Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 50

#FurkidFriday: A Very #Rodent And #Puppy #SantaPaws Time 2019

Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.

Santa Paws came!

I didn't see him again. Not even with my little Cavapoo brother, Logan, helping me watch and listen for him. It's a bit odd really, since Logan doesn't usually miss when things are going on. Neither do I most of the time, but Logan's even quicker to notice noises than me, so you'd think he'd have heard Santa Paws coming. But no. That guy is super sneaky!

At first I thought it was odd that he came to us when some of my friends were still saying about him coming in a few days, but Mummy explained it's because we celebrated when it was the Winter Solstice, and most people wait until Christmas, which is a few days later. She says she spoke with Santa Paws, and he agreed to come with someone called the "Yule Elf" in time for us to have our presents on the Winter Solstice, instead of waiting until Christmas Eve.

Apparently, though it's not always for the Winter Solstice, Santa Paws often shows up on different days for people who celebrate differently. I suppose that helps with getting to all the homes on time, if he can sort a few before December 24th. Saves a bit of time on Christmas Eve. Not sure how Mummy manages to get to see and chat with him and I don't though. I never saw that Yule Elf guy either. Or are Santa Paws and the Yule Elf the same person? I'm not sure... Mummy might have said he was coming as the Yule Elf rather than with, but I stopped listening after, "Santa Paws is coming." Mummy says it doesn't matter, so I'll just stick with saying Santa Paws came, and you can figure out the rest of how it all works. Or ask Mummy, since she seems to know.

Anyway, I guess even Logan was good enough to be on the nice list. Either that, or Santa Paws gave him stuff as a favour to me. Whatever the case, Santa Paws put some yummy treats and balls in our stockings. Here's me and Logan checking out what he brought us, with some help from Mummy, especially for Logan, since my little brother was confused about what was going on.


Yes, there were balls, just like we asked Santa Paws to remember we liked. Among the treats in our stockings were two of the kind of balls I love best, and some of those little balls that Logan loves best, so we were both super happy about that.

There were other presents too. Here we are unwrapping what turned out to be cuddly squeaky toys of Santa's legs stuck out of a chimney. At least, I'm opening them. Logan's not really sure what to do, even when Mummy tries to help. Watch the video, and you'll see what I mean.






Mummy assured me Santa Paws definitely didn't really get stuck like that, and they were just fun toys. I'm glad, because it would have been scary for him to be stuck upside down in a chimney like he is with our toys. I know I wouldn't like it. Mummy must have been right, because I know my doggy friends who celebrate Christmas instead of the Winter Solstice - like Nana's dog, Izabel - got presents, and he wouldn't have been able to deliver those if he was stuck in a chimney for real.

Anyway, we got these great candy cane rawhides too...


You'll have to excuse the chaos of the puppy pads. We got a bit excited and things went everywhere. Also, as you can see, Logan's still a bit confused about what's going on. He got the hang of things afterwards though, and carried his candy cane around most of the next few days after the confusion of Santa Paws time was over. Even took it to bed with him, which Mummy and Daddy say they wouldn't have minded quite so much if Logan didn't consider the big bed they sleep in to be his bed. Not sure what they're complaining about personally. They could sleep on the sofa if they minded that much, but they let him do it, so it's their problem. Daddy says Mummy's a push-over. Mummy says, "But look how happy he is." I know what it means when she says that. It means Logan can go right ahead and do it, and they won't stop him, no matter how many times they might complain about rawhide in the bed.

Anyway, Mummy and Daddy's complaints aside, the squeaky things in cages got stuff from Santa Paws too. They had sticks and sweeties of some kind in their stockings, which they seemed happy about, and these gnawing toys:


Here's my chinchilla sister, Mollie, right after Mummy and Daddy gave her hers:


The Joshua did get to have his too. It turned out to be lucky Santa Paws came with the Yule Elf, or he'd have missed him, since the Joshua squeak went away right after the Winter Solstice. I don't know why, but we miss him.

If that wasn't enough, two sleeps after Santa Paws came, we went to Oscars, and there was turkey. We even got to bring some home, so we had turkey for dinner a couple of extra days, which we thought was great!

So, that was Santa Paws time. We loved it! Hope you enjoyed hearing about it and seeing the photos and video.

Lots of licks,
Lilie

#AmReading + #AmWatching + #AmListening - Media Shares And #Reviews 09-01-20

In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.
~Mortimer J. Adler

Welcome to this week's weekly media shares and reviews post!

*Disclaimer: no matter what's being reviewed, all opinions in this post are entirely my own, and I reserve the right to have them, regardless of who may or may not share them. Feel free to express your own in the comments, but please respect my right - and the rights of other commenters - to have opinions that might differ from yours, and to express those opinions too.

Also, please remember that I read/watch/listen to things in a variety of genres, and for all ages, so you should make sure you check that the book/movie/show/song is suitable for the intended audience before reading/watching/listening to it, especially if children are involved. I take no responsibility for anything which may happen as a result of failing to do so.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Unless otherwise stated, all music videos are via YouTube.

OK. Let's see what I've been reading, watching, and listening to, and which song I'm going to share this week, shall we? After all, that's the point of this post, and why you're here today, right?

Reading:This week I read a lot. I ended up reading four books. So, here's what I read, along with my book reviews.

Besieged by Katrina Cope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an amazing addition to the series, with some beautiful moments, and some really entertaining ones too. I highly recommend this book, along with the rest of the series, especially if your a fan of dragons and Norse mythology.
*NOTE: I was given a free advanced copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This fact has in no way influenced either my opinion of the book, or the contents of this review.

The Dalai Lama's Cat by David Michie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an excellent book, which will give you plenty to think about. Whether you're a Buddhist, follow a different spiritual path, or have no chosen path at all, it's a great reminder to practice mindfulness. What better way to be reminded to live in the moment than through the eyes of a cat?

The Dalai Lama's Cat: Guided Meditations by David Michie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
These are excellent. They take you through a few simple yoga stretches and meditations, which would be an excellent starting point for anyone new to either practice, but could also be benificial to those who have some experience with yoga and meditation.

The Art of Purring by David Michie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another excellent and thought-provoking book, purrfect for those who want a reminder to practice mindfulness, regardless of any spiritual path you may or may not follow. So, what makes you purr? Perhaps, by the end of this book, you'll know the answer to that question.

