A To Z Blogging Challenge: R is For Rats!

If you know me at all, you had to know I would not pass up an opportunity to show off my rats and try to convince all you non rat lovers out there that rats are great pets! This is Lucky, my little three legged rat. I got him when he was still a tiny baby. A friend of my daughter who works in a pet shop called my daughter and told her that this little guy was going to be snake food or euthanized because it was against their policy to sell rats that are disabled. So she wanted to know if I would take him, which I did and he's such a great little guy. Just look at that face!

He kisses everyone as soon as they put their hands near him. He's so affectionate and loves to come out and play. 

This was Ares. I just lost him last month and he was 3 1/2 years old. That's old for a rat. He was a sweet old guy. I adopted him and his three brothers and they were such a bunch of characters. 

Here are two of Ares brothers, Jasper and Hades. I lost Hades just a couple of months ago..he was 3 years old when he passed away. They might not live a long time but they sure to give us a lot of love in the small amount of time they are with us. Hades and Jasper slept like this all the time. These two were my two biggest rats. Jasper was the biggest at 3 lbs and 19 inches long. 

Of course I had to throw in a funny picture of these two. Jasper doesn't seem to mind that Hades has fallen asleep with his foot on his face. 

This was Fang. He was my cuddler. He spent so much time sitting in my arms, on my shoulder or sleeping on my chest. He always wanted to be held, so much so that sometimes when I opened the cage door to clean the bathroom corner he would take that opportunity to jump on me and sit on my shoulder until I was done and could sit and hold him for a while. If you want a pet that will love you unconditionally, want to cuddle and sneak over to play with your hand...a rat is what you want to get.

And this is Marbles. One of his parents was a hairless rat and so he is half hairless and has patches of hair that are missing because of his mixed parentage. Some of his hair is curly, some is straight and some is gone. He's a nibbler. He says hi by grabbing your finger and nibbling on you, just like he would do to another rat in his pack. 

As you can see, I think rats make great pets and think people who have never thought of owning one should give them a chance. They are not dirty vermin, in fact they are quite clean. They groom themselves several times a day just like a cat does and they pick one corner of their cage to use as a bathroom, which makes keeping the cage cleaner for longer much easier. 

If you would like to learn more about rats, I have written a few articles that you might find interesting. 

Rats: Debunking Common Misconceptions

Rats: What is Popcorning?

How To Clean Your Rat Cage

Video of Lucky

I had to post this, he was so funny this morning.

Lucky video 

A To Z Blogging Challenge: Q is For Quirky Facts

This post is all about quirky facts...

Did you know that a rats teeth never stop growing and they have to gnaw on things to keep them from over growing?

A cockroach can live for nine days without its head before it starves to death.

Seventy percent of the dust in your home consists of shed human skin.

Armadillos, opossums, and sloth's spend about 80% of their lives sleeping.

One reason some bugs have powdery wings is to avoid predation by sticky tongues.

Seaweed extract keeps the ice cream crystal-free -- i.e., creamy.

The main ingredient in Worcestershire sauce is Anchovies.

A lot of mass produced foods get their pink, red and purple colors from crushed bugs that feed on red cactus berries.

Canned mushrooms are allowed to have up to 19 maggots per 100 grams of mushrooms (that's drained weight).

Two out of every three couples turn their heads to the right when they kiss.

There is a secret train platform known as Track 61 beneath The Waldorf-Astoria, New York (with a rusty but intact armored train car still on it), which was used in the 1940s to privately squire VIPs—namely President Franklin Delano Roosevelt—into the hotel.

Women with hourglass figures, especially heavy on the butt, tend to be more fertile.

Headache is the most common reason to avoid sex but you will be amazed to know that sex helps in curing headache. Endorphins released during sex naturally reduce the pain of a headache.

Approximately 10% of all single people in the United States have tried an online dating service.

Most recent research indicates just about 9,000 romantic couples each year take out marriage licenses, then fail to use them. 

Every rat has that one special spot they like to be scritched... it's that scritching spot that sends them into an adorable trance like state of absolute boggle-eyed bliss. Often accompanied by rampant (and painfully cute) reflexive licking.

Did you know any of these quirky facts?

A to Z Blogging Challenge: P is For Pen Names

I read quite a bit, I have many books on several bookshelves and when reading as many books as I do it can get confusing when an author writes under 2 or three different pen names. 

