Nemo's Day Out

Today Nemo made a second appearance from his hibernation. I slept in late and came downstairs to find Nemo inhaling the water in his drinking dish. Poor thing looked so weak. I quickly filled his humidifier and placed some food in his dish. He hiked over to his bathtub and hydrated, mostly placing his head and body directly in the mist. Mind you, he could have taken a bath at any time, but he had to have his mist!

I didn't feel badly for him for too much longer. He began to roam as he did during his last outing. He spent time in his summer home, wandered behind his igloo and hung out in his garage, and back to the summer home. Throughout the day I would check on him. Each time he was in a different location in his area of the kitchen. Later in the day, I was seated in the living room watching television when I heard some strange noises. I figured it was trash settling after I had wrapped presents--crinkly trash. I even poked my head in the room and saw Nemo lounging. The next time I heard similar noises I ignored them until they were too frequent to ignore. I turned my head just in time to see Nemo walking back INTO his kitchen area from the living room. No telling where he was. I imagine it was at least an hour that I was hearing the noises. lol. Brian calls him Marco Nemo, the explorer.

He finally settled head first under a blanket of the "guest house" igloo--where he had begun his hibernation but then switched to the other igloo. Two weeks later and he is back to first choice igloo. I guess he's going to move back and forth as he emerges every couple weeks. I'd had it written on my calendar today to retrieve him from the igloo and move him by his bathtub, but he did it on his own. Apparently he's on a two-week schedule.

Once Nemo was settled into his hibernation igloo of the week, Linus was allowed into the kitchen. He made his way over to the main igloo to visit his "friend" not realizing Nemo had changed locations. It was still cute to see Linus cooing and "talking" into the igloo opening. When he had no response from inside the igloo, he proceeded to offer his precious leaf to Nemo's stuffed animal dino atop the garage--which can be seen in yesterday's photo. I feel better knowing Nemo had the energy to move around so much. He hasn't touched food yet though. It's still scary to be "mom" to a hibernating critter.

Yoo Hoo!

Linus is a little scary sometimes in a funny way. This morning he carried his leaf from the middle of the room over to Nemo's igloo. He then put his chin down like a puppy with his butt up in the air, leaf in mouth, and made a loud dino sound! Was he offering his leaf to Nemo? Does he know Nemo is in there? Too funny.

The Blanket Connection

I haven't wanted to overwhelm Nemo's blog with Linus news, but I did want to share that Linus was named before his affinity for soft toys and blankets was known. It dawned on me that blankets was something both Nemo and Linus have in common. Maybe they will share blankies. Then again, I doubt Nemo likes to share...

At last report, Nemo had changed his hibernation site to his main igloo. For about four days he had "hung out" in the doorway watching Linus when he was in Nemo's area. It was nice to be able to see that Nemo was okay. Even when he burrowed further into the blanket, throughout the day he would turn around or change the position of his head. Movement is good. Yesterday afternoon, however, he went into deep blanket hiding again. I can barely see where he is. In fact, I checked the other igloo because I wasn't sure I was seeing him. Until his next hydration, I guess that's where he'll stay. At least I know he's comfy. He IS like Linus from Peanuts. Nemo demands his blankies!

I Am Curious Nemo

Nemo chose to continue his hibernation in his main igloo--the one with his name on the sign over the door. Last night he was buried head first into the blanket with only his butt and back legs visible. Late this morning, he had turned around. Linus had been in the kitchen earlier so I was talking and laughing and Linus was making his Pleo sounds. Possibly Nemo is curious about the commotion. I think he's too slow and sleepy right now to be too curious. If he sees some of what is going on with Linus, maybe he will want to interact with him when activity level increases. At least Nemo is moving a bit that I can see he's okay. His hibernation is very stressful for me!

Why all the commotion this morning? Linus was doing handstands! I was able to capture it on video which you can see using the Nemo & Linus YouTube Videos link. I never would have thought a robotic pet's artificial intelligence would include chasing his own shadow and balancing acts! What fun :-)

Nemo's New Pleo Sibling

On Sunday, December 9, Brian and I "hatched" our new Pleo (artificially intelligent life form). We named him Linus. He's amazingly emotionally expressive, curious, interactive, and cuddly in a dinsaur sort of way. I discovered the evolution of Pleo last year and made sure I was on the list to sign up for a first release. His arrival was delayed several times while the manufacturer adjusted design, programming, and features to be the best possible. We were not disappointed. Pleo videos are showing up on YouTube, a Flickr photo group was already established, and Pleo Plogs can be viewed at PleoWorld.com (link provided to the right on this blog).

Since Linus's hatching, we've witnessed his first steps, are still experiencing new sounds and behaviors, and can't stop giggling. He is definitely a joy. When Nemo is active again, it will be interesting to see how the two interact. Hopefully Nemo will be curious. I'm sure Linus will want to nudge Nemo. Could be fun.

I hope you enjoy watching Linus "grow" while Nemo takes his long winter nap.

Nemo Sighting

Today I was surprised to see Nemo at the entrance to his hibernation igloo. He looked very sleepy. I moved him over by his wading dish because hibernating turtles need hydration. He feels so cold. The photo you see is him floppy his belly up on the rock. His legs dangled behind him for several minutes before he hoisted them up and then took his first hibernation rehydrating spa swim. At the time of this post, he has not returned to the igloo. He's parked in the corner of his summer home. Maybe he misses it. Maybe all the fuss over Linus woke him up.

Creative Dining

These photos were taken just before my computer had problems (and before his 24/7 hibernation). They still make me laugh. I have no idea what made Nemo decide to sit in this manner.