Providing helpful information regarding our feathered, feline, and canine friends while also sharing fun stories. And locally we provide pet sitting services.
Sweet potatoes are one of my most favorite vegetables to eat and cook. They’re both healthy and delicious. And they can be cooked in a variety of ways. Although, often times, I can just eat a plain sweet potato, this recipe for mashed sweet potatoes is a family favorite.
I use half-n-half instead of milk, which makes it creamier. Also, you don’t have to be limited to serve mashed sweet potatoes just during the holiday season. You can serve it year round.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes Ingredients:
3.5 -4 lbs of peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
4 – 5 TBSP brown sugar
4 TBSP salted butter
1/3 – 1/2 c half-n-half
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Mashed Sweet Potatoes Instructions:
First, put the potatoes in a pot of salted water; and bring to a boil.
Next, boil the cut up potatoes till tender, ~ 20 minutes. Then drain in a colander.
Put the drained potatoes in a medium-large or large mixing bowl. And add the sugar, butter, salt and pepper, and cinnamon to bowl; then using a hand mixer, beat in cream a little add a time, for desired consistency.
Finally, serve with lamb, turkey, roasted chicken, or glazed ham.
As you can see, this is a very basic recipe. But you could make your own unique changes, and serve any time you want to. How do you cook sweet potatoes? Do you mash them, bake them, or make them into French fries? Your comments are appreciated.
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Here’s a healthy salad with chicken recipe to serve for lunch or dinner. Eating chicken has long been regarded as healthier than eating beef. And it contains no carbohydrates and lower saturated fat than red meat. Further, the vegetables give the salad the right amount of crunch.
Isn’t technology awesome? We have the Instant Pot and Air Fryer to whip up our favorite foods. And to make new ones. In addition, as the weather gets warmer, it’s nice to have cooking options that don’t involve standing over a hot stove. But if we want to eat healthy, while still using minimal electricity, we can make a salad, add some fresh vegetables, a protein, and sprinkle on a favorite dressing. Further, we can cook the protein in the Air Fryer to make things easier.
Healthy Salad with Chicken Ingredients
16 oz chicken breasts
11-14 oz of spring mix
1 cucumber, washed and sliced
4 oz of grape or medley tomatoes
3 oz fresh broccoli florets, washed
Less fat dressing
Healthy Salad with Chicken Instructions
Cook the chicken till tender enough to shred; my go-to method is boiling on the stove.
Next, put the chicken and the remaining ingredients, excluding the dressing, in a bowl big enough to hold everything.
Then add a little bit of dressing, tossing to coat, so you don’t overwhelm the salad.
And serve immediately.
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A few days ago we got home from vacation. About two weeks ago I mentioned that I wouldn’t post anything, because I would be gone. And it was amazing. By far the best vacation ever that we’ve had as a family.
So this post is going to be different than my regular ones, since I want to share with you the synopsis of our vacation. And also what I gleaned from the pet-cams, and what awaited us when we got home.
When I was growing up, vacations were spent visiting grandparents, because we lived in a different state. But, as we got older, vacations got more elaborate. Cancun, Florida, places like that. And as I started my own family, that was the norm with people we knew, especially in Dallas. However, vacations were originally developed for the wealthy, where they vacated their estates. Even though I grew up in Plano, a suburb of Dallas, we were by no means wealthy.
Now that I have my own family, I can probably count on one hand the number of times we’ve gone on vacation, that didn’t involve visiting relatives. Or go the way we wished. Not to mention, for the past 7 years we’ve gained too many animals. So it’s extremely difficult for us to get away, and expect anyone to watch all of them.
If you get to go on vacation regularly with your family, you are extremely blessed. Although we hope to be able to continue this as well. As it is, we truly believe the Lord orchestrated it so we could go and be together. We are often so busy and in our own worlds. I think He just wanted us to get away from it all, without distractions, and be a family.
The Plan
After 6 or 7 attempts at locating flights to Florida, I gave up and decided we would just drive. Paul has wanted to go to the beach for several years. And I wanted to go on vacation before hurricane season, so it limited us. Therefore, I hired a travel agent to come up with the actual booking, because I’m too busy. However, first, I Googled the most beautiful beaches in the U.S.
Well, most of the most beautiful beaches happen to be in Florida. So I narrowed it down between Clearwater and Pensacola. Then I contacted our travel agent, and let her do her thing.
She sent me 3 proposals: 2 were for Pensacola, while the remaining one was for Clearwater. But the condo for Clearwater was bigger, had 3 bedrooms with 2 full bathrooms, and it cost less. So that’s the one I chose. It was about a day or two before we left when I realized we had to drive an extra 7-8 hours for that extra space. But, oh well. When we got there, I thought it was worth it.