Here are just a few authors I like that also write under other names...

Jayne Ann Krentz, aka Jayne Castle, aka Amanda Quick

Kinley MacGregor is also Sherrilyn Kenyon

 Jessica Bird is also J.R. Ward

Kim Harrison is also Dawn Cook

Meg Cabot is also Jenny Carroll

 Katie MacAlister is also Katie Maxwell 

Nora Roberts is also J.D. Robb.

Stephen King is also Richard Bachmann

Shayla Black is also Shelley Bradley

Oh and my favorite pen names that I didn't know about until recently and a friend told me about it, is Ann Rice writing a dom/sub-bondage series under pen name A. N. Roquelaure. She also wrote 2 other novels involving BDSM and the darker side of romance under the pseudonym Anne Rampling.

I realize there are any number of reasons for having a pen name and the one I see the most is that the author wants to write different genres of books for different publisher's and it's easier to do so under a different name. 

Another reason is that they have a day job in which their boss and co workers know nothing of their writing persona's and they want to keep it that way. 

While I kinda of understand that last reason it also makes me feel like they are ashamed of what they write and don't want their peers to know they write romance or whatever it is they write. I'm probably wrong and they aren't ashamed at all, but that's what it looks like to this outsider. 

I thought it was funny that I had been reading two different authors for quite some time and then after a while I went to one of the authors websites and found out...they were the same person writing under different names. It's hard to keep all the different names straight because there are so many authors that do it and just when you think you know what their real name is, you find out that all of their writing is under a pseudonym because they don't want to use their real name.  

When I first started writing articles I could have chosen a pen name but I chose to write under my real name. I wanted everyone to know it was me. You can find my articles here.

A to Z Blogging Challenge: O is For Outside

This is my daughter and myself back around 1999 in Red Rock, Nevada. I used to go hiking, go out to eat, go to the Hotels on the Las Vegas Strip or Downtown and a lot of other places with my family. 

And then the slight case of Agoraphobia I had back then slowly progressed to the point that I am at now. As of right now I've come out of my home one time in the past two years. I don't go outside anymore. 

Outside has become a dirty word around here. I know my family doesn't do it on purpose but they do make fun of me for not going outside and it does hurt. I have tried going outside, just to check the mail or take a look at the construction that's going on across the alley from my building. But I start shaking, get dizzy and feel sick when I go out, so I just don't go out if I can help it. 

My brother and husband talked me into going over to my dad's house for my 43rd and my dad's 80th birthday's this past February. It was actually hard to go out the door, that first step was the hardest and I could not wait to get back home. I had an upset stomach for most of the day after getting home that night. It would be nice not to be like this but the only therapy my doctor said there is for Agoraphobia is exposure therapy..essentially you have to do what makes you scared..ie..go outside. 

What is Agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is being afraid of being out of ones comfort zone, most times that would be their home and fearing a loss of control or a panic attack in a place where they can't easily get back home. The more panic attacks they have in a given situation the less they expose themselves to that situation.

My Agoraphobia started out slowly and for years I just dealt with the symptoms of panic attacks, dizziness,  paranoia and scared feelings in the places I was going to.

When I went grocery shopping I would routinely vomit on the ground next to my car, after getting the groceries inside my car and getting ready to leave. I could keep it together while in the situation and would not fall apart until I was home or in my car and could relax a little. Most times after being outside running errands I would come home and be sick the rest of the day with stomach problems, the shakes or panic attacks. 

When our car broke down and found out it was unfixable, we sold it for scrap and at that point I started staying home more. It was easier to use my own car when I had to go somewhere but I can't use public transportation because of my panic attacks. 

I know it's wrong but I'm more comfortable in my home and can have everything I need delivered, I don't need to go outside. 

I know I'm not alone, I even had an author tell me that she battles Agoraphobia. She writes at home and like me can have things delivered...she doesn't have to leave home either. 

For an outsider looking in that doesn't suffer from this condition, it's probably hard to understand. I can only hope that by sharing my story I can help someone else who thinks they are the only one to have these feelings. 

A To Z Blogging Challenge: N is For Nightwish

This happens to be one of my favorite songs by this band and I think they made this when their lead singer, Tarja quit the band to do some solo work and they were looking for a new lead singer. Frankly after hearing this song, I didn't think they necessarily needed another lead singer...this song is so awesome.

