For the first few weeks Kimi would meet her friend at the fence and try her best to get Sara to play with her. Kimi would run circles around the tree in our yard, race up and down the fence line trying to impress Sara with her speed, or just lay there near her friend with only the fence between them. There they would talk to each other, nip at each other, and play as best they could while still being seperated.

Until today. Today Sara got to come over to play. We talked to Tom ( Sara's daddy) to ask if Sara could come over to play. He agreed it would be alright so I met him at the fence line and took Sara from him. Kimi was right there jumping up and down in her little girlish excitement. I sat Sara on the ground at my feet, and before Sara could run off to play she had to great each of us with a sniff and a kiss. And of course with a wag of her tail, or as best she could with Kimi hanging on to it already.

While Jeff ran the video camera and I the picture camera, Sara checked out our yard while Kimi did her best to entice Sara to a game of Catch-me-if-you-Can. Being new to our yard and not to sure of herself in unchartered territory, Sara took her time in letting herself loosen up to play. Kimi however had no such problems and set herself to another Mad Puppy Run while Sara sat and watched. Maybe this was Kimi's way of showing Sara where all the neat places are to play in our yard. While Tom and his daughters watched from their side of the fence and Jeff, daddy and I watched from our side of the fence, Sara watched from where she sat.

Kimi ran up to Sara shouted "YIP!" and off she went! Racing across the yard between the overhanging deck and the garden, she made a mad dash around the tree. Tucking her furry behind under her, Kimi ran as low to the ground as she could for speed and manuverability. Sporting her huge grin, pink tongue lolling from the left corner of her mouth, Kimi raced past Sara again. As she shot by her new bestest friend, Kimi shouted another sharp "YIP!" and kept right on going. Across the sidewalk, under the Christmas lights hanging between the Candy Canes, nearly clothes lining herself in the process, Kimi made a sharp right turn and streaked back toward us again. Determined to prove her worth in speed, she flew over the flower bed under the deck, around the tree, almost spinning out of control as she rounded the tree. Quickly running past Sara's face again, Kimi nipped at her trying to get her to join in the fun. Sara being one of sound mind, (especially one of a St. Bernard mind, thereby not much of a runner), and a puppy body, she didn't show much interest in following Kimi in her run.

So Kimi aded a new twist to her run. Literally. Instead of racing past the deck stairs, she now added a twist in her approach and ducked BETWEEN the two lowest steps. Once in the flower bed itself, Kimi would make a sharp circle around a rock of a very large size, narrowly missing the Penguin standing there with his eyes closed, ducked her head low to the ground, dashed under the miniature Rose bush and back to the stairs again. There she stuck her pointy but tiny nose beteween the stairs and called "YIP! YIP!" to Sara.

Sara, who up until now had been sitting there watching all of this, and being totally amazed by Kimi, grinned at her. I think Sara was a bit confused, wondering not only where ANYONE could get so much energy, but also WHY anyone would use it up in such a fashion.

However Kimi and her little nose were to much for a young puppies curiosity, so she rose slowly to her puppy feet and ambled her way to the stairs. Suddenly Kimi lunged forward, sticking her whole head between the stairs and nipped at Sara's front feet. Ripping a very sharp "YIP!" at Sara, Kimi was trying to get her new friend to come into her flower bed "fort" to play with her.

"Sara, come on in here! This is where I play, it's so neat!" Kimi seemed to say to her friend with each YIP she threw her way. Sara being much taller then Kimi, kept trying to find her friend between the second and third step up, while Kimi being much shorter than HER friend was nipping at Sara's feet from between the first and second steps! Now, Sara KNEW Kimi was there. She could hear her calling to her! And of course, Kimi, imp that she is, knew Sara was there all along, but decided to take advantage of Sara's confusion. When Sara would try to get her big head between the stairs to find Kimi, she would duck low to the ground so she was, in fact, *belly deep in the mud*. When Sara would back up a step to locate her, Kimi would jump to her feet and stick her head back up between the stars with a wide-eyed look of innocense of her face.

Once Sara figured out this game, Kimi tried one more time to entice her into joining her in the flower bed. Sara was, however much to big to fit between the stairs. This didn't keep Kimi from showing off how fast she was as she ran around the rock of very large proportions, dashed under the bush with the yellow leaves, raced along the fence line, ducked low to avoid the Rose bush again, turned sharply to the left and slid to a stop between the first and second set of steps again. Whew..Kimi I don't know about you, but I am almost out of breath telling your story here!

Finally giving up on Sara ever fitting between the stairs, Kimi ran out and dashed past Sara. This time Sara actually ran with her!! A whole four steps she ran!! Yeah Sara!! Big, floppy footed Sara actually ran! As she ran her four steps her heavy laid down ears flopped. They don't lay back as Kimi's do when she is streaking through the yard proving her need for speed. Nope. Sara's just flopped. But then if you have ever watched a young St. Bernard puppy run you will have noticed that everything on them flops when they run!

