Surface Creek Veterinary Center - September 2023

G eFt aYl l o- uRr eHa doym e The Best Companion SIMPLE, AFFORDABLE DIY PROJECTS YOU’LL LOVE Housewares stores are currently full of cute autumn decor, but the cost of refreshing your house’s look each season adds up quickly. Fortunately, you can do a lot for less. Many DIY crafts are not as complicated as you might think. In addition to saving money, you’ll create personalized charm none of your neighbors can match. Repurpose your pumpkins. Small gourds are incredibly versatile. Just sprinkling a few around your dining room table or mantle makes it feel like fall. But you can quickly elevate them using metallic paint to add cute designs, phrases, or names. Another option is to wrap seasonal fabric around them like a pouch, gathered at the stem. If you feel more ambitious, you can also use pumpkins to make succulent planters. Cut a crater in the top of the pumpkin, pop in the succulent and soil, and press the dirt until snug. Light up the night. The soft glow of a lantern or candle is the perfect way to get the cozy vibes started. Instead of succulents in the top of your pumpkin, you can set wax and a candle wick to create something unique. If you’re bored with pumpkins, try the same with acorn caps. An even simpler idea involves glazing real or fabric leaves on the outside of mason jars with craft glue. Then add decorative stones and a wax or battery-operated tealight for a seasonal twinkle. Decorate your door. Wreaths are a DIY staple for several reasons. They’re easy for beginners to make and can set the tone for your home by offering visitors an autumnal focal point. You can buy a variety of starter wreaths at the craft store, so find one that suits your taste. Then pick up other supplies like leaves, pine cones, dried corn, and ribbon. Now you’re ready to hot glue to your heart’s content and create something distinctive. If you need further ideas, look closer the next time you shop. Many of the fun fall items for sale aren’t very difficult to make yourself with a few minor adjustments and a little creativity.

You've heard the saying, "Cats have nine lives," and while there are countless tales of cats falling from trees or high-above windows, one cat put this theory to the test, earning himself the name "Unsinkable Sam." Sam's original name was "Oscar," and his legacy began aboard the Bismarck, one of the two first-class Nazi battleships in World War II. The Bismarck (with Sam) was launched on Feb. 14, 1939, and soon after engaged in battle with The Prince of Wales, an Allied battleship. The Nazi ship was severely damaged in this battle and ultimately sunk. Only 118 of the 2,200 crew members survived, plus Sam. The British destroyer HMS Cossack found Sam floating on a board hours later, and they promptly scooped him up and welcomed him aboard. Sam had officially switched sides to the Allied forces. Now on the right side of history, Sam lived with the British crew for the next few months as they performed convoy escort duties — until a torpedo struck the HMS Cossack in October 1941, killing all 139 members aboard. Except for Sam. Once again, Sam clung to a wooden plank and floated safely to the nearby shore of Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory. British service members who found him ashore put two and two together and realized the cat — the very one their fellow servicemen saved in 1939 — was the only survivor of HMS Cossack, earning him the nickname "Unsinkable Sam." The group in Gibraltar was from the HMS Ark Royal crew, and of course, they loaded Sam aboard when it was time to launch. But as Sam's luck would have it, a torpedo struck the HMS Ark Royal just a month later, leaving him once again clinging to a floating plank near a boat launch back in Gibraltar. Luckily, Sam's boating days were over, and he was honorably transferred to the position of "mouse hunter" in the building of the governor-general in Gibraltar. Eventually, the British restationed their favorite floating feline to a "home for sailors" in Belfast, where he lived for the rest of his days until his peaceful passing in 1955. UT hnes Si ntkoar yb loe fSa m HOW A WWII CAT SURVIVED 3 SHIP SINKINGS:

Sam's story may not officially prove cats have nine lives, but it makes at least three seem likely!

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