Yeah, it doesn't hurt that the two singing are flipping hot!



This song is with Tarja back when she was still with the band. She has new songs out now that she is doing a solo career and they sound really good.


And this song is with the new singer Anette.

I like both female singers and I do still listen to Nightwish but it's just not the same as it was when Tarja was with the band. Frankly, my favorite song and the one I listen to the most these days is the first one, the one without either of the ladies.

Have you ever listened to Nightwish?

Which song did you like the best?

A To Z Blogging Challenge: M is For My Hair

I've had long hair my entire life, with one exception. When I was 5 years old my dad cut my long hair off and I had shoulder length hair until it grew back out. 

Right now I can curl my hair up on the table next to me if I wanted to. 

I don't regularly cut my hair but when I do need a trim I just do it myself by flipping my hair over the front of my head and cutting straight across. 

I did have to cut about 2 inches off not too long ago because when I sit down, I sit on the ends of my hair and if I'm not careful I try to straighten my head forward after sitting and pull my hair really hard because I'm sitting on it. lol 

I've heard people say that I must go through a lot of shampoo and conditioner and the fact is I don't. I probably use as much as you do. I don't blow dry my hair, I let it dry naturally and then use a straightening iron if I need to which a lot of times I don't because I use a good Shampoo and Conditioner like Pantene. 

I've only had short shoulder length hair one time in my life and I didn't care for it. I like having my long hair because so many woman don't have long hair anymore. I also really like long hair on men, I don't think there's anything sexier.

What's your favorite hair style? Have you ever had long hair?

A To Z Blogging Challenge: L is For Las Vegas

I've lived in Las Vegas for 25 years and people who don't live here usually think that the only thing to do here is to gamble or see the shows at the Hotels, but there's a lot more to Las Vegas than just the Casinos. In the picture above, that's me standing next to a donkey at Red Rock. Red Rock is just a little drive out of town and if you're going to head up there make sure to bring some bread with you for the donkeys. If you stop your car on the side of the road and you have food, they will come right over to you for the food and stay to let you pet them. 

We also have a Zoo. It's not real big like the LA Zoo but as you can see here we have Ostrich's. This one scared my daughter when he stood up...lol 

We also have several really nice parks. This one is Lorenzi park, which is one of my favorite's. If you bring bread, crackers or something to feed the ducks and geese, they will all come over to you to get some food. It's a lot of fun for the kids.

We also have museums. This one is at the Natural History Museum. My hubby and I took our daughter there and it was really amazing with all the dinosaur bones they have on display.

But if you really want to go on the Strip, do it at night so you can see all the lights. This is our Lady Liberty statue.

To me, it's so much more exciting on the strip at night. I think it's all the lights that you wouldn't see during the day. 

The fountains at the Bellagio. They are much more magnificent at night. 

This has been just a sample of the things you can do and see here in Las Vegas. It doesn't all have to be about the casinos and Hotels. Bring the kids, there are things here for kids as well as adults. 

A To Z Blogging Challenge: K Is For Kangaroo Mouse

The Kangaroo Mouse is a small rodent that you can find in places like Nevada, especially if you plan an overnight fishing trip anywhere along Lake Mead. It is small like a mouse and has large back feet and a tail. So I'm going to tell you a story about an encounter my husband and brother had with these Kangaroo Mice when they went fishing one day/night.

My husband and brother both love going fishing and since we live so close to Lake Mead, that's where they usually go and for the most part their stays are quiet and uneventful...except for this time. 

They go to their spot early in the day, hauling in all their gear and munchies. Set up their poles, built a fire and sat back talking and eating. As the sun set Ken, my husband said he heard some skittering around the camp site but they only had a small lantern lit and couldn't see very well around them, they just assumed it was some squirrels, birds or lizards running around. 

My brother Billy, said a little while later he heard something jump into the paper bag that they had brought their bags of potato chips in and then scurry back out again. He figured it was a squirrel or something and went to light another lantern. 

A little while later they said they saw something small running past them just out of view and while they were looking for it, they saw not one, not two but three more small furred creatures scurry around them and while they were trying to figure out what they were...one jumped into the potato chip bag...snagged a chip and ran off with it. 

So Ken lit another lantern so they could see what it was that was running and jumping around them. He got his first good look at the little creatures when one of them jumped on his leg, stopped, looked at him and took off. 