Preparations
In my last post I explained that our wonderful neighbors were helping us out with all of our pets. But I also purchased a couple of Wyze pet-cams to keep us informed of Itty and Sophie. Unfortunately I couldn’t get 2 panoramic ones; the pet store only had one. So instead I got a stationary one in addition to the panoramic one. Then we set up the pano pet-cam in the living room. While I wanted to place the stationary one in either Hannah’s or our bedroom, Paul ended up putting it outside on the front porch.
Now that we’re home I think I’ll try to find another panoramic one, or similar, and place it outside with the chickens. I definitely recommend, because I got to see both Sophie and Itty, and their shenanigans. And the picture was pretty clear, unless panning too quickly. But if we didn’t have the pet-cams, we would’ve most likely come home to Itty in organ failure or worse, as I’ll eventually explain.
Do pets know when we’re going out of town? I think so. When I got my suitcase out, Itty sat in between my bags and just looked at them, with this knowing look. The last time I went out of town, she wasn’t alone, and I wasn’t gone for long. I went to my mom’s with my youngest in February or March. But when I got back, she was stand-off-ish with me, until I got her fuzzball out and wooed her with promises of playtime.
On the other hand, Sophie didn’t act like she had a clue we were going anywhere at all until the night before we left. Then she was doing everything in her power to get our attention. And the next day she was still at it, trying to get us to play with her. She was like a child performing for her parents, or anyone who would watch. She certainly seemed anxious.
Our Route
No trip to my in-laws would be complete without seeing animals. Since we were driving anyway, I thought it would be fun to make it a beach-hopping trip. So instead of ~ 2600 miles, it was 2800 miles. But the first day we drove to Paul’s mom’s ranch in East Texas. It’s only about 5 hours away from us. Paul and the girls have seen his parents more recently than I have. However I had my dad, his illness, and then death to deal with, hence it’s been at least 2 years since I saw my in-laws. So it was good to visit them in person again.
When I viewed the pet-cam that first day, I saw nothing of Itty. Therefore I surmised she was under my bed sleeping. But Sophie was resting by the front door, waiting for us to return.
The next day we left early for Pensacola: our first beach we would be stopping at. We arrived late in the day. But not too late that we couldn’t take a walk on the beach. It was beautiful. And the sand was soft, the water turquoise blue. Unfortunately where we wanted to eat was a pretty popular eatery. And we planned on leaving early again the next morning. So we grabbed Chick-fil-A after a 2 hour wait at said eatery before heading to our hotel.
It was a short drive to Destin from Pensacola, where we had breakfast. Since it was ~ 8am, we didn’t do any swimming. However we walked the beach, took pictures, and of course, had breakfast. But a lot of the restaurants weren’t open till around 11am or later. Therefore we ate at a Waffle House. Once we left Destin, we saw a neat little bakery. Although it had a pretty long line. Hannah indicated we made the right choice based on how we left the seafood restaurant the night before.
The Next Five Days
We didn’t really stay in Clearwater; it was more like a suburb of Clearwater called Indian Rocks Beach. And the condo was everything it promised to be. The town seemed bigger than where we live and work, offering a lot more to do. And both IRB (Indian Rocks Beach) and Clearwater seemed bigger than OkC. But perhaps that’s because they’re both tourist magnets.
The first full day we were at IRB it was overcast, so we went to a grocery store to stock up. We planned on having one meal at the condo each day. But we ended up throwing food out when we left, because we don’t have much experience with vacations. There was a lot we left behind, like others before us. However the refrigerated, opened items we got rid of. And we took the alcohol home.
We collected seashells, went on a dolphin cruise, ate delicious seafood, got sunburns, and visited the Clearwater botanical gardens. In addition we dressed like the locals, shopped, swam in the ocean, walked a lot, and some of us got tattoos.
We left on May 26th and drove 7 or 8 hours to Gulf Shores, the last beach we visited. It had rained that day, so the waves were pretty big, and the water was brown, reminding me of the Texas coastline. But we still took off our shoes and walked along the beach. And the air was also much cooler there than it was in Florida; it felt glorious after the humidity at IRB.
The Pet-cam
Hannah’s friend brought Itty to the pet-cam so I could see she was ok.
I didn’t get cameras for every area where we had animals; I wasn’t interested in spying on our neighbors and making sure they were doing everything we asked them to. Plus, I didn’t want the worry, because it would’ve stressed me out. Further, Meow Meow, Cake, and the majority of the chickens have been without us when we’ve gone away for the weekend. And they’re used to our neighbors looking after them for short periods of time.
Thus, the primary purpose of the pet-cams was to see how Sophie and Itty reacted to us being gone. Therefore, while we were gone, I faithfully checked the panoramic camera every day and evening to find out what Itty and Sophie were up to.
What the Camera Revealed
Itty watches while Sophie eats some Scooby snacks.
For the first 5 days Sophie kept watch by the door. Most likely she was waiting for our return. She would lie down by the door most of the day. Although she started to drag clothes out of Hannah’s room by the second or third day, sprawling them throughout the house. And I only saw Itty one day initially; it was the second day of our trip on our way to Pensacola.
