Our fluffy 110-pound Newfoundland, Penelope, is responding well to treatment for Lyme Disease.   Michael was delighted to see her take off running across the yard yesterday after more than two weeks of watching her lay around, sleeping, day after day.  

You can see by the gray hairs around her little mouth that she is an "old" Newf, 10 years old.  Life expectancy for her breed is 8 so we feel encouraged to see some of her energy returning. 

From CNN:

The dramatic rescue began after cries were heard from a fourth-floor apartment toilet.

Alarmed neighbors heard the sounds and saw a tiny foot inside a ceramic bowl. There was a baby inside.

They called the fire department in the Chinese city of Jinhua, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Unable to pull the infant out out, rescuers went to the floor below and sawed away an entire section of sewer pipe.

But still, the baby was stuck, so both the section of pipe and the infant were taken to a local hospital.

Working together, rescuers and doctors began removing the pipe, piece by piece, as shown in video from CCTV.

It shows the exact moment hands in white gloves gingerly pulled away a part of the pipe, revealing the tiny face of a newborn.

Click for CNN vdeo of baby rescue

I'm not afraid.  Although the video contained inappropriate language, here's a still of the 56 year old Madison, Wisconsin man who has been spotted riding around town on his scooter wearing nothing but a thong and a cape.

The video contains language that is not appropriate for children.  If you don't mind the language, here it is.

Our poor Penelope just didn't want to get up and do anything. 

Not even walks with MIchael, her favorite part of the day.  

We took her to the vet for a checkup and she tested positive for Lyme Disease.  

Poor Penelope. 

The vet gave her a 30-day course of antibiotics and pain pills.

She's still really sleepy, but does seem a bit better already.  

Just yesterday Michael and I were marvelling at the colors of the birds in our back yard: orange Orioles, red Cardinals and House Finches, and vivid yellow Goldfinches. 

But, no blue birds.  They must've been listening because Thurdsay when I stopped at the house for a bite of lunch on my way back from the police station, there were three blue birds!   Two on the ground and one on the thistle seed feeder!

I snapped the picture before he could fly away.  I don't remember ever seeing an Indigo Bunting before but I told Michael that is what I think it is, because the color looked indigo, and there was no white or red on the birds' breasts.

He looked them up in the bird book, and sure enough, Indigo Bunting looks just like these little beauties!