If you’re new here, you might need to take a second to discover how I feel about animals.
Or just take my word for it: I don’t need anything else hairy, smelly, or germy inside my home.
But you know, sometimes things just happen.
The boy wanted a turtle, and his sister bought him one of those science-y things that you drop in a bucket of water and it grows to an unreasonable size. The boy wanted a dog and we bought a stuffed animal that he still sleeps with (shh – he’s seven and doesn’t read blogs, so there’s no reason to tell him that you know about Snuggle Puppy). The boy wanted a fish and he went to the county fair and won one.
Oh, dear.
He brought me the fish in a zipper snack-sized bag. A big fish for a small bag. I held on to it for an hour and a half, while it leaped around in its plastic vault. Before he ran off to test his stomach’s strength on the freaky carnival rides, I warned him that the little darling in the plastic bag might not last until we got home.
“No problem, Mom. It’s just going to be fun while it lasts.”
Well, okay.
Fast forward FIVE ENTIRE DAYS, and Minion is going strong. Well, except yesterday when he started … listing. To the side. Swimming backward and sort of … listing. Husband, ever the Animal Rescue Agent [1] pulled out the Big Guns: Goldfish Rescue 911. I wish I was making this up, but I’m clearly not that clever. It’s a real site, and he really read every word (I think).
Turns out that Minion was suffering from Lack Of Oxygen. So when I came into the kitchen, I found Husband pumping air through a basketball pump-drinking straw contraption. He had already done the salt-water dip and taken a cutting off a kitchen plant. Then I left for my meeting. When I came home, I found this:
Because, you know, plants give off oxygen until the sun goes down. Then, Carbon Dioxide, which we (fish and human) don’t particularly want to be breathing. So the fish got a “sunlamp” (which usually lives over the piano, so – wait for it – Kids can see their music when they practice). But not today. The lamp belongs to Minion, and with Minion it will stay.
Updates coming your way.
I know. Eyes Peeled. Me, too.
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[1] Remind me to tell you about Mabel Huntington, the duck. It’s a good story.
(22) Comments for this blog
Oh, you make me laugh!
Oh, you make me laugh!
Consider this an official and heartfelt Mabel reminder.
Consider this an official and heartfelt Mabel reminder.
The fish lives? Wow! I don’t think I ever kept a goldfish alive longer than 48 hours. This is a record!
The fish lives? Wow! I don’t think I ever kept a goldfish alive longer than 48 hours. This is a record!
Well, cheer up– fish have odd ways of disappearing. Hubby and I got two beta fish when we were first married, and came home from work to find one on the floor… I guess life in a bowl just wasn’t worth living…
Well, cheer up– fish have odd ways of disappearing. Hubby and I got two beta fish when we were first married, and came home from work to find one on the floor… I guess life in a bowl just wasn’t worth living…
Someday, I look forward with great anticipation to being a no-pet family. Seriously, I threaten to kill the animals (the four legged kind, not the children who act like them) at least once a day. And if the dog wakes up the baby one more time, it might happen sooner rather than later.
Someday, I look forward with great anticipation to being a no-pet family. Seriously, I threaten to kill the animals (the four legged kind, not the children who act like them) at least once a day. And if the dog wakes up the baby one more time, it might happen sooner rather than later.
My son came home from a Peter Pan themed birthday party with a goldfish as a party favor. Seriously? Who gives living creatures as party favors??
So because goldfish only live 10 minutes or so, I gave it my large Pyrex mixing bowl.
And that damned fish lived there for FOUR YEARS!! This included two suicide attempts, from which I rescued it by flinging it in the ‘general direction’ of the bowl and missing a couple of times, bouncing his little fish body off the dresser and onto the hardwood floor before finally making it into the bowl on the third attempt.
So. After he had set the galactic record for goldfish lifespans, I finally went out and bought old Peter an official goldfish bowl with all the trimmings. Like, twenty bucks’ worth of fish paraphernalia.
And two days later that friggin’ fish made a third suicide attempt, and because we were out of town for the day, he succeeded.
My advice? Drop Minion down the disposal right now, while you still have your sanity.
My son came home from a Peter Pan themed birthday party with a goldfish as a party favor. Seriously? Who gives living creatures as party favors??
So because goldfish only live 10 minutes or so, I gave it my large Pyrex mixing bowl.
And that damned fish lived there for FOUR YEARS!! This included two suicide attempts, from which I rescued it by flinging it in the ‘general direction’ of the bowl and missing a couple of times, bouncing his little fish body off the dresser and onto the hardwood floor before finally making it into the bowl on the third attempt.
So. After he had set the galactic record for goldfish lifespans, I finally went out and bought old Peter an official goldfish bowl with all the trimmings. Like, twenty bucks’ worth of fish paraphernalia.
And two days later that friggin’ fish made a third suicide attempt, and because we were out of town for the day, he succeeded.
My advice? Drop Minion down the disposal right now, while you still have your sanity.
Cute!
Fish I can handle. Our cat is pushing it. Marc wants a dog. And chickens. And a goat. Heaven help me.
Cute!
Fish I can handle. Our cat is pushing it. Marc wants a dog. And chickens. And a goat. Heaven help me.
We once had a goldfish that lived for THREE YEARS. But oh how we loved it.
I loved this post, and all your posts, and the goldfish contraption your husband rigged. He’s so fun.
We once had a goldfish that lived for THREE YEARS. But oh how we loved it.
I loved this post, and all your posts, and the goldfish contraption your husband rigged. He’s so fun.
When he was six, my son won a goldfish and named it Squid. It only lasted two days.
When he was six, my son won a goldfish and named it Squid. It only lasted two days.
I became a pet person when I had boys everywhere. Now I love my dogs and my bunny. Who knew?
I became a pet person when I had boys everywhere. Now I love my dogs and my bunny. Who knew?
I had a goldfish that lived for years too, but it was in a huge fish tank with filters and pumps and junk. Good luck with minion! And I love animals but i’m with you on the germs. The longer I live alone…the more germaphobic i get. So I got a cat…but they are really clean…so i got a dog. I’m hoping that he will keep me this side of Bob Wiley…
I had a goldfish that lived for years too, but it was in a huge fish tank with filters and pumps and junk. Good luck with minion! And I love animals but i’m with you on the germs. The longer I live alone…the more germaphobic i get. So I got a cat…but they are really clean…so i got a dog. I’m hoping that he will keep me this side of Bob Wiley…