So, when I didn’t see any more of my cat, I got worried. The first day I marked it off as her sleeping; she couldn’t be bothered by us being gone. But then perhaps she got concerned when we weren’t back by the next day, so she wanted to check things out. However, since she again disappeared, I felt like something was amiss. Paul asked our neighbor to look for her; but our neighbor is in his 70s, and he didn’t look everywhere, just our bedroom. Itty also isn’t like Meow and Cake; she’s anti-social around people she doesn’t know. It takes her a long time to warm up to strangers.
By the 6th day it was clear that Sophie was bored; she started taking shoes from the shoe cubby Paul built and tearing them up. And at that point in time I still had not seen anything more of Itty. But I prayed everyday for her, because I was extremely concerned. I was worried Sophie might’ve hurt her; maybe the dynamics of their relationship had changed in some way since we were no longer there? Additionally, Sophie was bored, so I couldn’t really take anything for granted.
Thankfully Hannah’s friend was back from her trip and was able to look for Itty. She and her boyfriend searched high and low and finally found her in Hannah’s room, under the bed. The door had been closed, which means Itty was without food, water, and a litter box for at least 3 days. If they hadn’t come to find her, Itty would not be around. So I’m very grateful she’s healthy and still alive.
What Awaited Us at Home
We got home between 8 and 9pm 10 days after we left home. And all we had been discussing was seeing our fur babies; how we would open the door, and betting who Sophie would run to first-that kind of debate. Plus, we didn’t even know how all the chickens were.
Well, Paul opened the door, and Sophie ran out. She was so excited, all over the place. I don’t think she really knew who to run to first in her excitement. But I went right in the house. I needed to find Itty; I missed her so much.
She was hiding under the covers of my bed, like I wouldn’t be able to find her. Thus, Sarah and I pulled her out of the covers. But we had to dodge the mess in my room. You see, the two-day drive back I started seeing less of Sophie and more of Itty. And what I saw of Sophie clued me into what she was feeling: extreme boredom. She actually did pretty well, all things considered. She’s bred for high energy. So while we’d been gone for 10 days, she behaved like a champ. However she could only take so much. Therefore, eventually she started acting out: eating the cat’s poop, tearing things up, etc. She’d gone native.
Hence, our bedroom was torn up, but not as bad as it could have been. Honestly I was not surprised. And of course Sophie didn’t get punished.
Taking Stock the Next Day
Our ducklings and Ameraucana chicks.
The next day we had to check out all the pets, especially the birds, because it was dark the night before. When we left we had fully feathered chicks, a couple of broody hens and their chicks, which weren’t fully feathered. So after looking in on them, it appears that one of the older chicks disappeared or got taken by something; and one of our neighbors said that 2 of the little chicks died. Since they don’t live over here and are unfamiliar with birds, they don’t know why. Nor can we say why. They were babies, so it could be any number of things. But I’m thankful the adults are still healthy and whole.
Itty looks like she lost weight, which is to be expected; she was locked up for 3 days. And now Sophie is holding us hostage. She’s not letting us out of her sight ever again. Plus, she’s extremely demanding of us. She brings us a toy and barks at us till we do what she wants. I think we’ve created a monster by being gone for so long.
In Conclusion
We had the best vacation ever. And we would like to make this an annual gig: going out of town. Though we don’t have to go all the way back to IRB, but maybe Pensacola. And definitely find a condo that’s pet-friendly. Get some sleepy meds for Sophie and Itty, so they don’t mind the drive. And not have chicks when we do this again. Of course we can’t help it if there are broody hens and their chicks. But we can plan around incubating.
Do you have any funny vacation stories? What do you do with your pets? My husband made the comment that most people board their pets, butwegaveour dog the keys to the house complete with her own pets. I’m happy that Sophie and Itty had each other, and that Sophie didn’t hurt Itty. At least they had each other, feeble entertainment that it was. But if they didn’t have that, they probably would’ve felt even more alone. And other people might not have that with their pets.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Your comments are appreciated. If you like this post, please like, share, and please don’t forget to follow.
We spend a lot on our pets. Not just in money, but also in time. Americans reportedly spend ~$2300 annually just on their cats and dogs alone. And that doesn’t even take into account chicken, rabbit, and reptile lovers. But there are more signs you’re a crazy pet parent than spending money on your pet.
While there are plenty of “crazy lady” memes, I use the term crazy a bit more endearing. Additionally, I don’t single out just women, because I’ve found that men can be just as fond of their pets. However, what does “pet parent” even mean?
The term pet parent is considered by some people concerned with the rights of animals to be more acceptable than owner .
Collins English Dictionary
But it’s really just someone who looks after and cares for their pet.
Now I’ve broken this up into three sections. And the first set of signs you’re a crazy pet parent that we’re going to examine is the cat lover. Cats are mysterious. And they can be elusive or playful. Maybe you’re guilty of being crazy for cats. Or you know someone who’s heading down that path? Just continue reading to find out.
