Percy Turns Fifteen

It is so hard to believe dear Percy turns 15 years old today.  He was so tiny when Merci rescued him.  I thought he was a bird.  He chirped for a time, so he was temporarily named Birdie.  If he had not persevered until I believed Merci was correct and that chirping in the bush was actually a kitten, he would never have been rescued.  Perseverance was the perfect name for him.  Percy for short.

Happy birthday, from all of us.  You are still the same sweet, persevering cat we've always known to you be.

We were quite worried about you when you kept falling off the air conditioning unit, landing on the floor below, and determinedly going right back to lay there until you fell off again.  It was such a relief when you finally realized there is now an old desk by a front window where you can enjoy watching people and traffic without getting hurt.  We love you and hope you will have a good day lounging on your desk window perch. 


****************

Our last post was in January and it was a sad one.  I was sick with the flu and a high temperature the day Cyndi left for the bridge and for the last months have been having back and health problems.  I have no energy.  But Percy is the last of the original Funny Farmers and he deserves a celebration post.

Some sweet bloggers sent cards for Cyndi and have never been acknowledged.  We would like to do so now.

                                                          By Ann of Zoolatry.

                                               By Pipo, Dalton & mom Ingrid.

                                           By Alasandra, the Cats and the Dogs (atcad).

Thank you, ladies, for the lovely cards in memory of our dear Cyndi.  We apologize for being so long in sharing them. 

Cyndi Is 15

Taylor:  It's Cyndi's birthday.  Our sweet girl turns 15 years old today.  This is an important date for our furry matriarch and Jan forgot to read the calendar again.

Percy:  If it wasn't for Pipo, Dalton & their mom Ingrid, we would have a hard time doing a last minute post.  We thank them so much!  We do appreciate them taking the time to make the graphic, especially since they are trying to learn new software on a loaned computer after their computer was stolen.

Micah:  We really need to hire a secretary who can read a calendar.  And dispense more treats. 

Cyndi:  Thank you, guys, for remembering me at all.  I know how frustrating it can be when our secretary is old, forgetful, and has trouble putting on her shoes.  Perhaps we should cut her a little slack, though, since these past few years have been even more hazardous than usual for her.  Her last aborted flight was just two months ago when she flew through the air from behind Marcus' crate and landed in front of it.  She has barely been able to do anything since, but she does keep trying.

Marcus:  You do know that wasn't my fault, don't you!  I wasn't even near her when that happened.  You always point a paw at me when strange things happens.  By now you should know I'm always innocent. 

Taylor:  Of course you are.  We can all see that invisible halo over your head.  But this post is not about you.  It's about Cyndi and how thankful we are she has been with us for so long.

Percy:  So let's enjoy the day.  Even if we aren't prepared, perhaps Jan can find a few interesting tidbits around the house for us to party.

Marcus:  **mumbles** You guys better stay away from my Pup-peroni! 

Micah:  What did you say, Marcus?

Cyndi:  He said he would be honored if we share his Pup-peroni for the occasion.  Didn't you, Marcus? 

Marcus:  Uh... okay. I guess I did.

We are celebrating Cyndi today and joining Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop.

Opera and Lion Poop

Loulou has said it would be okay to share her fun suggestion to keep coyotes away from our pen.

Get your brother or any MALE to pee all around your property and the coyotes will NOT be happy and they will NOT come around after a few pees. The other thing to strew around is manure from lions, if you have any.

Loulou suggested it because her mama actually went to the zoo and GOT lion manure when the coyotes were slithering around Beverly Glen Canyon in LA and her kitties were out often.  The coyotes would come in back of the house and yip at night...sort of high, wild notes that make her not want to go in the yard!

We're not sure a pee competition would be legal here in town and Jan doesn't think she could ask anyone to enter.  Not with a straight face, anyway.  But the lion poop sounds like a great idea.  We don't have a local zoo, but we will have Jan knock on some neighbors' doors.  If none of them have any, perhaps she can order some on Amazon.com?

A while ago we decided this would be, for the most part, a fun blog.  There is too much pain and sorrow in the world and we all need laughter in our life.  We think we were doing so-so at entertaining readers, until Miss Klutz took up flying again in the beginning of February.

