Random Acts of "Kindness"

Posts tagged ‘dogs’

DECISIONS

Sometimes I make a decision that actually works out. Reality — that doesn’t happen often. Sometimes my plan works. Usually it is delayed or changed.

OKAY — we are having FUN today. Someone is playing. Is someone on the other side receiving a lesson? What appears in print is not necessarily what is happening. I type something, and I get a duplicate. ?? I have now lost my train of thought. SURPRISE? As if I wasn’t already having enough trouble, the phone rang — a sales call.

About two weeks ago — back in town, I attended Mass at our city church and noticed a number of people sitting in the last pew on the West side of the church — normally occupied by Joe and his granddaughter. One and one quickly made two and I realized that something had happened. We just attended his memorial Mass and I gave his daughter and granddaughter a copy of JOURNEY WITH ME. The book contains my early lessons on “help” from the other side. (If my early lessons would be of interest to you the book is available at Amazon.) And as you have probably noticed — more than 15 years later, it continues.

Back to DECISIONS. Every once in a while I receive a “gift”, a vision or an unexplained feeling. It doesn’t happen often and always is strong enough that not only am I surprised but I remember it. Our youngest daughter had not started school, I was sitting on the back porch stairs and saw myself walking down the stairs with white hair. My older self was slender. Even though I’m older, my hair IS NOT WHITE YET, nor sadly am I slender. After my husband retired, I was walking down a main street close to our house and felt like my feet were rooting into the ground. I understood the messages to mean that we shouldn’t be selling our house and moving.

Recently, “I” planned that we would spend a couple of weeks in the country. The weather changed — we had an early fall — rain, cold temperatures. We stayed in town. “I” planned we would attend the Field Museum and see the reimagining of the 1893 Worlds Fair. The exhibit CLOSED the Sunday before our visit. Instead we saw BIOMECHANICS — a nuts and bolts look at the Natural World. Both my husband and I totally enjoyed the exhibit. I like animals, some of my favorites — giraffes, wild cats, and elephants. Giraffes wear compression stocks to help with their circulation. I’m not tall but my legs are long and sadly NOW I NEED compression stockings. Cheetahs use their long tail for stability when running — Robin has a very long tail, she runs in turbo speed. Elephants use their ears as a fan to cool off — I don’t have big ears. The Field had a rough winter too — two restaurants are no longer there — replaced by fresher, more expensive options. Picnic anybody?

I LOVED our Chocolate Lab and miss her daily but I know I don’t have the strength for a big dog. Robin was small when we adopted her. She had the audacity to continue to grow, taller — longer, taking up more space on the bed. I thought we should get an older dog, Robin is younger, has unlimited energy, likes to run and play — not rest and sleep. “I” guess we were given the dog we NEEDED. Thankfully I receive “help” with my decisions.

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SERVICE

Yesterday was a lovely, sunny day — a transitional day, before the rain and the falling temperatures. After all it is Fall. This morning, as promised the rain has arrived. Robin jumped onto our bed at 6 AM. She has been sleeping all by herself in the back bedroom. I thought she really had to go out and walked downstairs, opened the door to the rain. She didn’t even stick her nose out. I started the morning coffee and returned upstairs to get dressed.

Once I had a raincoat on, we went for a walk. Luckily the rain was light. I saw a few of my neighbors and got some early morning exercise. And I thought of our service dog. She likes to go for walks, meet other dogs — play, chase squirrels and bark to get them to come down and play. The squirrels don’t accept her invitation. She loves to run — run depending on who is walking her. SHE DOES NOT LIKE to do her business in the back yard — to boring — no one to play with. She will do her business in the middle of the night if she has to go. The daily walks give us exercise, we see our neighbors and of course, meet many dogs.

Yesterday I heard a new noise outside. So did Robin. It sounded like someone had a new instrument and was learn to play — a tuba. Robin DID NOT LIKE IT! She is not normally a barker, she doesn’t use her voice regularly unless she wants something — a squirrel to come down and play or announce the arrival of someone on our porch. SHE USED HER VOICE — many different ranges of her voice. I don’t think she was trying to sing — maybe the sound hurt her ears and she wanted them to stop. They didn’t — neither did she. Whether or not she was inside the house, outside the house — it didn’t matter.

