Kimi begins her rounds with her eyes to the ground obvisouly setting forth as the great Daniel Boone did, tracking her *enemies* with a practiced eye. Settling her pointy little nose deeply into the lengthening grasses, her dark eyes keenly watching for any signs of her wary foe, Kimi moves forward with a graceful precision. Birds flying noisely overhead go unnoticed as she determinedly sets out to capture the villian who has escaped her clutches. This grey long tailed varmit we know as Garfield the Cat has none-to-wisely trespassed on sacred ground. Placing each tiny white foot carefully to the ground as she continues forward in her quest, Kimi keeps a watchful eye on the world around her, knowing that at any time this evil do-er could jump her from behind.

As she approaches the tree in the backyard Kimi hesitates. Her delicate head lifts and her nostrils quiver in the breeze. Sensing something in the gentle afternoon breeze, her ears lift, the right one straight up, the left one daintily tipped. Kimi lifts her left foot off the ground and freezes, testing the air again. Just beyond the large lava rocks surrounding this tree her enemy awaits. Crouching low, he remains out of sight. His tail jerks tightly in anticipation, his dark eyes large and round, Garfield quickly peeks around one rock. Spotting a flash of movement beyond the tree, Kimis head lifts sharply. Her eyes narrow and darken. Her heart knows this is where her foe awaits her and she too crouches lower to the ground. Creeping forward inch by inch upon her belly, Kimi sidles up to this rock. The cat senses danger and backs up a few quiet steps. Stealthily making his way around to the back side of the rock, the cat sneakily creeps up on Kimi from behind.

Unaware of his daring and cunning move, Kimi continues to creep forward. I watch with baited breath as her enemy slowly rises to his feet behind her. One can see the look of dawning awareness wash over Kimis face as the shadow of the cat falls over her and she realizes her fatal mistake. Just in time for the cat to strike!

With an evil daring the cat leaps to his feet and pounces Kimi full length, just as her lead turned to catch his surprising move. Her eyes widen in shock and she tried to roll out of his way. To late! In one smooth move the cat had our brave Kimi in his clutches, placing his body along the length of hers as he wrapped himself around her. I saw her tiny mouth open widely in grinning shock as together they rolled over through the grass.

Being tiny and nimble Kimi quickly sprang to her feet, knocking the cat loose as she did. Tucking her behind low under her to avoid his desperate claws, Kimi dashed forward to avod his grasp, then quickly whirled around to meet this evil fur ball. Letting out a sharp "YIP!" of "BONZIA!" Kimi lunged forward, tiny mouth open wide to reveal her pearly whites. As her resounding "YIP!" splintered the silence of the afternoon air, the cat jerked to a sudden stop, arched his back and threw his tail striaght up over his head. As Kimi lurched forward after him, he twisted with all the gracefull speed of lightening and took off for parts unknown. With Kimi hot on his tail.

Bouncing and hopping along behind him Kimi made good use of her "springability" as she tried so hard to make a full mouth contact with his ramrod stiff grey tail. Garfield ran across this *great unknown* prairie trying desperately to keep his tail out of her mouth, as Kimi hopped along keeping step with him, trying just as hard to capture that elusive prize. As the cat ran through the grass turning sharply left or tightly to the right, hoping to avoid her jaws, Kimi continued her bouncing tirade of "Grr's" and "Yip's" Finally having had enough of this sport, the cat dashed under the plants overflowing the back flower bed and hid in relative safety. Kimi raced back and forth yipping madly as she searchd for a way in to this hidden fort. Finally spotting her way in through a previously unknown backdoor, Kimi issued a commanding "YIP!" and jumped in, burrying herself under a tangle of leaves and flowers and stems. I sat and laughed as all I could see was a jumble of plants shaking and rustling back and forth. One could tell which direction the two of them chased by the uplifting of the plants they hid under. Occasionally I heard a muffled "YIP" signifying Kimi was still "hot on his tail" All of nature around us suddenly became quiet as a calm-splitting shriek rent the air still, telling me that Kimi had suddenly made contact with this tail the cat tried so vainly to protect.

Out shot a grey blur from under the very plants he had taken refuge in. And still firmly attached to this ever-stretching tail was our Kimi. Teeth locked on in a death grip, she determindly hung on for dear life. Probably knowing if she let go her very life would become endangered! Her eyes rolled toward me as I watched all four of her tiny feet dig into to the damp soil Sporting a huge furbearing grin she attempted a muffled yip in my direction. The cat had kicked in his four-pawed drive and was trying his all to pull her forward with him. Garfield had his back hunched as he threw all his weight , and some of hers, into trying to pull free from her clutches. For each draging step he managed to move forward, Kimi would stick her furry behind into the air, drop her white chest to the ground and pull him backwards again with a mighty "EERRRRRR!". Realizing his best attempts at freedom were getting him no where, the cat suddenly changed tatics and quickly rolled over, and over, alligator style. This confused Kimi and she let go of his dilapidated tail. Feeling his tail freed from her trap like jaws, the cat quickly jumped to his feet and ran off. I called to Kimi to end the game and stop torturing her *friendly enemy*, and with a disgruntled look thrown in my direction she did so.