To review just the high points:  In one crash landing, she managed to sustain two head injuries (same head, separate injuries) that gave her a beaut of a hematoma and two black eyes.  Plus injuries to her neck, one hand, a shoulder, her back and both knees.  She has not been a good patient.  Humans with a head injury are supposed to rest.  She slapped a bag of frozen peas over her face, made a phone call, finished a partial cleaning of the bathroom and then vacuumed the house. 

After a week, she tried  to resume walking the dogs and was "roughed up" by a territorial dog that tried to attack - twice.  In between those two dog events, Marcus was physically attacked by a neighbor's dog.  He came through it with a small cut under his eye.  Jan managed to stay on her feet but had chest pain and trouble breathing. That was about the time she lost her sense of humor and energy and although we've turned the house upside down, we haven't been able to figure out where she lost them. 

Then one week ago Cameron died.  Jan tried to dig a number of holes in rock hard dirt/clay. She finally managed a small one and buried him.  Overnight, a coyote came into the dog pen and stole Cameron's body, but the dogs next door broke out of their fence and the body has been re-buried, but only after a dozen or more attempts at digging a new, deeper hole. The coyote must have come back two nights later and we didn't get much sleep worrying about the dogs next door breaking out and not being found again.  Fortunately, as hard as they tried, those hero dogs did not escape and were safe. 

Digging those holes, left Jan barely able to stand, walk or sit all week.  Her thinking has been fuzzy, too. 

This, as you know, is Marcus.  He is no longer a puppy but when excited or playing canine soccer, he sings in a continuous soprano. Or if you prefer, in a very high tenor.  Guess he will now be singing opera.

Yes, arrangements were finally made for Marcus to be neutered.  Monday night Jan set the alarm for 6:45 to call her ride at 7 a.m., as requested.  When she decided to get up without the alarm, she found it was already 7:15.  It turned out, she had actually set the alarm for 7:45. 

After Marcus was left at the vet's, she fed the rest of us, then herself.  As the coffee pot heated, she realized she had set the pot of water on the warming pad instead of pouring it into the machine. 

She did remember to set Buddy's 2-step stool on the porch to help Marcus into the van.  When she arrived to pick up Marcus, the assistant asked for his leash. Leash?  Uh ...

Her ride thought these things hilarious.  They scared the he** out of her!  She has not just been feeling "out of it", her pain level has been through the roof!  So we will be around even less while she tries to rest and recover.  There will be no Mousebreath interviews until then.

Oh, and you won't believe this, but Jan has another black eye.  Nowhere near as colorful as the first two.  While Jan was trying to sleep Wednesday night, Cyndi leaped over her head.  A back paw kicked Jan's eye as she slipped and left a small cut.  It wasn't Cyndi's fault.  Jan should have moved her head out of the way. Right?

Cyndi Turns 11

PERCY:  *slaps Cameron in forehead*  Atttttttttgh!  How stupid!

CAMERON:  Hey, what did you do that for?  I'm not stupid.

RUSTY:  Did he really call you stupid, Cameron?

MARCUS: Yes, he did.  I heard him.  And he hit Cameron too.

MERCI:  Yes, you did do those things, Percy.  Why did you hit Cameron in the head?

PERCY:  I suddenly realized we've been so busy we totally forgot about Cyndi's birthday yesterday. 

BUDDY:  But if you suddenly remember something you forgot, Percy, you're supposed to hit yourself in the head, not Cameron.

PERCY:  Why would I want to hit myself in the head?  That would be ... well, stupid.

MICAH:  Never mind that now, guys.  We really did forget all about Cyndi's birthday. 

SAM:  Cyndi, we'd like to apologize for being forgetful.  You are very special to us so we got you something special.

CYNDI:  Aw, thanks guys.  I really ...

BUDDY:  *whispers*  Pssst, Percy, if we forgot her birthday, when did we get her a present?

PERCY:  *whispers*  Uh-oh, we forgot to ...

CYNDI:  ...appreciate this empty box. 

MERCI:  It's not really empty, Cyndi.  It's filled with ... with ....

CYNDI:  Air?

MERCI:  Love, Cyndi.  It's filled with our love.

Cyndi and Merci Stunnyfarmer

Merci:  Wow, we are walking on air today.

Rusty:  Why?

Cyndi:  Because someone finally sees our true beauty.

Marcus:  How would one do that?