Yesterday, when my husband called the garage to schedule an oil change, he was asked to come in tomorrow — they were very busy. Yesterday was sunny, a beautiful day. Today is RAINY — thankfully not the heavy rains of the last two storms. A lighter rain, but it still tied up the traffic. Normally the drive to the garage from our house takes five minutes or less. I didn’t count today. I turned on the radio and listened to the end of an up beat South American song. Followed by Noah arguing with God about the animals on the Ark. Two male Rhino, “Lord change them! A pregnant elephant, without delivery instructions.” More interesting discussion — then the thunder. I knew who won and I didn’t mind the longer drive. To finish my morning serenade the verse of a song ” You belong to me, I belong to you” Enough said! THANK YOU!

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TRUST

TRUST

I’m banging my head against the walls again! No energy, too much weight, etc, etc. And the word that pops up is TRUST! Trust that you are where you are supposed to be — and I do. I have learned that I’m almost always at the right place, at the right time — to either help someone or be helped myself. Let me say that most of the time my being at the right place IS NOT because I PLANNED it.

This morning I took Robin for her morning walk. She chased squirrels, as much as I would let her. We met two dogs that were walking with their person — One dog wanted to play but I won’t let Robin play when there are two dogs with one person EXCEPT for a man back from Texas who walks a three legged dog and a smaller one. The three leg dog likes to play, the smaller one doesn’t. I’ve learned that playing with this twosome is safe. I can’t let Robin off the leash, if she ran I couldn’t catch her. We met a dog whose person doesn’t allow her dog to meet when it is on leash? How strange! We met a dog who only has vision in one eye, who DOES NOT LIKE ROBIN. Robin laid down, refused to move until they were nose to nose and TODAY Emmett played with her. Today, Robin was safe. I wanted to speak to his owner, he would be able to confirm my suspicion that the priest’s dimension had gotten worse. Sadly I was correct. He was forgetting part of the Mass.

Just a short walk — right place, right time.

Deepak Chopra’s meditation this morning contained the statement: “It will surprise you when you see how wise you are.” It has to do with inner wisdom, not life experiences. And sadly, even though I’m pestered to meditate I got nowhere. I’m stubborn, I’ll keep trying. I’m reading Sherri Shepherd’s PLAN D. She talks to God and she HEARS His reply. I talk to God but His reply does not come in the spoken word. Sometimes it is the call of a crow. Sometimes it is a person I meet on the street. Sometimes it is something I hear on the radio or TV, or read in a book. Sometimes the answer is delayed. Every person is unique and the way we receive our answers is also tailored to us. TRUST — keep trying.

I have to laugh. After I wrote this ramble, after breakfast, my husband shared a happening with me. Friday night, in his office, he had a conversation with God. My husband DID NOT hear God’s voice. My husband asked God if He was alive. He said he believed in Him but did not receive any feedback. On Saturday morning, after breakfast, I bought the movie GOD’S NOT DEAD. I did not know of my husband’s conversation the night before. My husband believes he received his answer, so do I.

For many years now I have been learning, step by step, experience by experience — I forget how special my interactions are. I love to hear that others have received answers or help. I especially love it when they are members of my own family. Our son told me that I have a team of “helpers” who vie to help me everyday. I’m sure he is right.

I’m often reminded of Abraham in the bible. It took many years before God’s promises to him became a reality. I don’t know the length of my own life — and truth be told — I really don’t want to know. People who are successful, vibrant, healthy, enjoying life in their eighties, nineties and hundreds are in my vision often. Is that a message to me? I don’t want to speculate on that. But I do know that I want to have the best quality of life that I can have. Therefore — TRUST — KEEP TRYING. My mantra for today.

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I WONDER

My granddaughter, her mate and my great grand are in for a visit. Taking advantage of a spare afternoon, I planned that we would go to the Garfield Conservatory. They have a children’s garden that is just right for a crawling, investigating child. They have a slide that is big enough for a mom and her child.