Watching:This weekend I had some quality time with the furkids and my DVD collection, and binge watched all of "NCIS" season 11 (much to Mollie's delight) and also watched a new to me movie. See below for details and a review for the movie.

The Lion King (2019 movie):
Being a big fan of the 1994 version of this movie - and a fan of lions in general; lions are one of my absolute favourite animals, after all - I've been eager to get to watch this movie. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. It's just as good as the old one I know and love, with only a few minor tweaks to how things are done, which are enough to give it a new freshness without taking away the elements that made me love the other version. So, I give this movie five out of five stars.

Listening:This week I've been listening to very little music again, and am having trouble picking a favourite from the few I have listened to. With that in mind, I decided to pick one connected to the movie I watched this week, so... Here's "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" by Elton John, from the 1994 version of "The Lion King" for your listening pleasure. Yes, I'm sharing the song from the 1994 version, even though I watched the 2019 version this week.

#Pet Themed #Poetry #Book - Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes Now In #Audio!

A collection of poems of various lengths and styles, all written for some of the various pets my hubby and I have had.

The pets mentioned in this collection include 4 degus, 2 rats, 2 chinchillas, and 2 dogs. All poems are captioned with details of the pets they are about.

Previously made available in eBook and paperback, "Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes" is now also available as an audio book, read for you by Suzan K Hennen.

You can buy the audio version from Audible, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, and iTunes.

Or, if you prefer, you can grab one of the multiple eBook formats or the paperback version.

If you're on Goodreads, you may also be interested to know that the book has a Goodreads page.

Reviews help authors sell books, so if you grab a copy - regardless of the format you grab it in - it would be great if you could take a few moments to leave a review, either where you brought it, on Goodreads, or wherever else you post reviews. Thank you!

Celebrating The #WinterSolstice And #Christmas 2019,, Followed By #NewYearsEve's #Fireworks

Somehow we're already about a week in to 2020. How's it treating you so far? Good, I hope.

So, let's catch up with how I spent the holidays, shall we?

On December 18th, I decided I was going to have a go at making some shortbread, like I'd been considering doing. So, that's just what I did. The big one is a plain spiced shortbread, and the little ones are an attempt at giving shortbread a caramelized coating. The spiced shortbread worked really well, but I wasn't so happy with the caramalizing thing... Definitely need to work on that. See for yourself:


With the spiced shortbread, I could have done with adding a little more butter, to compensate for the fact I was using a vegan butter, which wasn't as creamy. Other than that though, it turned out pretty well. Kelly agreed, having been willing to help me taste-test it, despite it being vegan shortbread. Even Lilie - who's as picky as Kero used to be about shortbread quality, and usually won't eat anything but "proper" scottish shortbread; I'm starting to think it's a Westie thing - deemed it worthy, and decided it was an acceptable shortbread. It goes without saying that the food crazy Logan was happy to sample it, and would have been happy to have more had I allowed it. No point using Logan as a food tester, since I actually have yet to find a food we're willing to allow him some of that he doesn't like. Seriously, the dog will even eat lettuce. I kid you not!

Anyway, I need to work on my caramel making skills a lot though. Oh well, I tried, and will keep trying. I'll get it right one of these days, and don't worry, because I'll be telling you when I do for sure. *wink*

In the meantime, I also made some cranberry cookies that day, just because I could. So here's a photo of those too:


The official time and date of the Winter Solstice this year in the Northern Hemisphere was at 04:19am on Sunday December 22nd 2019. I didn't stay up for it, since I decided the main thing I needed this holiday season was some rest and recharge time. We tend to focus most of our celebrations on the 21st though, since that's most often when the Solstice occurs, and it's easier with so many others we know not sharing our beliefs to fix a solid date on the calender. Either way, since I wanted that recharge time, I spent most of the 21st and 22nd of December enjoying the company of my furkids while watching and reading things, which is my idea of a good way to spend the holidays if I'm honest. Thankfully, Kelly feels the same way.

As I mentioned in Joshua's post near the end of December, though I've gotten out of the habit of mentioning it on here for fear of offending people, so those who don't know me wouldn't know it, Kelly and I consider ourselves to be celebrating the Winter Solstice rather than Christmas. Because of that, and the fact most people we know celebrate Christmas, when we celebrate the holidays has varied over the years. Some years we've celebrated both on the Winter Solstice and on Christmas Day with nothing holiday related happening on the days between the Solstice and Christmas, other years we've spread the celebrations across the days from the Winter Solstice to Boxing Day so that we end up celebrating for a week. However, this was done mostly for the sake of others, so this year, we decided enough was enough, and that we would just celebrate over the weekend of the Winter Solstice, with our planned holiday meal out being the final part of our holiday celebrations, and the days when others were celebrating being perfect days to catch up on things we'd been neglecting while having a restful Yule.

Of course, "Santa" still visits our house, regardless of when we celebrate, whether he comes as the Yule Elf, or the more traditional Father Christmas role, and this year was no exception. We were obviously all good this year - unless he just wanted us to feel good this holiday season, and was being more generous than normal about avoiding putting people on the naughty list - since there were nice full stockings all around...


The first photo is the one for Lilie and Logan, and Kelly's stocking. The second is the one for Joshua and Mollie (or was... I guess it's just Mollie's now) and my stocking. Mine and Kelly's were filled with candy canes and chocolates (vegan friendly chocolates for me, of course). "Santa" was a bit excited by all the vegan friendly options available for me, so after providing me with enough vegan friendly orange chocolate Santas and reindeers, mint chocolate snowmen, chocolate coins, fudge, marshmallows, etc, that my stocking wouldn't hold them all, brought Kelly a few extra treats for his. Next year, Santa will try not to get so excited by the fact vegan holiday treats are starting to become as common as non-vegan ones. In the meantime, I think we're good for treats for a while. *wink*

Anyway, I'll let Lilie tell you what Santa Paws put in the furkids' stockings, since I'm planning on having her do a holiday themed Furkid Friday to share the photos and video we got of Mollie and the dogs - well, just photos of Mollie - over the holidays. That post will go live this coming Friday.

