I have asked by several readers about the nail covers shown on Logan, my daughter’s evil, blog-invading, kitty cat.

They are called “Soft Paws” and they were developed by a veterinarian. Soft Paws are vinyl nail caps to which adhesive is applied, the caps are then slipped over your dog or cat’s toenails. They are completely safe, even if you pet manages to chew them off and swallow the pieces. Soft Paws can help protect hardwood floors, screens, doors, furniture, bedding and guests from the damage inflicted by razor sharp toenails.

They also help protect your pet from excessive scratching which can lead to sores, hot spots and so on.

The kids were all home this weekend, Kizzy and Stinky too, so for lunch I made some of their favorites; ham, sweet potato casserole and cheesy potatoes. Everything was great until the hubby tried to get the pan of sweet potato casserole out of the oven…I saw it tip and yelled, “Don’t drop it!” At which point he dropped it. Hot sweet potatoes went all over the oven, the floor, the oven door. Luckily, no one was burned! Only about a third of it was salvageable, which was a shame because it turned out especially good this time. It was also a nightmare to clean up, but at least we didn’t have to make a trip to the emergency room.

The kid’s are heading back tonight. Kizzy and Stinky both look worn out. Their doggy cousins can be pretty exhausting, especially for Stinky, who’s no spring chicken.

It didn’t really feel like Easter today, maybe because it came so early, or maybe it was the cold, gray weather. At any rate, I’m looking forward to a nice hot bath and an early bedtime.

But before I turn in, here’s a brief message; looking for carpeting, furnishings, electronics or home improvement items? Directbuy is a members only design center where you can buy all these things and more at manufacturer-direct prices!

My dogs, like many dogs hate the rain. And with all of precipitation of late this Kwigy-Bo rain slicker at Rarechic may be just the thing. This adorable jacket is lightweight, with a removable hood and fleece vest for those days when the extra warmth isn’t needed. The sewn in leash and harness hole will keep your best friend safe and securely tethered on those long walks.

Check out this adorable photo…is there anything a pug isn’t cute wearing? From clown suit to tuxedo, evening wear to goth-wear, even a lace bustier or peekaboo chemise…The puggy owns it!

All right, I may have been mistaken in that last post, not ALL recliners are unattractive….(grudging admission) This lovely leather recliner from Boyles Distinctive Furniture would actually look great in my home, in most any home, and it would almost certainly pass mustard with Weenie girl. In fact, they have several extremely attractive recliners in their furniture catalog and lots of other great stuff as well.

I stand corrected.

When my little pommie passed away two years come August, I was devastated…it was one of the most painful losses I’ve ever suffered. Kibble was the dog of my life; we connected on a level I have never experienced with any other pet and probably never will again. When she became ill, she was like an infant, completely reliant on me, and when she died I felt like a piece of me died with her. People seldom understand this sort of grief, they may act annoyed, or embarrassed by it. They may even make strange veiled threats, like; “you should be ashamed carrying on so, what if something happened to one of your children?”

I can’t even pretend to understand this attitude…when a person loses someone they love, they grieve…whether that someone was a human or a pet. Sometimes a pet is all someone has, the only creature on earth who truly loved them When a human dies, we arrange funerals, visitations or memorials to help their grieving family achieve closure, when a beloved pet dies a person has no real way of expressing grief, of reaching that closure.

If you have a friend or loved one who has lost a pet, give them a call, send them a card. Let them know you are thinking of them. If you are able, help them find a means of closure, like a a special burial spot in a place that means something to them. With pets, as with humans, grave stones, engraved plaques, or a small piece of statuary marking the grave, can help the grieving person signify just how importance their loved one was to them.

And above all, be supportive, avoid chiding or scolding and refrain from making judgments as to what degree of grief is warranted.

Well, it looks like Weenie and I will only be finishing up at the Alzheimer’s unit in a couple of weeks. The activity director I have have been filling in for is just about ready to return to work.

I think poor Weenie is going to miss her job! Every morning she goes tearing into the unit in her little red hoodie coat, ears flapping out behind her, and she rounds the corner on two wheels, then I hear, “Weenie girl!” From all the staff and residents. Eventually they get around to telling me hello, too.

It’s going to be sad leaving, I’ve gotten pretty attached to the residents, it’s impossible not to. I guess Weenie and I will have to visit them now and then.

I wish it would hurry up and get spring, I’m getting itchy to do something fun. We even debated taking off this weekend, maybe staying somewhere overnight, though it’s probably too late to find any good hotel deals…

I saw a really cute little silver Honda in the car lot on the way home from work today. I could immediately see myself tooling around in it, maybe a dog beside me, windows down, ears flapping in the breeze (the dog’s ears, not mine). It was too late too stop and check it out, hubby had a meeting and Weenie dog had to pee, so I have no idea how much it cost, how many miles it had, or any other particulars. Plus, it’s probably much more car than we need. We really just need a good reliable car, with good gas mileage, nothing fancy, no leather seats with butt heaters, no car spoilers, no DVD players…just the basics. Sure was perty though, and Weenie dog looks really good in silver…

I have three computers in my office. One I use strictly for writing fiction and which has never been hooked up to the internet. A second is used mostly for games and houses my huge “morgue” of pictures, photos and the tidbits of info I’m saving for future projects. The third I use for my blogs and Ebay. In addition to three computers I also have three monitors, three keyboards and three mouses, (mice?) My desk is a crowded mess! Maybe instead of a bigger desk, I need a KVM switch!

Sometimes I find strange things in our back yard. What makes the items appearances so strange is that our back yard has tall stockade fencing and locked gates so that no one goes in or out. Any visitors that we receive enter by the front door to avoid being trampled and licked to death by our pack of dogs.

A while back I found a rosary lying on the sidewalk. We live right beside a Catholic church, so while it was a long-shot, I looked around to see if some unfortunate church-goer had somehow climbed the fence and was attacked and eaten by the pack. Finding no evidence or remnants of a body I had to conclude that the rosary fell out of the sky. Several unfamiliar articles of clothing have also turned up…a man’s hat, a leather boot, several golf balls, though the nearest gold course is miles away, and a shredded wind sock of the type one sees at airports. It’s a mystery. Perhaps our yard conceals an invisible vortex, a portal to another dimension?

Does your dog crave a bit of bling? Apparently fine choke chains are all the rage on the dog show circuits and what could be more tasteful and classic than a little gold chain? These gorgeous gold-plated serpentine canine choke chains range from ten inches all the way up to thirty inches. For the correct size you’ll need to measure your dog’s neck and add two to three inches.