cheerfulmonk.com

Not everyone hates them. Click on the picture and turn on the sound to see a difference of opinion.

June 6, 2025

That was the subject line of an email from Kaitlin yesterday.

The girls treed a woodchuck in our yard. Zoe was going crazy jumping and trying to get it. I forget how high that girl can jump! I finally brought them into the zoom room with me, and lo and behold I could see it from my computer. Thus, of course so could the girls…. They could not let it go!

Torben took the girls for a long walk and it eventually came down but appears stuck in our yard. All gates are open so hopefully it doesn’t have babies here and can find its way out and not come back. At one point it was chewing at our chain link fence. I have since lost sight of it behind our fire pit.

Kaitlin included these pictures:

Tempi wrote more about it in her post.

I was going to write about our weather here yesterday, but their story is a lot more interesting!

June 5, 2025

this is why I would never have one:

Nope, they deserve better owners than the likes of me. 🙂

(I would love to hear what The Op Pack thinks.)

June 4, 2025

If you had siblings did you ever wish you were an only child? If you were an olny child did you ever wish you had siblings?

June 3, 2025

June 2, 2025

Kaitlin sent this picture yesterday, and it’s a great one for the new season. I love Zoe’s eyes, especially her left one.

Kaitlin also sent this one of Tempi, who as usual is saving her energy for when it is needed:

She’s a kindred spirit!

About seasons, yes I’m with the meteorologists. I used to accept that the seasons changed on March 21, June 21, September 21, and December 21. But once they started getting more precise it got confusing. It was harder for the meteoroligists to compare seasons from year to year when the dates kept changing, and starting the seasons on the first days of March, June, September and December made it easier for them to do comparisons. Plus those dates corresponded better to the weather. So the first day of summer it is.

I don’t like heat, so summer is not my favorite season… I’ll get involved in a project or two to keep me absorbed. Last year I spent a couple of hours a day learning Spanish. I’ll let you know what this summer brings.

What’s your favorite season? Do you like summer or do you hide from the heat?

June 1, 2025

Her hu-dad loves to set up challenges for the pups and kittens, and Toto handles them well,

Toto is no longer the “new kitten.” He’s clearly just one of the gang now.

May 31, 2025

Click on the photo for a short video. But the picture might be enough.

May 30, 2025

Click on the picture to see the video, and turn on the sound to hear the words.

May 29, 2025

YouTube requires that creators say if they have used AI, and this one does:

FAUNATZ
Description

Welcome to Faunatz!

An adorable pet family brought to life with AI.
Full of charm, curiosity, and surprise.

Stay cute. Subscribe.

How this content was made
Altered or synthetic content
Sound or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated

YouTube says:

Disclosing use of altered or synthetic content

We encourage creators’ innovative and responsible use of content editing or generation tools. At the same time, we recognize that viewers want to know if what they’re watching or listening to is real.

To help keep viewers informed about the content they’re viewing, we require creators to disclose content that is meaningfully altered or synthetically generated when it seems realistic.

Creators must disclose content that:

Makes a real person appear to say or do something they didn’t do
Alters footage of a real event or place
Generates a realistic-looking scene that didn’t actually occur

This could include content that is fully or partially altered or created using audio, video or image creation or editing tools.
Disclose using the ‘altered content’ setting in YouTube Studio

To disclose content that is meaningfully altered or synthetically generated, the ‘altered content’ setting is available to creators using YouTube Studio on a computer or mobile device. We’ll expand this setting to other devices and YouTube apps in the future….

The video a few days ago about Comet, the foal raised by three dogs, also included:

How this content was made
Altered or synthetic content
Sound or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated.

It was already clear that the visuals were digitally generated, which would be fine if the they were telling a true story, but Galloping Stories, the creators, don’t really say that. They say:

Galloping Stories is the place where the incredible journeys of horses come to life. In each video, we tell exciting stories of loyalty, courage, and overcoming obstacles, exploring the deep bond between horses and their owners. Whether it’s epic competitions, moments of adversity, or unexpected adventures, every story takes us on a unique and unforgettable ride. If you’re passionate about horses or simply love heartwarming stories, join us and gallop through a world of emotion and inspiration!

Sigh. That’s too bad. It was a well-written and touching story, but I won’t be posting more like it unless I can verify that the story is true.

May 28, 2025