Saturday, August 22, 2026

Saturday Vittles

 


Zero Sugar Chocolate Pudding and Zero Sugar Cool Whip

You'll need: 

1 box of Jello zero sugar instant chocolate pudding mix.
2 cups nonfat milk
Zero sugar Cool Whip topping


What to do: 

Make the Jello zero sugar instant pudding mix according to box directions. Set aside in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set. 

Put 1/2 cup of pudding in a bowl, top with 2 TBSP of Zero Sugar Cool Whip. 

This definitely will curb any sweet cravings you have. 


There are about 50 calories and 10 carbs per serving.

Friday, August 21, 2026

Freebie Friday!

 

Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, where I tell you what free samples and full-sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a "Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things.  I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received: 

I received this Rocket Chef Turbo Grill from Life Hack Collective. It lets you grill meat and vegetables right in your microwave. It works pretty well too. 

If you follow me on Instagram @ratladymary  you might have seen the video I posted using this.

Did you receive any freebies this week?


Thursday, August 20, 2026

Book Review: Irish Sins by Alix Key

 

Book Description

When an Irish Mob enforcer rescues me, can I pay my debt?

I’m an artist on the run after someone killed my roommate. My sole possessions are one hundred dollars, the clothes on my back, and a surprise invitation to an underground club called Kynk.

A giant of a man takes me home. His commands heal the broken parts of me. He says he’ll go after anyone who touches me, anyone who hurt me in the past.

But what will he do when he learns my true nightmare is his mob-boss brother?

This book is available exclusively to subscribers of Alix Key's newsletter, available on her website.


My Review

Jaq has had a hard life. She got kicked out of school for something that wasn't even her fault and before she could explain, her parents kicked her out at the same time. When her best friend and roommate is murdered in their apartment, Jaq finds herself on the run and ends up at Kynk, the sex club. Conner finds her there and they do a scene together, but Jaq gets spooked for a reason Conner doesn't know and she runs. Conner finds her outside being harassed by a man and gets her in his car and away from the danger. Conner doesn't even think twice when he brings her to his house. There he realizes that he can't let her go and wants her to stay, wants her to stay with him and be his. Jaq and Conner have a shared history but Conner doesn't remember being at the same school with her, but she does and she remembers his brother as well, but not for any good reasons.

Conner is the muscle for his mob family. His father is the head of the mob and his brother is second in command. His brother and father don't treat him like he's second in life to head the family should something happen to their father though. His brother Lorcan is a jerk and does whatever he can to make Conner look bad. Conner keeps his alternate life, house and job a secret from his family. They have no idea he's a billionaire in his own right. Jaq has a lot of secrets of her own though and she only tells Conner about some of them when she finds out a terrible thing he's done. 

The danger really rockets up when Conner and Jaq have a falling out over their secrets. When Conner gets proof of Lorcan's deception to his own family, his father has no choice but see Conner in a new light. It changes everything. Secrets come to light as secrets always do and when Jaq's secrets are revealed to Conner, he wants to make things right with her but it's going to cost him. 

This book had a great ending. This is what I would consider a dark romance because of the mob storyline, Conner killing for his family, the sex club and some Dom/sub interactions between Conner and Jaq. But Conner ends up being a great character. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.


Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Favorite Picture of the Week!

 
Sunset one night this week. It's been a crazy weather week and I took a lot of pictures so this will be a long post with lots of pictures. 

The clouds started forming over the mountains and they were big.

Then the clouds burst out over my area.

The next day it looked like this all day. That's the sun trying to peak out behind the clouds around 3PM. 

The next day it looked like this. 

And then on Friday we actually got a little rain.

It rained on and off for a few hours.

At least it cooled things down a little.

The rain was welcome for sure.


This sunset was wild. I saw so many pictures of it just like mine on social media. 

More dark clouds but no rain from this.

The bright white clouds all over the place.

I couldn't even fit how large this cloud formation was into the picture. Of course you know that is my apartment complex with the orange stipe. I still call it the Clown Motal because of the orange stripe. Such a weird color combination they picked.

This sunset looked really cool. I love the huge clouds.

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Book Review: Hooked On Phoenix by Ashlyn Chase

 

Book Description

AITA for hooking up with my best friend's little sister when we were locked in a bank vault together?