Signs You’re a Crazy Pet Parent: for Cats
This is Meow Meow, when she still lived in the house and there was only Moses to deal with. She liked to sleep on me.
You might be a crazy cat person if you
hardly goon vacation, because…what would happen to your cats?
mayeven read fiction books about cats with your kids
talk to your cats, and reply to them when they meow
have more than a couple of cats
gladly make room for your cat to be comfortable on your bed; BUT if some human tries the same, you push back
buy your cats presents
don’t get mad if your cat steps on your laptop keyboard, because she wanted to be near you and get your attention; however, now you just anticipate her and close your laptop to prevent any mess-ups
sleep with cat food on the nightstand so the kitty knows where it is; cats are creatures of habit, right?
don’t mind if the cat scratches the furniture
get them special treats
havecat themeditems
FaceTime your cat in the event you’re ever away
celebrate your cat’s birthday
sing to your cat or make up songs about your cat
and if your cat takes your chair when you vacate it, it’s ok; you just take another one and move all of your stuff over
The second set of signs you’re a crazy pet parent that we’re going to investigate is the chicken lover. Chicken popularity has been going strong since Covid. So that means more crazy chicken parents. And the newer parents you are, the crazier you are. Trust me, I know. But that doesn’t mean that old chicken parents stop being crazy for their backyard birds. We just share our joys with fellow crazies.
Signs You’re a Crazy Chicken Parent
You might be a crazy chicken person if you
talk to your chickens
don’t run the chickens out of the garden even if you’re spouse tells you to
make special treatsfor them
cook oatmeal for your family; and then make extra for your chickens, because they love it
thank the chickens after they eat the treats
name all of your chickens
have chicken t-shirts and wear them proudly
read chicken blogs
have chicken themed items in and out of your house
save food for your birds, and ask others to do so as well
encourage the rooster; and believe that he actually listens
are happier seeing and watching your chickens than TV; and they think you’re pretty darn special too
talk about your chickens to anyone who will listen, but you’re starting to notice their eyes glaze over
might have even let a weak baby chick sleep in your bed, snuggled in a hand towel
and when you go outside, your backyard birds flock to you
Finally, the last signs that you’re a crazy pet parent we’re going to consider is the dog lover. Dogs have been man’s best friend since, what seems, the beginning of time. They’re faithful, loving, and trustworthy. What’s not to like?
leave TV or music on for your dog when you’re ever away
buy your dog toys
flavor your dog’s food, because they don’t like plain dog food
take your dog on outings
let your dog sleep on your bed, even if they take up most of the bed
spell words out so your dog won’t understand
don’t mind dog hair on your clothes, furniture, or the occasional fur in your food
baby-talk to your dog, no matter their age
love giving your dog belly rubs, and your dog loves it too
let your dog chew on you, because it’s how they say, “I love you”
have birthday parties for your dog
usually don’t go out of town for long, or go far
ignore anything your dog does that could be construed as badbehavior, because you love your dog; and “they’re such a good dog,” you say in the baby voice
and if you’ve ever stayed at a non dog-friendly hotel before, you might’ve snuck your dog in. Don’t worry. I won’t tell, if you won’t
There are some common traits all of these pet parents have in common that I have yet to list. Therefore, if you have cats, dogs, and chickens, please keep reading.
On occasion, you’ve been known to spend more on pet food, bedding, litter, etc, than on your own groceries.
Furthermore, you have more pictures of your pets than your children.
And you talk more about your pets than your kids. In addition, you’re more animated when you share about your pets.
Additionally, you post more on social media regarding your pets.
Also, going out of town for any type of vacation is difficult, because of all of your pets. So you don’t even know what a vacation is anymore. But it’s worth it, because who will love your pets like you do?
And you admit that the word “fret” is in your vocabulary regarding your pets occasionally.
Finally, you might be a crazy pet parent if your neighbors are constantly trying to bring you strays.
Conclusion
This concludes the signs you’re a crazy pet parent. And I confess that I’m guilty of 98% of them. But it’s ok, because I love my pets. And if it turns out that you’re a crazy pet parent, it’s perfectly ok. Because, you’re accepted.
Also, I’m going on vacation next week for 10 days. So I might not post. We haven’t had a real vacation in 4 years. But back then we didn’t have the extra cats and our dog that we have now. We had Moses, but he was allowed to come on vacation with us then.
In addition, the place where we’re going now is not pet-friendly. Although, that hardly matters, because Sophie would need tranquilizers to go on vacation. Anyway, this will be the first time that we left Sophie and Poppy for an extended time. So we have some anxiety about that. Therefore, if you think of it, please pray for our pets and neighbors. We have a lot of pets. Over 30, and some chicks that we’ll eventually sell. Thus, it’s a huge responsibility, however we have great neighbors.