Yes, we opened all our gifts that day, including ones from family. Kelly had gaming stuff a few books, and some money. I had a new external hard drive, some DVDs, a couple of audio books, and some money. We also had some little bits my Dad had sent us, including some little figurines and such. He usually sends some little novelty type gifts. Officially they were for the stockings, but since we'd already arranged more than enough for the stockings ourselves, we opened them as actual gifts. Mine included some Mickey and Minnie mouse figurines, a little spinning top, a little purple car, a mini T-Rex, some air dry clay, and some chattering teeth. I don't remember everything Kelly had, but a figurine of Mr Incredible, a mini dinosaur of some kind, and some heavy-duty paper clips were involved. Anyhow, here are most of my gifts (the external hard drive and DVDs aren't in any of the photos):


Again, I'll let Lilie tell you in her upcoming post what the furkids got.

Part of what we do each year is to set our own personal intensions - or goals, if you will - for the year. Some people do goals, others do hopes and wishes. We go with goals. But I shared those in the posts I did last week - like I usually do - so I don't need to tell you about those. I only mention it, because I asked Lilie and Logan what theirs were, and Lilie fetched a toy and started tossing it about, while Logan started bouncing and rolling about being cute. I'm taking it to mean their intensions are to play as much as possible, and be as cute as they can be. In other words, keep doing what they've been doing in 2019 (or most of it, in Logan's case, since he was only born in April). So far, so good. *wink*

Other than that, I also brought a herbal tea labelled as "Christmas Tea" to try, along with a new holiday mug to try it out in, just because I could, I don't drink alcahol, and because I didn't want to be drinking too much hot chocolate, but wanted something holiday themed to enjoy during the Solstice. Here are a couple of photos, so you can see my "Let it snow" mug. The second one gives a close up of the image and writing on the mug.


We got a whole load of cards too. One from my Dad and Nan, one from the people who live in the flat downstairs, one from my Grandma, and some from various online friends (Kati, AliceKay, Deanna, and Heather). Here are photos of them for anyone who wants to see:


We didn't end up sending out cards. I'd planned to right before the Solstice. Then it was the 23rd, and I realized we hadn't, so was going to when we got home from our dinner, since at least they'd then be on their way before Christmas Day (in theory). But what happened with Joshua made me forget, and then Christmas was over, so there didn't seem much point. Sorry to anyone disappointed by that. I was going to say this is the last year I'm doing it anyhow. But I guess last year was the last year I'm doing it instead. Again, sorry to those who might be disappointed.

Anyway, since we didn't want to be eating a three course meal out on the weekend, especially not a weekend right around the holidays, because it would potentially be too crowded for Lilie and Logan, the 23rd of December was our holiday dinner at Oscars - as you might have guessed from the previous paragraph, and I might have mentioned on here before. We'd arranged a turkey dinner for Kelly, a vegan alternative for me, and even some turkey for Lilie and Logan, since we couldn't leave them out, could we? Our furkids are always included when possible.

Our meals were three course meals. We both had soup as our starter. It was tomato and pepper, and delicious. Served with sourdough bread. Kelly's main was turkey and vegetables with the trimmings, while mine was a nut roast. It was when we had our main dish that Lilie and Logan had their turkey, though they ate very little of it at the time, since there was too much going on and they were too busy being nosy. So we brought most of their turkey home.

As for dessert: I can't remember what Kelly's dessert was called, but it was some kind of tart thing, and he enjoyed it. Mine was officially meant to have been a vegan Christmas pudding, but they hadn't been able to arrange that, so had provided a vegan friendly rhubarb thing that was somewhere between a crumble and a chilled fruit compot, and very tasty, though I can't remember what it was actually called either. I enjoyed it though, and they even let me take the extra one they had home, so I had some to enjoy the next day as well. I think they were worried I'd be upset by the lack of Christmas pudding. But I appreciated the effort they went to ensuring I had a vegan friendly meal, so how could I be? Plus, I love rhubarb! Rhubarb crumble is my favourite dessert ever, and this was essentially a cold rhubarb crumble. I had no problem with that at all.

The weather was pretty bad over that weekend, but thankfully nice - though cold - on the Monday, which meant we had a pleasant walk too and from Oscars. At least, the walk there was pleasant. The sun was getting quite low by the time we were heading home, and the temperature seemed to be dropping with it, so it wasn't quite so pleasant out by that time. But at least it wasn't raining. Plus, my cut toe had healed well by this point, so it wasn't too uncomfortable or painful walking on it either, which I was quite relieved about.

Anyway, that's how we celebrated this year.

The only other holiday related thing we did was to call various family members to wish them Merry Christmas - and in some cases talk to them while they opened gifts from us, since they wanted that - on Christmas Day, which was how we decided to celebrate Christmas itself this year. To be honest, that's just fine with me. I really enjoyed doing things the way we did this year, more than how I've enjoyed the way we've done things in the past. It felt much more relaxed, was far less stressful, and I really felt like I was making time for family properly on Christmas Day, since the whole day was set aside for them, with time to just do whatever we felt like at a relaxed pace in between phone calls.

We don't bother doing anything to see in the new year. In fact, many years I haven't even bothered to be up for it. But we did end up staying up, because of the fireworks. No. Not that I wanted to hear the fireworks. OK, maybe I kind of did. Though I might have been more enthusiastic if my head hadn't been hurting a lot, which it was because I hit it the Saturday before, hard enough to cut it, give myself a lump, and possibly give myself a mild concussion (though we're not sure about that last part). If you're wondering: I still have a slight headache, but it's only a very mild one now. Also, the lump has gone (it had almost gone by New Year's Eve) and the cut is mostly healed now.

Anyway, back to the New Year's Eve fireworks, and the fact I was mostly only up for them because there had been a few fireworks throughout the evening, and we knew from a combination of past experience and neighbours gathering on the seafront that there were going to be a lot of fireworks going off around midnight, which meant we - OK, I - needed to be awake to comfort Logan, who really hates fireworks.

Mollie and Lilie didn't need comforting. The girls are fine with them. Lilie gets excited and wants to watch them, and Mollie ignores them. I guess it's because they're so used to them by now. Logan is finding it harder to move past that, "Fireworks are terrifying noises," stage though. So he needs cuddles and reassurance, and even then is crying and trembling the whole time. It was not a fun evening for him, and meant I saw in the new year in the middle of our bed, attempting to comfort one very scared eight and a half month old puppy.

