RANDOM MUSINGS
26 May Rico is, at times, the most terrible little guy. He's incontinent. He's inpoopitent. He gets hysterical if we leave the house without him, even just to get the mail. He sometimes gets so possessive of VetteMan, VM can't move without Rico growling at him. He has other quirks which we just can't seem to overcome. Then I watch him teach Zoe how to play, and I think how great he's been with the fosters we've had this year (Mandy, Buddy, Karen, Captain & Tenille, Maxi and Zoe), and I forgive him everything else. Yesterday, they ranranran outside; today, they were playing tug and biteyface and chasechasechase in the house. When Zoe came here two weeks ago, she didn't know a toy from a food bowl; now she plays, eats from everydog's bowl, drinks from all the water dishes, with no fear . . . he's become her mentor and her champion, even if she does still trill (she doesn't growl; she trills) at him if she's on my lap or on my bed. But we're working on sharing, and she's less adamant in her possessiveness. And he's still the cutest little guy I've ever seen . . . 27 May Rico likes to take his toys out for a walk in the yard . . . and leave them there. Zoe's function has become to find the poor abandoned (and rain-soaked) toys - and bring them all back into the house. So whenever she's called inside, she first has to find a toy to bring with her. Today, VetteMan washed the cars (thus ensuring rain for the rest of the Memorial Day break), rinsed and wrung out the sponge, and left it on the deck. A bit later, a dog ran past me, carrying a sponge that was more than half its size . . . albeit bone-shaped. Yep, Zoe had found another "toy" and brought it inside for safekeeping. 2 June Zoe has decided that April's food is better than hers; however, she doesn't want to eat it where April might 'catch' her doing so. Sooooo, she grabs a kernel of food, runs down the hall past three rooms, eats the kernel in my bedroom (where there is an entire large bowl of the SAME food available to her), runs back to April's bowl in the kitchen, and again returns to my bedroom to eat a kernel. This has been going on for about 20 trips, and she's still going strong. The funny part is Rico, who is sitting (now lying) by April's bowl, watching this procedure in what seems to be pure astonishment (he just moseys up to April's bowl and munches; if April comes anywhere near, he just moves away. April's blind; she doesn't know who is by her bowl). This would certainly qualify as "negative calories" . . . So then Rico walks into my room and eats all of Zoe's food . . . it's like musical bowls around here, except no one's singing . . . . Sometimes April noses into her bowl in puzzlement: "My bowl is empty, but I don't feel full . . . I don't remember eating all this food . . . ." 7 June Zoe's new 'game' - remember biteyface? Well, she now likes to play 'biteypenis' on Rico . . . it's now safer for him to keep his bellyband on, even outside . . . kind of like an athletic protector, I guess. He's so patient, he doesn't bite her back, although I'm sure it must have hurt! This is a continual occurrence in our house & yard . . . Sneaking up on the refrigerator . . . . . . staring at the door to make it open.
	Zoe is officially a ParrotHead. This is "her" spot to watch me sew Doggie 'Danas for Airedale Rescue.

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