Friends and Family,
HAMSTER, HAMSTER, HAMSTER. For the next week this is the most important word in my vocabulary. With all 3 kids away at Camp Sentinel for the week I am in charge of Jub Jubs. I am hopeful that my need to ‘mother something’ reminds me on a daily basis that there is a small one depending on my care for its’ survival. The situation is even more desperate (yes, there is something more desperate than a hamster dying) because Rachel is in love. I made the statement the other night that she loves this hamster more than she’ll love her first boyfriend. (Sonny vows he will use that in the future as necessary, “She loved her hamster more, Creep!”). She is as comfortable with this hamster as I am with any baby, she pushes the boundaries of hamster/human interaction with holding and nuzzling and just plain expects that this rodent will not respond with the normal animal instincts of biting anything that goes against its’ nature. She wakes Jubs out of a sound sleep mid-day, brings her out to visit for 2 or 3 minutes, puts her back in the cage to potty and brings her back out to play, or carries her around in her shirt.
Nothing I could have taught her, just a connection she has with this animal. Her commitment to this relationship is paying off, and I best not mess up /_our_/ relationship by giving her back Jubs in any state less then she was given to me. (and believe me when I say that probably includes a trip for Jubs to the postal scale to check her weight upon Rachel’s return) Really, I’ve already thought of a cover story if anything untoward happens to happen to Jubs this week. Sure, it might keep Rachel looking for months for her “lost hamster” but it should keep our relationship basically intact. So, do me a favor, if you talk to or email me this week just slip the word “ hamster” into the sentence somewhere. I’ll need all the reminders I can get.
Have a great week,
Carol
