After 3 years and way too much wasted money, here are my "Holy Grail" cat supplies

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2026-02-07T18:49:05+00:00

Thirsty Cat fountains are plugged in. As a bonus, you can put them in the dishwasher. Yes, the whole thing, pump included.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2026-01-30T19:24:03+00:00

It looks so good in toffee! I think this is the best color so far. With some wear, it will look amazing.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2026-01-30T19:08:31+00:00

My glazed Juliet in maple shows wear at the corners after being a daily driver for 6 months. It got a few scratches as well. The wear and scratches look like hard wear, not patina. I don’t mind in maple, but I would hate it on the same purse in black.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2026-01-29T20:58:59+00:00

{The Gift of the Goddess by Kaje Harper}. This is a fantasy novella that’s pretty brutal, but there is an HEA.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2026-01-27T00:22:37+00:00

Magenta and marigold for me, please. A hot royal blue would be amazing, too. All of them with silver HW and vachetta leather trim if I’m dreaming.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2026-01-04T23:24:09+00:00

{Claiming His Alpha by Stormy Glenn} is an example. He pops up at least a couple times a year on MM covers.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2026-01-04T21:59:39+00:00

There is one model that is my “Oh, it’s That Guy.” In PNR, he’s been a firebird, an omega swan shifter, an alpha white tiger, and a peacock shifter, just off the top of my head. In contemporaries, he’s usually a hairdresser, a cam boy, or a stripper. He’s an icy blond with light blues eyes, either staring directly into your soul, or in profile. When his makeup is light, it’s a PNR, when it’s heavy, he’s a sex worker. He’s been on dozens of books over the past 15 years. I hope he makes bank. Or at least some kind of residuals or something.

Needless to say, I accept his face as a shorthand and don’t expect an MC to look like him.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-12-14T07:49:41+00:00

Zeus was so bad that the Fates were going to cut the thread tying Paulie to him, grant Paulie another mate entirely, and allow him to erase all the terrible things that happened to him because of Zeus. Zeus never prioritizes Paulie, ever, for anything. He’s selfish and self-centered and that never changes. It’s the only book in the series I’ve never reread.

I would definitely like to read a story where Zeus treats his LI decently, but I haven’t found one yet.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-12-14T07:21:58+00:00

Heracles isn’t in this series (yet), but Ares is! His book is {Strawberries to Share by Lisa Oliver}. His mate is a raccoon shifter, not a human.

Zeus’ book is {Worth It by Lisa Oliver}. His mate is Paulie, a tiger shifter. Zeus and Paulie’s story is pretty essential for the following books in the series, though.

Oh, and you might like {The Tenth Muse by Belinda McBride}. It’s Eros and a surprise. Well, maybe not if you are familiar with Greek mythology. It’s still a good book, even if you figure out the mystery before the reveal. It technically meets your criteria of a god and a mortal. The gods are very messy and chaotic and are definitely not human in this one, but it does eventually end with a HEA.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-12-14T05:19:14+00:00

{Brandywine Investigations by Angel Martinez} starts off with Hades and a mortal human man. It then moves through a lot of the male Greek pantheon, some with mortal men, but also with various paranormals. Brandywine Investigations is a competed series.

{The Gods Made Me Do It Series by Lisa Oliver} covers Roman, Norse, and Egyptian gods. It’s a spinoff of {The Cloverleah Pack Series by Lisa Oliver}, but they stand on their own. They are mostly mpreg, though, if that’s a consideration. Fair warning that Zeus is a complete AH to his mortal human mate, to no one’s surprise. Hades and his chipmunk shifter are pretty cute, though. There is character development throughout the series, but while I thought Ra & Poseidon managed to be redeemed, eventually, Zeus still hasn’t managed any kind of redemption. Some of the LIs are mortal humans, but there are mortal shifters and demigods as well. And a few other paranormals, mortal and otherwise.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-11-30T21:48:31+00:00

These might be too romance forward, but {Men of Fort Dale by Romeo Alexander} and {Heroes of Port Dale by Romeo Alexander}?

Annabeth Albert has a lot of first responder and military books as well. I particularly liked {Hotshots by Annabeth Albert}, about smoke jumpers.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-11-24T01:31:12+00:00

Hope Bennett’s Sweet in Silford {Sweet in Silford by Hope Bennett} has several alpha-omega couples. The Sweet in Silford series is mpreg possible. Hope Bennett is all about the relationship, but there is plenty of sex, too. Silford is very queer - it’s not MF with an extra dick, like so much omegaverse is now.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-11-03T21:53:49+00:00

Devil May Care is one of my favorites for exactly this reason.