I'm a firefighter by trade—though my side hustle is being a phoenix. As you can imagine, not every woman is on board with hooking up with a shapeshifter. Luckily, I have my brothers and my best friend for company. Unfortunately, the aforementioned best friend has tasked me with keeping an eye on his little sister Misty, the girl who used to have a childhood crush on me. A lot has changed since then. Now, Misty is a bank teller with a sassy mouth and curves that don't quit.

I could have kept my hands to myself, but then a bank hold-up goes wrong, and Misty and I end up locked in the vault together. Alone. For hours. I mean, I'm a phoenix. I can't ignore heat…especially the smoldering looks Misty throws me. So, one thing leads to another, and let's just say, the situation between Misty and me goes up in flames…in the best kind of way.

But now her brother has questions and I've got to figure out how much to tell him. AITA for wanting to risk our friendship because I can't stop thinking about his little sister, and I don't want to keep Misty and me a secret any longer?


My Review

Gabe never saw himself with a wife or kids, he has no plans on settling down because he thinks he's not responsible enough to take care of another person or a child. He had something bad happen to him when he was younger and he's never forgiven himself for it and now thinks he'll let a wife or kids down the way he let down his family the day his dog was killed. 

Gabe's best friend asks him to look out for his sister, Misty while he's on deployment in the military. Gabe doesn't think he's responsible enough to look out for another person but he reluctantly agrees. Soon after Misty's bank get held up while he's there and he locks himself and Misty in the vault to keep them safe. They spend hours alone in there and Gabe has a hard time keeping his thoughts pure since Misty has been in love with him all her life and doesn't want to let him get away again. She sees this as a second chance for them but Gabe doesn't want to hurt her feelings when he inevitably leaves. The only problem is Gabe can't stop thinking about her now. Once they start dating, Gabe has to tell her his secret. 

Gabe is a firefighter and a Phoenix. Phoenix can live for a very long time but when they get hurt, they can just be reborn again. Gabe is a firefighter and when he gets hurt and burned really badly, the doctor finally agrees to let him go home when he's stable. His family knows he'll be fine if they can get him home where he can be reincarnated. 

A family member is married and mated to a dragon shifter so the dragon fire will burn Gabe until his Phoenix is reborn. He'll have to stay in Phoenix form for a couple of months so he can mature in human years to the age he was before he was badly burned. It was interesting to see how the family came up with a cover story about a good plastic surgeon out of the country who is working on Gabe while he was waiting in Phoenix form. 

While everyone is waiting on Gabe and his Phoenix to age so he can come back, there are a plethora of other things happening. Misty has a medical mystery going on which she has to see a bunch of doctors to figure out about her symptoms. Misty has a stalker, and Mother Nature makes an appearance for several reasons. There's a lot going on in this book but it sure kept me entertained and I like that. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 


Monday, August 17, 2026

Happy Raturday!

 


* All pictures this week are courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Apartment Life #433

 
This is a weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that have gone on in and around my apartment complex and in my neighborhood in the past 27 years that I've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 27 years here in a weekly blog post.


Tuesday night the neighbors directly across from me started arguing really loudly. My daughter recorded a little bit of what they were saying. You might have to turn the sound up. In one of the videos one neighbor says she licensed to carry (gun) and has a 9 up in here (9mm hand gun). 


Well after saying she has a gun, I wasn't surprised to see the police show up. But she had closed her door and wouldn't open it back up when the police got here. But the guy who lives next to her came out and talked to the police. 

*For those who have questions about her not opening the door and the police leaving* 

Unless the police have a warrant, you do not have to answer your door or open it and talk to the police. The police cannot make you answer your door unless they have a warrant. A cop told me this when I was calling the police of 'drug dealer' years ago before he was evicted.



But a little while after the police left, they were screaming at each other again. Then they quieted down and things have been quiet. 



The high this week was 108F/42C
The low this week was 80F/26C

So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell  Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.


Saturday, August 15, 2026

Saturday Vittles

 

Berry Dessert

I've made no secret of my love of sweets. But I've found some sweet treats to eat that don't have a lot of calories and so when you're having a sweet tooth, you can indulge a little. 

You will need: 

Cool Whip zero sugar whipped topping
Berries of your choice

What to do: 

Mash 6 raspberries with a fork. Add 2TBPS of Cool Whip zero sugar whipped topping. Mix together and add a small hand full of berries on top. I used blueberries and raspberries. 