Meanwhile, Kelly and the girls were in the living room, and Kelly got some videos of the fireworks for me - since we were up, and then I could get to enjoy them with headphones afterwards, as well as sharing them with you guys - while Lilie bounced about excitedly trying to watch the fireworks with him, and Mollie played on her wheel. You can hear the sounds of Lilie's bell and Mollie's wheel in the clips. Especially Lilie's bell. Here they are:





































So, that's how we celebrated the holidays.

What about you? How did your holidays go? If you did anything, did you enjoy your holiday celebrations? If you didn't do anything to celebrate, did you get in some rest and relaxation time while everyone else was celebrating? Or maybe you did a bit of both? Either way, I'd love to hear about it, and how it all went, so tell me about it in the comments.

#MondayMotivation - #Quotes + Words Of #Wisdom 06-01-20

Each moment is a place you've never been.
~Mark Strand

Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start
~Nido Qubein

Accept the past for what it was. Acknowledge the present for what it is. Anticipate the future for what it can become.
~T. McNair

Your beliefs affect your choices. Your choices shape your actions. Your actions determine your results. The future you create depends upon the choices you make and the actions you take today.
~Roy T. Bennett

If you are still searching for that one person who will change your life, take a look in the mirror.
~Unknown

Learn from your history but don't live in it.
~Steve Maraboli

There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.
~C.S. Lewis

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We know what we are, but know not what we may be
~William Shakespeare

Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
~Desmond Tutu

Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.
~Mark Twain

The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.
~Kalu Ndukwe Kalu

Friends Of #FurkidFriday: Mithril

Hi everyone. This is Mollie the chinchilla.

We still need to tell you about Santa Paws coming to visit. But one of us will tell you about that next week, because today I have another friend I'd like you to meet. Today's guest is our first feathered friend to be interviewed. Isn't that exciting? So, let's meet our first ever feathered Friend of Furkid Friday, shall we?

Hello, feathered friend, what’s your name? If you have an unusual name, or there’s an interesting story behind it, I’d love to hear about what your name means, or the story behind it, so please share if applicable.

Hello, my name is Mithril. That’s an Elvish name and it comes from Middle Earth – as in JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Mithril is “Moria silver” and it was chosen to be my name because next to the silmirils, there is nothing more precious than Mithril. When you look at me, you will see why. But it’s not just about my feathers. I was the runt of my clutch and I wasn’t expected to survive. Matter of fact, the man who owned my parents didn’t want me to survive because he didn’t want his wife to simply give me to the writer lady who is my forever mommy – not after he saw my feathers grow in. He wanted to sell me for lots of money. Horrible man. I’m glad his wife kept her promise to give me to my writer mommy. I wouldn’t be alive today with anyone else.

Ah, I know the ones. My human caretakers are fans of those books. The Mummy human is especially fond of those hobbit creatures in them. Anyhow, we all agree that's a great name, and... WOW! What a story to go with it! Yes, he sounds like a horrible man. I'm glad you did survive, and that his wife kept her promise and gave you to your writer Mommy. It sounds like you really are as precious as your name claims. So, Mithril, I know you're a bird, but what species and breed are you exactly?

I am a whiteface lutino cockatiel. That means every one of my feathers is white, I have red eyes, and my beak, legs, and feet are pink. Even my toenails! In mammals you call that “albino” but birds are different. In birds different colors in feathers are controlled on separate genes. You’ll learn all about that when mommy writes one of two sequel books to her popular “Preparing For My First Cockatiel” guide book. That one will be called “Preparing For My First Egg,” but it is likely she will finish “Preparing For Maturity and Old Age” first.

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing that with us. I love when we get to learn new things about different animals while doing these interviews. Tell us more about yourself. For a start, describe your appearance. I know you and your Mommy sent a photo we could include in this post - which I'll show everyone in a moment - but please describe yourself too, for the benefit of those who can’t see the photo.

I am all white in my feathers. But being a girl, I still have the banding on my tail feathers that girl cockatiels are supposed to have. I have a bald spot behind my crest which is a birth defect common to lutino (pale yellow and ivory) cockatiels. In lutino breed, the normally grey feathers are replaced by yellow. But I’m all white because I’m also a breed called whiteface which means there is no gene for red in my feather and therefore no orange circles over my ears like cockatiels are supposed to have. If I wasn’t lutino, my face would be grey (white if I were a boy), but because I’m BOTH whiteface AND lutino, I’m all white.

See! Mommy does her homework. That’s why her books about cockatiels are the best in the whole world! If you want to know about cockatiels, she’s the person to ask.

Such a beautiful bird! Also, I'll bear that in mind about your Mommy's knowledge. My Mummy human's better with us rodent types, and not so good about bird knowledge, though the Mummy human says she doesn't feel confident enough in her knowledge to be making a habit of giving others advice even about us rodent types. It's great when they at least try to do their homework properly though, regardless of the species they know about most, since it makes things much better for us, and improves our quality of life. That brings me to my next question: what sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with?

I live on the 15th floor of a tenement apartment complex in western Pennsylvania, USA. Just outside our small window near my cage we can see a mountain – but only because we live on the top floor of the tallest building in town and probably the tallest building in the whole county. It’s a small apartment – I’ve lived in much bigger because I’m over 16 and I’ve lived many places—but right now it’s all mommy bird can afford. She doesn’t want to live here and wants to move to some place she keeps talking about called “Scotland.” No idea where that is, but it sounds far away. Always this talk about a big aeroplane and how hard it will be to take a taxi cab hundreds of miles back to New York City (we lived there too) so we can reach the aeroplane that goes to this Scotland place.

Besides mommy bird (the writer), I have a friend named Arwen. Whereas I am two breeds at once (this is a good thing with birds), she’s THREE. Arwen is a whiteface (like me – but whiteface with grey because she’s a girl) pearl (means a special pattern on her back and wings) pied. Pied is where the feathers that should be grey are white instead and it can happen anywhere. Mommy says her feathers are interesting – but never fear because she always wanted an all-white bird!

Arwen was born in a strange place called Pittsburgh. But I’m proud to be a JERSEY bird. Jersey as in New Jersey; I was born near somewhere called Newark. Can’t believe Arwen is five now. I didn’t like her at first – even though I was horribly lonely after getting my divorce three years before. But after I got used to her, I like her. Still, Arwen forgets who is boss so I show her sometimes. I’m in charge! No matter how many other cockatiels come to live with us, I am always in charge!