Now because Ken has been in a house with hamsters, rats and gerbils ...he didn't freak out when a small furry rodent stopped on his leg to check him out. Instead, he reached into the potato chip bag, pulled out a couple, threw a couple of them in front of him and held one in his fingers, waiting to see if anything would come and take a bite. 

He didn't have to wait long until several Kangaroo Mice were running all over their camp site, picking up chips, taking a bite of the chip he held and running off only to come back and get another bite and run and run and jump all over everything...including Ken and Billy. 

They said there must have been at least 25 Kangaroo Mice running around checking them out, jumping on their legs and taking potato chips. Ken kept putting potato chips and cheetos out for them and they kept coming back while my brother just watched, more interested in what fish he might catch. 

Ken said this went on for most of the night until they caught their fish and started to pack up in the morning. My brother told me that when they were all packed up Ken took some chips and stuck them into small cracks and crevices that he had seen the Kangaroo Mice running in and out of and leaving some scattered around the camp site for them to find later. My brother got a real kick out of Ken doing this. Ken liked the interaction with the little rodents and I have a great story to tell. 

A To Z Blogging Challenge: J Is For Jerboa

There are several types of Jerboa's. This is an Egyptian Jerboa. If you've never seen these little creatures you are in for a treat.



When I first saw this video I thought it was fake. I thought, how in the world did I not know about this tiny cute animal? He just doesn't look real, does he? This is the Pygmy Jerboa, the smallest rodent in the world. Of course when I found out about this tiny cutie I had to tell others about this little animal so I wrote an article that you can find here.



There's also the Long Eared Jerboa. Their long ears are so cute. In this video he eats a live meal worm, so if that bothers you, don't watch the video.

I don't know anyone who has a Jerboa as a pet, but I think they are pretty cute and if I had a home big enough with enough room for them to run around, I would probably adopt one. They are pretty cute.

A To Z Blogging Challenge: I Is For Insects of Las Vegas

While there are many insects here in Las Vegas, I haven't seen many of them and would much rather look at this gopher that my daughter found when she and my brother went fishing. She fed him chips and peanuts. 

Of the few insects here in Las Vegas that I have seen, I think the worst one I've seen is the scorpion and thankfully it wasn't in my house, is was at my brother's place when he lived in Pahrump, Nevada. 

I woke up, took my bag in the bathroom, turned on the light and it was sitting right on top of my bag. Good thing I didn't reach inside with the lights off. o.o

I put it under glass so when everyone else woke up they could see my find. Yuck! Nasty little buggers. 

I've also seen many, many spiders. I even found and caught a Black Widow spider a few years ago so I could look at her and get over my fear of spiders. Yeah, great idea, I don't recommend doing that. But I looked at her and then put her back outside. Now I can pick up spiders and most other insects without being afraid. Most other insects..just not bee's. 

I don't like bee's. No, that's not right. I have a full blown bee phobia. Bee's, wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, bumble bee's, ...doesn't matter, they all scare the bejuju's outta me.

There are any number of insects that irritate me..the ants drove me nuts last year. I tried all sorts of things and they just kept coming in. Then when I caulked up the entire bathroom...they grew wings and started flying down the vent. I kid you not!

My younger brother thought I was insane when I told him that I thought the huge red and black ants with pinchers on their face were fighting near my bathroom vent and throwing their enemies eviscerated and headless bodies down the vent and into my sink. I kid you not, I kept finding ant body parts in my bathroom sink because it's right underneath the vent and so if an ant tossed a headless ant body over the ledge into the vent, it fell into the sink. Nice...

 I had to put window screening material under the vent so bugs couldn't fall into my bathroom if they got into the vent. If it were up to me, I would just nail a piece of wood to the ceiling and cover the whole vent. lol 

I took the caulking gun to every nook and cranny in that bathroom last year and then when my husband saw my bad caulking job...O.o...he asked our daughter to caulk around the baseboards so I didn't do that too. lol 

Hey, I got the job done, no more ants!

Oh and on a side note...the ants started coming in through the vent again about a week ago, so I badgered and nagged my husband until he took some really sticky tape and permanently taped up the bathroom vent. Problem solved, I haven't seen an ant since. LOL 

Personal Rant, Sorry

I don't normally like to use my blog as a means of airing my dirty laundry but the fact is my younger brother and I have a stalker. Our older half brother whom we stopped talking to over a year ago for good reason. The sad fact is he just won't leave us alone even though we've asked him to. Several times. I have personally told him if he doesn't leave us alone I will make public what he has done to make us stop talking to him and I did so in this blog post.. An Open Letter To My Stalker.