Merci:  We received an email addressed to Jan Stunnyfarm today.     

Cyndi:  It had to be addressed to us girls.

Merci:  Imagine.  We're now the Stunnyfarmers.

Sam:  You're nuts, you know.

Cyndi:  Why? 

Cameron:  Because the email was addressed to Jan.

Merci:  Yes, but it was sent to our email address.

Cyndi:  And everyone knows guys aren't stunning, girls are, so it was addressed to us.

Micah:  Did you happen to notice where the email was located?

Merci:  No, who cares where it came from?

Percy: You should.  It was in the spam file.

Cyndi:  I wonder what it was doing there?

Buddy:  It was in the spam file because it was selling Viagra.  

Merci:  Oh, we must have overlooked that.

Cyndi:  Hey, guys, you won't tell anyone about this, will you?

Straw Hat Cyndi

Cyndi:  Thursday, May 15 - that's today - is Straw Hat Day 2014 and I offered to model a straw hat and represent all of us.

Buddy:  I was going to join her but I couldn't make up my mind on a hat in time.

Cameron:  We think Cyndi is lovely with or without a hat.

Rusty:  Iza from Mark's Mews is this year's official mascot.

Merci:  It's also Thankful Thursday.  I guess we should be thankful Jan is still in one piece.  Sort of.

Micah:  She's been having a hard time getting around or doing anything, including typing, since Marcus' Mother's Day eve present. 

Rusty:  Because of that she couldn't wear shoes, only soft slippers for several days.  The tree over the dog pen is worse at reading the calendar than Jan is since it thinks it's the fall season and is shedding its leaves.  Jan came down the steps into a pile of leaves with a rock underneath and badly bruised her arch.

Marcus:  That wasn't my fault.  It was NOT my fault!

Buddy:  No one said it was.

Marcus:  But I get blamed for everything that happens around here.

Sam:  Only when you're responsible.  And you were the one who nailed Jan's sandal to the floor and knocked her into the gate so she flew and crashed.

Marcus:  So you're going to blame me that she broke the gate and knocked the tray with all those things on it into the litter box?  I had nothing to do with any of that.  She did those things totally on her own. 

Percy:  Marcus, it's the domino effect.  I know you're young but you don't think about what you're doing, just about what you want.  This was one of those times you started a chain reaction that nearly took out Jan and half the bedroom.

Marcus:  That isn't a good thing?

Merci:  No.  We're lucky Jan has been able to do the basics to take care of us.  You have to learn to be more careful or you'll terminate the Funny Farm. 

Marcus:  Okay, I'll try.

Percy:  You'll try what?  To terminate the Funny Farm or to be more careful?

Marcus:  I'll be more careful.  I promise.

Cyndi:  *sigh*  If he's anything like Buddy and Sam, he means he promises to be more careful until the next accident.

We are off to join Pepi Smart Dog for Thankful Thursday.

And Thoughtless Thursday co-hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Love is being owned by a huskie.

Tongue Loose Dr. Seuss

Hey, Percy here.  I was just walking along minding my own business and almost tripped over Buddy's step stool.

Who left it here?  It belongs in the bedroom so Buddy can climb in and out of bed, not out where one of us could trip over it. 

And look what is on it, a copy of Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss.  We celebrated Sam and Dr. Seuss Day a couple of weeks ago.  Where did this come from?  No footprints.  No paw prints.  

Buddy:  Psst.  Marty was going to send it, remember?

Oh, that's right.  We've never actually read a Dr. Seuss book, so our friend Marty offered to send us a copy of his favorite.  I guess it has arrived. 

 

Marty said we should read it out loud.  Is he serious?

And here's a new trick, Mr. Knox.
Socks on chicks and chicks on fox.
Fox on clocks and bricks and blocks.
Bricks and blocks on Knox on box.

You need a loose tongue to read Dr. Seuss. I'm glad I don't have a speech impediment.  Still, it takes concentration and making faces as I enunciate each word so I don't make a fool of myself, in case anyone overhears me.  I wonder what Mr. Fox is up to besides confusing Mr. Knox?

Ben's band.  Bim's band.
Big bands. Pig bands.

Okay, now he's confusing me.

I have to think about this for a minute.  What does it all mean?. It can't be the answer to the mystery of life.  It must be a code.  But what could the code be for?

