Kits and ... Allison

The sun rose behind a massive bank of grey clouds this morning; to the west, the clouds are white and cause the snow covered mountain peaks to disappear into them. Rosie was fine yesterday, and we had a 45 minute walk along with a 15 minute play session with Suki and Boo. I swept and scrubbed my patio yesterday afternoon - got all the winter grime off the bricks, and took the screen door down and scrubbed it, too. Now I only have to clean all the glass, inside and out, and my patio spring cleaning is done. The neighbor who complained about my feeding the birds and critters came out and sat in the yard, watching me work. I have to admit that I did not acknowledge her presence.

The kits loved being out and about while I was outside cleaning. But after a couple of hours of playing chase and climbing trees, they "crashed" inside, and slept like the dead. Last night they both became members of Facebook, so that I could have more bodies in my band/group/family in the Age of Chivalry; they also joined in playing Mafia Wars with both Michael and me. He thanked me for sending him two new contacts that had promised to play the games... I broke down and admitted that it was Lovey and Banichi. He thought that was very funny. And it seems that both kits are very good gamers - they both reached level 8 in both games last night. I am hoping the rain will hold off long enough to walk Remy and Rosie today. Rosie always charges off, pulling on her harness and lead when we leave the house, and Remy walks along very nicely. On the way home, Remy pulls, while Rosie relaxes. I've been trying to convince the dogs that they do not have to bark and charge at other dogs on a leash since Thanksgiving. I am extremely happy to report that the past two days, we have passed other dogs being walked and the Irish kids have not made a sound or tried to lunge at them. Hooray!!!

Allison's story made me cry. She is a sea turtle, living at a rehabilitation facility on Padre Island in Texas. She was found more that two years ago - having only one flipper (the front right one); it is assumed that a shark attacked and ate her other three flippers. Most turtles with one flipper are destroyed, because they can only swim in circles and cannot survive in the wild. People at the rehab center liked Allison's grit. She tried every day to swim, even though she only succeeded in making small circles, and did not have the power to dive deeply, for then she couldn't rise to the surface for air. Yesterday Allison swam in a straight line! One of the interns at the rehab center designed a neoprene suit that covers the back 2/3s of her carapace, and has a stabilizer fin projecting from her back. Allison now weighs 45 pounds and could grow to weigh 600... designs have been made to allow her to continue her normal growth and keep her in her wetsuit even as she grows... You go, girl!!!