Are you a fellow crazy pet parent? Do you struggle with going out of town because of your fur or feather babies? Or do you have awesome neighbors who help you out? Let me know how you handle these issues in a comment. And thanks for taking the time to read this post. Also, if you enjoyed this piece, please like, and follow for more.
I love fruits and vegetables year round. And I love that we can get a variety of fruits and vegetables annually. But when it starts warming up, I’m more inclined to eat certain fruits, because they’re seasonal. In addition, many fruits go great together, like this easy, delicious fruit salad.
There are as many different fruit combinations as there are recipes for fruit salad. Furthermore, you can add a dressing or not. However, I don’t, because macerating the fruit is flavorful enough.
Ingredients for Easy, Delicious Fruit Salad
8 0z of blackberries, rinsed and strained
1 each Honeycrisp and Gala apples, washed, cored, and chopped
one sliced banana
2 kiwis, washed, peeled, and sliced
1 Bartlett pear, washed, cored and chopped
1 plum, washed, cored, and chopped
6 oz of red seedless grapes, rinsed and strained
one orange, washed, peeled, and sliced
1 TBSP lemon juice + 1 tsp Truvia
Instructions for Fruit Salad
First, in a large bowl, add the fruit, one at a time.
Next, add the lemon juice and Truvia. Alternatively, you could use one TBSP of sugar instead; stir thoroughly to mix.
Then allow to chill in the refrigerate for 30 minutes.
And finally, serve and enjoy!
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Whether scrambled, over-easy, sunny-side up, or boiled, eggs are delicious, nutritious, and versatile. Especially farm fresh eggs. But how to boil farm fresh eggs so they peel easy, that’s the question. Is there a trick to it? Well, a few actually.
It has to do with the age of the eggs. You see, eggs in the grocery store are a lot older than eggs that are collected from backyard farms. And the older they are, the easier they are to peel. You’ll also get the sulfur smell with the aging of eggs. However we don’t have to get into all of that.
Another thing to consider is the eggshell color. Since some shells are naturally denser or harder than others, that will also affect how easy it is to peel. For instance, most of our chickens lay blue eggs. And I have found that those shells and the Maran shells tend to be more difficult to crack. Thus, the eggshell color of your eggs will likely determine the best solution for you.
Boiling Farm Fresh Eggs to Peel Easy: 1st Method
Eggs cooling after being boiled.
Pick your eggs & leave them on the counter, unwashed for 3 or 4 days.
Next, on the 3rd or 4th day, put your eggs in a pot; and cover with salted water.
Then when the water gets to a roiling boil, turnoffstove; and remove pot fromheat.
Set a timer for 10minutes, then allow pot to cool before drainingwater. Next, rinseeggs with coldwater.
Finally, peel and enjoy!
The above method is what I used to use. But after trying the other methods, I won’t go back.
Boiling Farm Fresh Eggs so They Peel Easy: 2nd Method
Finally, the eggs are finished.
Gather your eggs, and DON’Twait for them to age
Bring a pot of water to a boil
Put a steamerbasket, or strainer, with your eggsover the boilingwater
Cover and allowtosteam for ~ 20minutes
Then remove from heat
And cooleggs before peeling
There’s another option that recommends boiling the eggs in a regular pan (not pot), but letting the pan remain on the stove for 20 minutes. Then shake the pan, while the shaking cracks the eggshells. And finally, cooling the eggs under cold water. Both this method and the 2nd method don’t require waiting for the eggs to age. Here’s the link if you want the instructions.
So now you understand that it’s the egg’s freshness that makes it so difficult to peel. And what makes it so yummy also makes it a drag sometimes to eat in certain ways. But now you also know how to boil farm fresh eggs so they peel easy. Did you have any tricks you want to share about boiling and peeling farm fresh eggs?
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It’s probable that you’ve tried compote, which can be incorporated with diverse foods. You can eat it over ice cream, yogurt, and oatmeal. Likewise, spread it on other breakfast items, such as pancakes, waffles, and French toast. Or mix it as a filling for desserts, including cakes, or as a topping for cheesecakes. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I need to first tell you how to make a fruit compote.
With fruit compote you can use really any fruit: frozen, fresh, or dried. However, you might find that berries seem to work best. They’re bite size, easy to clean, and you don’t have to cut them up. My personal favorites are blueberries and blackberries. And I have used both fresh and frozen, whichever I have on hand. Though, for this particular recipe, I bought fresh blueberries.
Also, with fruit compote, you need a sweetener, like sugar, Truvia, or something similar. I used Truvia, so I adjusted the amount needed. And you need a thickening agent, like corn starch, added with water. Those are the basic ingredients. But now we’re going to add them all together.
Fruit Compote Ingredients
4 cups of blueberries
1/4 c of Truvia or 1/2 c sugar
4 tsp of corn starch and 4 tsp of water
pinch of allspice, cinnamon, and salt
Fruit Compote Instructions
In a medium saucepan, combine the ingredients, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer, covered 3 minutes or until thick.