This sweet treat has just 50 calories and 3 carbs.


Friday, August 14, 2026

Freebie Friday!

 
Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, where I tell you what free samples and full-sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a "Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things.  I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received: 

A free first aid bag with the purchase of select first aid products at Target. But everything was on a great sale and they had digital coupons to cut. You never know when you'll need first aid stuff. 

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Book Review: His Bear Hands by Layla Nash

 

Book Description

Zoe Stewart didn't plan to end up in the woods after she emptied her corrupt boss's bank accounts, but the small town of Bear Creek is the only safe place for her to hide from his minions. Except Bear Creek isn't connected to anything and she might die without fast wifi, even with the handsome brooding lumberjack to look after her. After a walk in the woods goes badly wrong, Zoe discovers her protector is more than he seems.

Simon Crawford just wants to run tourists into the backwoods of the Cascades on boutique hunting and fishing trips. When his old battle buddy asks him to look after Zoe for a short time, Simon reluctantly agrees -- and discovers his bear wants her as much as Zoe wants to leave. When a car accident leaves Zoe on the verge of death, Simon saves her the only way he knows: gives her his blood and changes her into a bear.

Just as her bear recognizes his and their happily ever after seems just around the corner, Zoe's corrupt boss hunts them both down and threatens to destroy everything Simon has built in Bear Creek. Will Simon's bear hands be enough to save them both, or will their happily ever after end before it even begins?


My Review

Simon and Zoe meet when Simon's old friend asks him to look after her for a while since some very bad people (Crime Lord) are after her for stealing from them. Zoe is really good with computers and tech so this little town of Bear Creek with no wifi isn't what she really wants to deal with. But she's safe for now so she will deal with it. 

Simon is a bear shifter and he expects Zoe to get up early and help out with the lodge when guests arrive. Zoe is not an early riser though, so it causes some problems between them. The danger really sparks up though when Zoe goes for a walk in the wilderness and come smack dab in the middle of a mama bear and her cubs. Simon almost loses his mind that she was in such danger and she had no idea what to do in such a situation. Zoe doesn't know it but Simon knows right away that she's his mate. 

When Zoe surprisingly finds out that bear shifters exist, she tries to flee only to get into a car accident and almost dies. Simon can't lose her and does the only thing he can think of to save her, he gives her his blood and changes her into a bear shifter. Things get really interesting after that. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 


Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Favorite Picture of the Week

 
All of today's pictures are from the past 2 weeks. Sunset one night.

It's was a hazy day. It almost looked smokey.

A much clearer day. Bright white clouds and blue skies.

Same time as the last picture, just a little bit more to the left. 

Later that day while I was across the street from my complex.

The next morning, the clouds looked interesting.

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Book Review: Darkened Dawn by E.J. Mellow

 

Book Description

From the award-winning author of The Mousai series comes the sweeping conclusion to the Icarus-inspired Way of Wings duology—where a forbidden love could save a fractured world…or bring about its end.

Cādra is on the brink of war. With their king in a coma and rebellion spreading across the lands, the winged Volari and horned Süra gather for tense peace negotiations. But beneath the momentary fragile truce simmers unrest—the mixed-blood Mütra rise, demanding the freedom denied them for centuries, as the gods themselves seem poised to intervene.

Tanwen—now a known Mütra and fugitive of the crown—and Zolya, a prince on the precipice to inherit his father’s broken kingdom, find themselves caught in a web of betrayal and divine reckoning. When their forbidden bond is exposed, they risk far more than their love—their lives, their families, and the fragile hope of peace.

Together they must decide whether their love is worth the ruin it may bring to their fractured world…or perhaps be the only key to healing it.


My Review

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway and have not read the first book in this series but I was able to follow along what was going on in this world just fine. 

Zolya becomes King once his father dies. He and his mother aren't weeping at his death since the King was a brute and not nice at all. A lot of secrets are revealed about the dead King and even though I didn't know him from the first book I didn't like the man either so I can understand why no one would be sorry he was gone. 

Now that Zolya is King, he can make some changes to his kingdom and make it a better place for his people. Not everyone is happy about the changes he wants to make and they let him know it. There's also the danger of the Gods not liking the changes he makes as well. And if that's the case, they could all be killed by the Gods if they anger them. I found the Gods interference to be interesting to say the least. 

