By Kimberly Richardson

? Good morning, everyone! Kimberly here, filling in for Scottie this week — and what a whirlwind of a week it’s been. 

My boyfriend and I have been looking to buy our first home ever since we moved to Colorado nearly three years ago. And let me tell you, it’s been an adventure. You see, I’ve made it extra complicated for us. It’s been my dream to have enough land to comfortably keep Nigerian dwarf goats, because, I’m sorry ... how cute are they and why would we not want them? No need to chime in, Gavin! (That’s my older brother. He supports me but thinks I’m a little crazy sometimes.)

The whole process has been an absolute rollercoaster, and I would be lying if I said there weren’t days where I felt we needed to reevaluate acquiring acreage in this beautiful state. But you know what’s always been on my side? Humanity — from family and friends to colleagues and strangers alike. Not once have they given up on me, even though I’ve almost certainly given up on myself. They’ve picked me up time and time again, creating space for where I’m at while also encouraging me to remain positive. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by the most amazing community and likely wouldn’t be able to share this exciting news if it weren’t for them: We are finally under contract!

Keep all things crossed for us (fingers, toes, eyes, legs, paws and hooves) and let this serve as a gentle reminder to show up for each other. We’re truly better together.

Here are some good things that happened this week.

Handout/AFP/APOPO/Getty Images

A whisker away from greatness

It’s a bird, It’s a plane, It’s super rat! No, really. Allow me to introduce you to Ronin. He’s making a name for rodents everywhere by saving innocent civilians from hidden explosives — along with his landmine-sniffing pack, of course!

The African giant pouched rat recently set a new world record for the most landmines detected by a rat. Between August 2021 and February 2025, Ronin uncovered 109 landmines and 15 other pieces of unexploded ordnance in a region close to Siem Reap in Cambodia, according to Guinness World Records.

Rats are able to have this type of impact due to their high intelligence, speed and keen sense of smell. They are also too light to trigger landmines.

So, the next time you spot one of these little guys out in the world, I urge you to see how incredibly mighty they actually are.

Rebecca Cairns/CNN

It’s a wish-erful life

Daruma dolls are one of Japan’s most popular souvenirs — and I can see why (and officially want one). 

There are thousands of them at Katsuo-ji Temple, located about an hour from downtown Osaka in Minoh National Park. According to the temple, Katsuo-ji became known as the “Daruma temple” about 100 years ago, around the same time the site began selling the dolls — a lucky talisman in the country and a symbol of determination and ambition.

You can’t just buy a Daruma and be done with it, though! There’s a whole process you need to complete when you purchase one. You need to think of something that you want to accomplish, write the wish on it, paint one eye, purify the Daruma with some incense and then take it with you. The second eye is only filled in once the goal is achieved, at which point the Daruma doll can be returned to the temple. 

How cool is that? Looking at the photos, it seems quite a number of wishes have been granted! I’ve been wanting to visit Japan for some time now and will absolutely be adding this to my list of things to see and do. 

Kala Studio/Moment RF/Getty Images

Meow you’re talking

New research suggests that having a cat or a dog to keep you company could boost your wellbeing as much as being married or meeting up regularly with friends and relatives — and I believe it! 

It’s why we’re buying our cat, The Dude, a house with a beautiful sunroom. He deserves every bit of sunshine he can get as that’s what he provides us daily.

The study concluded that having an animal companion is worth up to $90,000 a year in life satisfaction, a metric economists use to quantify the “implicit price” of otherwise intangible things.

That figure is roughly the same as the theoretical boost in income you would get from having a spouse or meeting up with friends and relatives regularly, researchers said, comparing their findings with other studies that have used the same statistical method.

Philadelphia Zoo

You’re what?!

Can you imagine having children at nearly 100 years old, or even remotely close to that timeframe? That’s a no from me, but that’s exactly what a pair of critically endangered Galapagos tortoises have done.

The Philadelphia Zoo’s two oldest residents, Mommy and Abrazzo, just became first-time parents, giving birth to four hatchlings — a first in the zoo's more than 150-year history.

“Philadelphia Zoo’s vision is that those hatchlings will be a part of a thriving population of Galapagos tortoises on our healthy planet 100 years from now,” President and CEO Jo-Elle Mogerman said in a statement.

Hear, hear to that! I can’t wait to watch them grow. If you feel the same, be sure to set a calendar reminder for April 23 as the zoo is planning to have a public debut of the hatchlings, as well as a naming contest. Consider me there!