About mid-afternoon she began acting strangely. Not normally one to be quiet anyway, she was particularly noisey this day. Each time someone asked her what was wrong we got a sharp and urgent "YIP!" in response. For each time I told her to hush so she wouldn't wake the baby, I got a demaning "YIP!" right back at me. I should have known something very important was on her mind with the way her ears, BOTH of them , were standing straight up. Being a puppy so young, Kimi always takes a nap about mid afternoon as well, to replenish her own energy level. Not so on this day. Kimi went from room to room, yipping at all who would listen, and even at some who wouldn't. I am sorry to say that none of us here speak fluent Sheltie though so we didn't understand what she was trying to tell us. Forgive us Kimi, for we ARE only human.

About the time our weather radio alarm went off, screeching it's own urgency thru the still of the afternoon, I began to realize what she had been trying to tell us for most of the afternoon. Kim was a Storm Predicter! She had obviously developed her own early warning system and was trying to tell us of what was coming our way. Sorry dear girl, next time I will know better! I went rushing in to the bedroom to turn off the alarm and turn on the report. Kimi was hot on my heals and jumped up on the bed barking furiously (whatever happpened to her yipping??) until I turned the alarm off. As the voice came on to issue the warning, Kimi's little head cocked to one side and she sat here oh so quiet, intently listening to this voice. As the report finished and I shut off the radio, Kimi rushed to the head of the bed and looked out the window. She was checking the sky for signs of this coming storm! Obviously not happy with what she could or couldn't see, Kimi jumped off the bed and rushed for the front door.

In her urgency or excitement to get there, she let out a grunting "Rrr" with each step down. "Rrr Rrr Rrr" she went as she hit each step down to the door. Reaching the landing she threw herself at the door, ringing the bells hanging from the knob like the was no tomorrow coming! Not being one to rush in or down where Angels fear to rush, Kimi beat me to the door and after ringing the bells, she stood there, ears straight up, yipping franctically for me to hurry up. Eyes bright and wide, she hip-hopped from foot to foot trying to hurry me along.

As I opened the door, Kimi threw herself outside and off the top step in a furry flurry and rushed for the back yard. I followed her to see what this was all about, and was surprised once I reached the spot where Kimi stood waiting. Like a seasoned Storm Chaser to our area, Kimi stood facing the west, tiny nose pointed toward the approaching dark clouds and her little nostrils flexed. I think she was testing the air, but for what I am not sure. You could see how tense she was as she stood there, all points to her compact body, tightly controlled. Suddenly her behind dropped to the ground and her delicate left foot came up off the ground. Was she checking for wind direction or wishing she could stop what was coming?

I walked up beside her and kneeled down, placing one hand on her quivering fur. Feeling a little like "Timmy" from "Lassie" I asked her..."what is it girl?" Kimi turned her head for a quick glance my direction and then gave her full attention back to the western sky. By now I was feeling a little nervous myself, but more over what she obviously knew that I didn't. I stood back up to my feet and waited beside her, watching the sky and wondering how bad it would get for us. Within a few brief, interminally long minutes, Kimi stood and began to whine softly. I focused my eyes back to the sky and saw how darkly rich the clouds had grown, It wouldn't be long now. Far off in the distance you could hear the wind approaching. It truly did sound much like a train lumbering up a hill. At this I grabbed Kimi up and ran for the house. While I carried her to saftey, she twisted her body around in my amrs and threw her head over my right shoulder. A sharp angry "YIP!" came from Kimi as she let Mother Nature know she was NOT happy about how her afternoon was going to go.

Once inside the house, I hurried to get the kids all downstairs, just in case it did become severe. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to the young lives of others. Kimi bounced and hurried along beside me as we went from room to room gathering up sleepy eyed little children and placed them safely downstairs. The older ones left to walk down in front of us, I carried the youngest, and Kimi took it upon herself to bounce down the stairs wrth them yipping all the way. "Hurry Hurry Hurry!" her yipping seemed to say. Once we had them all tucked away in a safer place, Kimi had to check on each one. Running from bed to bed, and from child to child, she seemed to be counting heads making sure all were accounted for. Knowing they were safe for the time. Kimi and I went back out to wait for the storm to arrive.

