to sit in the whole house...

Sometimes supper is just too good not to share. Last night, Mr Moo made grilled salmon with rice pilaf, garlic broccoli, and steamed carrots. It was delicious! Tonight, we're standing at the sink and eating whatever we can find in the fridge like a couple of hyenas. You win some. And you lose some.

1/Do you remember when Jet died, and two days in a row, around his birthday, the word 'noodles' showed up in two of my word games? (For those of you who weren't around then, Jet's favorite food was noodles and we told him there was a Noodle Tree waiting for him on the other side...

Our little girl came home today. West Coast Pet Memorial Services did a wonderful job. Holly came back to us in this lovely cedar box in a velvet bag along with her paw print and a cremation certificate. It's good to have her home again.

1/The iOs Home app recently started yelling at me that my iPad will no longer be able to serve as a hub for our house. Aside from a bunch of light bulbs and switches, we don't have a "smart" home. We don't use Siri, Alexa or any of the other voice activated programs, and all of our appliances are...

The water heater inspector stopped by this morning. He said everything looked great and wanted to know if Mr Moo did the copper soldering himself. He was impressed and said he wished his contractors did as good of a job as Mr Moo did. He really did an excellent job. I am very proud of him!

1/After some severely corroded pipes that needed replacing, a broken valve that was nigh impossible to remove, uncooperative flue bits that would not line up properly, eleventy hundred trips to all manner of hardware stores, and three full days with no hot water, our new water heater is finally...

Somebody found the perfect sunbathing spot and is thoroughly enjoying this weather. Can't believe this little lady is going to be 15 next month. Where does the time go? This is Zi and her Black Toe of Doom, in case you were wondering.

1/Mr Moo is busy installing our new water heater today. He's removed the old one and is making adjustments to some of the things on the side of the furnace so it will fit. It's going to be a very tight squeeze. Since we're Earth loving granola people, we don't like to waste anything. That...

1/I had to wash Holly's donut bed. Because of the cancer in her mouth, her breath and drool became rancid towards the end. Everything she slept on smelled terrible. In order to balance the washing machine, I washed the boys' matching bed at the same time. I mostly dried them in the machine, but...

1/First, let me thank each and every one of you for your kind words, thoughts, and messages regarding Holly's passing. I hope you'll understand that I simply don't have it in me to respond to every single one right now. I have read them all multiple times though and they have brought me much...

As awful as the day you say goodbye to a loved one is, personally, I think the day after is even worse. In the quietness of the incomplete daily routine that is to become your new normal, you become keenly aware of what has been lost. You have time to sit, take a breath, and feel the enormity...

Saying goodbye today.

1/I brought out her blankie and set up Miss Holly Jolly on the front lawn last evening while Mr Moo and I did some weeding. She immediately started barking and chasing after everyone. Pffft! As if. She stayed right where I put her, quietly watched the world go by, and enjoyed the lovely weather...