Tanwen and Zolya thinking they were going to have to make sacrifices in order to be together because their relationship is forbidden. But what they go through in order to be together makes their love for each other stronger. Tanwen is also fighting for change so her people can be free and equal to everyone else. There was a lot going on in this book and a lot of secondary characters but it kept me entertained so that is a plus. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 



Monday, August 10, 2026

Happy Raturday!

 



*All pictures this week are courtesy of martymousehouse.*

Sunday, August 09, 2026

Apartment Life #432

 
This is a weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that have gone on in and around my apartment complex and in my neighborhood in the past 27 years that I've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 27 years here in a weekly blog post.

On Tuesday around 8PM I walked next door to the grocery store and bought a few things. But as I was walking over there, I was approached by several homeless people asking for money. I don't carry cash, so I said sorry and moved on. The thing is, that a lot of times when they are given cash, they will go into the grocery store and sit down at one of the slot machines and gamble. 

As I came out, two teenaged boys stopped me while they were riding on their e-scooters and asked if I had any change. I said no and tried to go on but one was standing in front of me and the other to the side of me. One of them kept looking at the bags of food I had bought (mostly fruits and vegetables). They were a little too aggressive for my liking. They kept asking if I have even a quarter. I said no and walked around them. Both of these boys had on hoodies with the hood pulled up over their heads. It was 112F at that time even though the sun was going down. That to me was a huge red flag. I felt like I was about to get robbed. 

So I called my daughter and asked if she would walk over to the start of the parking lot and just watch me walk over in case I got robbed. My daughter and another neighbor came out to make sure I was safe. Nothing happened but I felt threatened. It wasn't even the homeless people that made me feel that way, it was the teenage boys wearing hoodies in this heat that made me feel uncomfortable. They seem to be over there all the time too. Irritating. I guess I'll have to make sure I have my tazer on me when I go over to the store from now on now too.
---
 

Wednesday night around 9PM I was walking Falcor when I noticed a guy running down the street, an unmarked police truck was following the guy. He ran, the police got out and ran. All of the sudden the guy running, was running from my alley, into the pool courtyard, jumped over the fence right in front of me and ran fast as hell across the street. The police ran the same way in front of me, he stopped and asked if I saw the guy and I pointed across the street. He ran over there and then over to the tunnel entrance where he and a few more cops were flashing their flashlights by the tunnel entrance. The guy got away down into the tunnels and the police wouldn't follow him down there. There were police all over the place and the police helicopter was flying overhead for a few but then they all left. 
---


The high this week was 113F/45C
The low this week was 85F/29C

So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell  Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.

Saturday, August 08, 2026

Saturday Vittles

 
Potato, spinach and chicken bowl

I know this bowl looks plain but I swear I added seasoning! 🤣 It just isn't showing up in my picture. 

You will need: 

1 chicken tenderloin-chopped (4 ounces of chicken)
1 small potato- chopped
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/2 tsp. McCormick Steak Seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. McCormick Herb and Garlic seasoning
1/2 tsp. McCormick Mesquite seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
No calorie cooking spray


What to do: 

Wash off your spinach, chop it and set aside. 
Partially cook your potato in the microwave 2 minutes. Cut the potato into pieces.
Spray your pan, add chopped chicken and potato. Cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through and potato is cooked to your liking. 

Add seasoning and more no calorie cooking spray. Add the spinach and sauté until spinach is wilted. Serve while hot. 

This lunch has about 200 calories and 30 carbs.


Friday, August 07, 2026

Freebie Friday!

 






Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, where I tell you what free samples and full-sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a "Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things.  I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received: 

Greenies Original dog treats
Honey roasted peanut M&M's
Elta MD UV recovery SPF 50
I won an ebook in a FB contest
Blue Buffalo Nudges minis Beef pot roast dog treats

Falcor likes the Greenies. I've given him these before. 
I finally received the M&M's that I was sent an email that I had won. They are good. 
The Elta MD seems like a good SPF
I haven't read the book yet
Falcor loves his treats

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Thursday, August 06, 2026

Book Review: Her Orc King: A Monster Fantasy Romance by Zoe Ashwood

 

Book Description

Captured by bandits, sold at auction to brutal orcs, and dragged halfway across the realm…

I never thought I’d say this, but being kidnapped by a band of pillaging bandits wasn’t the low point of my life.

