I Go Searching Down There

Pets. Interesting creatures, and why they put up with us is a mystery. Maybe Sammy does not know any better, because he is right there getting pulled, patted, and nearly strangled without much coaxing. And molly is the embodiment of Pavlov's learned helplessness experiments. ...or maybe dogs just want to really be apart of a family/pack, and will put up with whatever the Alpha dishes (with tail wagging).
Right now, the house has some visitors, in the form of a Chihuahua-Pekingese, and another cat. The "mother in law" upstairs/apartment/ or simply the upstairs is being rented to the twins' former nanny. She is going to be the house care taker of sorts as we are spending more and more time in Idaho. Rileigh will not leave her little dog alone. This relieves some pressure from Sammy, and I don't hear him complaining. Rileigh pointed out to me that Sammy is not allowed upstairs now, because "The cats will put their noses together and run in circles". Ethan thinks the dog is funny, but is really not all that interested. He likes to play chase with them, if they run, but usually, the dog in question seems to be more threatened by this offspring of the "alpha" chasing them than having fun. And Molly does not seem up for games.
The kids have been trying to get us all sick for the past three days. Riles has put forth the best effort with runny nose and sore throat. Ethan seems to be faring better. This morning felt like a scene from the book: Little House on the Prairie. The part where the family caught fever and were too weak to take care of themselves. We were no where near that, regardless, I have a better understanding of that situation.