I've got it!  It's a new weapon of mass instruction.  I've deciphered the warning inside the front cover: Take it slowly. This Book is DANGEROUS!

I figured it out.  I broke the code.  I have to tell someone.  Anyone.  But where is everyone?  Any other time I'd be thrilled to have some time to myself.  But I'm going to burst if I can't share this intelligence with someone now!  Come on, come on, come on, someone come by.

Cyndi:  ** shakes Percy's shoulder**  Percy, you better wake up and come into the kitchen before all the treats are gone.

Wake up?  You mean I was dreaming?  But everything seemed so real.

Cyndi:  Oh, by the way, where did you find the Dr. Seuss book on the stepstool?  Jan says her friend Marty sent it to her and it disappeared before she could read it.

Well, I hope she doesn't read it out loud!  I think I've had enough Dr. Seuss to last me until next year. Unless the book really does contain a code. Perhaps I should actually read it - and stay awake this time.

**shakes head**  No, it was just a dream, a figment of my imagination. But I'm thankful there are some real treats waiting for me in the kitchen.

(This is obviously not a book review.  It's a just for fun post to thank Marty for the fun book.  In case any of you have a loose tongue and would like a copy of Fox in Socks, a Dr. Seuss book of tongue entanglements,  it's available on Amazon.com.)

We are joining Pepi Smart Dog for Thankful Thursday. 
 

 And Thoughtless Thursday, co-hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Love is being owned by a huskie.  

Sam and Dr. Seuss

Sam is out of costume again.  (l-r: Micah, Cyndi, Rusty, Sam, Merci, Cameron)

Rusty:  Today we are celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss.  If he were still alive, he would be ... um, well, older than Jan!

Micah: How old is Jan?

Merci:  She's ... I'm not sure, but she's been around longer than any of us.

Cameron: Sam, we need to have a serious talk with you about your choice of hats for this annual celebration.

Sam: There's nothing wrong with my choice of hats for any occasion.  *glare*  I am always dressed for the proper occasion and this occasion is cold!

Cyndi:  It's good to be back in color again.  I felt so plain yesterday.

Cyndi in black & white

Cyndi:  Hey, you guys promised after Sepia Saturday, I'd be back in color.  But my colors are missing again.

Micah:  You were in color for Dr. Seuss Day, Cyndi.  And now you're in black in white for Black & White Sunday.

Rusty:  You're a pretty girl in any color - or lack of it, so just enjoy the extra attention this weekend.

Cyndi:  Do I get paid extra?  There's a cute outfit I'd like to buy.

Merci:  Paid?  Are you joking?  Oh, of course you are.  This is also Sunday Smile day.

Sam:  Something had been chasing deer away and the culprit was caught on video.

Cameron:  And wait till you see who was doing it.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Join Nola the Dachshund and Golden Sugar for the Black and White Sunday blog hop. 

Cyndi Lost Her Colors and Rusty

Stop! Hold the presses! We interrupt this pre-scheduled post with important breaking news!

Today is Rusty's 10th birthday.  

How has this oversight happened?  One guess.  Yes, Jan never turned the page of the calendar to notice this important date.  And now Rusty feels overlooked - again.  Jan, you've got to either slow down or rent a memory.

Rusty, we apologize for being late and having to add you to this post.  We really do love you.

Aw, after we posted this, Rusty received a card from our friends at Love Is Being Owned by a Husky.  Thank you!

And now for our pre-scheduled post. 

Cyndi

Cyndi:  I'm a calico.  What happened to my beautiful colors?

Buddy:  Don't worry, Cyndi, you still have them.  Jan helped us make this photo in sepia, which doesn't show colors.

Cyndi:  Oh, well, you look the same in color or in sepia.  I didn't realize I'd look so plain.  When do I get my colors back?

Buddy:  Monday, I guess.  Tomorrow is Black & White Sunday,.

Cameron:  Tomorrow is also Dr. Seuss Day, so you'll appear in living color again, Cyndi.

Cyndi:  Okay, but if I don't, I get to paint my colors back into my picture, right?

Merci:  Of course, Cyndi.  *taps Cyndi's shoulder with comforting paw*  I'm sure this must be traumatic for you.  Why don't we go into the kitchen and ask Jan for a special treat to help you cope today.