Kimi must have noticed this once for herself, for when Sara took to another brief run, Kimi sat down and watched her as she 'flopped' her way toward her. The tip of Kimi's tiny pink tongue bounced as she huffed and puffed her way through another huge grinning moment. Once Sara decided running was for the birds, or at least for smaller sized friends like Kimi, the two of them took up a new game.

One of Who-Can-Grab-the-Tail-First. Kimi trotted over to Sara in a typical Sheltie type bouncing strut, touched noses with her as she bounced her way past her face and as soon as she reached her....uh....other end, Kimi latched on to her tail. Not to be outdone, Sara stood and turned to grab for Kimi's tail. The only problem for Sara was that Kimi is much faster, and as Sara turned around, Kimi turned with her keeping her tail just out of Sara's reach. Kimi was grinning around a mouth full of puppy tail, and her grin grew and grew as Sara kept turning in circles trying to get to hers. This game continued on in this fashion until Sara either got dizzy or smart ( okay we will just say smart). She sat down! Almost on Kimi's head!! Kimi jumped back out of the way quickly and tragedy was averted.

Kimi then talked Sara into a new game and off they went to the grass between the sidewalk and the fence. At this spot was a new sign that mommy put out there today. Not being able to read, neither noticed it read Merry Christmas to greet those who entered our domain. All they noticed was the fun to be had behind this sign! Sara got on one side, Kimi on the other and together they put forth their best cow-pony acts. Sara dodged to the left, Kimi jumped to the right blocking her escape. Sara stood there for a second, her head low to the ground. Well...not as low as Kimi's gets but then Sara's legs are longer!

Sara jumped back to the left, then to the right and Kimi follow in opposite suit. Unable to shake Kimi from her trial, Sara attempted a quick left, right, left. And promptly fell right over her own front feet! Kimi threw back her head and laughed at that, giving Sara time to regain her footing again. As soon as she did Kimi added another new step to this dance of fun that the two of them shared. As Sara jumped one way, Kimi took off in a run, right around Sara. Alllll the way around Sara! By the time Sara got herself turned around to follow Kimi's direction, Kimi was back where she started. Talk about running circles around someone! Sara would jump back to face Kimi and Kimi would disappear in a mad run 'round her friend. Sara would try to keep those long bumbling legs of hers up with Kimi's shorter lightening fast legs. Time and time again as Sara turned to keep up with Kimi, Kimi would make one complete lap around Sara!

Their games of Chase-Me and Catch-Me contined until Kimi was panting like...well...like a dog. Her tiny pink tongue shining in the sun as it curled gracefully from between her wide grinning mouth, her sides were heaving in their effort to catch her breath. Sara, equally worn out from her bit of exertion, lay on her side on the cool sidewalk.

After a short rest, Kimi trotted her way over to Sara, asking her if she ws ready to play again. Kimi is never without energy for long. Each time Kimi would jab her nose into Sara's face she issued a sharp "Yip!" to come on and play. Sara would lift a large puppy type paw into Kimi's face. Once Kimi didn't jump back fast enough and Sara's foot connected with her nose. Not hard but fully, so that Kimi's whole face was engulfed by this huge puppy paw! Not that it bothered her any. She just yipped louder and nipped at Sara's ear to get her to her feet. It worked and Kimi was happy once again.

This time instead of playing though, Sara went about the business of checking out this wonderful playground that Kimi calls home. There were new smells to investigate, leaves to look under, and strange looking things all, over Kimis back yard! Sara wasn't to sure of those frighteing looking things, even if they weren't moving. Sara had watched us placing these *things* in our backyard today, but even though she could see Kimi's back yard through her fence, it never looks quite the same from a different direction does it?

Sara trudged on, even this was all new to her, for one is never lost when in the company of a great friend. Even Lewis and Clark were never truly *lost*, for they had each other. And even if they were lost, have you ever noticed how new places are not as scarey when shared with a friend? *Lost* to me is being someplace you have never been, not knowing your way around, and being afraid. When you are with a friend, in a new place and you don't know your way around, you are not lost, you are merely exploring unchartered territories together. Thereby not lost and not afraid. Sara wasn't afraid of the yard decorations, the flapping red bows hanging from the swing, or the back yard rock of an even bigger size than the other rock is. Not with Kimi by her side.

Even when it was time for Sara to return to her own yard, the two contined to play through their shared fence once more. This went from a budding friendship today to one of a life long blessed event. Never take for granted the friendships that come your way, and never pass up the opportunity to make new friends. One of those could be your newest bestest friend!

Good friends are hard to find, but best friends are for keeping forever.

walk in beauty
Kristi & Kimi