You WILL LOVE this!!!  Truly a Savvy Smorgasbord of love and joy and peace, mostly!  FYI, Sara is a fabulous journalist who covers T1D topics for www.InsulinNation.com, as well as a wide range of freelance blog and content writer and fiction novelist.  Her website:  https://penandpostwriter.com.  When she mentioned pets, I just had to know.  Now you will share in the joy!  And can you guess my favorite of all these marvelous photos? 

Sara Seitz, a freelance writer and novelist, has been thriving (and struggling) with diabetes for 11 years. She lives with her husband and half-feral toddler daughter, Loa, in Colorado. They share their house with two rescued pups, a cat, and a parrot.

Ragz is a 9 year old dalmatian mix who was found as a stray in Texas. She still thinks she’s a puppy and spends most of her time bouncing around the house and chasing tennis balls and squirrels. She takes her job of protecting the family very seriously, much to the chagrin of all the passing strangers who want to give her a good pet. Ragz enjoys camping, fence fighting, and cuddling.

Papyrus (Py) is an 11 year old Chihuahua who lived as a foster at the dog daycare Sara was working at. After almost a year with no takers, Sara had a (prophetic?) dream that someone would adopt the anxious Chihuahua and turn him into soup. She immediately brought him home and he has been living a life of luxury ever since. Py enjoys hiking, napping in the sun, and cleaning up after his human sister.

Cali, the 16 year old cat, was procured as a barn cat when Sara was a teenager and happened past a “free kittens” sign. Her propensity for flirting got her out of many jams with coyotes in the country and eventually landed her a place in the Seitz household. She adopted Loa as a baby but has since relinquished her back to her humans now that Loa is a walking, talking, hugging toddler. Cali enjoys sleeping in the garden, sleeping on mom’s pillow, and stalking Papyrus.

Mickey is a 19 year old red bellied parrot who has been living with Sara her entire life. She knows a long list of words but prefers speaking them only in hushed tones when her mom or dad is alone in the house. She has a great relationship with her family but has been known to take off a fingertip or two when she’s in a “mood.” Mickey enjoys dancing, destroying Amazon boxes, and clanging her bells in the middle of the night.