I had the patio door open a few inches so she could come in and out from our deck as she chose to do. The mid afternoon was shining at just the right angle so that no matter what side of the glass doors you stood on you could easily see your own reflection in the glass. Kimi was out on the deck listening to the neighbor dogs barking, and occasionally adding her two cents worth to the neighborhood chorus of canine conversation. I sat in my chair watching her talking to the squirrels that came down for the peanuts......and as she would sit there with her head cocked to one side, her ever present grin in place I knew she was trying to figure out how they made their "barking" noise. Every so often Kimi would stand up, wag her tail and " bark" back at them. And as she did this of course the squirrels would jump from the feeder, scattering sunflower seeds and peanuts everywhere in their haste to avoid her. Then they would jump to the tree and hang upside down while waving their tails over head and barking madly at Kimi for her intrusion. Kimi would then jump up and down trying to see them better from their perch on the tree and laugh at them for their noises. A couple of times I think she was even trying to bark like a squirrel. Before long the squirrels gave up and left Kimi to find another source of enterainment.

Kimi being who she is, it didn't take her long. The sun was shining at just the right angle for her to see her own reflection in the glass patio doors. Once the squirrels left, Kimi turned around to locate something or someone else to play with. As I watched her, she suddenly lifted her head quickly Her tiny little ears were perked and her almond eyes began to sparkle. I wondered what she had spotted this time. She went up to the glass door and poked it with her nose. My smile began to form as did Kimis. Suddenly she dropped her chest to the deck floor and with her little behind in the air dancing in circles with her wagging tail, she left out a happy "YIP!" Kimis delicate head lowered quickly to her feet and rested there just for a second before she prodded the glass again. She had spotted herself in the glass!

Kimi then jumped to her feet and scratched at the glass with her right front paw. Her ears were laid back in welcome and she was sporting a large grin. Kimi had found a new friend and she wanted to play. With every move Kimi made her friend "mocked" her actions, only sometimes sort of in reverse. When Kimi would wave her left paw at this new puppy, the puppy would wave her right one. If Kimi placed her right paw in the glass this new puppy would place her left one right against Kimis with the glass between them! Now Kimi thought that this was only way to cool.....they were playing a sort of *follow the leader* type game! Laughingly, Kimi threw her head back over her left shoulder while watching through the corner of her sparkling eyes to see if her new friend followed suit. She does, only this puppy threw her head over her RIGHT shoulder! Kimi laughed again and yipped at her friend.

I could tell by the look of confusion that washed over Kimis face.....she had suddenly realized this puppy was in HER house and SHE was outside looking in! Well if this new friend wouldn't come out to play...Kimi was going in! She ran in through the patio doors that were still open a few inches and stopped dead in her tracks......HEY! Where did the puppy go?? Kimi looked up at me all confused and began looking around for her friend. After not spotting her in the house, Kimi looked over her shoulder at the door as if to wonder where her friend could have gone. HEY! There she is! OUTSIDE!!

Kimi tossed her head my way, her little wet tongue flopping from her mouth past her grin and she gave me an excited little YIP before she ran to the door. Imagine how excited Kimi was when her friend ran up to greet her just as happily! She jumped against the door with her front feet and yipped thru the glass. And at the exact same time Kimi did this, her friend did it back to her! Kimis little tail was wagging so furiously I thought she would fall over from it. All she did was lean closer to the glass and lick it in an attempt to give her new friend a kiss. She got so excited when her friend kissed her back at the same time! Tongue to tongue through the glass they licked each other. One turning left, the other turning right......SLURP SLURP SLURP. Our playful little girl wanted more than this though so she jumped down and ran back out the door to greet her friend.

SHE WAS GONE AGAIN! I laughed at her confusion as Kimi ran around the deck with her nose to the ground trying to sniff out her friends hiding place. As she sniffed her way past the glass doors in her search, Kimi suddenly spotted her again! IN THE HOUSE!