I've heard of Scotland. It's somewhere North of us. I don't know about all those other places though. Still, it sounds like you live in a great place. Nice you have birdy company again too, after having lost your mate, and good that Arwen accepts you're in charge. So, Mithril, when you're not reminding Arwen you're in charge, what’s your favourite thing to do?

I like to sit on mommy’s head if I can get away with it. And poop there of course. I don’t know why mommy minds that one. Where else am I supposed to poop? My cage? My play gym? My perch stands? The nerve of mommy expecting me to poop from a piece of wood like the birds outside do!

When I’m not taking in the view from mommy’s head, I like to nap from my favourite perches in my cage. I’m getting old now. Some say 16 is very old. But mommy insists that we have many more years to go, that I can reach 30 if I am good and love her to never go away. I love my mommy. I’ve been sick many times, but always pulled through because the Mithril and mommy show is forever. I believe that, don’t you?

Well, yes, if you have to poop, you have to poop, and if that's a comfortable spot to do it in, she'll just have to put up with it. Also, yes, I'm sure the Mithril and Mommy show will go on for a while yet. It's the same for chinchillas: though some of us don't make it to those advanced ages, we can easily live to be 20 or older, and many of us do, playing and thriving until the last. Speaking of playing, doo you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?

Even though everyone tells me I’m too old, I like to lay eggs and sit on them. I sit on the eggs Arwen lays too. I’m told that’s unusual, but I like eggs and Arwen lays more than she can sit on sometimes. So we made a bargain to share the nest box, lay all the eggs there, and we can both sit as much as we want whenever we want.

For some reason mommy doesn’t like it when I lay my own eggs. Something she keeps worrying about called “egg binding” which is when the egg gets stuck coming out. Egg binding will kill unless you have a good doctor who knows a lot about birds who has an office close by. We had that when we lived in New York City (the world’s best doctors for birds), but in Pennsylvania, none of the doctors know anything about birds. In fact, when Arwen needed a physical to show she was healthy enough to share my cage after she first arrived, the doctor here said she was OVERWEIGHT. Stupid lady didn’t know that right after you give a baby bird her food she weighs a lot because it’s a custard similar to milk that is very heavy. If doctor doesn’t know about what infant birds eat, she certainly can’t help me if I have a problem laying an egg. That’s why mommy doesn’t want me to lay any more eggs.

I'm glad your Mommy knew better than the vet, and hope she found you guys a good vet afterwards. I have to have a specialist vet too. Most vets just don't understand about the "exotic" pets, so the human caretakers had to find us a special one who does. Also, I can see why she'd worry about you with the eggs. Maybe leave the laying up to Arwen, and just sit on hers from now on? Just a thought. Anyway, what’s your favourite food?

Sunflower seeds, spray millets, and nutriberries. It’s taken years, but now I also like the zupreem brand of pellets – the expensive stuff that mommy started feeding us because the bird store in Manchester, England (what’s England?) and the pet stores in Glasgow all sell it.

I also love popcorn and bread –bread is the best, even though it makes us sick. Pasta is wonderful. So is rice. Raw chicken and beef is delicious – but don’t tell the V-E-T I steal some, especially when mommy is putting it away from the store. Birds aren’t supposed to like meat, let alone raw meat, but I can’t help myself. I’d rather have some raw steak than the fresh fruits and vegetables cockatiels are supposed to eat. It’s very hard for mommy to get me to eat healthy.

I know about England. I live there. Anyway, I've never been tempted by meat myself. But, to each their own. I'm with you on the pasta and sunflower seeds though, even if I don't want to be anywhere near meat - regardless of whether it's cooked or raw. I mean, we have meat-eaters living in this house, even if half of us here don't touch the stuff, so we're happy to let everyone eat what they want to be eating. It's just not for me. But if you like it, that's up to you. I promise not to tell the vet, though I hope your Mommy is OK with you doing it. Hey, on the subject of your Mommy, what’s the one thing your human does that you love most?

Mommy gives us anything we want any time we want. I am rarely confined to my cage (as spacious as that is – I can fly in it, it is so big and Arwen does sometimes when she’s upset). I almost always get anything I want to eat and many fresh things I still find yucky are offered as well. Mommy is always very attentive to what I want and need. She even gave me Arwen as my bird day gift for my eleventh bird day! What a gift to have a friend come live with us!

I love to give my mommy cuddles and head rubs. Lately because it hurts too much to reach some of my feathers for preening, mommy has been helping to scratch off the sheaths of any new feathers I can’t reach anymore. I should bite her because NO HUMAN EVER touches those feathers – but I know she’s just trying to help me. She loves me.

That's great! A friend is a fantastic gift. I hope you guys have had plenty of other great gifts since, and that you both got something nice for Christmas too. And, no, you mustn't bite. We're not supposed to do that, even when they do things we don't like. Speaking of which, what’s the one thing your human does that you hate most?

She has this horrible obsession with new feathers that are grown in but not preened out of their sheathes. She KNOWS I don’t want her to touch my back, primary flight feathers, or tail feathers, but when I cannot reach them she keeps trying to grab them and scratch the heavy sheathes (heavy because these are my biggest feathers) for me. I ought to bite her fingers off for that (and I know I can bite her fingers off), but I know she loves me and only wants to help me.

Oh, you mustn't bite her fingers off, even though you could if you wanted to; you must resist the urge to bite, even when she's doing things you don't like. Good thing you know she loves you, since I'm sure that helps you resist the urge. Anyway, speaking of your Mommy, as you mentioned earlier, your human is a writer. So, has she written anything about you? If yes, can you tell us about it? If no, do you think she will in the future? Wait... I think you did mention something earlier, right? Can you tell us about it?

In 2014, right about the time Arwen came to live with us, she wrote a guide book to cockatiels that has stories about me and pictures of me from across my life. It’s called “Preparing For My First Cockatiel” and it is mommy helping other people know what life with cockatiels is really like. She tells people very honestly what cockatiels need—like the details of the cages we need (three cages: main, travel, and hospital), the kinds of perches we sit on, even what we eat. It’s a very good book and I’m glad to be its star. It was recently updated to new information for 2019 and recorded into an audio book. Take a listen to it on Audible and UK Audible. There’s also a supplement to the audio book you get for free when you download it. Lots of photos of me in it, but also some neat ones you won’t find anywhere else. You can also read “Preparing for My First Cockatiel” in digital and paperback editions in English, French, Spanish, or Italian. Links to each of those are at www.laurelarockefeller.co.uk/independent.