Cyndi:  Good idea.  Maybe she'll tell me what she did with my colors.

Bloggers, come join the Sepia Saturday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie.

Green with Envy

Buddy:  Yesterday we posted a snow scene in color and also in black and white.  Sasha, Sami, & Saku from Kitty Korner wrote, The photos are very nice...but we thinks they would better if they were green. Sigh...can you tell we is all tired of winter?

Cyndi:  Well, we know how you kitties feel, so we decided to post a green snow scene just for Sasha, Sami & Saku. It makes us feel a bit better about the weather too.  Thanks for the idea. 

Green-for-spring snow scene

Merci:  We hope all of you in the path of the latest snow and ice storm will be warm and safe!  We saw the Atlanta weather report today.  Snow and ice is expected there this this week and the weather might be worse than the last storm they had.  So far, it doesn't appear their weather will come this far south, however, it seems as if anything goes this winter. 

Cameron:  We want to leave you with a smile so I asked Jan if she could make me green with envy.   She did.

Cameron is green with envy

Canine Sniffing Schnoz

Cameron & Merci

Micah:  Why are we posting this picture?  Do we know these two?

Cyndi:  Of course we know these two.  That's a photo of Cameron and Merci.

Rusty:  Are you sure?  They look so young.

Cyndi.  They are young.  Cameron was just a kitten.  He used to come visit Merci and they'd hang around together. 

Micah:  But Cameron lives here.  Why would he need to visit and hang around?

Cyndi:  Because he didn't live here yet.  He wanted to 'cause he was lonely, but he lived next door.  He and Merci were very close.

Rusty:  Did he like you, Buddy?

Buddy:  I didn't know them yet.  I joined the Funny Farmers a few months later.  

Cyndi:  I'm the only one left who remembers Cameron when he was really young.

Percy:  *clears throat*  Ahem!  Have you forgotten me?  I'm only 2 weeks older than Cameron and I've lived here since I was a little pipsqueak.  Um, I mean a little squeaker ... a baby, I was a baby. 

Cyndi:  Sorry, Percy.  You're correct.  You did know Cameron when he was very young.  

Percy:  There have been so many changes around here in the last 9 years. We've lost Grayce, Jenny, Crystal and Cotton.  

Micah:  I haven't lived here as long as the rest of you.  Do I understand correctly, the only thing that hasn't changed is Jan?

Cyndi:  Yes.  We've tried to exchange her for a human with a better memory and more green papers so we can get an allowance or our own credit card.  The woofies even took her out and tried to lose her a few times - but she's like a yoyo; she keeps coming back. 

Micah:  Then shouldn't we give her an award for being able to find her own way home?   

Rusty:  No!  If we compliment her on finding her own way home without a canine sniffing schnoz to follow a trail, she'll get a swelled head which won't fit through the front door.  Who would shop for our food?

Buddy:  This is making me hungry.  I think we need to wrap this up and I'll use my sniffing schnoz to find us a snack.

Percy:  We are joining the Sepia Saturday.blog hop.  It's hosted by Ruckus the Eskie. 

Treats for Cold Cats

Cyndi:  As cold as it is, Jan should be feeding us more treats so we're too busy chewing to notice how cold we are.

Cameron:  That makes sense to me, but try explaining that to Jan.  She's kind of stingy with treats.

Percy:  But we did get a few.  Jan managed to snag us a free sample bag chewy.com was giving away.

Rusty:  Yeah, we each got a few.

 

Cyndi:  Here I am checking them out.

Percy:  Sniff, sniff. 

Micah:  Smells okay.  (Yes, I'm on the top of the gas stove.  It's warm here.  Jan gave me my treats and then she shooed me off again.  *sigh*)

Percy:  Excuse me, Cameron, but I believe these are mine.

Cameron:  Bug off, Percy, you already ate your share.

Cameron:  Scram!

Percy: I don't think so.

Cameron:  Go away.  These re mine.

Percy:  I don't see your name on them.

Rusty:  Sometimes it pays to find a quiet spot to be alone.  Treats in bed and no Percy to steal from me.

Micah:  The treats were the new Orijen original flavorfreeze dried treats for cats. made from chicken and turkey liver and boneless chicken, turkey and flounder.