No, that came when a massive, scarred orc king decided I was his mate and refused to let me leave his cave.

Orcs are a vile race without a shred of propriety, and their king is the worst of all - he expects me to accept their wicked ways and doesn’t understand that my thoughts scatter whenever he removes his shirt. He insists on taking care of me - both my body and soul - and won’t take no for an answer.

But trouble brews in this remote kingdom. The orcs are keeping secrets, and I want to learn the truth. And I’m no longer certain I want to return to the human world. Maybe I want to stay right here, in King Gorvor’s arms.

Her Orc King is an orc fantasy romance with a big, scarred hero who falls hard for the stubborn human heroine. You’ll love it if you enjoy your books with a hint of kidnapping, size difference issues, and lots of steamy scenes. This is the first book of a series of standalones - each book can be read separately and features a happily-ever-after ending for that couple.


My Review

Dawn is abducted and sold at an auction where she's bought by a couple of Orc's. She's taken back to the Orc's home where male Orc's sniff her to see if she might be the mate to anyone there. She's surprised when King Gorvor tells her that she is his mate and takes her back to his room. 

Dawn is expecting the Orc's to be awful to her but they are all welcoming and Gorvor is gentle and so sweet with her. She's slow to trust all this but the longer she's there, the more she doesn't want to leave. 

One thing is bothering her though, the Orc's seem to be keeping secrets from her and she won't let it go until Gorvor tells her what's going on. I loved Gorvor, he was so patient with Dawn. When Dawn finds herself in danger, we get to see just how much Gorvor will not tolerate anyone threatening his mate. The other characters in this book were great too, which makes me want to read more from this author. 

When Gorvor tells Dawn about his childhood, she realizes that both of them were dealt a bad hand but they can make a better future for them and their children. This was such a good book. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 


Wednesday, August 05, 2026

Some of the other animals we've encountered in our neighborhood over the years

 
This is Falcor and Buddy. Buddy's owners would just open the door and let him outside all the time. Good thing he was friendly. He always went back home when he was done.

Falcor and a little white dog from the neighborhood. He lives right around the corner. They just open the door and let him out too. I don't understand people who do this. But I've seen this dog in the neighborhood for years. He'll play with Falcor but won't come up to me.

Back in 2019 we found this lost dog in our courtyard. Falcor does not get a long with big dogs so my daughter went outside and held the dog by the collar so I could take Falcor out. When I got back I called animal control to come get him since he had a collar and a tag on, they would have been able to contact the owner. But our shelters were so full that they could not send anyone out to get him and told me to instead to go to petdata.com and search out his tag number and see if the owner added a phone number that we could call. So I did that and no one answered so my daughter texted the number and sent a picture and the owner texted back and had to ride her bike here to get her dog.

The entire thing took about two hours. My daughter, grandson and a neighbor sat outside with the dog while we waited for the owner. We gave him water, snacks and my neighbor brought out a toy for him to play with. The owner rode her bike and got her dog. His name was Scrappy. My grandson didn't mind sitting outside and playing with him at all. 🤣

Back in 2015 this dog followed my daughter home. He was injured and very malnourished. So we called a rescue to come take him. Hopefully he healed and found a good home.

This cat was my neighbors at the time. He had 2 cats and would let them both out at night. They always came down to my door and meowed until I came outside and petted them. Then they would go home again.

This was his other cat.

This dog ran up to me when I was out checking the mail one day. She had a collar on thankfully and when I called the number on it, the woman said it was her ex husband's dog and she was surprised the phone number on the collar was hers. So she took my number down and called her ex who happened to live at the end of my block. He called me and he came to get his dog. Her name was Tiffy.

One day years ago this little rabbit hopped right up to my late husband, Ken while he was standing in the alley. He let Ken pick him up and bring him inside. There used to be a wild rabbit problem where dozens of rabbits were living right outside the library down the street. That's where we think this one came from. He was so friendly!

We were going to keep him but my daughter ended up being really badly allergic to him. So we found a family who had 2 other rabbits and a big back yard and two big rabbit hutches for them and gave the rabbit to them. He was happy because he had a big yard to play in with 2 other rabbits. 

