Friday:) My Furry and Feathered Friends

 “All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it.”

-Samuel Butler

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We certainly can learn some lessons from animals, creatures great and small. I personally do not have any animals or pets right now, and to be honest, I did that take care of two big crazy dogs thing for so many years, that I’m tired of that part. Been there, done that.

But, I have been blessed and honored to help out some neighbors with their pets when they travel, and I seem to have furry visitors visiting on a regular basis. They Love Miss Toni.

I am watching Miss Kathy’s cats for a couple of days. I went in her house this morning and kept calling Sammi, but he was no where to be found. He usually comes running when I call. Low and behold, this morning, his majesty, Sir Sammi, was perched on his kitty thingy., too comfy to acknowledge my presence.

Later, both Sammi and Juno came out to visit me as I was pulling weeds in my front yard.

Juno was supervising. He asked if I needed any help. I said, “No, but you can go around my house and check for any mice or critters.” He complied. “All clear Miss Toni. No mice. Just a couple of birds in your tree.”

Mr. Bunny happens to live in my backyard. I took a picture from my window screen. I don’t have any flowers for him to eat yet, so he’s just hanging out, keeping warm by the bushes.

On my walk, I got to see mommy and daddy duck waddling around the pond. I think they left the little ones on the shore.

There was a happy little bird warbling a beautiful tune as I passed him by.

I am blessed to enjoy the creatures great and small. They seem to be quite happy and content, with very few creature comforts. Now, if man could harness that secret.

 “All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it.”

-Samuel Butler.

Friday:) Furry Friends and My Firemen

“Friends come in all shapes and forms. Some even have four furry feet.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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My little neighbor cat across the street always comes over to visit me. Sometimes when I’m driving into my driveway, he’s there waiting for me. He often tries to sneak in the garage or the front door. I always have to be on “Paw Patrol.”

“Pet me Miss Toni. I’ve been waiting by your front door all morning.

“Now, I will lay by your feet so you can’t move.”

On Valentine’s Day, I took a whole bunch of mini cupcakes over to Station 9. The Captain appreciated the treats.

Chief Tino was appreciative too. The funny part is, when I arrived at Station 5, the fire truck was screeching away, and I thought oh no. I missed them by a second. The good news was, I could see someone sitting at a desk through the glass windows. It was Batallion Chief Paredes. There’s a long story that goes along with that. But, he’s one of the good guys.

So, it was a good day, Happy Friday, my friends.

Friday:) Furry Friends, Flowers and Fruit

“It’s always difficult to keep Fridays confined within themselves..they tend to spill over..”
― Parag Tipnis

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I had a lazy crazy rainy Friday. I checked on my little kitty friends a couple of times while Miss Kathy is on vacation. They like to hang out in my front yard and by my front door, hopefully keeping mice and little critters away.

Thank you boys!

My little friend Bella was visiting with me a few days.

“Well, where’s my leash, Miss Toni? Let’s go!”

I had a whole mess of mangos that needed peeling. I always had the hardest time. Then, a friend on Facebook said that she uses a potato peeler. Why didn’t I think of that. Six mangos were easily peeled and cut, except for a slight pause when I peeled the side of my left thumb and started bleeding. Yikes!

Mango madness!

My evening walk revealed a lovely sunset after a dreary rainy morning. A beautiful sky and some beautiful flowers,

Look at that sky! Spectacular!

Cheers! Happy Friday, my friends!

Friday:) Fun Fairies, Furry Friends, and My Firemen

“It is frightfully difficult to know much about the fairies, and almost the only thing for certain is that there are fairies wherever there are children.”
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

I wanted to tell you about visiting my friend Wendolin Mercado’s Studio and her little art campers over at The Art House. The children were making little fairy cottages from recycled plastic bottles and jars. I was impressed with their creativity. I was also honored because I had dropped of some of my recycled peanut jars and empty brownie boxes, and they were using some of them. Always nice to see trash to treasures. Wendolin is such an awesome teacher. I’ve taken a few classes with her before. I told her she needs to do this class with us old people.

Later, they added tiny cordless fairy lights around their fairy cottages.

Today was a fun afternoon with friends of all sorts. I had brunch with my old friends Zelda and Judy. I haven’t seen them ages. Afterwards, I stopped at church for Adoration and sketching. More on that tomorrow.

When I came home, little Sammi across the street came running to greet me and threw himself down at my feet, as he always does. He brushed up against me and crawled and wove in and out until I succumbed and rubbed his belly and scratched his ears. This is a daily ritual.

We play this, try and walk with kitten slippers game all the time.

Well, I made some brownies today, so that meant a stop at Station 9. The weird part is, the minute I picked up the house phone, the loud speaker said, “Code 3 Ambulance call at……” The address was two doors down from my house. Captain McDaniel opened the door at the same time as the call. I asked, “Did you just get a call?” He answered that they did. I handed him the box of brownies, snapped a picture and said thank you, as he rushed off. I followed the ambulance home. It pulled up two doors down. I stood there a bit, but I didn’t see who was taken away. I sure hope everyone is ok. 🙏

Thank you McKinney PD for all you do. Today, it was a little too close to home, literally.

Friday:) Furry Friends and a Fiery Sunset

“Never waste any amount of time doing anything important when there is a sunset outside that you should be sitting under!” ― C. JoyBell C.

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Back to my routine, back to friends, grocery stores, walking, lunches and visiting furry friends. I’ve always loved animals, but I’ll admit, it’s been VERY nice these past few years not having to take care of two big active dogs. I can travel whenever I want without kenneling, running around, and working my world around my pets. 

The good news is, having neighbors and friends with pets, I have the pleasure of walking a dog whenever I like, visiting with cats, and guess what? I get to go home or go out for the entire day. It’s like being a pet grandma.

Bella is Mr. Mike’s little dog. She is so cute and sweet and loves me to death. When I go out for a walk,I check   and see if Bella wants to take a walk with me. She always does.

Sometimes, my neighbor Diane goes away for a couple of days, and she asks me to stop in and check on her cat. He’s cute and sweet and loves me to death. (Are you seeing a pattern here?)

This evening, after I took Bella for a walk, then visited with Parcel, I continued my walk in the unbearable heat. The air was thick and steamy with a storm on the horizon. Hopefully it will cool off a little. But, it’s just the beginning of summer, AND it is Texas, after all.

A fiery sunset to end the day. 

“Never waste any amount of time doing anything important when there is a sunset outside that you should be sitting under!” 

― C. JoyBell C.