We were prepared for take off. Child fed, diaper bag packed, stroller at the ready when I took a bowl of cooked potatoes out of the microwave oven and the vent covering almost hit me in the head. ?? What was that for? It delayed our journey. First I called my husband for help when I couldn’t put the piece back on. Sadly he wasn’t able to either, although he tried many times. One of the ears that holds the cover in place had broken off. I called the company for service only to learn that since it was cosmetic, it wasn’t covered on the service contract. I called the manufacturer for a part. we were finally able to go — again.

Arriving at the conservatory, I met a seeing eye dog rushing down the stairs, his person running down the stairs behind him. I was concerned that I had caused this behavior. I have an affinity for many different animals, dogs in particular.

Four rooms of the conservatory were closed off. They are still replacing the glass roof after the hail storm destroyed 3/4 of the conservatory in 2010. My favorite place — the fern room — was under construction but the children’s garden had not been affected by the hail and was open. Miss Lilly had a lovely time crawling around in places that my younger grandchildren have visited. She enjoyed the slide with her mom.

Before we left, we visited the outside gardens and I saw the vision challenged person sitting on a bench. I stopped to talk to her. I learned that her dog was in desperate need of a bathroom break — hence the run down the stairs. He was resting at her feet, but when I sat down, my feet became his pillow.

I wonder — did the vent falling off the microwave delay our trip so I could meet her?

The next day, we drove out to our camper, stopping at the oasis for a rest break. I met a 14 week old Yorkshire puppy. He was in training to be a service dog. ?? So tiny to be a service dog. He decided that resting at my feet was a good option. He was in training to be a mental service dog. My curiosity woke. I had many questions but my first one stopped most of the rest. I learned the person he was with was his designated companion. I didn’t know how to politely ask the rest of my questions.

I wonder — too many questions. No answers. I’ll have to do some research.

Leaving the building I saw two more dogs with service coats on — one green, one blue. ?? The black lab with the green coat was in training to work with the vision impaired. The golden retriever with the blue coat was in training to be a comfort dog for the Lutheran church.

I wonder — I don’t often meet so many service animals. Four in two days — is there a message that I’m not receiving?

Good question — of course no answer. If I was psychic I might be given the answer. As it is, I try to connect the dots. Four dogs, of different breeds, three in training.

I wonder — is Robin our service dog in training? If she is, I won’t speculate on what area of our life that might be.

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FIREWORKS

“Pay ATTENTION! You are missing messages. How can we help you if you don’t pay attention.”

I didn’t hear those words but it wouldn’t surprise me if I did. Messages to that effect have floated in the breeze. I didn’t pay attention or I didn’t understand. Either way, I screwed up.

I was wondering why my weight has risen. Looking back at the past 6 months I can see a couple of reasons: WINTER — stuck inside, snow, cold, and not feeling well; STRESS, followed by depression. I don’t know if those are good reasons but that seems to be one of the causes.

So I’m battling back. Trying to pay attention — fireworks in the night weeks before the fourth. Robin DOESN’T LIKE LOUD NOISES. She was cringing by the side of our bed, trying to get into the closet when the bangs started. I knew we were in for trouble. She DID NOT want to go out for her nighttime walk. She stuck to my husband’s heel like glue.

The fourth was approaching. We would be in town. It would be LOUD! We tried to be prepared. I bought a thunder shirt — supposedly it works in thunderstorms and other stressful times. We got medicine from the vet. I took her for a walk before the sun went down. I fed her an early supper. The medication was strong. We took the thunder shirt off. I cleared a space in my closet with my husband’s shirt on the floor. Since I closed our bedroom door, she didn’t have many options. The medicine affected her back legs and I didn’t want her to get injured. The next night I cut the pill in half, thankfully rain kept the noise down.

Trying to pay attention: I wanted to make a left turn coming out of the mall — to go to the expressway. The traffic from the south didn’t let up — I could easily make a right and take the streets home. I gave in — turned right, and when I passed over the expressway, The cars below were bumper to bumper. Thank You!

I tried to turn off my cell phone. It WOULDN’T! Frustrated I kept trying. Before I succeeded, a phone call came through from my friend’s daughter updating me on her current health challenge. Thank You!