He did not heed my warning and so I made this blog post. Using PTSD As An Excuse For Psychotic Behavior, where I explained what he did and linked a news report of his arrest.

Even holding to my word did not deter this man from bothering us which made my younger brother really angry and so he made a blog page. It's called Convict John Radell AKA Bear Whitebow

My younger brother made it, posted a couple of things on it and then left it alone for almost two months...and then older brother John started making comments on one particular blog post. This one.. Fake Indians

He has now made 19 comments on that post, each one a little crazier than the next. Then last night my younger brother received emails from several porn sites saying, "Thanks you for registering with blah blah and blah..." The only problem with that is he didn't sign up for them. Now we can't prove that older brother did this, but it's a pretty good bet that he did.

I can only hope that older brother gets sent to prison for a while where he can detox from the medical marijuana he is so fond of telling everyone he is taking. I really think that stuff has freaked his brain out to the point he can't control himself anymore.

End of rant...

A To Z Blogging Challenge: H Is For help

At some point in our lives we all need to ask for or accept help from another person. Knowing when to accept help is another thing all together. I remember being a very stubborn 21 year old with a newborn baby and when my mom asked me if I wanted her to come and stay with us to help out...I said, "No, I'm fine, I got this."

I didn't have it, not at all. But was too stubborn to accept help from her. So when my own 21 year old daughter had a baby and I saw she was getting stressed out and had postpartum depression like I did, I offered to watch our grandson so they could go out and get away for a while, over night so they could get a full nights sleep or when ever they needed it just for a little time away.

Me with my grandson, Logan. 

Babies are great but they are also stressful, a lot of work and sometimes you need to be willing to accept help from those around you when they offer it. I learned that the hard way and wanted to make sure my daughter and her boyfriend knew they had help if they wanted or needed it. 

We've watched Logan over night so they could get some sleep and during the day so they could go see a movie and just get out for a little while. 

It's easy to help others so why is it so hard to accept help from someone? Pride? You want to prove you can do it yourself? You don't want to look weak? 

There are a lot of reasons but remember when the help is offered, take it. Most times the people offering are genuinely wanting to help out. 

I changed my Avatar

In case anyone is wondering, yes, I did change my avatar. I had a couple of people think I was a guy because I had Nick Knight from Forever Knight as my avatar and they said it didn't make sense to them that I didn't have a female avatar to represent me. So I thought ok, I've had the same avatar for many years. It might be time to change things up a little.

My my avatar, the picture that gets left behind on some comments used to be this..

And is now this.. I happen to love this picture and saved it to use as an avatar in a forum but I'm gonna use it here. 

A To Z Blogging Challenge: G Is For Gone With The Mail

No More Mail Delivery on Saturdays happening soon. Gone With The Mail...

So I heard recently that the post office is going to stop delivering mail on Saturday's starting in August. They will still deliver packages and medicine but letters, cards, bills, catalogs ect..will no longer be delivered on Saturday. They said it's because they are losing money because people pay their bills online, keep in touch online and they aren't making as much money anymore.

You know what? I started paying my bills online when my mail started going missing. I thought that maybe it was my mail carrier getting the mail out of the out going mail box in my apartment complexes mail box and losing it so I started going to the post office, dropping it off and thinking that it would be much safer that way...Wrong!

I sent checks in the mail to pay my bills and I would get calls from the companies like my credit card, my electric company and telephone company asking me if I knew I hadn't paid my bills yet. But I had...so I would have to pay EXTRA money to pay it over the phone, cancel the check I sent and hope that next month they actually got the check..and sometimes they didn't.

I had to stop getting the Netflix movie dvd's because 7 of them went missing over the two years I was getting the Netflix deliveries. I would get the red envelopes but the discs would be gone. Now I'm not saying the mail carrier stole them..ok maybe I was thinking that...Ok, that's exactly that I was thinking and when I got no satisfactory answers from the post office when I called them, I had to cancel my Netflix membership because they were going to start charging me for the discs if anymore went missing.

The post office said it was Netflix's fault because the envelopes were always ripping open.