By now the wind had picked up, and for each step Kimi took forward, she lost half a step to the wind. I picked her up, knowing if I left her inside while I was out she would become frantic with her worry. Together we went to be storm watchers. Laying in my arms, curled against my chest, Kimi growled fiercly at each gust of wind. I laughed soflty and cuddled her closer, telling her she wouldn't be able to scare this evil one away. As we stood there, leaves were torn from their limbs and began to swirl in circles around us. Kimi scrambled to grab for each one who dared to come to close so I placed her down on the ground. Suddenly what had once been frightening to her turned into yet another game. Each leaf that swirled had taken on a life of it's own and Kimi was going to grab them all, checking it to be sure there was nothing evil lurking within each one.

Ignoring the power of this giant blow dryer as it ruffled her hair all around, Kimi would grab a leaf, hold it down on the ground with her front feet and then shredded whatever was left for her to grab. Leaving the pieces lay where they fell, Kimi would rush on to grab the next fluttering victim. Bouncing up and down trying desperately to grab one she looked much like one would in a booth of floating and tossing money as they tried to grab all they could. Yipping with each upward jump, grunting her disapproval in missing with each landing THUMP, Kimi kept trying until she grabbed yet another one. The game continued until suddenly the rain came with a vengence. Keep in mind Kimi does NOT like to get wet.

The drops of rain that began in this storm were those hugely fat pelting drops that often come with a summer storm. Driven into a fury by the strong winds, Kimi felt the very first one that hit her. She suddenly stopped with the leaf she was destroying, and not moving, she waited. The next drop hit her square on the head and she looked up to see what had hit her there. A third drop landed between her eyes and she quickly ducked her tiny head. Like that was really going to help keep the rain off of her! The huge drops suddenly turned into a torrent or rain and Kimi let out a surprised "YIP" and took off for the house. I started to follow her but had to stop and laugh as I watched. She didn't run for the house in a straight line like I expected! Kimi was running and dodging, stopping and turning like a seasoned war veteran might try to dodge a storm of bullets! Where did she ever learn to move like that?

Finally reaching the relative safety of the front door Kimi hopped and bounced from foot to foot waiting for me to get there and let her in. Rain dripping from her sodden nose and looking much like a bedraggled rat, I scooped her up into my arms and laughed at her look of dismay. As I reached for the door to open it a gust of wind whipped around the corner of the house, bringing more leaves with it. Kimi flicked her head over my shoulder and gave Mother Nature one more piece of her mind in a resounding and echoing "YIP!". And as I stepped up to the door, Kimi made a mad grab for one more leaf as it shuffled past us.

Once inside I placed her on the floor and with a soggy leaf captured between her pearly white, Kimi huffed her way upstairs. The cat was sitting at the top of the stairs, looking serene in his fluffy, dry grey fur. Casually batting his eyes in a sleepy yawn, Garfield taunted our soggy little princess. Kimi just couldn't help herself. Always taught to share and be nice, she stopped beside the kitty where he sat in all his warm splendor and SHOOK herself free of the rain drops still clinging to her rich sable coat. The cat jumped back in total disgust at her attempt at humor and Kimi walked past him laughing out loud. Taking offense to her tactical manuvers to 'share' her summer shower, the cat took a quick swipe at her tail as she strutted her little Sheltie stuff past him.

The storm outside may have been ending as quickly as it began, but the one inside was just getting started! This however, was a "storm' Kimi could deal with. It is one she faces every time the kitty wakes up and wants to play. And with a grin beginning to spread from one tipped left ear to her pointy little right one, Kimi laughed, jumped toward the cat, swiped at him with her own little white foot and shouted "YIP!" (I think that meant "TAG!"

Confident in her ability to chase down this furry "evil" in her house, the game quickly grew into a full force gale. From chasing down leaves in the storm, to chasing down the kitty in the house, Kimi knows there is "nothing to fear but fear itself".

Walk in beauty Kristi & Kimi