The Family Has Expanded -
For my birthday last January, my husband bought me two guinea pigs. Penny and Bernadette, both female, were the cutest things I'd seen in a very long time. Penny is black with a little copper coloring on her butt, and a white spot on her nose. Bernadette is white, tan, and black. Little did I know but guinea pigs are addictive. I had two of the female cast members of the Big Bang Theory, now I needed an Amy. We found Amy a few weeks later. She is mostly white with tan and black splotches near her eyes. Then we couldn't have an odd number of guinea pigs, that just wouldn't do! So in comes Oreo, a black and white female who is very meek. I love to cuddle with them and listen to them purr and coo. Penny is the loudest and the most adventurous. Amy runs like mad to avoid being picked up, but once you have her she sits quite still and behaves herself. Bernie and Oreo are the easiest to pick up. They don't seem to mind too much. I love them all.
Well my husband decided he wanted some pets of his own. He really wanted a Ball Python, but I initially vetoed it because once fully grown it could eat my piggies for dinner. So our first snake was a corn snake. He's an Albino Corn Snake, really beautiful, named Rusty. We bought him nearly 3 months ago and already he's grown quite a bit. He's now almost 3 feet long! But my husband still really wanted a Ball Python, so I gave in and got him one. His name is Monty, as in Monty Python. He has shed twice now and is growing at a good rate. We'll just have to keep him separate from my piggies.
A Death In The Family -
My Aunt Diane passed away very suddenly a few weeks ago. It was so hard to deal with. She was a great aunt, always full of smiles. Even though I saw her rarely, as she lived in Canada, I still felt close to her. She always made me feel important. I went to the funeral with my brother, his wife, and my sister. My husband couldn't go because he didn't have a passport. It was a very sad weekend with a beautiful service filled with music, just as Diane would have wanted. Then we went back to her family's house and I talked to members of my family I rarely get to see. As the bugs came out we moved indoors and sat around their dining room table drinking tea and telling hilarious stories. It was nice to feel close to my cousins, I hardly ever see them. However through the magic of Facebook, we stay in touch.
Even now I find a grief in my heart at thinking that my mother's youngest sister is really gone. She was only 53 and it makes me think about mortality. All my aunts and uncles are now going to be checked out to make sure they don't have the same hidden condition. I know Diane wouldn't want me to linger over her death. She will always be with me in my heart and in spirit.
