They're twins, in the sense they were the only ones in the litter. To the uninitiated eye they look like carbon copies of one another. Yet they're as unalike physically as they are personality-wise; their characters are completely different. Brother and sister, their genders are evident in their manner of behaviour.  Physically, Jillie is solidly built, not quite squat but somewhat hefty; she weighs at least a third more than her brother. He is dainty in comparison; tall and slender.

She is wickedly trouble-making, he is mild tempered, a follower. She is stubborn and he is biddable, although he has his balky moments. She barks furiously at any opportunity, would stand at the door forever, looking out to vet anyone passing and if a dog saunters past on the road she becomes hysterical. And her brother joins in; his bark male to her feminine quality of sound.

 

They have a basket full of toys in the family room where we spend most of our leisure time. He rarely pays attention to any of the toys, mostly little stuffed animals. But she pulls them out to play with them, and scatters them everywhere. At any opportunity she'll poke about in the mud room, looking for mittens and hats to make off with and sometimes chew damagingly. 

If they're being punished for something they've done and know better than to, she's stolid about it, he becomes absolutely stricken. He gets extremely upset and she just couldn't care less. She will constantly run ahead of  us while we're out on the forest trails though we call her back constantly so we can see where she is, what she's doing. He prefers to remain with us for the most part. If we come across strangers and more so, with a dog, her behaviour is obnoxiously aggressive, continually barking. Her barking infects him and he augments her barks and her attitude.

 

Once they're familiar with the person and the dog their attitude changes and they become friendly. She waggles her rear end and makes amends, while he walks on, unconcerned. She loves attention and makes up to people who know her, revelling in their notice of her, while her brother won't allow anyone to get too close to him. So, they're completely different. He leaps to the top of the sofa, or onto a settle that sits in the breakfast room, to attain height while she is satisfied with staying in her bed on the floor.

Hers is a ravenous appetite, which no doubt accounts for her robust physicality, while he eats his food slower than she does. His food is about 1/4 more than she is given, but the weight disparity between the two persists; their physical characteristics and metabolism are quite different. Where they do coincide in preference is to be continually praised, and petted and stroked; neither seem to get enough of love and attention.

 

A bit cooler today than yesterday, but still unusually mild for this time of year. We took ourselves out to the ravine earlier than usual, and stayed out much longer than usual, enjoying the temperature, occasional sun and a windless afternoon.  But underfoot, conditions couldn't have been more challenging; daytime highs and nighttime freezing have iced the forest trails dangerously. Most people who venture out do so with precaution, and the most important one is to wear reliable ice-gripping cleats.