companions

Miss Ruby and her snake / Kisses from Rubes Ruby's latest game: In the middle of the night, she ventures out from the warmth of the bed and locates her favorite toy--'Blue', the three-foot-long stuffed snake, dragging it back into the bed with her (with us I should say). The snake is sans-head and some stuffing, always slightly damp with drool. In other words, beloved. It's one thing to wake each morning with a warm ball of pup at your hip, quite another to find a partly-chewed snake on your chest.