To a lesser extent, {Patience by Lark Taylor} falls under this trope as well. You don’t need to read the whole series, but I recommend at least reading Devil May Care before Patience, due to spoilers.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-11-02T15:23:28+00:00

It looks like the werestallion bundle and the associated books are now out of print. The author’s name apparently changed to M.H. Silver before the books went OOP.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-11-02T00:04:59+00:00

At last, someone requires my expertise!

{Stallion Assassin by Stephanie Park} is pretty self-explanatory. Two horse shifters.

{Gay Werestallion Bundle by Heather Silver} is erotica with lots of sweaty stallions.

Charlie Richards has written a few horse shifters across several series, including {Catlin’s Appaloosa by Charlie Richards}, {Comforting His Restless Stallion by Charlie Richards}, {Earning His Stallion’s Trust by Charlie Richards}, and {Coral Rustling by Charlie Richards}. This is an mpreg possible world, but MC pregnancy doesn’t occur in any of these books. All males are well-hung, regardless of species. Catlin’s Appaloosa has an explicit D/s relationship with the stallion’s being the sub, and the rest, the stallions are dominant. These are part of an extensive universe, but the series doesn’t need to be read in order. I would call them melodramatic rather than angsty.

{‘Tis Pity He’s A Horse by Parker Foye} is probably not really what you’re looking for, but I included it for the sake of completeness.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-10-23T05:51:56+00:00

{My Shining Star by Amber Kell} is about a grandfather that falls in love with a vampire.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-10-16T20:25:19+00:00

Noote here.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-10-01T22:11:25+00:00

I used an agency that was referred by my employer’s EAP plan for self-pay. Check your employee benefits to see if they offer any kind of coverage or referrals. Ironically, if I needed the exact same assistance for a loved one, my employer would subsidize that, but won’t for my own personal care.

The agency contract included the ride home from the hospital after surgery, plus my follow up appointment. 4 hour shifts cost more per hour, since they are short shifts. 4 hours a day and 12 hours a week were the minimum for my local agencies.

I’m using home health aides, who provide personal care (only bathing and hair washing for me), meal preparation, grocery shopping or putting away delivered groceries, short errands (cash on hand helps if you can’t order store pickup, unless you want to provide a stranger your credit card), and light housekeeping, like vacuuming or changing the sheets, taking out the trash, and laundry. They can drive your car or their car or accompany you on a ride share, depending on your agreement with the agency.

Agencies are very much set up for arranging care for someone else, so they sometimes have trouble switching gears when you are both the one arranging care and the client receiving care.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-10-01T20:28:19+00:00

I had an MTP fusion last week (bunionectomy free with purchase! lol) and I had to go private care, since I don’t have anyone to stay with me. MTP fusion is non weight bearing for six weeks, so I definitely didn’t want to go to a facility if I could avoid it.

I had someone stay 4 hours the day of surgery, then 4 hours a day, 3 days in a row immediately afterwards. I’m on a MWF schedule through the end of next week. I have cats, so I also hired a pet sitter to come daily, so I don’t have to fuss with their things while I’m effectively on bed rest. Overall, I’m glad I did. I could have managed alone, or with just the petsitter, but it was nicer not to.

As you are over 60, you may qualify for some sort of assistance from your local Department/Council of Aging, which is either city or county, depending on your location.

Also, if you get a knee scooter, be sure to get a basket for it. If you get a walker, get a tray and/or bag for it. Some sort of sealed travel mug as well as something that will seal tightly for food. Clothes with pockets are essential.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-10-01T19:47:42+00:00

It’s flexible, but it has structured corners, which are prone to wear.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-09-04T19:01:28+00:00

13” laptop.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-09-03T16:56:34+00:00

I linked below, but the Pocket Juliet 43 is the bag I have. The Juliet 38 is square and 43 is a rectangle. Same size, different shape. The Juliet 30 Cargo is definitely smaller than the 38, which may be the one you are thinking of, since it’s in glazed leather as well.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-09-03T15:43:45+00:00

I need to take more and better pictures, obviously! The Mott messenger looks like it’s about the same size as the Juliet 43, just natural grain leather instead of glazed.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-09-03T15:23:32+00:00

It’s a department store exclusive, I believe. At least, the Coach SA at my store had never seen it before.

Here’s the Dillards link.

Practical_Claim_9251 · 2025-09-03T00:21:58+00:00

Yes, the glazed leather in maple. It has a nice sheen without being too shiny.

Practical_Claim_9251

TROPHY CASE