Kimis ears came up, her eyes got a mixed up look in them and she cocked her tiny head to the right. Her friend did so to the left. Kimi laughed for a second, but then got a really serious look on her face. Her mouth slowly closed, as she drew her wet little tongue carefully back into her mouth. Her head moved slowly to the left,...to look at the opening to the door. From the corner of one eye Kimi watched as her friend looked toward the door opening from her side of the glass. Suddenly Kimi jerked her back to look squarely at her friend! Her friend did the same thing immediately. Slllowllllllly ..ever so slowly Kimi moved her head back to the left again.......with her friend following suit to the right. Quickly jerking her head back to look her friend dead on in the eyes, Kimi was astonished that her friend did every move at the exact same time! As if she knew what Kimi was thinking!

That was it! Kimi had had enough and wanted to go meet her friend face to face........... She quickly ran back through the door before her friend could make good her escape. Once Kimi got inside she realized that somehow .....someway her friend had gotten away from her again. WOW Is she fast! As fast as Kimi is her friend must be faster because she still got away from her. Kimi learns fast however so she immediately looked for her outside. Yep ...there she was...looking back in the patios doors at Kimi laughing right along with her! Kimi made a mad jump to the door and as quickly bounced away again with her little butt in the air. Her friend did the same thing again! Kimi stopped, stood up, and looked over at me as if to ask "mommy...how does she do that?" Then Kimi must had decided that it didn't matter HOW her friend knew what she was going to do each time...lets just see if we can move so fast we confuse her! So Kimi dropped to the floor on her chest again and from left to right , right to left, as fast as she could Kimi jumped sideways. The puppy kept up with her! Kimi even threw in a sudden spinning circle once to see if her friend could do that too! And yes..as fast as Kimi was, her friend still kept up with her. As quickly as Kimi could change directions, so did her little friend through the glass. Laughing, her grin bigger than ever, her tiny pink tongue lolling excitedly from the corner of her mouth Kimi stood up on her back legs and waved her bright white front feet at the puppy. Looking much like fighting stallions on the wide open planes of the west, Kimi and the puppy "battled it out" in the glass. Both laughing and having a great time with life, they dropped to the floor together, and raced each other to the opening of the door. Kimi was so happy, she was sure to FINALLY get to meet up with her new friend "face to face"! Imagine Kimis shock and disappointment when she got outside...looked around...and NO FRIEND!

NO WAY! Now where or where could her little friend have gone? Kimi looked under the smoker...sniffing madly for any signs of where she could be hiding. Moving across the deck as quickly as she could, "tracking' her friend, Kimi checked under each deck chair thoroughly. Nope...still no friend. Kimi even stood up on her back legs, stretching her neck.......uunngh...as far up as she could to peek into the squirrel feeder to see if she was hiding in there. Nope. Not hiding in there either. Kimi dropped back down to all fours and backed up a step or two, then peered into the tree through her darkly squinted little eyes and barked sharply."YIP! YIP!". She stands there waiting expectantly as though she was hoping her friend had climbed up the tree. Darn! Still no puppy. Kimi turns back to the door, looking inside hoping her friend had gotten past her again, but by now the sun had shifted just far enough that there was no more reflection for her. She walked up to the door, lifted her left foot and pawed at the glass, still hoping, never quite giving up on her friend.....

Once she realized that no little friend was going to magically reappear for her again, Kimi dropped her head, but she was not lost and without hope for long. New friends suddenly drifted across her feet as a light fall breeze kicked up a tickling chorus of leaves across her toes. Her new puppy friend was forgotten in the heat of the chase and Kimi was off, happily scurrying after the hapless leaves that dared her to catch them. When she lifted her head once to look in at me, sporting her happy-go-lucky smile, I had to laugh, for wrapped around her nose and holding on tightly, was the leaf her pink tongue was trying to lick loose.

Once again Kimi has proven you can love all friends, great or small.....if only you can find a way to open your hearts and believe in them strongly enough.

Walk In Beauty

Kristi & Kimi