❋ Life on the Path ❋
Winter has arrived!
Baby, it's cold outside! It's time for oatmeal instead of Cheerios, hot cocoa instead of milkshakes and it also means it's sweater weather ya'll. Time to get all the hoodies washed and ready to wear! (Not for me, the hot flashes keep me warm.) For the dogs...
All the pups have outerwear and I like to throw their sweaters into the dryer (or the microwave, so watch for dog hair in your soup...) and then put them on before the potty runs. That spot of sunlight seems to be helping Buck and Twink and Scooter warm-up, but there's no substitute for a soft, warm sweater on a cold day! (Just ask Twink, she looks gorge in her warm, pink hoodie!)
This one from Zack & Zoey is one of my favorites. It's not a "sweater" but it's warm and the dog hair doesn't stick. If you're into the knit sweater look, this one by Frisco on chewy.com is good as well. You want something your pet can comfortably walk in, and doesn't pee on. (Ricky...) And, of course, keeps them warm.
Winter is here, so get out the sweaters and snuggle up buttercups!
(Sweaters are good for cool cats too, so don't leave your feline friends out the in cold. Literally...)
Resolutions
Well, I guess it's that time of year again. Time to make the obligatory "New Year's resolutions". As I thought about all the things I want to do - visit Harry Potter's Wizarding World, take more walks, spend more time with family, shave my legs more than once a month - I realized that the dogs would prevent most of those things from happening. Again this year. So, I thought about this past year (eye roll...) and how I can make things better. Resolutions for all of us. Things to improve our quality of life. And as I was (literally) stuffing Buck into his sweatshirt this morning and watching Red limp down the ramp, I decided we've got to take better care of ourselves. (I've got a little more room in my hoodie than Buck, but I'm like two Oreos away from catching him...)
So, I'm going to switch the dogs to senior food. It not only promotes weight loss, but it also helps support aging joints. I prefer a product that uses ingredients from the US and has few or no recalls, so I chose Victor kibble mixed with wet as our new dog food. For myself, I'm giving up refined sugar and trying to plan better meals and eat more mindfully. (Except on my day off, on which I will probably eat my weight in cheesy gordita crunches, followed by those two Oreos...) I'm going to take more baths, make time to workout and stop cutting my own hair. So, while last year double sucked, I'm going into this year trying to stay positive and take care of myself (and more importantly) others. Here's to a happier new year and some inspiration from the Pioneer Woman's site to help you along.
"What is the New Year but the perfect place to live out what we learned in the old year?" Craig Lounsbrough
Contradicting the Good Doctor
We've probably all watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas like a million times and heard Dr. Seuss's famous Christmas quote; "Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!” And while I love me some Dr. Seuss, I have to disagree this time.
Everyone has been impacted by the pandemic this year in one way or another, but animal shelters are taking it squarely on the chin! (See how I cleaned that up for baby Jesus...) Shelters rely on fundraisers and adoption clinics to raise money. Two things that just aren't happening right now. On top of everything else, most of us have lost income or aren't working as much as we were and aren't donating. But in the spirit of Christmas, and in direct contradiction to the good doctor, I'm saying Christmas does come from the store this year, in the form of kibble and blankets and kitten formula. Chewy has some great ideas how to help, and we all have a local shelter we can support.
Rob and I love spoiling the dogs at Christmas and getting extra treats and toys and chew sticks, but this year we skipped it. You heard me. Our dogs got zero gifts. Instead, I used the money we saved to buy food for our local shelter here in town. 2020 has helped many of us get 20/20 if you will. Gain some perspective. While it's nice for my dogs to be spoiled, it's also nice for the shelter dogs to eat and have warm beds. My dogs will have it made the rest of their lives. Our goal right now should be making sure the shelter pets get to have lives.
So, my new Christmas quote, forgive me, Dr. Seuss, is - "You can do something big, you can do something small, because whatever you do is better than nothing at all". (You need to share that on social asap. That shit was good!!! Just don't use my name, I "borrowed" it off Pinterest...)
Merry Christmas everyone!
Great News!
The second book is underway! Stay tuned for updates...