Pet store fun
We went to the Petco in Niles over the weekend to get dog food, but of course got sidetracked by the animals. There was a little hamster who had figured out how to get from one compartment to another and was cruising back and forth between them, totally ignored by the occupants. She climbed up on top of water bottles, stretched her body up walls, and generally was just about as cute as an animal could be. We were sorely tempted to take her home, and I kept thinking, "She's doing all this because she wants out! How is this fun for her?" On the other hand, compared to a life as snake or owl-prey in the desert, life in a cushy cage is probably pretty swanky. I suppose the *real* reason we shouldn't get a hamster is that I don't want another thing in the house that I have to take care of. Hamster cages get kind of stinky.

The whole time we watched the animals, finches were swooping past our heads. I'm not sure if they were set free on purpose or not, but there were a good ten finches (the brown and white ones with the orange bills, the ones that say in nasally voices, "Ha!") flying around, landing on the merchandise, and being generally cute. Again, a pair of finches would be so adorable in their cage, but not as much fun as watching them fly free. And free-range finches in the house are not an option; I have some experience with what a bird can do to a house. Ugh.

Jazzy fell down the porch stairs on my watch last night. He really banged himself up, and I felt so awful. He's doing much better today, though. I think he just gets so stiff after a fall and needs a good night's sleep to ease out of it. He even went upstairs by himself today. Libby's funny when I've been bandaging Jazz. She gets jealous - "Why can't I have bandages too?" Just like little kids.
- posted by Diane @ 11:21 AM