Honey, when did we get an opossum???

I left my mom's house around midnight.  Surprisingly enough, Jasmine stayed awake on the ride home.  (normally she's tired out from playing and passes out before we hit the highway)  It's lucky that I only live eight miles from my mom's door to my own.  I'm starting at the end of my day so you'll understand why I may be a bit moody despite having a fairly nice day.  When I got home the dogs were their usual obnoxious selves.  They never do what they're asked when I really need them to.  It was just frustrating dealing with them and a toddler that was getting sleepy.  After I was done feeding them and letting them out to potty, I went to see the ferrets for a minute and check their food/water.  The only one that lifted their head was Bear.  I thought maybe the other two just didn't hear me so I gave them  a little nose rub.  Boots woke right up but Bindi stayed unmoving, her eyes open.  I thought omigod, she's sick and now she's dying.  (ferrets can go down hill VERY fast and we've had something going around the animals the past two weeks, just an eye goopiness)  I lifted her out of the cage and she was completely listless and unresponsive.  I was rubbing her and gently shaking her but I was getting nothing from her.  I was crying when my daughter came in the room and was getting ready to go wake my husband to take her to the animal ER.  Of all three of the ferrets, Bindi is by far my favorite.  She's just the perfect little girl and my heart was breaking at the thought of losing her.  As soon as she heard my daughter's voice, Bindi suddenly awoke and was her normal chipper self, although seemed confused about how she got from the cage to the chair.  I had always heard that ferrets can sleep so deeply that even the most skilled ferret parent can think they are dying.  I thought I had already seen that in other ferrets and could tell the difference.  I never thought her eyes would be open wide as if she was awake and unable to respond.  She got tons of kisses and rubs and hugs when I realized she was fine.  Jasmine was looking at me like I lost my marbles.  It was awful but at least now I know how badly it can seem when they are just sleeping.  I'm still shocked at just how "dead"she seemed. 

I didn't even get a chance to pee this morning before Rocky got out of the yard.  (electric fence isn't up yet because it's been raining... wouldn't make a difference anyways, he jumps the entire fence)  I stood at the door the whole time thinking no one would dare escape while I was watching.  Unfortunately for me, I didn't have my contacts in (my vision is 1.75 in one eye and 2 in the other) and the fenced part of my yard is over 300 feet deep.  I managed to get the girls back in the house when I realized that Rocky was probably gone.  The aussie boys kept jumping up and down at the back corner of the fence.  (probably trying to figure out how exactly he GOT out) I put some jeans on and a jacket and trekked out to get him.  I was mostly worried about keeping my aussie's in the yard.  I may be a horrible animal parent but my dogs do have different level of importance and Rocky isn't on the high list.  I went out back and began calling, thinking for sure this would be the time he didn't come back and wondering how I would tell my husband.  Sure enough, I heard his tags clicking from a few yards over and he came flying up around the fence to the other neighbors yard.  Once I got the back gate open he came to me.  I'm lucky that he's not a runner.  He may get loose but when you call him, he comes.  I may WANT to beat the shit out of him for running away when he comes back but the only thing that reinforces is that coming when called gets me beat.  I gave him a few pats and told him he was good for coming home but that he would now have to go inside.  He's only been going out on a tie out since.  Cash is doing MUCH better about staying in the yard so I have been letting him off the tie out when it's just him and Molly outside or if we're out with him.  Cash is a great dog but it's taken some time to get him to that point.  I hope Rocky will become a good dog too.  Cash used to bite my daughter.  He broke the skin once and thank god my husband wasn't there or he might have killed that dog.  Cash doesn't respect my husband and he WOULD bite him if he got the chance and was cornered.  However, he respects me and all it takes is a look and he knows that he's in deep doggy shit.  After the last bite, they weren't allowed in the same room together for a long, long time.  One day, my sneaky child decided to go in the backroom very quietly while Cash was back there with his toys and bed.  When I realized where she was, I took off at a full run thinking she was about to be bitten up into little toddler pieces.  What I saw, stopped me in my tracks.  There was Cash, HAPPY to see Jasmine.  They were playing fetch and he was willingly returning the toy and then dropping it for her.  When she laughs, his little nub wags.  (ok it's more like his hind end wags... he makes up for the lacking of a tail)  They play together all the time and we haven't had even the slightly attitude on Cash's part.  They lay on his bed together and she tells him stories.  It's sweet.  I'm just so glad that he's grown out of whatever he was going through there for a while.  Now he's doing great in everything else as well.  I'm thinking of trying him in some mild agility.  I think he would really enjoy it.  (I'm not going to show him in agility, this will just be for us to do together, although he is purebred and could easily get in and probably win since most shows around here are smaller, faster dogs and it goes by sizing to what class you're in, Cash is in the largest class) I'm also going to get Savannah in agility this summer.  I was watching her outside yesterday and was like wow.  She is like a rocket around that yard.  I have three aussie's and she just flies past those two boys.  (the boys have their own "style" of running... they run and then suddenly start hopping, almost like a rabbit...)  Now with her, I could really win some competitions.  I would like to put a few wins under her and update her akc papers before I send them in so I don't have to do it later.  Savannah Loves attention so winning would make her to back flips.  ;) 

After the madness calmed down, we got started on dinner.  We had pork chops (Jasmine's favorite), corn and some noodles.  This little girl of mine can eat and eat and eat.  She had ravioli before dinner was done, then had a cookie and for dinner she cleaned her plate and had a second pork chop.  After dinner we went to my mom's.  She's been sick for a few days so I haven't been over.  Jasmine was overjoyed to see her uncle Jason.  It's really great to see them get along so well.  I can actually SEE that he loves her now.  When she was first born, he didn't want to hold her, didn't want to touch her, nothing.  The first time he held my daughter ever was after she turned two.  He carried her over a suspension bridge because she was scared.  Now they run around like crazy and she's screaming the whole time.  They even played hide and seek.  Well, my brother hid her balloon and then she had to go find it.  She took my mom to see a fireworks display.  They sat on the bottom of the steps (going upstairs) and Jasmine would show the *fireworks* that were *in* her hand, then she would *throw* them in the air and apparently see a wonderful display of pinks, reds and blues.  Yes, her imagination has REALLY taken off recently.  We had a lot of fun but I could tell my mom was getting tired and I wanted to get home and eat some cookies.  ;)