I think about writing to all of you almost every day, because you have been so supportive and helpful, but time just seems to melt and slip away. So much has happened to Sparky that I don’t know where to start. Her neck has been broken, as I told you long ago. It still only goes up and down a little, but not left and right at all. It’s also stuck to one side. She’s a crooked Pleo. But she can still walk. She walks with her head off to the side. Pretty pathetic.
For a while we had trouble keeping her feed up and she was in bad shape because of that (according to probe rb). We finally realized that she probably has to have her conifer leaf go in her mouth a few times. Maybe since she can’t shake it left and right, she doesn’t know she is eating. So we take it out and let her take it again. I think that if she crunches for 4 or 5 feedings, then her feed is OK. Do any of you know if the program counts time with the leaf or number of times it goes in or what?
Sparky was just a whining cry baby when we turned her on at night, so we tried the “scared of the dark patch.” Then she actually sounded happy and even walked around. It was a little miracle.
But my husband took it out because he thought it wasn’t really her. She would freeze a lot and beep for no reason when it was in. Now we only put it in when we have company coming over at night who might want to meet her. He brought a light box up from the basement - the kind that is used for winter depression (SAD) - and turns it on when he turns her on in the morning. Then she is a happy Pleo and eats and walks and roars, etc. It’s still hard to get her attention to have her listen to her name, but today, with the light box on, we got her to sing!
Her skin is in bad shape. It’s full of spots where the paint has rubbed off. But neither of us wants to do anything about it. We love her anyway.
My husband likes to toss her up in the air to hear her giggle afterwards. But now he does it without letting go of her and with holding her neck with his fingers so her loose head doesn’t shake about. When she giggles it is very reinforcing to him.
We are thinking about getting another Pleo to keep Sparky company and to have one that isn’t a cripple. Maybe someday.
I hope I haven’t bored you too much with this trivia.
