Collector of...

There are many things people collect - books, cats, antiques, cars, comics - the list goes on and on! While I do have 12 cats (I try not to say I collect them....), I also have enough books to start my own mini library. I'm also reluctant to say I collect books - because I do resell them once I read them. I also have a ton of craft supplies - ranging from yarn, fabric, beads and anything else crafty related - and nope, I don't say I collect craft items - because I use them!

What do I collect you might be wondering. I collect a truly weird thing when you call it collecting, but it is also kind of cool! I collect people - you got that right. People, humans, kids, adults, senior citizens, teenagers, I'm not to picky about the age range. In fact I generally am not picky about where I have met people and become friends with them. Hello work conferences, Appalachian Trail, pet sitting, random stores. If you chat with me, are a truly genuine person chances are you'll soon find yourself invited to friendsgiving.

I am involved in so many things, I meet people from all kinds of places - which is amazing and makes me feel kind of well rounded. This weekend I was lucky to have a good friend visit while she is doing her flip-flop thru hike of the AT. HTC (Heard the Call) aka Liz , she is a wonderful, caring person. Everytime we see each other I learn more about her and also walk away with appreciation for the people I have in my life. Today I realized that not everyone has a close circle they can just let loose with. That makes me sad as it should be something we all have! This particular realization happened as we were having a mid morning dance party of 2 in my kitchen.

Liz was introduced to us by another thru hiker Walmart. (He MIGHT be our favorite hiker.) Because of him we have meet so many other hikers and have stayed in touch with them. I'll have to write a blog post just about the hikers and the trail.

I also met another good friend Sharon - at an unlikely place to connect with someone who has become a close friend. A work class - we were both in property management - specifically low income housing. I live out by Hershey, PA and she lives in Williamstown NJ, but we both ended up at the ARM class in Northeast Philadelphia. A 6 day course over 2 weeks. I may have peer pressured her into going out to lunch (who really wants to stay in a windowless basement room for lunch?!?!) After that, we both ended up reserving rooms at the same

hotel with plans to study for class at the indoor pool. Naturally we both passed and got our ARM Certification. Fast forward - neither of us is working at the same job. We ended up being great friends who would plan girls weekend trips out of town. Something I look forward to doing every year now!

There's also Angel & Rachael - who I bonded with at work. Rachael from the CPA office, Angel from the Low Income Property Management Office. Both girls are a staple in my life for various reasons. Both of them are great sleep over buddies! Rachael and I tend to do the sleepovers on the weekends (where we fall asleep downstairs watching TV - binging shows we each think the other should see.) She is also usually up for whatever random fun thing I want to do. (so looking forward to our Highland Cow Photo Shoot this summer!)

Angel and I do Thursday night sleepovers whenever our schedules allow. Those nights are the best - we can chat and catch up on life, or just chill, not talking. She's always ready for some shopping or running errands just so we can catch up. No matter what is going on we all enjoy those nights and the quality time. Angel and I usually go flower shopping every year - its our little tradition and is a great way to kick off summer! I wouldn't give those nights up for anything!

Here's to more spur of the moment dance parties, slumber parties and binge watching series on a whim! Get out there and enjoy those friends, pick up a new friend from somewhere!

Till our Tails cross again,

Melanie

Ventures as a small time blogger/tik-toker, and business owner

As I'm on a roll checking off all the things that have been on my bucket list: Blog Site, Etsy Site, Tik-Tok with the cats as stars, I have come to realize - self promotion is a thing - and I am not a huge fan.

Really - for a small business or someone who is trying to make their way in the blog world, tik-tok influencer or even as a craft seller on Etsy - self promotion plays a HUGE part in being successful. I hate constantly saying check out my blog site, check out my newest tik-tok video, check out this craft I just finished and want to sell, I'm a pet sitter - pass this business card to all your pet owning friends/acquaintances. How else do small businesses/bloggers/tik-tok influencers make it? Perseverance and so much self promotion.

