Friendly Fill-Ins Week 46

62 comments

Hi everyone! Time for Friendly Fill-Ins. Be sure to add your link at McGuffy’s Reader. You can also put your answers in the comments. The linky is open until Wednesday night so you have until then to add yours.

1.In the Spring, I look forward to _____________________________________.

2. I would love to have a ___________________________ party.

3. Few know this about me, but                                          .
4. No one                              .
My answers:
1. In the Spring. I look forward to pussy willows, but sadly this year we had warm days in February so when we went to pick them in March, they were yellow with pollen already. Here are some from previous years.
2. I would love to have a Halloween party. Every year I want to have one, but never do-maybe this year I will.
3.Few know this about me, but I have been taking Effexor for anxiety for 10 years. I think it is a miracle drug that has helped me immensely. I probably wouldn’t ever leave the house if I didn’t have it. I actually have told many people, especially those that I think would benefit from it or something similar.
4. No one should live without a cat(s), they make life wonderful.

Please include Annie’s sweet cat, Maggie in your prayers as she is having some health problems which you can read more about on their blog.

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62 comments

  1. Wow. Pussy willows are a blast from the past. I haven’t seen one for YEARS! I loved running my fingers over the fuzz … it was one of the few things that relaxed me. I’m so glad Effexor helps! I had good results with it – until I took a course on the psychology of victims and one of the foremost experts on trauma spoke about his research suggesting it can make PTSD worse. If I remember correctly, the hypothesis was that the higher levels of norepinephrine were associated with flashbacks. I haven’t really verified that since – so I hesitate to mention it at all. It was a life changing tidbit for me though – because I’d started having terrible, terrible flashbacks after I started the medication. I didn’t make the connection – I just thought maybe I was going through something that was triggering them – but when I stopped the Effexor, the flashbacks went back to being rare. I did find it helpful in a way other drugs aren’t – though at the highest doses my emotions were dulled and I was apathetic (the lower dose I settled at was perfect).

    1. Good thing you found out that Effexor wasn’t good for PTSD.
      Pussy willows are fun to touch, they are so silky and soft. THe cats love to bat them around too 🙂

  2. Great questions: 1.In the Spring, I look forward to longer hours of daylight. 2. I would love to have a fun people party and only invite those I know who are really fun! 3. Few know this about me, but I once came third in a national short story competition. 4. What you said, definitely! .

    1. Thanks for your great answers. Congrats on coming in 3rd in a national short story contest, that is impressive.

  3. Go ahead and start planning your Halloween party, you will be glad you did!

  4. Yes, you should have a Halloween party. I used to have Halloween parties (30-some-odd years now), and they were so much fun! And of course you are absolutely right with your answer to #4 🙂

    1. Funny thing is that I have never been to a Halloween party, but I want to have my own 🙂

  5. You always have such wonderful answers. I love that you pick pussy willows and display them. They sure are lovely, and I hope next year they cooperate more for you. As a huge fan of Halloween, I think your #2 sounds like great fun. And I am so glad that you shared #3. Anxiety runs in my family. While I have never been prescribed anti-anxiety medication, much of my family has, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. I wish people were more understanding of this, as our body chemistry, especially in this rapidly changing world, sometimes simply needs a little assistance in order to stay balanced. There is no shame in that. And, of course, your answer to #4 is purrfect, and now I wish I would have put that as mine! Have a beautiful day!

    1. Thank yo. We have pussy willow arrangements all over the house-even the knight in armor h=holds some. 🙂 I agree anxiety is something with body chemistry and the meds fix that.

  6. I’m glad you take good care of yourself. Of course, cats (when they are healthy!) are great anti anxiety aids too. I hope you invite us all to an online Halloween party!
    xxoo
    Maggie, Mickey Mouser and Rufus the Red

  7. I am not surprised by your #4! I was a bit surprised by #4… I deal with anxiety every day and bouts of depression… since my late twenties. I am so happy for you that you found a med that helps you. I take Valium occasionally for the anxiety but I have not been able to tolerate the anti-depressants. I think talking about anxiety and depression helps all of us who have it and helps people who are afraid to talk about it. I love pussy willows and used to have a bunch that I put in a large vase but they did not survive one of our many moves. Good Morning!

    1. I agree talking about anxiety is a good thing.There is no shame in it and many people suffer from it just like depression. I am sorry you couldn’t take an anti-depressant to help.
      Pussy willows dry out fast and are so breakable.

  8. Great fill-ins! You should have a Halloween party….I think you’d have a ball putting that together – I know you love Halloween. Living with anxiety is always very hard and people should get help with medication – these days there’s more than enough anxiety to go around. I’m SO GLAD you are helped by your meds! I wish we had pussy willows somewhere in our yard – I love them.

    Hugs, Pam

    1. You should plant a pussy willow tree for your yard. I would love to plan a Halloween party. XO

  9. Your pussy willows are so beautiful! That’s a shame about this winter and the warmth.

    I struggle with anxiety too. It’s been worst in the past. I also was on Effexor. It was years ago. It helped, but because I was on an extremely high dose, I had experienced a lot of side effects.

    I couldn’t agree more with your #4!

    1. I think I am on the highest dose at 150mg. I am lucky I don’t have side effects. Cats are the best for helping us be calmer.

    1. Thank you, I made a bunch for my cousin’s wedding as centerpieces in 2015.

  12. I would love to live with cats. I can’t because I’m allergic. It just isn’t fair either.

    Have a fabulous day and weekend. ☺

  13. In the spring I look forward to Fall.
    I would love to have a birthday party–never had one.
    Few people know this about me, but I am REALLY smart!
    No one believes that!

