On December 19th, after a long and restless day, Flirt followed me as I did my evening chores and was quite insistent that I settle somewhere. She was ready to have her puppies, and she wanted to be very near me. I made a sandwich instead of cooking supper, put on my comfy clothes, grabbed a stack of towels and hit the sofa. Flirt snuggled in and napped for about an hour, then arranged herself on my towel covered lap with a lot of panting and nest making action. Then she began to push, her little rear legs bracing against my leg. Very soon the ageless miracle occurred, a tiny new life emerged from her body. The pup was encased in a little form fitting sack. Flirt licked and nibbled and in seconds had the puppy free. I had to avert my eyes as she ingested the afterbirth and used her razor sharp teeth to nip the umbilical cord oh-so-close to the wee babies body. Within seconds the pup,a girl, not much longer than my finger, had found her way to her mama's belly and was nursing with gusto. After a rest of about 20 minutes, another pup was delivered.
This one a boy. Flirt repeated her deft clean up action and I took the chance to grab a photo of the wee things while the third and final puppy, another girl, emerged. All three puppies are quite sturdy despite their size, and vigorous. They are all eating well and have grown and filled out noticeably in the very brief time they have been alive. Flirt is a dedicated mother. I have to force her away from her pups to take care of bathroom needs and eat and drink. She keeps them well polished and warm, and has a look of glowing bliss as she snuggles up with her babes. Though the past few weeks have been rife with horrible news around our country, and personal loss as well, the addition of these sweet, innocent puppies is a welcome miracle in our lives.
And this... this is a cup of kindness! I have been working very hard to NOT get a cold, swilling Aireborn every few hours and thinking very healthy thoughts. My friend Carol stopped by my house today to pick up something I had left for her. She called me and said, "I left you some homemade chicken soup for your cold." This was the most welcome of surprises! I came home in an icy downpour and got drenched taking care of the animals. When I came inside, dripping wet, I put the soup on the stove before I changed to dry clothes. And soon I was snuggled up with a cup of kindness that warmed me in a variety of ways.
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