Grandchildren, fourth of July and other reasons dictated that we stay in the city instead of the country, we were home when the heavy rain brought water into our basement. Since we were home, vacuum cleaner, mops and clean water — then fans dried out the basement preventing more problems. Thank you!

My weight and the heat caused a heat rash that lasted for days — very uncomfortable. Nothing I tried really helped. Thankfully it is better now. I got the message — LOUD AND CLEAR — lose weight. I’m trying.

Hopefully I will be able to keep the stress down. Hopefully I will pay attention!

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SMART

I don’t know how many times I have heard someone remark that animals are dumb. That person is probably so wrapped up in their own life that they don’t pay attention to the animals around them. Anyone who has watched a squirrel for any length of time as they conquer the contraption that has been set up to stop them from getting food knows how much ingenuity they use to accomplish their mission.

Many years ago, when I spent a summer at our camper, a bird knocked on our window to alert me to a squirrel on the bird feeder. The bird was hungry, it wanted to eat. A different bird knocked on the window when the feeder was empty.

Taking advantage of a warm day, we went to the country to pick up my husband’s 1954 Lincoln. Our mechanic shared a story about his golden retriever. His dog does not want birds in her yard. One day he looked all over for her — when he called, he noticed her head sticking up from top of their pine tree which rises above their house. He told her to come down, which she did, but as he was standing there, she climbed back to the top again.

We were at our daughter’s recently. She has a wireless fence but Robin doesn’t wear the needed collar. We have a long lead that is attached to a stake. It is long enough to allow her to run with their miniature poodle and their golden retriever. Maggie, the retriever, has had a long winter — she has put on weight too. Tired, she stopped Robin from running by sitting on her lead. Robin is younger, she has energy to spare — later Maggie held the lead in her mouth to stop the activity.

All the time we were at our daughter’s it rained every day — there were some dry hours but mostly non stop rain. The sky was cloudy when we left to drive home but rain was forecast. I noticed that Robin was moving around in the back seat, not settling down to sleep. We stopped at the first rest stop, to give her an opportunity to do any business — settle down for the trip. It was a good thing we did — not more than 5 minutes back on the road, the rain started and didn’t stop until we reached home, over an hour later. Thankfully, “my friends” take care of our whole family!”

On a different note — a waitress at a restaurant that we frequent shared a happening with me. (I have shared my stories with her over time so she is aware that I walk to a different drummer.) A few months ago her boyfriend passed over after a long illness. She had not visited the cemetery but was planning on going that day. I told her that he wasn’t there. She replied, “I know but he keeps asking me why I haven’t gone.” Her comment caught my attention. I asked if he appeared to her in a dream. “No,” she said. “While you were awake?” I asked. To which she replied, “Yes. This was the second time he came. So I’m going.”

I can truthfully admit that has NEVER happened to me. I DO NOT SEE spirits — we all have our own talents, we need to honor them.

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JUST A DOG

When Robin joined our family, she weighed 25 pounds. Her fur was very coarse and she was always scratching or nibbling on her feet or legs. She was a lovely size, not too small, not too big. SHE HAS GROWN! Not only are her legs longer, so is the rest of her body. She takes up more room on the bed, not curling up in a ball but stretching out in the middle from side to side. She likes to lay next to either myself or my husband, but I think she is trying to touch both of us.

I don’t know how much she weighs now, I’m guessing at thirty pounds. She doesn’t fit as comfortably on our laps as she once did. I noticed that when she ate chicken, she seemed to scratch more. We changed her dog food to one for sensitive stomachs and skin. It is salmon based. Recently I discovered that her fur is not as coarse. It is silkier. I wonder if I ate more salmon, if my hair would be healthier?

We finally were able to visit our daughter and family in Central Illinois. Robin enjoyed being with the crew — two children, and two dogs. I was concerned because my daughter doesn’t have a fenced in yard — they have the wireless fencing but Robin didn’t have a collar. She stuck one foot in the pond behind their house chasing geese but came when my husband called. We put her on a long lead, stuck in the ground. I heard the poodle barking and investigated. I saw Robin running across two neighbor’s yards — she had pulled out of her harness. Luckily she came when I called and I adjusted her harness. .