Percy:  Have you seen any crumbs floating around here?  I think Jan forgot to give me my share and she says it was just a sample bag and there aren't any leftovers.

Cameron:  Don't you dare pretend you don't remember eating your share and half of mine, Percy!  Your nose is going to grow from fibbing.

Percy:  Well, it was worth a shot.  Do you think there's any chance Jan will spring for a full-size bag for us?

 Thank you for the sample, chewy.com. We did not receive any compensation for this post.  We just wanted to let you know if you have a chance to sample them, they're good.

Cyndi Is Ten

Oh, dear, we forgot to read the calendar again.  It's our Cyndi's birthday today and Jan says she doesn't have time to make us a new card so we hope you're all like Jan and have a bad memory and don't remember this from 2012. 

Cyndi is 10 on this her assigned birthday. She was a tiny little thing with so much soft, fine hair when Jan first saw her from a distance she thought Cyndi was about 8 months old.  But she was all floof to keep her from freezing to death. 

We're glad she came to live here.  She's not only beautiful, she's sweet.  When she wants to be. :)

Happy Birthday, dear Cyndi, from all of us.

If you missed Little No Name's news and our interview with Sammy Kimmell yesterday, click here.

Santa Helpers and Cat House

Cameron:  We were honored to be invited over to Zoolatry to be dressed for our very important Christmas jobs this year.

Merci:  We can't believe Sam has the correct hat this time but he's not wearing it.  *sigh* Sam never does what is expected of him. 

Micah:  We're all Santa's helpers this year and we've been working overtime.  *Yawn*   Is it break time yet?

Ann made these lovely graphics.  Stop by Zoolatry and read her story for these pictures.  And drop by her blog daily as she features other bloggers.

 

Funny Farmer Felines:  Calle, Halle, Sukki, Mommy Cat and Daddy Cat are featured in our Mousebreath interview today.  They hail from Jacqualine's Cat House.  We hope you will go by Mousebreath and read their story, The Cat House with Garage Apartment.

We're linking up with Rascal & Rocco's Pet Parade blog hop.  The lovely Sushi is the featured guest. 

We hope we haven't forgotten anything.  Jan is running around like she's lost her marbles and, believe it or not, it is contagious.  She now has us looking for her marbles and we're all frustrated we can't find them. 

Weruva Rap

PeRuCaMiCy?  MiCaPeRuCy? No, we aren't stoked on nip. We were trying to see what we could make from the first two letters of our feline names.  We tried different combinations but none of them make a word - or even any sense.  But Stacie and David  put the letters of their rescued cats' names together (WEbster, RUdi, VAnessa) and named their cat food Weruva. And we got to taste test some of Weruva's Cats in the Kitchen food.  It's made in a human food facility  Did we like it?

Cameron (Note to Blogger:  Cameron is NOT a purple tuxie.  He is black!)

Cameron: Ood?  Yef, lishus.

Oh, sorry Cameron:  Guess we should have waited till you finished eating to ask.  But we think you said,  "Good?  Yes, delicious."  Is that correct?

Cameron: Mmmf.

We'll take that as an affirmative.

Weruva Mack, Jack and Sam

We had an opportunity to taste test some Weruva Mack Jack and Sam grain, gluten and BPA free cat food in a pouch.  It has salmon, mackeral and skipjack tuna for high quality protein, in gravy.for hydration.

How does it taste, Percy?

Percy

Percy:  Ask me later.  I'm busy eating.

Okay.  Cyndi?

Cyndi (Blogger, SOBER UP! What have you done to Cyndi's lovely coat/color?)

Cyndi:  I think the fish is great.  But look at what Blogger did to me.  Jan doesn't take the greatest photos but I don't look like this and  Cameron isn't purple.  We have  uploaded the two photos several times and each time we look weird.  Halloween is over, Blogger! 

Rusty

Rusty: This fish is really good.

Micah

Micah: I'm cleaning my bowl.  Do we get seconds?

Sorry, there isn't any left.  But it sure was good.  We all liked it and ate every bite.

And after we finished eating,we laughed over their video, "Weruva Rap - Keep It Simple, Keep it Safe"


If the video doesn't play, click here. 

Chewy.com has a variety of Weruva cat food.

We were provided with sample pouches to try but we were not paid to write this post. Any opinion expressed is our own.