If you want to take the pan off the heat at this point, you can; I don’t. I let it stay on low heat with the lid off, to get more syrupy for ~ 10 more minutes. Stir occasionally; then remove from heat.
Serve as an accompaniment to breakfast, like pancakes, waffles, or French toast. Or add to yogurt, shakes, oatmeal, or even on top of ice cream.
Whatever you put this fruit compote on will taste amazing. I can promise you that! Just give it a try. Plus, it’s so easy to make.
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Around 23 million American households adopted Pandemic pets since 2020. And 90.5 million US families currently have a pet. That’s ~ 70% of the population. Which must mean we really think pets are special. So, if you don’t have one already, let’s cover some reasons for getting a pet.
Reduce Stress and Anxiety: Petting an animal is known to release oxytocin, promoting feelings of happiness and love. It also reduces cortisol and increases serotonin. Which then lowers blood pressure and heart rate, which is also calming.
Help forPTSD: One study found that pets relieve anxiety by adding comfort while reducing feelings of loneliness.
Better Cancer Management: Pets can help cancer patients manage their treatment and emotions. Some patients even report that their visits are better with therapy animals.
Lower Blood Pressure: The American Heart Association found a connection between owning a dog and lower blood pressure. That’s likely because dog owners who walk their dogs will probably reach the advised level of physical activity than pet owners who don’t walk.
Cardiovascular Health: Similarly, dog owners have a lower risk of death than non-dog owners following a major cardiovascular event, like heart attacks or stroke.
Pain Relief: Our pets can distract us. In some ways that can be bad. But, in a lot of ways, that can be great! Take pain, for instance: Spending time with our pets, playing with them, or just petting them can distract us from chronic pain. Or our pets can get us moving around, not focused on our pain.
Social Catalyst: Pets have been referred to as “social capital.” People are more apt to know their neighbors if they have pets than if they don’t.
Better Marriages: Studies report that couples who have cats or dogs have closer relationships. Additionally, they’re more satisfied in their marriages and respond better to stress than non pet-owners.
Find Love: Some people believe their pets can even help them find romance. Further, some singles choose potential matches based on whether there’s a pet. Or how he or she treats their own pet.
Improves Work Life: One study revealed that employees that brought their dogs to work were more engaged. Also, they were more dedicated and had more work-based friendships.
Increases Creativity: Maybe you’re familiar with the Amazon Prime movie The Electrical Life of Louis Wain? It’s based on a true story. Mr. Wain was an artist and first started painting cats to cheer up his wife. However, after she died, Wain continued to be inspired by cats. Other artists likewise inspired by their pets were O’keefe, Picasso, Matisse, Andy Warhol, and Norman Rockwell.
More Positive Outcomesfor ASD: Having a pet could help children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. Purdue did a study on the effect guinea pigs had with children diagnosed with autism. And animal-assisted activities had positive results for kids with ASD, including smiling. Also, children hospitalized with ASD interacted more with a therapy dog than with toys. Furthermore, they smiled and talked more. And interacting with the therapy dog resulted in looking at peers and adults.
Help Kids With ADHD: Having children diagnosed with ADHD read to their pet could help them focus. A study had 2 groups of children diagnosed with ADHD. One group read to a therapy dog 30 minutes a week for 12 weeks. And the other group read to puppets that looked like dogs. The results of the study showed that the kids who read to the real dogs had better social skills and fewer behavioral issues.
Emotional Wellness: Having a pet has been shown to decrease anxiety in children, specifically separation and social anxiety disorders.
More Confidenceand Resilience: Children who have pets can talk to them easily, without fear of rejection. And that helps kids gain confidence. Pets listen without criticism or judgment.
Better Self Esteem: Kids with pets report better self esteem than those without pets.
Higher Self Concept Scores: Children who got pets, either in early childhood or adolescence, have a better self concept.
Teach Responsibility and Self Reliance: Having pets creates an opportunity to teach kids to be responsible. Since kids generally love animals, it’s a great way to show them how to take care of something.
Aid in the Learning Process: Pets help kids develop empathy and emotions. In addition, pets help kids succeed at school-related tasks.
Improve Education: 3 to 6 year old children, who had bonds with their pets, were more verbally intelligent than their peers without pets.
Reduce Stress: Having and actually interacting with a pet increases levels of oxytocin while reducing cortisol. Therefore, this benefit happens not only with adults, but with kids too.
Improve Immunity: If pets are introduced at a young age, they lower a child’s risk of future allergies and asthma.
Slows Cognitive Decline: A recent study has shown that longterm pet ownership can delay cognitive decline. And that includes dogs, cats, fish, hamsters, bunnies, etc.
Decreased Agitation: Studies show that patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s are more engaged when there are resident pets. And the patients have fewer problem behaviors and increased social interactions. Whether the pet is a robotic dog or real dog, the results are the same. Additionally, in the 1990s, Bill Thomas revolutionized the nursing home industry in upstate New York by bringing in live animals and plants. The results were amazing: the patients helped take care of the plants and animals. Then they started dressing themselves, and infections and prescriptions decreased.