She slept on a pillow on the floor up in our bedroom. I gave her Benadryl and she only woke the household two nights. Food wasn’t a problem. We separated the dogs when eating. Robin didn’t want to go home when it was time. Very tired, she slept for the rest of the day and most of the next. She really missed the crew, had no appetite for a few days.

I was worried, but thankfully I didn’t need to. Now we will have to see how she likes going camping. She has put so many holes digging to China in our backyard that we had to cover most of it with mulch. Cedar and pine are safe for dogs. Cedar has the added benefit of preventing fleas. Robin likes to eat both of them.

Lately the noise in the middle of the night has caused a problem. She is defending the house. Three men were across the street about 2:00 AM. Robin didn’t like that at all. She not only barked but went downstairs and growled for many minutes. Sadly the episode was repeated the next night. This time a man was having a loud conversation on a cell phone. There might be more Benadryl in her future.

The morning after we arrived back home, our son shared a dream with me. “I was visited by two friends last night — Pap and Mabel. Pap put on a red woman’s coat and put Mabel on a leash. I’ll be right back” he said. “I’m going next door.”

Pap is my father. I’m confident he always travels with me. Mabel is our chocolate Lab. When we sent her home, I dreamt she was with our daughter and family in Central Illinois. Maybe because of Robin, we need her help.

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STILL TRYING

I have lost count of how many times we have planned a trip this year to visit our youngest daughter and family and had to cancel the plan. And it has happened again.

All winter whenever we planned to travel south, the weather forecast predicted snow and freezing temperatures. The route we take is open farm fields that are polished by the wind. Planning to travel in a snow storm can be challenging. The news on television has been filled with too many multi vehicle car crashes. So we have postponed the trip many times. Now it is Spring. We should be able to travel. Right? WRONG!

First the emission light came on in our car. Fixing the problem required a few days at the garage — delaying our most recent plan to travel. Then our son in law got a bad cold. Since I haven’t fully recovered from the flu, cold, and congestion of the winter, postponing our trip seemed to be a good idea. Next our dog, Robin, had stomach problems making it unwise to travel. I remembered a brew I made for Mabel, our chocolate Lab, when her stomach acted up. It is equal parts white potato, and sweet potato with a turnip and a slice of leek added for good measure, stewed with lamb for flavor — then mashed. It seems to be working on Robin too. We are waiting — planning — hoping that maybe in a couple of days we will be able to travel.

ON A DIFFERENT NOTE:

Robin seems to be allergic to chicken. Although we have not put her through allergy tests at the vet, eliminating chicken flavored dog food from her diet reduced her scratching. We finally found a dog food that DID NOT contain chicken, poultry by products or meal or chicken fat. And she ate it! I planned to buy more when I noticed the bag now announced a chicken flavor. I phoned the manufacturer to learn if they were making two different products before I combed the stores. Sadly they are not and the customer service rep told me that the product ALWAYS contained chicken. Even when I read the ingredient list to him he didn’t change his statement. I won’t bore you with our whole conversation or the many times I was on hold. I asked him if any of their dry dog food was manufactured without chicken or poultry by products. Sadly they are not. And sadly the search is on for a food that is healthy for her to eat. Her allergy seems to be with all feathered products. Duck breast brought on a new episode of scratching.

I’m now feeding her Purina Pro Select for sensitive skin and tummy’s. Hopefully they won’t change their formula.

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ISSUES

If I was (??) psychic, (??) in touch with my intuition, (??) able to meditate, (??). My life might be easier. I might receive the message — I might actually know what the message is. Instead I wander around, sometimes slopping through mud, trying to figure it out. I get hit on the head ALOT.

At least 10 years ago, my husband and I were in Florida for Ash Wednesday. The priest reflect in his homily that Lent was the time to clear the internal pipes. I will admit that I did a lot of pipe work that year. Since then, instead of giving something material up for Lent, I have tried to work on my spirituality. This year I picked up Dr. Wayne Dwyer’s memoir “I Can See Clearly Now.” In it he reflects on the lessons he received from his early experiences. Since my life has had challenges of its own, I can relate to his stories. Sometimes my recollections catch me off guard — bringing up stuff that is still painful.

