You all know how I love these stories...

CISARUA, Indonesia - Call them the odd couples. A pair of month-old Sumatran tiger twins have become inseparable playmates with a set of young orangutans, an unthinkable match in their natural jungle habitat in Indonesia's tropical rainforests. Manis, has blossomed at the Taman Safari zoo where they share a room in the nursery.

After being abandoned by their mothers shortly after birth, the four play fight, nipping and teasing each other, and cuddling up for a shared nap when they are worn out.

"This is unusual and would never happen in the wild," said zoo keeper Sri Suwarni, bottle-feeding a baby chimp on Wednesday. "Like human babies, they only want to play."

The four have lived side-by-side for a month without a single act of hostility, she said.

Indonesian tigers and orangutans are both endangered species, threatened by rapidly shrinking habitats.

Conservationists estimate there are fewer than 700 Sumatran tigers still alive, while fewer than 60,000 orangutans remain in the wild. Around 90 percent of the jungle has been destroyed by illegal logging, poaching and cut-and-burn farming practices on Borneo and Sumatra islands.

The exceptional friendship will likely be short-lived, said veterinarian Retno Sudarwati, because as the animals grow up their natural survival instincts will kick in.

"When the time comes, they will have to be separated. It's sad, but we cant' change their natural behavior," she said. "Tigers start eating meat when they are three months old."

Nursery and furniture, C's reading material =)

"Dining room" Chris' office, garden, living room...

Chris surfing, sunset after a storm, my garden....

This is Wyatt...

...he lives next door--his yard is separated from ours by an 8 foot concrete block fence. Leaning against the fence is a plywood board which extends up another 2 feet and is covered by vines. The last two mornings, Wyatt has come over for a visit. We've seen him scale the fence during the summer when we get loud in the pool. It is truly amazing. Both mornings this week I brought him back to his house (he is as sweet and happy and compliant as can be!) put him back in his yard and shut the fence. This morning it occurred to me that we will be gone for a few days and I should notify our nice neighbors of his recent propensity to visit. Turns out they had let him out to pee at 3 am and Robyn, Todd and their two teenage kids spent the next few hours scouring Carlsbad and its beaches for him!

Chifferobes and cala lilies...

Heat wave here on Saturday--I think it got to 87 where we live, which is really unusual for us. We're more used to mid to upper 60's on the coast! Currently we are getting a good soaking, which is fine with me, might make it easier to plant the cala lilies in the front yard.

C assembled the "chifferobe" /dresser (pic) When you open the door there is a mini wardrobe with a hanger bar....or you can use with shelves. We now have our nursery furniture purchased and assembled. C will spend most of today assembling the desk(s) for his new home office. It's nice to have a hubby so handy!!

Good news!!!

C just took a job with his "old" VA company working from home! He'll start as soon as we get back from VA. I am VERY excited!! They matched his current salary and he'll get good benefits. I'm thrilled!!

In other news, baby is kicking a LOT lately. Very reassuring!

Posting a very cute photo of a Charlie and his story below:

CAT NURSES ROTTWEILER PUPPY
Workers at the Meriden Humane Society are marveling at a short-haired mother cat who has willingly adopted a six-day-old Rottweiler puppy that was rejected by its mother.

The tiny pup, named Charlie by Humane Society volunteers, nurses alongside a jumble of black and gray kittens recently born to Satin, who was surrendered to the shelter by an owner unable to care for her.

Charlie's mother was found by the side of the road in Meriden a couple of months ago. She gave birth to two puppies, but one was stillborn. As sometimes happens with a stillborn in the litter, the mother dog refused to accept Charlie.

Volunteers bottle-fed him every two hours, but the effort was both exhausting to humans and insufficient for the puppy, who needs to feed when he wants, said volunteer Chris Chorney.

Research indicated that a suitable substitute could be Satin, who had given birth to four kittens that have quickly warmed to Charlie.

"The kittens scrum up with him and the kittens treat him like one of their own," Chorney said. "There's a certain social benefit of small animals being with each other."

The cat-and-dog relationship is not all that unusual in certain circumstances, said Deirdre Chiaramonte, a veterinarian at the Animal Medical Center, a specialty teaching hospital in New York.

"In those types of situations, it's common," she said.

The cozy arrangement between Charlie, Satin and the kittens will likely changes as the pup grows. Full-grown male Rottweilers commonly weigh 100 pounds.

Volunteers are hoping that dog owners will volunteer their puppies to be Charlie's playmates.

"Dogs need to be with a litter of puppies, to learn to play with other dogs," Chorney said. "He has to learn to be a well-socialized dog."

Just back from the ob's office. Our little girl is measuring 23 weeks instead of 21--who is surprised she is going to be a big baby? Speaking of big babies, I talked to my ob about scheduling a C section--she said it would be no problem getting insurance to pay for it --if there is no other reason (size, position etc) she will put "anxiety" and apparently that is a legitimate reason. It will be scheduled for a weekday, a week before my due date. Mark your calendars! June 18? 19? Somewhere in there. We are "artificially" making her a Gemini, where she would've been a Cancer. Chris actually felt the baby kick for the first time last night! She kicks HARD in the evenings, nonetheless, we were both surprised he could feel her from the outside!

Gemini is the third sign of the Zodiac and associated with youth and versatility. Individuals born under this sign are thought to have a sociable, fun-loving, versatile, communicative, liberal and friendly character but one which is also prone to moodiness, inconsistency, superficiality, restlessness and laziness.

Physically, individuals born under the sign of Gemini supposedly tend to have a straight and narrow nose, long and thin limbs, a well-proportioned chin, a pointed jawline, fine bone structure, large ears, high cheekbones, a wide mouth, a roundish head, finely-textured hair, small hands, and long and slender fingers. They are thought to usually be slender in build and of average height (HA!).

Among medieval astrologers, Gemini was thought of as a fortunate sign, and its subjects were considered to possess the qualities intense devotion, genius, largeness of mind, goodness, and liberality.

Awww....

We're busy getting the nursery ready. C is spending the morning assembling the changing table since it is raining and the surf is blechy. We discovered a new seafood restaurant in town that we both like, had a good dinner last night there. I've been trying to walk more...which can be challenging with my plantar fascitis flare up. C is continuing to interview, he might end up working from home which I would LOVE--that beats 7 weeks of paid paternity leave in my mind. We might be extending our trip "back East" from 4 days to 5 or more...more on that to follow. Not much else to report. Belly is growing and I can feel the baby move or kick periodically. C hasn't been able to feel it yet, but hopefully soon.

Our beach...