BS.

My mail was delivered and is still sometimes delivered to the wrong address, I still get other people's mail in my mail box and I am nice enough to take it to them. I don't think it's too much to ask for the mail carriers to do their job and do it right. There are many days that I watch the mail truck drive right by my apartment complex and the mail carrier never even delivers mail to my side of the street. Now there's no way that out of the 62 apartments here, that no one got mail that day? They were just too lazy to deliver it.

If they are losing money it's because people got sick and tired of having misdirected mail, non delivered mail, stolen mail and mail that never makes it to its destination. They can't ask for more money for stamps every year and complain about how they are losing money when they aren't doing their jobs right. People might not have found another way to pay bills and keep in touch as much if they weren't worried that their mail was never going to be delivered.

End of rant...

A To Z Blogging Challenge: F Is For Free Samples

These are the freebies I received this week.

This week I received a coupon for a free box of Simply Made Bread Mix. (I went to the store and picked the Country while bread)

A 2 in 1 duo tube of Olay Regenerist for eyes
A bag of sugar cookie mix

A coupon for a free box of General Mills Cereal

I received the free tube of Olay Regenerist from Vocal Point.
The other freebies I found the links to sign up for them at Freebie Shark and Hey It's Free. The links to those sites are below. 

My family is always asking me how I get so many small boxes of free samples in my mail box each week. I tell them the same thing each time they ask. I find websites that give you links to the free samples and I sign up for them or I belong to a site that has you test products at home.

I've shared some of the sites that I like, but I thought this was a great time to do it again.

Great Freebie Sites
Freebie Shark
Hey it's Free
Free Grabber
Target Samples
Walmart Samples

Websites That Let You Sign Up For Free Full Size Products
Bzzagent
House Party
Smiley 360

All of these websites are pretty self explanatory. The Freebie sites have links to the different free samples and you just put in your information and hit submit. Target and Walmart both have samples up for grabs at various times and they go fast. I get most of my free samples from checking the freebie websites like, Hey it's Free and Freebie Shark several times a day.

The websites like BzzAgent, House Party and Smiley360 are really great because they usually send you full sized products or coupons for full sized products and all you have to do is qualify and write reviews and tell your friends about the products you get. It's so easy and they send out great products.

If you've been following my Friday Freebie blog posts for the past few months, you know I receive a lot of free products and samples because I started posting pictures of everything. Some of my friends didn't believe me when I told them how many free products I get, so I posted pictures and links to where everyone can sign up for free stuff.

So are you a Freebie Junkie like me?

A To Z Blogging Challenge: E is For Eating

So what's my favorite thing to eat? Pretty much anything sweet. I have a horrible sweet tooth. Apple pie doesn't last long around here. And no, that's not a hole from a finger in my pie, I actually took a spoon to taste it..hey, I had to make sure it was done..and good before serving it to the family, right?

Cake, especially cake that I didn't have to make myself. It's always better when someone else makes the food, right? It just tastes better, doesn't it? Of course chocolate cake is my favorite with red velvet and spice cake coming in second. 

You know what I don't like to eat? Frosting. 

That's right, I scrape all the frosting off my cake and throw it away. I've never liked frosting. It's usually just too rich and I want to be able to taste the cake without all that gooey frosting covering it up. 

I'm not that picky, I'll eat or at least try anything once. The one thing I won't eat is liver. That stuff is just nasty. I don't care how it's made..it tastes like cow manure. *Not that I know what cow manure tastes like, but still* yuck. 

There are things that others find gross that I like. For instance I like to eat...

Fried chicken hearts and gizzards.
Pickled Pigs Feet.
Pickled Cauliflower.
Marinated Artichoke Hearts.
Cooked Artichokes.
Fried Green Tomatoes

Do you have a food you like to eat that isn't something others like?

Happy World Rat Day

Yes it's true, a day to celebrate the rat. Now in its eighth year the aim of World rat Day is to recognize the rat as a wonderful pet and companion animal for people of all ages.

It's a popular day amongst the rat owning community and apparently for rats themselves. Organizers claim that many rat fanciers will choose to celebrate World Rat Day by planning private parties, with friends and family attending and possibly bearing gifts and treats to unsuspecting and surprised rats.

For me though, It's a time to reflect on the boys I have and the rats I've lost. 

Fang here was a sweet little guy who I lost much too early.