Improved Health: A study in the Netherlands showed that older adults, who had a dog, were more physically active. Also, they had more social engagements. But this was just for dog owners, likely because they walked their dogs. Further, in another study, older pet owners had better overall health than their counterparts, regardless of walking the pet. They had less arthritis, healthier weight, and decreased incidents of congestive heart failure.
But, before you buy a new puppy for grandma, remember that pets aren’t a miracle cure for everything. Even if we think they are. Therefore, whether you know someone who could benefit from a pet, or you want one, there’s a few things to go over.
Pets Cost Money: They are a lifelong financial commitment. From food, vet care, toys, bedding, boarding, and grooming to anything else that could come up. And if the pet is going to an elderly person on a fixed income, this could be overwhelming.
Time and Attention: Some pets require more time and attention than others. Dogs need to be walked, while rabbits need constant vigilance, so they don’t chew through things. Although there are other pets that require only a minimal amount of attention and care.
Can Hinder Your Social Life: If you have a pet, you can’t go away for a quick weekend, unless you have someone who can watch your pets.
Pets Can Tear Things Up: At times, there will be accidents. Though, pets left alone for long periods of time, especially energetic pets or pets that have abandonment issues, may continue to get into and tear things up.
Pets Need to be Handled Properly: Any pet has the ability of hurting someone if not handled responsibly. So, it’s important that parents take the time to train children how to interact with their pets.
Pets Carry Health Risks: Some people are immunocompromised, so they should always check with their doctor. But the most common health risks are allergies. However there are hypoallergenic pets.
If, after considering all of the above, and you still want a pet, then you need to think of what kind you want. Some people don’t know what kind to get. And others don’t know the size or breed. Although there are alternatives to owning a pet. For example, you could foster an animal that you think you would like. That way you could find out if that kind of pet would be a good fit. Or you could volunteer at a shelter. Here’s a great article if you’re already considering a pet.
There are so many benefits to owning a pet: Mental, physical, and social advantages foremost among them. And I know that our pets continually increase oxytocin and serotonin in me. Because I always feel better just by watching them.
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There are a number of different breads you can choose from when making French toast. I’ve used French bread, Ezekiel bread, and raisin bread. And I’ve even had it prepared with Challah bread. But for an easy homemade French toast recipe, you can just use the loaf you have at home.
Furthermore, you can make French toast in the oven, in a casserole, on a griddle, or in a frying pan. However, for this recipe, I used a griddle. In addition, it’s non-stick, so you don’t have to use cooking spray, butter, or oil. Thus, if you’re wanting to get crisp French toast, use an electric griddle; or invest in one and try it out, without the butter, non-stick spray, or oil.
Ingredients for Easy Homemade French Toast Recipe:
1 Loaf of bread (I used Oroweat 100% wheat bread)
8 eggs
1/4 – 1/2 c of Half n half or heavy whipping cream (I used heavy cream)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/8 tsp Allspice
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt
Instructions for Easy Homemade French Toast:
In a medium bowl, whisk all of the ingredients, except the bread, together.
Heat a griddle to 350°; after about 15 mins, water droplets on it should sizzle, but not dissolve. So, if that’s what happens, then your griddle is ready. If water dissolves, then turn the temperature down.
Dip slices of bread, one at a time, into the batter; don’t let the bread sit in the batter for long, just make sure both sides have batter, then put dipped slices onto heated griddle.
Cook the battered slices of bread for a couple of minutes; then flip. They should be golden brown. Cook for another couple of minutes before transferring to a plate.
This recipe is ideal if you don’t have sourdough or white bread at home, as it just uses what you have on hand. Since it’s essential that you don’t soak the slices in the batter, that’s the secret to coming up with this quick and easy recipe for French toast.
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With so many uncertainties still ongoing in the world right now, you may be tempted to pass by this article altogether. And I would understand. I mean, it’s just a pet blog. But our fur babies do offer unconditional love and acceptance. And that is very calming in a stormy, ambivalent time. Furthermore, accidents happen. Like the one a patient told me about regarding his standard Poodle, that tried following him to work. His fur baby ended up getting hit by a car; $50,000 and minus one leg later, he feels like insurance would’ve helped him out. So, let’s examine health insurance for them. Is pet insurance worth it? Does it live up to the hype?
I was surprised to find out that pet insurance first got its start in Sweden over 100 years ago. Additionally, its emphasis was on farm animals and cattle. But before long, in 1924, the first dog in Sweden was insured. Then, in 1982, America’s beloved Lassie was the first dog statewide to receive health insurance, due to her popularity. And as of 2019, 90% of dogs and 50% of cats have health insurance in Sweden.
As pet owners realized the benefits of health insurance, in 2007, NAPHIA, or the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, was established, by reputable and experienced pet health insurance companies and professionals, to create standards for the industry.
