Kimi has discovered the joys of playing in the snow, but she has also discovered something that perhaps, no one else has thought of. Where it is a perfect place for children to hide and play, it is also a perfect place for the monsters of the world to hide and play. We write this story now to show all the children and furkids of the world that Kimi has set out to make sure the snow is a safe enough place to be.

I have noticed lately that each time she came back inside from playing, her face was covered with snow. And not just by a flake or two either. We are talking covered. From the tiny tip of her pointy little nose all the way behind her delicate furry ears would be covered in snow. So I, being the mommy of course, set out to find out why. I slipped on her sweater, opened the door and watched as Kimi took a running leap out the door into the snow on the sidewalk. As soon as her small white feet landed in the slippery snow, she took off for the back yard, all the while issuing deep growls from within her chest. "RRRrrrrr", she went. "RRRrrr", sounding like a small motor reveing up. I pulled my hat down and my gloves on and followed her out into this wintery wonderland.

Now, I grant you the snow is a mystical, beautiful and magical gift of nature to witness that one should never take for granted. I realize there are those who have never had the chance to stand and listen to the falling snow, they have never thrown a snowball, nor stood with their faces lifted to the sky to allow a tiny individual snowflake to land and melt upon their tongue. But then they have never had to shovel their way through several feet of snow just to find the ground, or dig their car free to leave for town either. And as much as I love our Mother Earth and see the beauty where ever it lies, one can grow weary of anything when blessed with it for too long. After all we are only human. Kimi however can play with anything and never grow weary or bored with it.

I stood there and watched out little winter tigress as she stalked her way through the drifts, bouncing from one foot print to the next so as not to become mired down in the fluffy white stuff. Expecting her to make her way clear to the fence, I stopped and held my breath when she paused. She lifted her left front foot into the air, raised her nose and sniffed, as if testing it for dangers unseen. Her ears perked to attention as they twitched and turned like miniature radar dishes. I could see her muscles tense and coil as she waited to strike.

Suddenly, she raised up onto her back feet, raring like a wild steed. Her back legs sprang with power and her body flew up into the air and over the snow. Kimi landed with expert ease into a larger foot print and there, in the deeper snow surrounding it, she plundged her head into the frigid fluff. In a blinding flash of white the snow suddenly began to fly out from under her. Her tiny front feet were digging through the frozen flakes like there would be no tomorrow. Her sweatered body jumped first left, then right as she moved to widen her digging spot. Her face never lifted from the snow, not even long enough to catch her breath! Kimi had her back feet spread wide to make her stance more solid and her front feet kept digging, throwing clumps of snow over her shoulders, under her tummy, and between her back legs. As quickly as she dug the spot clean in front of her, the snow piled up just as high behind her.

Then she stopped. Again I held my breath as I waited for her next move. Had she found a mouse? Did she sniff out a piece of food? Had she uncovered a lost treasure? For a bare moment of time she stood there, not moving, Her tiny head was still buried beneath the snow, her right front foot was held in the air. Even her tail was still. Then, from under the snow I heard this muffled "YIP!". It sounded like it might if you did this with a sock in your mouth.

Again I heard "YIP!" Then suddenly the snow around her head moved, it began to crumbled and roll down around her feet in tiny snow balls. With a mighty jerk, Kimi yanked her head up out of the snow, causing chunks and bigger flakes to fly all around her, landing in the snow, on her back, and even on top of her own head. She flipped her head around over her right shoulder looking for me. There she stood, with wet snow caked to her fur, covering nearly all her colored hair, transforming her into a Sheltie with a white face. She had clumps of it stuck too her ears, in her ears, in the hair framing her face, and a neat little pile of it balanced on top of her head. I could see the sparkling darkness of her almond shaped eyes twinkling with joy and determination, and her tiny pink tongue jumped out of her mouth when she shouted "YIP! RUFFF!" to me.

"What is it Kimi? What did you find?" I asked her, and was rewarded with her ever-present grin.

"Rrrrufff!", she shouted with a quick flip of her head, her tongue lapping around the corner of her mouth. I watched as she stood there staring down into the snow, her eyes squeezed almost to a squint as she focused on the task before her. Jumping into the air, she pounced again. Landing with great force on her front feet, her upper body became buried beneath the snow. Still, she tried to dig, furiously bunching the snow beneath her tummy, raising her back end higher and higher with each scooping thrust of her front feet. When her back end became much higher then her front end, Kimi tried to back her way out of the hole she had dug herself into. Squirming and wiggling she tried to get her back end to come down lower. Pushing and plunging she tried to get her front end to come up higher. The snow packed down and flew back up with all her struggles but still Kimi's head remained beneath the snow. From beneath her icy cave I heard a muffled yip, which I understood to mean "MOMMY!". I reached down and plucked my tiny tigress from the fluff that held her in its grasp.

As soon as I set her down on top of the snow again, she was off in search of what ever she had discovered. It must have felt her fury, for whatever "it" was, it had taken off under the snow in an attempt to flee. Kimi was off in cold pursuit, nose to the ground....uh....snow, sniffing it out. As she ran, her nose became a snow-plow and it bunched and rolled a small mound of snow before it. Higher and higher the pile before her grew and just as I began to fear she would lose herself in this as well, Kimi plunged her head under the top of the snow and quickly lifted the pile with her nose. With a quick flick of her head, she tossed this pile to the left of her head and kept going. Nose to the ground once again.