Rats do make great pets and I hope with all the rats pictures and stories I've been telling my readers for years that some non rat lovers see that they aren't vermin or pests like some tend to believe.

They are sweet, loving pets.

A To Z Blogging Challenge: D is For Dreams

I've had nightmares since I was a little kid, it used to drive my parents nuts because I'd always go to bed scared and sometimes wake up screaming. As I got older the nightmares got worst and at times even morphed into Night Terrors where I would wake up kicking and fighting. Or wake up so scared from something in a dream that I actually couldn't move for a few seconds.

I'm 43 years old and the nightmares have never gone away. I've tried anti anxiety meds, sleep meds like Ambien, relaxation techniques as I'm falling asleep, even tried having lucid dreams thinking I would be able to take over the dreams as they got bad and turn them around into something good, but I've never been able to have a lucid dream.

After so many years I've gotten used to the nightmares and they no longer bother me. I have nightmares at least 6 nights a week, every week and have since I was a kid. But I figured if that's what's gonna happen I might as well try to steer them into some sort of theme each night. While I can't have lucid dreams I can sometimes steer them into a certain direction if I think of certain things as I'm falling asleep.

So One night I thought about vampires, vampire movies, vampire books...ect. Sometimes it will actually work and I'll have dreams centered around vampires.

If I've seen a particularly good movie earlier that day I'll think of the movie as I'm falling asleep and sometimes the theme of the movie, the characters or an actor will appear in my dreams. So I can look at my dreams as horror movies in my head and I rarely get really scared from them anymore.

And yes, before you ask...I have tried thinking of fun movies, comedies, something good that makes me feel safe and each time I do it turns into something bad or scary in my dream.

I still scream in my sleep, I still kick, punch and yell curse words...which used to really make my daughter laugh when she would hear me screaming obscenities out in the middle of the night. She would come to me in the morning and say, "Do you know what you said last night?"

It's funny because Ken and my daughter both say that I sound mean sometimes when I'm screaming obscene words in my sleep. One time they both told me I said, "You're mine now. I'm gonna split you open like a ripe banana." They both told me that I sounded really menacing as I said it. lol

I saw a psychologist about 15 years ago to see if there was anything I could do about these nightmares. She told me she thought I had unresolved anger issues and that's what was causing all these bad dreams. That very well could be the case but if I have unresolved anger issues...they are probably going to stay unresolved because they would be with my parents. While my brother and I were growing up they were both mean alcoholics and my dad beat my mother on a regular basis until they divorced when I was 12 years old.

I think I resolved my issues with my mom before she passed away 2 years ago. She quit drinking and we had a good relationship. My dad on the other hand is now 80 years old and takes no responsibility for anything that happened. He won't even talk about it, but he stopped drinking a few years ago and we get along alright now. He and my mom were even friends as they got older and family get togethers were a lot easier. My anger issues may never get resolved and the nightmares may never go away but I've found a way to deal with them.

Do you have nightmares or good dreams most of the time?

A To Z Blogging Challenge: C is For Caring For Older Pets

This is Ares and Hades. At the time this was taken they were both 3 years old and just a couple of months later, Hades passed away. I knew it was going to happen because most rats don't make it to 4 years old. You're lucky if they make it to 3 years old, that's old for a rat. Ares made it to the 3 1/2 mark which I am very happy about. I've had several rats live to be very old boys but when animals get to be this elderly, there are things you have to do to make them more comfortable.

Make sure they are in single level cages so they don't fall off of the second floor of their cage. Elderly animals may also need help cleaning themselves and may be incontinent. Check them each day for dried feces and urine and bath them if needed. I sometimes had to wash my Ares off because he has hind leg degeneration and cannot clean his private parts or belly.

Check their bed in case they have accidents on it, you may need to keep a supply of towels, fleece blankets or beds that you can easily wash and replace each day.

They may need extra help eating. My Ares started eating baby foods and softer human foods as he got older. The harder rat foods he wouldn't eat anymore. Sometimes you have to change their diets, their cages, bedding, beds, surroundings ect..just to make them more comfortable when they get older.

When my mom's dog got older she had to pick him up, take him out let him do his business and pick him back up and carry him back in her home. He wasn't into walking much when he got really old. As animals get older you have to care for them more, just as you would an elderly parent. You want to make sure they are as comfortable as possible.