    1. How sad that you never had a birthday party. I believe you are smart- anyone that has cats and takes good care of them is smart 🙂 I prefer Fall and Winter to Spring and Summer.

    1. Thank you. These grow on very tall trees as opposed to the skinny ones that are in swamps.

    1. Thank you, I made a bunch of those as centerpieces for my cousin’s wedding in 2015. XO

  19. We had a pussy willow bush in our front yard of the house I grew up in! I’d forgotten all about it until you mentioned it! I should plant some here at the new house. 🙂

    You should totally have a Halloween party this year – I can then live vicariously through you. 😉

    Struggling with anxiety is a reality for sure – glad you have something that helps immensely. Princess Nagger has severe anxiety, too – she’s on a type of Prozak, I’ll have to look into the Effexor and see if it might better help her as she gets older. You are not alone! 🙂

    AMEN that no one should live without cats! We have 4 we couldn’t live without! 🙂

    1. You should definitely plant a pussy willow bush in your new yard. I think Effexor is great and haven’t had any side effects, it is worth looking into. I didn’t realize you had 4 cats- that is great 🙂

    1. I have a painting I bought on Etsy of pussywillows and if you look closely, each on has a cat face on it. 🙂

    1. I am sorry you are allergic to them, we use them to decorate all over the house-even my knight in armor holds some. I hope you have a great weekend too!

  22. What kinds of things would you do and have at your Halloween party? What would be your dream Halloween party? I’d love to hear about it. 🙂

    I think cats make life wonderful, too.

    Have a blessed weekend!

    1. I would definitely have a costume party and all kinds of fun stuff like pumpkin carving. Plus I would make foods that looked like eyeballs and stuff like that. I have a folder with recipes I pulled from magazines with all kinds of appetizers. I would also have mulled cider. Ideally, we would have this in the barn. I hope you have a blessed weekend too.

  23. OMC You got Pussy Willows? Mommy be so envious right now. she would love a pussy willow tree. Enjoy. Big hugs fur all.

    Luv ya’

    Dezi and Raena

    1. We are lucky to have several pussy willow trees that my hubby started from cuttings of his father’s tree. We didn’t get many this year, the photos were from past years.XO

  24. It is good to have cats around. They make great therapists. We rarely had cats when I was younger. Since Suzanne and I got married, we have almost always had cats.

  25. When I was little, my brother used to bring me pussy willow stems. I loved them because they are furry!

    1. NO, we have several pussy willow trees that my hubby started from cuttings of his father’s tree.

  27. Ellen, In the spring I look forward to the daffodils. Okay, they bloom before it’s actually spring but still when I see those little cheery flowers I think springtime! I guess the only a party I’m interested in hosting is a dinner party of a few select friends. I don’t like rowdy gatherings. I have a few untold things that only select people know and these things I can’t put on the Internet. No one has the right to judge another person’s decisions. That’s between that person and God. We can’t imagine what’s going on with another unless we’ve walked in their shoes and even then the circumstances are different. We need show compassion and love for others instead of harsh condemnation or ugly words which can be undone easily. Have a good weekend, my friend!

    1. Thank you for your answers, I enjoy getting to know more about my blogging friends. I like daffodils too, they are very cheery. And I completely agree we shouldn’t judge anyone because we don’t know what it is like to be them. I hope you have a great weekend too!

  28. I hope you get around to having a Halloween party! That would be a lot of fun! I’m glad you have a medicine that works. I know some people affected by anxiety and it doesn’t seem like meds always work. Or perhaps they don’t have the right med/dosage nailed down yet.

  29. 1.In the Spring, I look forward to the first pretty flowers and buds opening on the trees.

    2. I would love to have a 30th wedding anniversary party, but not sure if we will be able to pull that off, being as so many peeps at the wedding back then are no longer with us, and it was also in Canada…but of course we do have lots of good friends we could invite.

    3. Few know this about me, but the work I do now while related to what I did before I got married is truly a ‘step down’ at my own choice. because after a 20 year absence I did not want to go to school to ‘relearn’ my career…so from RN to CENA…LOL! .
    4. No one should work in health care unless they spend time in a bed as a patient…it gives one great perspective on things…trust me I know. I have been in a bed many times (and not by choice). .

    1. Thank you for answering the fill-ins, great answers. I know what you mean about after 30 years people no longer with you. We got married almost 25 years ago, there were 100 at our wedding and at least 50% of them are gone including both our fathers.
      I have great respect for nurses and CNA’s , that is emotionally and physically draining work. And I completely agree with your #4.

  30. I love pussy willows! Haven’t seen any in my neighborhood, though. Yes, life without a cat is sad, everyone should have at least one.

  31. The pussy willows with the peacock feathers makes a beautiful display! Love.
    I like to see the trilliums up here in Spring. They only last for a few weeks and it’s our Provincial flower – and you have to walk in the woods to see them, which is a bonus!

  32. I remember a song from Kindergarten, about 100 years ago, that was about Spring and pussy-willows. You would have a great Halloween party! I think you are brave to get help for anxiety. So many people just suffer it out. Yes, cats help, too. HUGS.

    1. I don’t remember a song with pussy willows. Thank you, I didn’t actually seek help, but I mentioned anxiety when asked and the Dr. offered the meds. I had no idea I could feel relaxed in the world. XO

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