We no longer live where we did. Our family has become smaller by events beyond our control. Where it is a hard thing to face, you just have to find the good in everything and trust yourself to make good of it. We are living in a temporary arrangement right now, which was at first rather confusing to Kimi and Brigs. However having Mommy, Jeff, and a new best friend along, they have adjusted quite well. Today was the first day we really ventured out to be among our wildlife friends and enjoy the cooler temperatures. We went for a walk.

Kimi was in her usual good mood and that makes it impossible for all of those with her to not smile, laugh at life, and be happy. Brigs is his usual laid back nonchalant self who seems to have no real cares in the world. As long as he has food and water, and an occasional swim he is happy with life. Brigs also being older and more settled in his life gets to walk along with us. Off leash. No such luck for Kimi who in her usual exuberant self needs occasional reminding that life is not always fun and games. Kimi doesn't seem to mind the leash though and finds lots of things to do to entertain herself while we walk.

Today being no different for her, she allowed Brigs to take the lead. Having a master plan in mind, she knew if he was in the front, his tail would be in the back and boy oh boy can she have fun there! As he walked, or rather waddled with his tail in her mouth, Kimi held on tightly. Which isn't to easy to do when smiling hugely. Have you ever tried to laugh and whistle? If so then you know you cannot pucker and smile at the same time. Well, Kimi can't grip and smile to well at the same time either. Especially as she grips with the same thing she smiles with. Her mouth.

The first trick is to CATCH the tail. Which isn't as easy as it sounds when it is a constantly moving object. It swings left to right, right to left, it goes up and it goes down. So as it moves Kimi moves with it, bouncing along in her bestest Tigger fashion. Huge grin in place, she tries to spring along on her back feet while using her tiny front feet to *catch* the tail long enough for her to get her pearly whites around it.

Watching her bouncing along laughing that breathless little laugh of hers, one can't help but to smile and feel good. Suddenly she got lucky, she dove to the right at the same time Brigs swung his tail to the left and grab it she did! Catching it tightly between her tiny teeth, Brigs swung his tail wide when he felt the added weight.

Kimi didn't let go, so with the force of Brig's wag, Kimi got whipped to the left. Hanging on for dear life, Kimi grinned around a tuft of tail fur and said "RRRRRR" Brigs tried to turn around to see what that little motor sound was about and Kimi got whipped back to the left. Dragging her feet through the still wet grass, she held on for the ride. Smile ever in place, you could see her tiny white teeth between the long black hairs on Brig's tail. Or was it that his hair was between her teeth? No matter, it all worked the same.

Brig's spotted me and quickly turned to trot back to my side. Kimi hanging on still, she got whipped to the right and then back to the left as her feet scooted through the morning dew on the grass, leaving two darker trails behind her. Each time she got whipped one direction or another I heard her shout "RRRRRRUP!" Which I am sure is her normal YIP, but muffled through hair.

Suddenly Brigs managed to get his tail loose from her grip and the game of catch the tail began again. This time in his haste to leave her in the dust he quickened his pace away from her. Kimi not being on to give up easily gave chase and with each full set of four steps she launched herself into the air behind Brigs issuing a mighty "YIP!" as she did. Now that she is fully grown, Kimi's hair is quite long. Each time she flew through the air her hair flowed out behind her, giving the impression of great speed. By the sized of her ever widening smile, tongue lolling out the corner of her grinning mouth, Kimi obviously thought she was pretty swift as well.

Before long we had crossed through the grassy area and had decided while walking on the side of the road, to go walkabout through the area neighborhood to see what there was to see. Brigs stayed at my side, though well in front of me. Kimi hating that anyone should be reaching a new sight or fun thing before her did her best to stay in the front of us all. Having the longer leash it wasn't hard to do. Running in front of Brigs she kept looking over her shoulder at him and shouting her usual "YIP!". Commanding him to get back in rank I think. If he stepped to far out of line, crossed the center line by to far or swerved out of order, our little drill sergeant popped back up and with a commanding and demanding "YIP!" she would run up to Brigs and nip at his feet until she had him back in line again. Happily in the lead with her soldier brother behind her she was content to trot along joyfully, yet continued to throw glances over her shoulder at him. Not once did she allow him to step out of line or look around to much. If he so much as swerved his head to check out something she had not yet spotted for herself, she would whirl around, trot back to his side and leap way up into the air by his face. Once she reached his level and could look him in the eye again she would shout "RRRYYIP!"

Brigs must have known what she was saying to him because he would duck his head and step back into line where she thought he should be. Having done her job and feeling quite happy with herself, Kimi would smile and trot on off ahead once again in the lead and taking charge of life. This worked for a while to keep her happily entertained. She soon grew tired of this and discovered something new.

SHE was talking Brigs for a walk. Using her own imagination, Kimi decided Brigs was going to be HER dog and she was taking him for a walk. Slowing her pace to drop back to Brig's side Kimi spotted his leash dragging on the ground. Ducking her tiny head she made a running scoop toward the ground and surprised Jeff and I both when she came up with his leash between her teeth! Looking up to me with smiling shiny eyes she then trotted on off ahead of us tugging on the end of the leash as she went. Brigs agreed to her new game and picked up his pace. Laughing at her newest self taught trick Jeff and I too allowed ourselves to be lead down the road to merriment with her. What a sight! Kimi......little tiny Kimi, walking Brigs by his leash! Great big Brigs!