After rounding the corner of the house and coming out near the sidewalk in the front, Kimi stopped again. Her quizical eyes roamed over the snow. I too looked out over the snow, but could see nothing unusual about it. But then I don't have the powers that be that Kimi seems to have either. I don't always see things the way that she does. I watched quietly as she slowly lowered her head, her tail stiffening behind her and her right front foot rose to curl beneath her. In champion bird dog form, she stood, stalking her monsters, waiting for "it" to make the first move. About then a gust of wind jumped over the fence, and swirled the snow as it landed. A small whirlwind of snow flakes danced and spun across the surface , cresting the drift and sliding down the other side like a child sledding. Kimi growled low and quiet, "rrrrrrrr", and just as the snow came to a stop at the bottom of the drift, she lunged into action. She tore off down the sidewalk, turned left at the bend, and launched herself high up into the air. Her low and quiet growls became louder, "rrrRRR", and just as she was about to touch down in the snow, they were their loudest yet, "RRRRR!"

Unfortunately Kimi forgot how deep the snow was right there, having been piled higher then the rest as we shoveled our walks clean. Her loudest ever growl ended with a shocked "YIPE!" at the end of it as her body plunged right through the snow. Her wholeself was now buried beneath the snow. I heard her yips grow more determined and angry even she she struggled to free herself. "RRRRR", "RRRRRuff!!!", I heard her shout.

Knowing she would need help once again to be freed from her self-imposed prison of white, I reached down into the snow where she sat in self-righteous indignation and plucked her loose. As soon as I set her on the sidewalk she was off again, this time biting and snapping at the snow as she ran. Before I knew it Kimi was out of sight. Fearing she would once again imprison herself, I set out to find her. Trudging my way to the back yard I looked for her. Hmmmm...no Kimi. I called to her. Hmmmm...still no Kimi.

I resorted to my never-fail trick in calling her. "Here kitty-kitty-kitty-kitty-kitty-kitty, I called in rapid succession. I say "never-fail" because she has since learned that that calling noise brings the kitty lumbering out of his hiding spot in search of food, and it always brings her running.

Hmmmm...STILL no Kimi! Okay, by now I was getting concerned. She couldn't have gotten out of the yard! Could she? No...both gates were still firmly closed. We have no holes on the fence line...."KIMI!", I called. "Kimi!" There! Can you hear that? A faint and muffled "yip" I called her again. Again I heard a far off sounding "yip".

I turned back toward the front of the house where I had first lost sight of her. "Kimi...where are you?" "Yip". This time her reply was a tad bit louder.

"Kimi, come on sweetie!" I begged, as I stepped toward the sidewalk.

"YiP!" .....okay that one was a little louder. I looked down into the snow hoping to see Kimi's tail sticking up out of the snow. Hmmmm...still no Kimi.

"Kim! Where are you?", I called loudly, while muttering...."little stink...hiding from me....I oughtta...."

"YIP!" There! Closer to me, I heard her. She certainly didn't sound distressed. Or stuck... "rrrrrYIP!"

I turned to my left, and there in the snow I spotted a tiny little set of tracks....leading out into the snow. My eyes trailed them to where they disappeared under the snow UNDER the snow!!!!!!! As I looked further ahead I relaxed somewhat, seeing there was a tunnel cut into the snow at that spot. Kimi had gone underground!

I peered over and beyond that tunnel, allowing my eyes to follow the sounds that my ears were picking up. "RRRRRRR!!" Kimi sounded louder than ever now. Okay..so I knew where she was now, but I still coudln't SEE her. I stepped into the deeper snow and looked over the drift, and under the table...

THE TABLE! There, buried beneath a mound of snow sat a small plastic blue table that I used to hold my bird food and smaller hand tools for the yard during the summer. And there beneath that table was a natural fort, made by the drifted snow as it piled up and over the sides of the table, closing it off but not filling it up underneath. It had created a natural snow cave, and Kimi had found it! I leaned down and peeked inside.

Kimi was indeed under this table and happily digging away at the few inches of snow that had made it inside. Small bits of snow was flying off in all directions, escaping the fury of her tiny feet as they dug. Kimi's little jaws were snapping madly at something and I sharply called out her name. "Kimi!"

At the brisk sound of her name, she flicked her head up quickly and looked right at me. Her tiny mouth was full of snow, and her eyes, twinkled with sheer joy. She wagged her tail and called "YIfff!", around her mouth full of snow, causing miniature puffs of snow to fly free of her lips and fall in a snow shower effect. In one smooth gulp the mouth full of snow slipped silently down her throat. You could almost see her eyes widen in gleefull surprise when her frozen snack landed deep inside her tummy, instantly chilling it. Ever wide was her grin.

Now knowing where she was and that she was safe, I stepped back to allow her her play time. Just as I stepped onto the sidewalk, Kimi burst from within the confines of her snow cave. Tiny feet flying through the snow, she ducked and ran through her tunnel, out the otherside and through the back yard as fast as she could run and bunny hop through the deep snow. Once again hopping from foot print to foot print, Kimi raced down the trails shoveled just for her. Pink tongue bouncing along beside her as she ran, she was once again in hot pursuit of any snow-monsters that may still be hiding in the snow.

I know now that each time Kimi returns to the house with snow all over her head, she has once again rid our world of yet another snow-monster, making the snow a safe place for kids from all over to hide and play in.

Never judge a book by it's cover, or a Sheltie by what it is covered with, because sometimes what you see is NOT what you get!

walk in beauty
Kristi & Kimi