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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Sally’s February comments:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Deanna: The bath scene was pitch perfect and will ring true for all dog owners. Although we got a very good picture of Griffin in the first part of this chapter, I feel that your poem about him at the end of this chapter sums him up so well. I like this poem and what it says about the bond between guide dogs and handlers even more than I liked “Loving Amber Eyes” about Tammy. This chapter seems a little choppy to me. There don’t seem to be any transitions from one part to another; we jump from the bathing to your Colorado store to tacos without anything to tie these sections together. Moving from tacos to the section about your daughter and her children isn’t choppy since Amberlee is part of each section. Your daughter has three children; Amberlee is the youngest child, not the youngest daughter. As there are two daughters and one son, she should be called the younger daughter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Marcia: This is so whimsical; you must have had a good time writing it. In addition to all the food references in nature, I think your use of food descriptive words in other contexts is clever – i.e., “hungered” for a walk, “lemon” suit, etc. As a blind reader, I understand that there are varying degrees of vision loss and that guide dogs offer help to people with legal blindness to no light perception. However, a reader with no first-hand knowledge of vision loss might be confused. Why is someone who uses a guide dog able to see so much of the world around her? Or are the descriptions from memory? It isn’t clear. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Leonard: This is so unlike anything else of yours that I have read. From what I have read so far, I am uncertain about what the title implies. You mention that you aren’t sure where you are going with this story, and I share that feeling. I can’t decide if it is myth/folklore or a spin on modern dating/romance. The mixture of mythical elements and modern relationship/sexual innuendo is jarring.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Cleora: I think the story, except for the locations, has become much more fluid. There is more of a partnership between Sitting and Grasshopper as shown through their actions and the dialogue. Like Sitting, I am confused about where she and Grasshopper are. As a reader, I am beginning to wonder about their changing locations’ names and also how the two of them will get back on the road to the South to meet up with the other ducks in Sitting’s flock. I also wondered if a fox can swim since they are members of the cat family, so I googled and found mixed answers. They are not generally known to swim and will typically avoid water but can swim instinctively. Good cliff-hanger ending.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>