The dog on the couch with my late husband, Ken was another neighbors dog that would be let out and forgotten because the owner was on heroine (she told me herself) and she would fall asleep. So if we saw the dog outside we would bring her inside until the owner came looking for her. This dog wanted nothing to do with Falcor. 🤣🤣


We've brought in other dogs over the years when idiotic neighbors left them outside. This is Jessica and Falcor. She would get let outside and they would call for her a little while later but if she didn't come back right away and they had somewhere to go, they would just leave her outside and leave. We ended up bringing her inside several times when they were gone for a long time until they came back. 

I saw this little dog standing outside in the heat one day after new people moved in. She was really friendly but she walked slowly and has that older dog look in her eyes. At first I thought she was a stray because she didn't look groomed at all. But when we let her outside to go to the bathroom she went right over to my new neighbors door. We knocked on his door for over an hour while keeping the dog in our place and when he finally opened the door he said she wasn't his dog it was his wife's and he didn't even know she was outside. After that I had her in my apartment at least a dozen times and I've had her in my apartment one other time when he forgot she was outside and went to sleep. This guy was a total ass. The wife seems to care for her dog but he watches the dogs during the day while she's at work and too often he forgets she was outside. I told the wife twice and she thanked us for bringing the dog inside until she could get it. I felt bad for this dog. The wife loved her but the husband was an ass.


Jessica was over at our apartment another time when her owners just left her outside. She would bark at our door to come in until her owners got back. She kept going over to Falcor's bowl and eating his food. This is the look he gave her after I filled his bowl back up. 🤣🤣 This was right after we got Falcor because his gate was still up in the kitchen. He was so used to having his bed inside the gate that we set it up until he got used to having his bed outside the gate.

The cat on Falcor's bed was my daughter's cat, Lucifer. 
Years ago when my daughter moved into her own apartment, this cat just walked in her apartment and made himself at home. He had been a stray or maybe the owners just left him outside when they moved, we were never sure. But he was really friendly, he didn't even care that Falcor was trying to lay in the bed with him. Not long after my daughter decided to keep him, she had him checked out and he didn't have a microchip or anything but he did have cancer. He lived a little less than a year after he picked my daughter to live with. There was nothing she could do for him except keep him comfortable and give him love. He was a really friendly cat. He would sit in my daughter's lap when she got home from work and go to sleep. 


She ended up naming him Lucifer because he would spread all the trash from the trash can all over the floor when he was alone. 🤣🤣🤣

My brother also brought his potbelly pig, Wilbur over for a visit one time when he came into town. Pigs are loud. 🤣🤣

I nicknamed this guy, "The guy with the 6 dogs" Original, I know. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
They were all really friendly and would play with Falcor when we encountered them. 3 of his dogs were 14 years old. They would get so excited when they saw Falcor though. 

This is Falcor and Hope. Hope is 13 years old and belongs to an older lady who used to be homeless. She said that after she got Hope, the dog gave her the reason she needed to get herself together and she did. She's been living in an apartment down the street for a few years now. 

Falcor and Lady. Lady was sick of Falcor sniffing her butt right here and had just snapped at him. That's why she looked miffed. 🤣🤣🤣

A couple of years ago I rescued this pigeon who was having trouble flying. I had him sitting in a little box on my desk and waited for Animal Control to come and get him. He drank some water from me and even ate some oats from my hand while we waited. The lady that came to get him said he might just be dehydrated and overheated and if that was the case, they would able to release him later.

Some of my new readers might not know how we ended up with Falcor. Back in 2014 my apartment manager was moving away and she didn't want to take Falcor with her. He was 5 months old at the time. She said he was too energetic but after we agreed to take him, we realized that he had been abused. He was scared of everything, had a broken tail, would run and hide if we were too loud, was not potty trained, didn't know how to walk on a leash and had spent all of his first few months in a dog run in her kitchen. 

This is the dog run/gate that the manager gave us for Falcor. She had kept him in this 24/7 for the few months that she had him. It was very apparent that she and her husband had hit Falcor because he would start screaming and yelping when he saw a broom, belt, or shoe. So we set this gate up in the kitchen and left the door unlocked so he could come and go as he wanted. It took a year to get him used to us, a year to get him used to walking on a leash, a year to get him potty trained, a year before he stopped screaming every time he saw a shoe, belt or broom. We had to be incredibly patient with him that first year but he's happy now and doesn't get scared like he used to. He'll still go and hide if you raise your voice though. 

All of this has showed me that there are some people that should never ever have an animal of any kind.