The Nico Series- The Portulaca Caper

Here are my two "monkeys"



Bella on the left joined in on the fun.

It was a beautiful sunny day with cool breezes on my deck.  Having a few errands to run, I allowed the puppies to play outside.  When I came home, a few hours later I was shocked to see a 24" flower pot emptied of it's dirt and stones....and about 15 portulaca plants. The roots of my morning glory plant....which was lush and beautiful....were completely obliterated.

Nico....the ringleader has eaten bits of portulaca before.  But this was ridiculous.  I couldn't tell who ate what....but I knew the plants were eaten because they weren't on the deck.  I knew the dirt was eaten and to my surprise....some of the stones were eaten.

Immediately I called the poison control center from animals.  Portulaca eaten in this amount can cause crystals in the kidney and ultimately kidney failure.  I found a vet who could see them right away and they were given hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting. Unfortunately, by this time, a lot of junk had gotten into their system.  Blood tests followed to get a baseline on their kidney function. They spent the night in the hospital while being checked in the middle of the night.

Bottom line....all is well...but it was scary.  In order for the dogs to get to this flower pot they had to jump onto a chaise, up to a bar stool, up to a very high table and a leap across to the flower pot.  They are not dogs....they are monkeys. As of this moment, they are all enrolled in reform school.

With Wings to Fly

It's that time of year when older children are getting ready for college or graduate school.  I've got one in each. My daughter looked at me today as she was packing for her new apartment and law school.  She had joy in her eyes and excitement in her heart.  It emulated from every cell in her body as she said....
"Mom, this is it....I'm moving out and I won't be coming back!" 

This thing is...she meant no malice.  She didn't mean to cause what felt like a blow to my stomach as the reality hit me.  The truth is she was born with one foot out the door....the same as her mother....and she was only doing what she had learned to do!

 I gave her a small set of wings on the day she was born and prayed that she would always use them wisely.  As she grew, the wings grew with her.  Most of the time I was able to guide her to use them carefully, explaining that they were the greatest gift of love that a mother can give her child.  And it took courage to give them....just as it took courage to use them.

Tomorrow she is flying away.  Her wings have grown now and will carry her through life's beautiful journey with a deep abiding love...and a greater respect for the beautiful human being that she is. 

My protagonist was not so lucky.  She was never given wings to fly, but in the midst of repression and anonymity, she somehow found them and flew into the arms of the most unsuspecting recipient. Together, their wings took them to places few are lucky enough to see. Together, they changed history...just how the history in my life is changing today.