As wonderful as all this is because, well, you know I’m the best cockatiel in the whole world, she’s not done writing about me. Mommy has two more books planned for the series. One is “Preparing For My First Egg” which is all about baby cockatiels and some of the different breeds of cockatiels. She is waiting for Arwen to get married in that Scotland place before she writes that one. The third book will be all about me again. It’s about how to help your cockatiel live a long and healthy life after she turns ten years old. I plan on giving mommy lots of advice for that one.

That's fantastic! Actually, now that I think about it, the Mummy human listened to the audio version of “Preparing For My First Cockatiel” a few weeks ago, and said it was excellent, and she'd highly recommend it. We're sure plenty of people will find it useful, and I bet you have plenty of things to teach your Mommy for those other books. Also, I hope all goes well for Arwen's Scottish wedding when the time comes for you guys to go there. In the meantime, what do you do while your human writes?

I like to sit on her head and make her lose her train of thought. I mean I’m the star of everything. Mommy must give me 100% of her attention all the time. Of course I reward her for giving me attention by letting her touch me –sometimes I’m even so generous as to tolerate her preening forbidden feathers. She likes that one.

Well, how could she not? It's so generous of you to allow her to give you all that attention, and reward her for doing so. Anyway, Mithril, I've taken up enough of your precious time today, so we should probably end this. Before we do though, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

They say that cockatiels over ten are “senior birds.” Don’t believe it. We cockatiels can live to be over 25 if we have the right relationship with our human slaves and if we have proper access to everything we need to be both physically and mentally healthy. I know we are demanding and we have a lot of requirements to meet to stay healthy and strong. But you know what? It’s worth it! I’m worth it!

You're definitely worth it! Getting any pet is a long-term commitment, especially ones with longer lifespans, but we're worth the time and effort it takes to care for us properly. Thanks for giving everyone that reminder. Also, thanks for coming over for a chat today. It was great getting to know more about you, and learning more about Cockatiels in general.

***~~~***

Author bio:

Born, raised, and educated in Lincoln, Nebraska USA Laurel A. Rockefeller is author of over twenty-five books published and self-published since August, 2012 with editions spanning across ten languages and counting. A dedicated scholar and biographical historian, Ms. Rockefeller is passionate about education and improving history literacy worldwide. With her lyrical writing style, Laurel's books are as beautiful to read as they are informative. In her spare time, Laurel enjoys spending time with her cockatiels, travelling to historic places, and watching classic motion pictures and classic television series. Favorites: Star Trek, Doctor Who, Stargate SG-1, and Babylon 5

Laurel is a proud supporter of Foster Parrots Ltd., The Arbor Day Foundation, and Health in Harmony.

Website: www.laurelarockefeller.com or www.laurelarockefeller.co.uk

Social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurelworlds
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurelarockefellerbooks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peersofbeinan/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-213198671


“Preparing For My First Cockatiel” is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and audio editions. For complete links go to https://www.laurelarockefeller.com/independent

English language editions:
Kindle: http://viewBook.at/Cockatielbk1
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-My-First-Cockatiel-Beginners/dp/1702269787
USA Audible: http://bit.ly/audio-cockatiel
UK Audible:

***~~~***

I hope you enjoyed meeting Mithril, and getting to know more about her, her Mommy, Laurel, and Cockatiels in general. If so, why not show them how much you enjoyed the post by sharing it around, or leaving a comment. Better yet, do both. It would make them very happy, and make me and the Mummy human happy too. You want me to be happy, don't you?

By the way, we're always eager to make new friends, and looking for guests. Doesn't matter if you're furry, feathered, or scaled, we want to hear from you. So, if you're a bird, cat, chinchilla, degu, dog, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, rat, or other non-human creature, you share your home with a human calling themselves a writer - yes, blogging counts - and you'd like to be our guest, please get in touch. To find out how, go to the "Friends Of Furkid Friday" page, where you can not only learn how to get your turn in the spotlight, but also meet all the friends we've introduced you to in the past. In the meantime, don't forget to share this post around, and invite your friends to get in touch with us too.

Squeak soon,
Mollie

#AmReading + #AmWatching + #AmListening - Media Shares And #Reviews 02-01-20

Read widely, and without apology. Read what you want to read, not what someone tells you you should read.
~Joyce Carol Oates

Welcome to this week's weekly media shares and reviews post!

It's the first post of its kind of the year, so... Happy New Year! I hope 2020 has been kind to you so far.

*Disclaimer: no matter what's being reviewed, all opinions in this post are entirely my own, and I reserve the right to have them, regardless of who may or may not share them. Feel free to express your own in the comments, but please respect my right - and the rights of other commenters - to have opinions that might differ from yours, and to express those opinions too.

Also, please remember that I read/watch/listen to things in a variety of genres, and for all ages, so you should make sure you check that the book/movie/show/song is suitable for the intended audience before reading/watching/listening to it, especially if children are involved. I take no responsibility for anything which may happen as a result of failing to do so.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Unless otherwise stated, all music videos are via YouTube.

OK. Let's see what I've been reading, watching, and listening to, and which song I'm going to share this week, shall we? After all, that's the point of this post, and why you're here today, right?

Reading:This week I read three books. So, here's what I read, along with my book reviews.

Frankly Speaking by Don Massenzio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an excellent mystery, which held my attention and kept me eager to keep reading/listening until the end. I listened to the audio version, and though I wasn't sure about the narrator's reading pace at first, I soon started to feel it worked really well to compliment the story's pacing. As for the book itself: the characters are believable, and the plot is both action-packed and full of twists, so kept me guessing and re-evaluating my own conclusions about who did what really well. I definitely look forward to reading more from this author, and continuing the series.

Chronicles of Marsh by Jemima Pett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a fantastic addition to the series. I always love hanging out with these characters, and reading about the creative way they make things work in their wonderful world, and this book is one of my favourites of this series, even though it's more a collection of short stories in chronological order than a novel. Short story collection or novel, this is a creative and well-written book, which I highly recommend, along with the rest of the books in the series (which you should read first, if you haven't read them yet).

After the Snow by Susannah Constantine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Most of this book was really good. The characters were interesting, and the plot was too. But the ending let it down, because nothing really happened in the end, except that suddenly everything was worked out. It was like a piece of the puzzle as to how we got to that ending was missing, or the author got bored and wanted to wrap things up quickly so she could go do something else. So I'm rounding up to four stars, because of how much I was enjoying the rest of the book, but my actual rating is 3.5 stars.