He by the way, should be nominated for the world's best big Brother award for he is the most tolerate of all her antics that I have ever seen. Kimi decided to try her luck and see just how well leash trained he was. With the end of the leash between her grinning lips, tongue hanging and bouncing from the left corner of her mouth, she turned and went left. Brigs followed. Okay, that was easy. So she grabbed for a better hold and ended up dropping it. Brigs however failed to notice and kept going. So here is Kimi, running along the road head low, the tiny tip of her nose barely clearing the asphalt, chasing after the leash. More than once as she ran along grabbing at it, Jeff and I watched her closely her head came to getting stepped on! Brigs wasn't paying much attention to where her head was nor where his feet where, figuring whatever got in the way got stepped on. Kimi at times is much to trusting. Thankfully she is also very quick and narrowly avoided getting her delicate little head tromped upon.

Luck held and she scooped it up again. Heading off into the lead with his leash between her teeth, she headed for the right side of the road. Brigs followed. Kimi turned her head to peer over her shoulder to be sure he was still obeying her commands. Happily seeing him where he should be I watched her smile around the leash again. I had to laugh for peeking out from under the leash, between her own upper and lower teeth was her shining pink tongue. She looked much like a younger sister teasing her older brother by sticking out her tongue!

Time after time I watched her scoop up this leash and take off with it between her teeth. She would yip at him around it "YYYUUMMPPHH!" And then start to run, not fast, more like a jog. Like she was telling him "Come on you big lump work those bones!" Grinning madly she jogged back and forth across the road zig zagging all over the place, tugging away on the leash as she took her big brother for a walk. I kept waiting for her to stop and command him to sit like she hears mommy doing in our walks!

After close to a mile of this game Kimi grew to hot and to tired to keep carrying the leash so she dropped it and went off in search of an easier game. With Jeff holding her leash it didn't take her long to find the fun. They were walking beside the road when we came to an area that had a few trees and bushes set just off the road. There was cool damp green grass laying all around. Kimi jumped over the curb and onto the grass. Looking back over her shoulder at Jeff she said " YIP!" ( for come on let's explore!) Being game and bored as well, Jeff followed. Slowly Kimi's nose dropped to the ground and she made a quick wide circle search for scents. Finding one that held the smell of promise, she began to track it. Off between the trees they went. Suddenly......there is was............"CAW CAW CAW" Kimi's head shot up and quickly she began looking around her through the branches. Smiling to myself I could just hear her words as she played in the trees. "Careful Jeff....it's INDIANS!" She crept forward cautiously, peering intently all around her as Jeff followed her through the bushes.

They had gotten about half way into this stand of trees when suddenly.."CAW CAW CAW!" Kimi's head shot up, her tail dropped down and tucked between her back legs. Shouting out one loud "YIP!" for "RUN!", she took off like a race horse from the starting gates! Jeff barely had time to pick up his feet and run before she hit the end of the leash. By then he had cut her some slack and she didn't stop running until she had hit hard pavement again! Grinning hugely she whirled around to look for Jeff. Seeing him close behind her, her mouth dropped open in her ever present grin. As he hit the pavement Kimi jumped up and down beside him yipping madly. As he came to a stop behind her, we once again all four moved forward in our walk. Kimi leaned down and picked up Brig's leash that was still dragging the ground. Tired out, she was content to walk along beside him, but held fast to the leash in her mouth.

As we neared closer to what will be our home for a short time, we crossed through a field. One dotted heavily with local geese. Kimi spotted them just as we did, and she came to a dead stop right there. Her tiny head lifted high and I watched as her nose pointed upward. Seeing it twitch much like a rabbits nose would do, her left front foot lifted off the ground as her neck stretched as far as it could. Not being satisfied with what she did or did not smell, she jumped toward the flock of geese and shouted "RRRUFF!" In her toughest voice. Startled they waddled off quickly calling "HONK HONK HONK!" between them. Kimi through her head back over her left shoulder and looked at me with laughing eyes. Unable to help herself, Kimi flipped her head back around and jumped at them again. "RRUUFF!" she called. Again the geese waddled off away from her honking madly. I looked at Kimi and laughed at her smile. Never had I seen such a huge smile. Her tongue was practically dragging the ground!

About then the instinct for herding kicked in and for as far as her leash would allow her to "work" the geese, Kimi ran back and forth behind them barking and yipping. She could never get close enough to them to be considered more than a nuisance, but as Kimi ran to the left yipping at them, they waddled off to the right. She ducked behind them and ran to the right. Once she got beyond the flock, she turned and headed back at them yipping crazily. The geese turned and headed off toward the left. For a brief time Kimi was in her element, doing what comes naturally to her. Not that that mattered, natural instinct or not, Kimi was only half playing with them. The other half wanted a mouth full of tail feathers from one of them! When they waddled off out of reach, Kimi stood there staring after them. Frustrations mounted as they went beyond her beck and call and she stamped her feet on the ground like a spoiled child. Shouting out one last mighty "YIP!", Kimi too turned to head toward home.

Games, like life don't always work out as we planned, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad thing. When life hands you lemons, learn to make lemonade.

walk in beauty
Kristi & Kimi