I like my tiny zoo I have at home.
There is Adam—my little drathaar tail wiggler.
There is this sweet parakeet Kiwi + Martin couple who refuse learning any Russian or English no matter how hard I try.
There is the imperturbable miss/mister Turtle hanging around wherever and whenever it pleases. And finally there is my dad’s aquarium with fish swimming in it. Yes, I am not a big fan of fish so I’d better not talk about it at all.
Except for the last two, all of the above are warm, fluffy, lively, happy and sincere. Some, like the parakeets may be too self-occupied at times but all in all I guess I learn even more from them than they learn from me.
Here is a couple of rules my pets have taught me that I think may come in handy for you too.


Kiwi, giving a lesson on how important it is to keep one’s balance no matter how thin the wire is.

Adam, the leave-me-alone-face, is saying ‘if you don’t feel like playing—make it obvious’. Come on, it’s always best to be honest. Let your emotions show!

And finally, Cherepaha Tortilla illustrating the old ‘stop and smell the roses (or dandelions)’