Turning her attention back toward the bird feeder I shook my head as I watched her eyes light up once again. Kimi was about to find new lands to explore. Realizing the cat had left, the sparrows and finches had returned to their feeding. Kimi slowly and quietly walked over to the post the feeders were on. Rising to her back feet, her bright white front ones leaning against the post, Kimi tipped her head way back to stare up at her feathered friends. She offered them a tiny "yip?", asking them if they wished to join in her game. Chirping back at her as they stopped feeding, I watched Kimi for signs of their answer. It must have been a "no", for Kimi suddenly dropped to all fours and backed up a step or two. The just as suddenly she made a giant leap forward and straight up into the air with a mighty "YIP!" rushing from her lungs! This sudden and surprising racket caused the tiny birds to take to wings and off they flew in all four directions. Kimi leaped and jumped and hopped a long behind the closest ones. "YIP" she shouted with each hop into the air. 'YIP YIP YIP'!

As the birds flew across the yard and around the tree, some coming to rest on the fence, some on the lowest branches of the tree, Kimi did her best to keep up with each one. "YIP!", hop. "YIP!", hop she went, spring-boarding her way through the grass and flowers. She didn't care where she landed as long as the birds couldn't get away from her. One tiny delicate red finch flew low to the ground, delighting Kimi as she raced after it. HOPPY HOPPY HOPPY Kimi went and with each hop came a "YIP!". Sporting that huge grin of hers, with her tiny pink tongue bouncing from the right corner of her mouth, Kimi hopped and bounced her way across the yard desperatley trying to catch her feathered friend. Happily missing each with each try.

As the finch landed on the wooden fence above her, Kimi then proceeded to do something I have never seen her do before. At least not outside and without her kitty toy. Sitting back on her haunches for a second or two, staring up happily at this tiny bird as it watched her with a wary eye, Kimi suddenly jumped to her feet and started spinning madly to the right. Around and around and around she went as fast as she could shouting "EErrrrrr" with each spin. After watching her do this for several spins around, I began to chuckle. Where it is true what goes up must come down, it is just as true what spins to much must get dizzy...... And dizzy she got! While in mid spin, Kimis front feet got tangled with her back feet and over she went. Quickly jumping to her tiny little paws again, she just as quickly fell over again! Kimi landed on her side and lay there for a second, her sides heaving in her effort to catch her breath. Then she slowly raised her head, her tongue hanging not so delicately to the ground from the corner of her grinning mouth. One could easily see by the circular movement of her tiny little head that Kimi was indeed very dizzy. The world was still spinning 'round her, even though she had stopped moving and her eyes were busily trying to catch up to the birdie circling in her vision! I had to laugh at her as her head wobbled around and around. The things this girl will do for a laugh! She easily reminds me not to take life to seriously least I get dizzy in my efforts to keep up to this madly spinning world.

Slowly Kimi rose to stand. Warily she placed one foot in front of the other, Kimi in fact looked like a seasoned sailor testing his *sea legs* on ground that no longer pitches and rolls. Finding the ground had stopped spinning and that her eyes had now caught up to all that had moved so dizzily before, Kimi looked up at me with her bright joyful eyes, grinned even bigger, yipped sharply to me once and then she began to spin again! Turning 'round and 'round to the left Kimi looked like she was tring to unwind herself. Stopping just before she got too dizzy, she began to spin to the right again. One would think she was chasing her tail except she wasn't grabbing for it. She wasn't grabbing for anything. She was merely spinning for the sheer pleasure of it! 'Round and 'round she went, not caring who looked at her like she had flipped, not caring how dizzy she got or where she landed when she toppled over drunkenly. As she did do several times, having to lay there breathing heavily until the world could right itself again. Then with a shouted "YIP!" she was up and spinning again. Just for the fun of it.......

When was the last time you found yourself doing anything just for the fun of it? Without a thought as to who would see you, or a care as to what they would think of you? When was the last time you simply let got of all your worries, all your cares and let yourself *spin* just for the sheer pleasure of it?

Just for the sheer joy of doing something so simple....just for you.

walk in beauty
Kristi & Kimi