With all of the blog links in the sidebar of my site, I often wonder how many of them my own readership deigns to visit.  As I’ve said before, I only link to those I myself read customarily, whether that be every day or every week or every month or as time permits.  I don’t monitor the link usage (hell, I don’t really monitor site usage) as I don’t care much about knowing how often people do one thing or another.  In this case, I do want to reiterate that what I link to are blogs that in my opinion are more than worth your time.

That being the case, I wanted to point out some recent additions to the blog list by way of recent posts that you might be interested in.

If you’ve ever lost a pet, you’ll want to read Letting Go from Chaos in the House of Cat and An evening of great sorrow from vegancatsg.  Both are emotionally touching and heartfelt.  I know so well of what they speak…

For the parents in the audience as well as those who enjoy seeing good parenting, go read Flight Manual from Secret Simon.  I’ve only been introduced to Simon in the last several weeks, but this is a perfect example of why I like his blog — not to mention his fantastic artwork.

The continual discovery of extrasolar planets (those outside of our own solar system) is rapidly bringing many scientists to the conclusion that we will discover habitable planets soon — if not inhabited planets.  Our most recent discovery, the most Earthlike planet found to date, is discussed with an interesting religious challenge in Aliens Are Coming over at The Secular Outpost.  This is precisely what I have been saying for many years.

An emergency physician right here in the DFW metroplex demonstrates that doctors have a cunning sense of humor in Best Descriptive Use of a Non-Medical Word over at GruntDoc.

I am a consummate animal lover.  Sure, The Kids are my family, my children, but I hold a special place in my heart for all animals.  I believe we as humans take them for granted and cause tremendous hardship, pain and emotional turmoil in the lives of far too many animals, both domestic and wild.  Imagine, then, what it would be like to work in an animal shelter…  mandy787 works in such a place, and she blogs about it with a strength and conviction I am unsure I could muster under the same circumstances.  Read Love For As Long As It’s Convenient –Or the Botox Fades from Tales & Tails of New York for an example of what I mean, yet she keeps going day by day so that she might do her best to save as many animals as possible.  You’ll understand why she has rapidly become one of my favorite blogs to read — and one of my heroes.

A Poem Second Draft at Siris is certainly a work of written word that you must not pass up.  This is philosophy at it’s most artistically relevant.

Whether or not you visit The Poor Man on your own, you know he always has brilliant opinion and cute animals pics for your perusal.  The liberal fever swamp … of kittens! is a perfect example of both.

Straight White Guy is a fantastically nonconforming writer who can speak brilliantly about everything and nothing — and he can make you appreciate the nothing as much as the everything via the almost poetic language with which he describes it.  29 January is a perfect example of his work.

My sundries posts are intended to communicate highlights of white I’ve seen lately on the ‘net (blogs or otherwise), but I’d be forced to post much longer entries at least twice daily were I trying to point out all of the good and interesting stuff I’d read recently.  I suppose I could do that, but I’m not interested in it since I prefer to spend my time doing more important things (writing, reading, visiting or communicating with loved ones, spending time with The Kids, and a plethora of other activities).