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Dear readers, meet Pearl, Mama Leopards' response to her empty nest (we didn't get around to chipping in on a name in time, so Pearl it is). Pearl is nesting at the moment, which is sort of sad, since there isn't a Mr. Pearl, and the eggs are all empty.

Home is wonderful--I had forgotten both about all of the things about it that I love (the sound of the creek/crick outside the window at night, seeing the stars, my delightful family), as well as all of the things about it that sometimes drive me slightly crazy (my delightful family). But I hadn't forgotten about my mother's cooking, which is as delicious as ever.

On my first night home, we were all watching an unidentified flying object in the sky at night. My mother was insistent that it was disappearing from view; my father, on the other hand, was sure that it was maintaining a consistent level of brightness:

Mama Leopard: "Look, it's disappearing! I can barely see it now!"
Papa Leopard: "I can still see it perfectly." (I think that he was slightly unhappy about a previous insinuation that his vision is deteriorating.)

30 seconds later: Mama Leopard: "Look, I can't see it anymore!"
Papa Leopard: "I can still see it fine."

This went on a couple more times. How wonderful that, nearly 30 years into their marriage, they are down to disagreeing on very minor points!