That isn’t exactly what this thought ramble is about. Yesterday my husband and I left our dog, Robin, at home while we went shopping. Our son was upstairs in his office working, with the entrance fenced off so she couldn’t pester him. She sat at the gate and cried. She didn’t want to be alone. She must have thought that the least he could do was to let her in with him or come out to play with her.

I want to declare that I’M NOT A DOG WHISPER! I have no real knowledge of what she is thinking although I can often make a pretty good guess. Robin was rescued from a shelter when she was about a year old. We DO NOT KNOW her history. From her dietary preferences, we wonder if she wasn’t abandoned, left to scrounge for food on the street. Or did she see something that needed to be chased and lost her way. We have no way of knowing what affected her earlier life. We know she doesn’t like to be outside by herself, will only eat her food if someone is in the kitchen with her, and is skittish — afraid of loud noises.

When our children were small we had an Irish Setter named Rusty. He had been in many homes before he joined ours. He was a very good dog in some cases, but a terror in others. He would take possession of an article — sock, shoe or garbage bag — and dare you to take it away. Our friend Muscles was able to make him obey, so was my husband. My husband knocked him out when he was fighting with another of our dogs. In time I was able to take the treasured item away by using a chair like a lion tamer. Rusty had been in too many different homes and allowed to get away with bad behavior when he was a puppy. He was lucky that we were understanding and put up with his issues until old age took him home.

Human’s are affected by their early childhood. Are dogs, cats and other animals similarly affected? I wonder …..

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DRIP

DRIP

When I wrote To Pap with Love I had trouble printing Chapter Four. I didn’t like to rely on the copy on my computer or on the external disk. Every time I made a change, which was often, I printed out a new copy and the printer stopped. I tried to change the words, we were celebrating my granddaughter’s first communion — it didn’t matter. Every change I made, trying to solve the problem, didn’t help. The printer still stopped at the party. After many months the printer finally printed ALL of Chapter Four without stopping when I realized that it wasn’t the words, it was the gift of a beautiful day.

Last weekend would have been my father’s one hundred and fourth birthday. Our youngest daughter planned to drive to Chicago with her children to celebrate her daughter’s fifth birthday while her husband was out of town. We have not had a snow free Saturday in six weeks. I was concerned — they live one hundred and fifty miles south of Chicago. The main road for traveling is often snow covered and icy. The wind whips across the farmland and the road. To say I watched the weather reports with a microscope would not be exaggerating. Thankfully the forecasted snow was light. They were able to come into the city safely and return home safely.

While they were in town we visited the Swedish museum. My daughter is writing a book in which one of the characters is Swedish. She wanted to get a bit of background. My father was a full blooded Swede. I’m a mongrel — a bit of this, a bit of that. I didn’t know that the third floor held a children’s museum which has won an award. Sadly my camera stayed on a shelf at home. I will have to trust my memory and the snippet that I’m writing in this ramble. I wished I had known about the museum when we were watching our grandson when his mother taught at a school. The kids had a marvelous time catching fish off of a bridge, rowing a boat, planting in the garden and investigating a log cabin. They tried to carry milk containers on the shoulder carrier, fed the wood burning stove and in general experienced a little bit of life in Sweden which gave their mother time to do research.

This winter is breaking all records for cold and snow. We have already had 68 inches of snow. Normal is less than 30. Another polar vortex has descended. Zero temperature has returned. More snow is forecast for this weekend 4 – 8 inches as a matter of fact. I was just outside cleaning up our yard. I had watched Robin, all 25 pounds, climb to the top of our four foot snow mountain and stand looking around. I was amazed when the frozen mountain supported my weight, which is a lot more than 25 pounds.

Down in the basement washing clothes, a bit upset about the frigid week — I remarked to the dust and cob webs, “You’d better snap out of this!” At the bottom of the wash tub, a dime waited for me. This morning, the sink in the kitchen WOULD NOT stop dripping. It didn’t matter what I did. I finally remembered to look at the pan in the basement catching the overflow for the furnace. It was more than half full. The sink in the kitchen is still dripping, but only one or two drops — not the flow of the morning.

Robin, while not depressed, is missing the kids. A car like my daughter’s was in front of the house and Robin was whimpering. So she found a few children’s toys to chew on.

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