Virtual Quill

While Dad does our taxes (which essentially involves just handing all our records and receipts over to Aunt Danielle), I’ve been doing more research into the portal leakage that allows this blog to be read by humans. As the good Rev. Dogson said, “Curiouser and curiouser.”
My academic advisor at Beige U. told me that she was a regular reader of my blog, and I asked to see how she was able to access it. It turned out that the signal was actually coming from the human side! This cleared up a number of mysteries. The privacy protections I put into place worked after all. (Whew!) I just wasn’t prepared for the data to flow into the human dimension and then to to flow back here as unprotected text.
As for the transmission mechanism involved, it has something to do with the packets as they zip through Internet Protocol. The portals treat them in the same way as a person passing through it. Or, should I say that they treat a person the same way they treat a file: adapting it to make it compatible with the destination platform.
I still want to keep writing this blog, so from this point I’ll just assume that it’s completely open to the public. (And this makes it different from a typical Facebook or MyTree account...How?)
This week's question: do any of you humans have Facebook or MyTree accounts?

I write this from Domain on the day after Valentine’s Day. Fenton and I flew up here where we had our private Valentine’s celebration last night at his place. (No, we didn’t go too far! ...Not with Tree keeping tabs on us!)
The reason we came up for the weekend was to express relief that Kell is okay. That was a big risk for her to take on those mob hit men single-handedly. It worked, but she put herself in serious danger. (Unbeknownst to her, Dad followed her at a distance. Fortunately he wasn’t needed.) The hit men are now all in police custody, and have all confessed.
Once Kell lured the mob boss out into the open he turned out to be a mosquito. He had started as a legitimate businessman, supplying blood to the females of his species. However, that developed into a protection racket in which he extorted money from potential “donors” in exchange not infecting them with disease. That was bad enough, but he had apparently set his sights even higher; the last thing he said to Kell was an offer to enlist her help in taking over Herd Thinners, Inc.
That’s scary. While the mosquito was immediately eaten by a passing toad, the prospect of Herd Thinners, Inc. in the hands of organized crime is unsettling. R.L. is a voracious, remorseless predator, but he does operate by the rules of society. A Herd Thinners not bound by those rules, with all its power, would be frightening.
Today's question: Do humans have a Valentine's Day? Ours is scheduled in mid-February to kick off the spring mating season. (It's sort of like putting up Christmas decorations in October.)

Kell answered the door this week and was assaulted by a somewhat dim hit man after her Cousin Sheila. Despite the surprise attack, Kell quickly overpowered him and Dad tied him up. The authorities took him away, and he should begin talking soon. After all, he faces the most extreme punishment this society has to offer since there are brutally strict rules governing predation. It absolutely has to be anonymous, and if it involves targeting a specific individual there’s hell to pay.
Speaking of talking, Sheila came clean with Kell. She borrowed $50,000 from a mobster; never a good move considering their interest rates. After emptying her total assets of $175,000 he still demanded more, and Sheila panicked and ran. She thought the sleepy little suburb of Domain was the perfect place to hide, since she assumed nothing ever happened here. (Side note from personal experience: HA!)
All kidding aside, Kell is still in danger. The hit men employed by this crime syndicate are obviously not the sharpest fangs in the jaw, and Kell could still be the victim of mistaken identity. If I know Kell, though, her first thought would be for Sheila’s safety. I’m sure she’s got some plan for protecting her.
After that, she’s not the type to wait for the authorities. Kell has the confidence that comes with being at the top of the food chain, and she’s likely to go after the mobster herself. That confidence could be dangerous; I remember the time she blithely went down into the rabbit warren without a lapine escort, but found herself in real peril. I’m nervous about how this will play out.
It’s times like this I wish my whole family had quills.
This week's question: What should Kell do if she lived in the human world? (Assuming she'd be human, too, of course.)

Without the former Administration’s restrictions in place, my stem cell research is no longer segregated from the rest of the lab that receives Federal funds. This is a magnificent relief. Now I can pursue the possibilities of saving lives without worrying whether a paper clip or tape dispenser came which drawer.
You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned my research much here. That’s mainly because I now know many people read these postings, on both sides of the portal! I’ll have to maintain radio silence on this topic, at least for a while longer.
Meanwhile, back home Kell’s identical cousin Sheila has resurfaced; this time with the apparent intention of settling down in Domain. She’s signed a lease at the Fennec boarding house, and is seeking employment. (Not many jobs for geologists in our little suburban community.)
I asked the generally oblivious Rudy to observe some specific details about Sheila. He reported back that yes, her clothing was a bit threadbare. She wasn’t wearing jewelry, either. Her entire possessions fit into a small purse.
I’m guessing that Sheila’s money problems go deeper than the sudden loss of a job. It appears that she’s sold everything in a desperate bid to -
What?