It's funny how I've wanted to do all these things, have finally started them and know quite a few people - but yet, have trouble saying hey share this site, read my blog and give me feedback. I'm not entirely sure why I wanted to do these things or what I thought I would get from doing it. So here I sit, writing another blog post - of which I will say go watch my tik-tok videos and if you're not a tik-tok user, check out those same videos on youtube!

Tok-Tok : https://www.tiktok.com/@purrfectdozen?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@purrfectdozen

Subscribe, Like, Share and comment on those videos. All of them are filmed with at least one or more of my cats. These videos are the real deal videos. No hiding, no filters - just how life is with 12 cats.

As I am continuing on my journey - I am constantly reminding myself to like/share other small businesses that I use or am friends with the owners. We are all on a journey to find and fulfill our lives with happiness and joy. The simplest thing of liking a post or sharing a post is a great way to be supportive without costing you anything.

Brutal Truth: My loving husband, who supports all the things I want to do (usually) and will help me accomplish what I need to be successful - he has read less than 5 of my blog posts, has not re-posted any of my postings for pet sitting, has only watched one or two tik-tok videos on his own. His support comes on the end that no one sees - helping me program the website, making sure I picked a song that matches a video, and reminds me that the internet is full of bully's. When I ask for help with technology, he will direct me where to look and if needed walk me thru it if I'm still hung up.

If you've got any ideas on how to get more blog readers, tik-tok subscribers and traffic on my etsy site that don't involve self-promotion let me know!

Till our Tails cross again,

Mel

Dobby's Grand Entrance

Dobby - she's a bundle of everything - quirky, loveable, FIV+, full of energy, and has the ability to be in all the places at the same time!

Dobby entered our lives after Gene and I agreed - NO MORE CATS. If that wasn't a clue to how quickly she would have us wrapped around her tiny paws, I don't know what would be a better clue.

She was the runt of a litter, kicked to the street by Mama and siblings. All were born on a farm down the road from us. Almost 3 years ago Gene and I headed out for dinner, but only made it two minutes from our house before seeing the tiniest kitten sitting on the double yellow line on the road. Scared to death, clueless and all alone. When we drove past she didn't move at all, Gene jumped out of the car and scooped her up. We got her set up on our sunporch with all the standard cat supplies - litter box, food, water, beds, toys and prepared ourselves for what would come next. Dinner out wasn't next up.

A vet visit to clear up the multiple infections she had including, sunburned ears to the point the white hair burned off and the edges of her ears curled. We ran the FIV test which came back positive, but we felt she would like most kittens, test out of it and all would be great. Fast forward to the next test. She didn't get a negative test. It came back positive again. Like a true crazy person, who already has enough cats. My reply to the vet - "That's amazing! I'm so glad!! At which point she laughs and says, I figured you would feel that way.

My follow up question to the vet: So, what does this mean for us as a household with other cats? The simple answer: continue on as you have been. Make sure we see Dobby every year annually, and if she gets any symptoms of being sick, bring her in right away. The chance of her transferring FIV to any of the other cats is so low it's not something we should be super concerned about.

Dobby immediately attached herself to Gene, she gets upset if he leaves the house for any amount of time. She will wait downstairs by the door for him to come back (even if he goes away for the weekend!) She favors men over women, gravitating to Jim and Jimmie. She waits outside the bathroom for Jimmie, chooses to cuddle up with Jim when he visits and only sleeps in bed if Gene is the only one in bed.

Just because she favors the men, doesn't mean I get left alone. She's following in my every step when I'm cleaning, to make sure I'm not over filling the litter, sweeping up food that she could be eating, and just generally making sure everything is up to her Cat Standards of life. We joke that there are multiple "Dobby's" because she seems to be everywhere at once.

Dobby got her name early on because she reminded me of the Dobby from Harry Potter. Sadly she may get a complex, because Dobby in Harry Potter was a male - and she is not. She fills our house with fun and mischievous actions now. Full of energy and always ready to play.

Till our Tails cross again,

Mel