since we post about everything...

[Joy]

I just wanted to share something going on here in my family. My WONDERFUL, AMAZING and FABULOUS sister Jennifer, who often lurks, but NEVER REGISTERS-hi Jen, has been fostering a beautiful yellow lab from our humane society.

Jen and her equally great husband have devoted themselves to many dogs (they have 4 adoptees and acreage ). Well they agreed to foster Jada an amazingly loving and wonderful dog. Some jack*&% surrendered her to the HS cause she was pregnant. The HS didn't want her to finish her pregnancy, give birth and nurse puppies there as it is too stressful. So Jen has had Jada for about 2 weeks. She gave birth to the first puppy on the 22nd and the other 7 on the 23rd (an all nighter). 5 boys and 3 girls and all yellow except one girl is black. She looks like she wandered in from another litter-it cracks us up. Anyway Jada is a very devoted and instinctive mama.

Last night sometime, one of the girls died. We think she crawled or somehow got behind mama and smothered. All of the dogs are in a pool with blankies, rice bags, heating pads in the laundry room -which is the size of oneof my house's bedrooms by the way.

It feels really sad. Jen found her about 2:00am when she came in to check on them and she tried to revive it cause it was still warm and it was too late. She is taking it hard, as in she did something wrong.

Jen and her husband own a successful business and have to be there a lot, but my girls and I have been puppy sitting as much as we can. It is quite a treat for all of us. So needless to say losing one is really hard. I have to tell my girls afterschool today.

I know life is beautiful and we are all fighting for it, but it is hard too and I KNOW you ALL know that. Just needed to share.

My sister lives in a canyon in the foothills outside of Ft. Collins, CO and with all the snow and the Colorado crystal blue sky it is particularly gorgeous here. Somehow that is comforting. I'll stop before I burst into John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High".