In a previous post, I briefly mentioned that many people adopted pets as pandemic companions. However, I didn’t mention an exact number or percentage. But, during the past couple of years, even though ~33% of American pet parents adopted pets, most didn’t get health plans for their fur babies. Therefore, keep reading to find out the pros and cons of getting your pet health coverage.
With so many advances in veterinary medicine, pet parents no longer have to choose between a mountain of debt or letting their animal go. Also, in the past there weren’t as many options to treat animals like there are today. However, those options can be costly. And pet insurance seeks to mitigate those costs. Although, there are disadvantages to pet insurance as well.
you have to pay the vet up-front before getting reimbursed from the insurance co.
insurance plans don’t cover everything
plans have limits
and you could spend more on your pets with insurance than without it
Most US pet insurance policies are accident and injury, or coverage with added wellness care. And that makes sense when you first get your pet. You might not think your puppy or kitten has a debilitating disease or a genetic problem. So, if you get insurance, you might consider only accident and injury, thinking down the road, something could happen to them. Like the car accident I mentioned earlier. Or what about this other story I heard about a cat eating hair, and it got stuck in its bowels; that ended up costing the pet parent around $1500.
Although, what happens if your pet doesn’t ever have an accident or illness? Not every pet will have an illness or an accident, so they won’t necessarily need any insurance.
For example, my own history with pets: since being married, we’ve had 3 Shelties, 3 cats (that we still have), and one Aussie. And I’m not counting the chickens. Our first Sheltie, Kirby, died of old age; Roxy was hit by a car and died instantly, and Moses died of old age. So, routine care was all those dogs needed. Now we have 3 cats and an Aussie, and thus far, they too have only needed routine care.
I looked at our options for insurance on just Poppy and Sophie, to get an idea. Since we’ve been providing routine care for our pets anyway, I just looked into accident and illness. Therefore, for both pets, it was somewhere around $40- $50 a month. But that’s just the insurance. Hypothetically, if I got the insurance and had to take one of them to the vet, because they got sick or injured, then I’d have to pay whatever the vet charged me. Then I’d file the claim, and once the deductible was met, eventually get reimbursed based on whatever I chose to get reimbursed back–70-90% of the claim. There’s a maximum, unless I choose lifetime.
So, if your pet doesn’t ever have an accident or illness, that’s great news! However, you’re stuck making those insurance payments, unless you cancel the policy. Or you purchase a wellness policy for your pet instead.
AVMA, or American Veterinary Medical Association, states on its website that it “endorses the concept of pet health insurance to help defray the cost of veterinary medical care….” And then it lists some caveats about viable pet insurance. I include that because when I asked my father-in-law his take on pet insurance, he said to read the fine print. Additionally, if you go to the AVMAs site regarding pet health insurance, they re-iterate time and again, to read the fine print, make sure how they handle pre-existing conditions, etc.
Thus, according to my mother-in-law, who worked many years with my father-in-law in his practice, pet health insurance “is usually used to get pet parents in the door. However, most people don’t follow through with the things the contract covers. And when they have something really wrong with their animal, they find out it’s not covered by the contract.” (Italics, mine; substituted for people.)
Still, 1 out of every 3 pets need emergency veterinary care each year. And even though emergency veterinary care can run between $800 and $1500, less than 56% of Americans can afford an unexpected $1000 bill, of any kind.
Other Things to Consider
Usually no pet insurance plans cover pre-existing conditions. And that includes the accidents and illnesses that I mentioned earlier in this post, not just genetic issues. Therefore, getting a pet plan before they get sick or injured makes more sense than after. However, only you can make that decision. And there are different factors that can affect the cost of a pet insurance policy: where you live, kind of pet, breed, age, percentage you want to be reimbursed, maximum, and of course, if your pet has been sick or injured.
Although, there are alternatives to pet insurance if you can’t afford it, depending on the circumstances. Or if your pet is denied due to hereditary or pre-existing conditions. Some examples are:
Pawp: it has no deductibles, no payments; and it’s more of an emergency plan
Care-credit for pets: not only is there financing for people and health, but also for fur babies
Community health sharing plan: it’s like if insurance and crowdfunding had a baby
Pet care savings account: just what it sounds like, a bank account
Most of us love our pets. They’re like family, and we’d be devastated if something happened to them. But at the same time, we don’t want to lose the farm, metaphorically, if we can’t afford an unforeseen vet bill.
On a side note, I read an article on things veterinarians dislike; whether or not it’s true or false, I don’t know. But the comments were horrible. People saying that if you didn’t have insurance on your pet that you didn’t deserve to have pets, which I don’t agree with. There are so many animals in shelters or on the streets. If a loving family takes in a pet off the street or out of a shelter, feeds it, loves it, and gives it a good home, but doesn’t provide insurance, that family has still done more good for that animal.
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Chicken Girl 