Since this is the first review post of the year, if you want to take a look back at what I read in 2019, check out my year in books on Goodreads. Oh, and, in case you're curious: yes. I did finish that book and make it 114 books I read in 2019, even though it was 2020 when I was actually writing the review. Still finished it in 2019 though, and the review is in this post.

Watching:This week I watched the "Harry Potter" movies. But that's all. Well, I say, "That's all," but that does mean all eight of the actual Harry Potter movies, as well as both Fantastic Beasts movies, and I've seen them all at least once in the past week, so that's actually a lot of movie watching. Sky Cinema Harry Potter has been on pretty much all the time in our place. We've seen the movies enough that we can easily quote scenes, know when our favourite scenes are coming up, etc. But both of us feel you can never have too much Harry Potter - especially me. Plus, Mollie enjoys watching them (enough that she set up a chinchilla alarm call when it changed movies during the day, was one of the ones rated 12, so needed the security pin to be entered so it could be watched, and we hadn't reacted quickly enough... She settled down the moment Harry Potter was back on) and it gives her a break from "NCIS" for a while.

Listening:Since Sky Cinema Harry Potter has been on so much, this week I've not really been listening to anything, unless you count the music from the movies. With that in mind, it seems only fitting that I share this one. So, here's the Harry Potter theme song.

Looking Back At 2019 And Ahead To 2020 - #WriterWednesday Edition; #AmWriting

With the new year comes a refueled motivation to improve on the past one.
~Gretchen Bleiler

I told you in yesterday's post about how 2019 was for me in general, and what my goals are for 2020 in most areas of my life. Today I'm going to do something similar, only this time I'll be focussing on how things were for me as an author in 2019, and what my writing and publishing goals for the coming year are.

The beginning is always today.
~Mary Wollstonecraft

2019 was a pretty good year for me as an author. It wasn't as productive as I'd have liked it to be in some areas, as you'll see in a moment, but it was a pretty good year anyhow, like I said, so I'm not complaining about it. But let's take a look at it, so you can see that for yourself, shall we?

You can read last year's version of this post here. But here's what my list of authorly goals for 2019 looked like:

Finish writing, and then publish, the adventure story.Finish getting the last of my backlist available as audio books.Write and publish at least one other story.Write more poems towards my next poetry collection.

The road to success is always under construction.
~Lily Tomlin

So, how did I do?

The adventure story:I finished writing the rat themed pirate adventure story at last! YAY! So, "Voyage Of The Crimson Sail" was published in both eBook and paperback in September 2019. I even managed to get the audio version sorted, and that became available at the very end of November. So I definitely managed to check this one off my list. YAY! This was the goal I was most anxious to achieve, so being able to say I did it makes me very happy indeed.
Audiobook production:Despite some changes of narrator earlier in the year, and some technical issues a couple of my narrators had, I now have all my books in audio. I literally only just made it by the end of the year, and haven't even had a chance to post the official announcement that "Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes" is now available in audio yet. But it is, which means all my backlist is FINALLY available as audio books, along with the versions that are available in paperback, and a variety of eBook formats. It's taken me about two and a half years of constantly having books in various stages of audio production. But I did it! Now it's only new titles to have produced in audio as they're released, so YAY! I can't tell you how pleased I am to be able to say this.
Writing and publishing another book:Yeah... This didn't happen, or even come close to happening. I won't bother making excuses, though I could list several reasons/excuses for it not happening. I've started writing a couple of things, but none of them are finished yet, let alone published. So... Moving on.
Writing more poems:I did write more poems. Perhaps not as many as planned, but I wrote a few, and they all count towards my next poetry collection (or collections). Since I didn't put a number on this, I can honestly say I achieved it, despite only having written 19 poems all year. Hey, I only said, "More poems," after all, and I definitely did write a few more. I'm calling it a success, even though I had hoped to have written more new poems than I did. I'd hoped to have enough by now that I could guarantee a new poetry collection early in 2020. But I don't feel like I do yet. Poetry writing was definitely one of those areas where I wasn't as productive as I'd have liked to have been, even though I technically did complete this goal, and 19 is a reasonable number.
So, like I said, it was a pretty good year, even if I didn't manage to finish and publish a second title, and wasn't as productive as I'd hoped to be with poetry writing. But never mind. I FINALLY have "Voyage Of The Crimson Sail" finished and published, and all my backlist available in audio, so I'm happy with how the year went, because I feel like those are great achievements in themselves, so I'm proud of me for achieving them. Go me!

Now I get to focus on a whole new set of fresh ideas and goals in the coming year, which I'm excited about.

If you're bored with life, if you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals.
~Lou Holtz

OK. Now it's time to think about the coming year. So, what are my goals for 2020? Well... I have just three writing/publishing/authorly goals - whatever you want to call them - for the coming year. Those goals are as follows:

Finish writing two of the books I've started writing, and publish both of them in all formats I now offer. I'm hoping to have the first ready to publish in May, and the second ready to publish in August or September.Write at least 30 new poems. The plan is to be able to call my next poetry collection done by the end of 2020, so I can publish it in early 2021.Write a story that challenges me as an author somehow, and pulls me out of my writing comfort zone. Such as one in a genre I haven't explored much - or at all - before. It would still be aimed at children, but something other than my usual go to of fantasy themes or Fairy Tales. Not that I won't write more of those in the future. I definitely will. But, I enjoyed the challenge of writing my pirate themed adventure story, so would like to do something like that again, but with another genre.
For those who didn't read yesterday's post: I do also have the goal of practicing better self care, which is something I know I need to improve on both in general, and as an author. But It's not listed among these goals due to being included yesterday, though I thought I'd give it a mention here, so anyone who didn't read yesterday's post will know about it.

Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.
~Jonathan Kozol

How about you? Did you have any writing goals for 2019? If yes, how did you do with them? Also, do you have any for 2020? If you do, what are they? Whatever the case may be, I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment on this post on my blog, via social media, or whatever.

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Before I end this, here are some things for writers to remember if this year didn't go the way you planned, and a reminder that - both in life and in fiction - every story's ending is just a new beginning.

