Cute, eh? Miss Jovie picked up these tricks pretty darn quick. Lickety split! (Sorry. The rhyme-a-thon was unintentional at first, but I couldn't resist taking it way too far.)
If you detect a bit of redness in Jovie's eyes, despite the poor video quality, rest assured that it's not due to stress or lack of sleep. She has a condition called "cherry eye," which causes two of her tear-producing glands to protrude, when they should be properly stowed beneath her "third eyelid."
Ick, right? This is sounding like something out of Star Wars. Or maybe yoga. (Yoga practitioners talk about "the third eye," so why couldn't there be a "third eyelid" to keep it from becoming dry and scratchy?) If this phrase is unappealing to you, I could instead say "nictitating membrane," but that's not much better. Personally, I try to avoid pretty much any phrase that includes the word "membrane."
We Lucases don't like to have regular dogs. Oh, no. We manage to attract furry friends with all kinds of freaky medical conditions, both genetic and environmental. (Witness Ruby's "tunnel foot" incident from 2007.*) But at least they have enough personality to make up for it.
What's that saying, again? Only perfect people attract perfect pets? Sounds about right.
You learn something new every day here on the Yeah, Write blog.
* "Tunnel foot" is the nickname Jeremy gave Ruby (may she rest in peace) a couple of summers ago when a little foxtail weed burrowed between her toes and traveled through her leg, causing a pronounced limp for several weeks. The weed eventually popped out just above her ankle. I'm not kidding.