Looking Back At 2019, And Ahead To 2020

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.
~Willie Nelson

2019 was an eventful year, but mostly a pretty good one. I mean, we've had some issues with repairs getting done. Or, more to the point, not getting done (or, as is the case in some situations, getting done eventually, but not as thoroughly as they should have been). Plus, we lost the younger of our chinchillas, Maizie, at the start of February, and the last of our degu buddies, Joshua, last week. But we were lucky in that most of the rest of the memorable events of the year were good. Like me FINALLY getting my hysterectomy, and us adding our Cavapoo, Logan, to our family. On top of those things, I switched from being a vegetarian to being a vegan in July, which I consider a good thing, especially given the fact I've had issues with tolerating dairy since infancy, and really wasn't meant to be eating or drinking dairy products anyhow. So, yeah... 2019 was actually a mostly good year, which feels great to be able to say, especially after how 2018 was.

A life well lived isn't one free from struggle, that's illogical; It's the struggle that makes us notice & appreciate the blessings in life.
~Mother Teresa

Anyway, I had five goals for 2019. If you want to read the full version of my post about them, you can read last year's post here. But here's the short version of what my goals for 2019 were:

Read at least 104 books.Do both versions of the A-Z reading challenge.Watch at least 52 DVDs.Blog five times a week.Embrace hygge, and practice better self-care.
So, how did I do?

Reading:Both the first two goals on my list were reading related, so I'm going to mention both under this heading. I read 113 books in 2019 (unless I finish the book I'm currently reading before midnight tonight, in which case it will be 114). So I did make - and pass - my goal of 104 books. Though it's a lower number than I've done most years in the past, I'm pleased, since I intentionally cut back on my reading time in favour of doing other things too (like watching some of the movies and TV shows I wanted to see). As for the A-Z challenges: I finished the author version in July, and the title version in November. You can see what I read for the author version here, and see what I read for the title version here. Or, you can just go check out my year in books on Goodreads. Anyway, my 2020 reading goal is to read 104 books. Despite having read more than that this year, and way more than it some years, I feel like that's a comfortable reading goal, so want to stick with it.
DVD Watching:As it turned out, I reached my 52 DVD goal at the end of October. In fact, if you're interested, I actually ended up watching 81 DVDs in 2019 in the end. So there's no doubt I completed my DVD watching goal. I even managed to watch way more than I brought, so the stack of DVDs on my coffee table is a lot smaller, which was the whole point of the challenge in the first place. Though it started growing a bit again with the arrival of holiday gifts. Anyway, I won't be bothering with a 2020 DVD watching challenge/goal. I still plan to have something to mention each week in the watching part of the weekly reviews post, but I'm not going to bother to keep count of the number of DVDs I end up watching. I'm just going to focus on enjoying my movie and TV show watching time, regardless of whether I'm watching things on DVD, Sky, Amazon Prime, or whatever. Then I'll tell you what I watched, and review anything I watch that's new to me. But I don't have an actual 2020 watching goal.
Blogging:I blogged five times a week, as planned, sticking to the themes I'd planned for each day (see the post linked to near the top of this post for full details of my 2019 blogging schedule, if you're not sure what it was, and want/need the reminder). This schedule is working very nicely for me, so I plan to continue it in 2020, with the addition of "Friends Of Furkid Friday" posts some Fridays (which I've been doing throughout 2019, but isn't mentioned on the blogging schedule, since it was an idea that came later) and some minor adjustments to titles and layouts for some of my regular features, as well as making it official that I'll be doing a musical mention in my weekly media reviews posts on Thursdays, which means I'll be spotlighting a song from the ones I've listened to during that week, like I've done in the past couple of months. The short version of the schedule is quotes on Monday, anything goes on Tuesday, writing related stuff on Wednesday, media reviews and shares on Thursday, and pet themed stuff on Friday.
Personal:I really didn't do too well with the self care thing again. Actually, I totally sucked at it, if I'm being honest. I started off well, but it didn't take me long to stop remembering to take time for some self care, just relax, etc. Although, at least when I did remember to take time for self care I had some lovely hygge moments. Still, those moments were few and far between, so I definitely need to work on this more, as certain people keep reminding me. With that in mind, I will be keeping the goal of practicing better self care again for 2020 - this applies to physical, mental, and spiritual personal care. If I keep putting it on there, maybe I'll eventually get in the habit of doing it. Can but hope, right? I mean, I know I really need to. I didn't fight to get my hysterectomy, just to then not take this chance I have for a better life for myself in whatever time I have left, so I need to make that time the best it can be. I want to start getting back in the habit of regular meditation, remember to take days off to just relax, be able to look back and say I've had plenty of wonderful hygge moments - by myself, and with the furkids - and stop being so worried I'll offend people by sharing my beliefs on my blog that I hardly acknowledge days throughout the wheel of the year that are important to me and my beliefs. Preferably without Kelly having to threaten to hide my computer cables if I don't remember to take some time out to relax and look after myself.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I've ended up where I needed to be
~Douglas Adams

So, in short, my goals for 2020 are as follows:

Read 104 books; read two books a week.Continue blogging five times a week (Monday through Friday).Practice better self care; meditate regularly, enjoy hygge moments whenever possible, take regular days off from the computer to just relax, watch some of those movies and TV shows I keep saying I'll get to, and do whatever else I need to do to look after my health in every form.
I also have the Jason Donovan concert to look forward to in December 2020. But that's not goal related, hence not mentioning it in my goals list. Still, I'm looking forward to it, so couldn't resist giving it a quick mention here.

That's it, except for my writing related goals, which I'll tell you about tomorrow.

It’s never too late for a new beginning in your life.
~Joyce Meyers

How about you? How was your year? If you had any, what were your goals for 2019? Did you achieve them? Do you have any for 2020? If you're the kind of person who makes resolutions, or picks a word for the year, I'd love to hear about that too. So feel free to tell me, either in the comments section of this post on my blog, or via social media... However you read my posts.

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art—write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.
~Neil Gaiman

#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For December 30th 2019

Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.
~Rumi

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
~Winnie the Pooh

No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.
~Buddha

The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.
~Paulo Coelho

We can never know what might have been but what is to come is another matter entirely.
~C.S. Lewis

The path that takes us straight to its destination is a dull one indeed. It carries only the one message and when we have read it, we have read it. The winding road, however, is a continuous story. Each bend is a mystery and rounding it a discovery.
~C.R. Milne

Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?
~L.M. Montgomery