Random and Rats

All this school year, everything was rush, rush, rush and busy, busy, busy. Activities every day, running around like crazy (or, 'like chickens with our heads cut off', as my mother so gracefully and compassionately expresses it), and all the while wishing it was summer so that I could have a break.

Now that it's summer, I've been lying around the house, sitting upstairs in my room, and wishing that I had something to do. Folks, I spend my days tidying up the house now! It's the symptom of a person who outwardly is relaxed and laid back but inwardly yearns for a life of adventure...or at least something to do.

So what have I been up to lately?

Well, right now I have a rat in my room.

Yes, you read that right. He's very cute, and he loves to be pet. He also loves cheese, and his name is Reepicheep.

Do not fear. He's in a cage. Sheesh, why is everyone so paranoid about rats?! I'm simply pet-sitting for my brother's friend, who owns this certain rat.

I think I'm the only 15 year old girl I know that has a rat in her room.

I've also been shooting arrows at humongous circular targets and blasting away with an air-rifle at some rectangular ones. Not to mention babysitting, dogsitting, and rabbitsitting. And ratsitting.

By way of conversation, does anyone else watch Hogan's Heroes?

Hugs & Blessings,

Izori

It Worked, Y'all

I am proud to say that I tricked myself into posting again. Worked like duct tape.

I have a [temporary] pet! On Monday (right after we returned from our grueling ten-day vacation) I swung by and picked up my friend's rabbit. He is now up in my room, and let me tell y'all something.

He is one hyper rabbit.

Have you ever heard of a hyper rabbit?

Now you have, because this little dude has more energy than my three year old brother. You see, his favorite toy is a cardboard tunnel. How much can you do with a cardboard tunnel?

1. Hop around it in circles very rapidly.
2. Climb on top of it and fall off.
3. Rush through it at mad speeds.
4. Try to balance it on your head.
5. Tip it on its side and then knock it over.
6. Push it around and bang it against the cage.

And much, much more. In the day, I describe it as cute. At night [when I am trying to sleep], I describe it as noisy.

I don't know. Maybe I'm used to shy rabbits that glue themselves to the back of their cage and stare at you. But Blaze [that's his name, folks] is not shy. In the least.

Hugs & Blessings,

Izori

I would appreciate...

...if you all would just take a second to pray for my pet, Tintin (he's a water turtle).

For the past couple days, he hasn't been eating much of anything at all. I'll drop the food right in front of his nose, and he'll kind of look at it and then swim off. I'm hoping that it's just because he's feeling cold and sluggish, but even though he won't eat he looks so hungry. =(

I'm not quite sure what's wrong, but it's making me a bit nervous (our last six aquatic pets have died before we had them for six months).

On a lighter note, I'm finding keeping up with my word count easier than I thought it would be. Thankfully, my headaches have been pretty nonexistent and my wrists are much better! *does a happy dance*. But I'm kind of behind on speech, history, biology, and vocabulary...which isn't good.

I'm trying to think happy thoughts. =)

I Think the Turtle Recognizes Me *insert scary music*

Whenever I walk into the schoolroom, I'm in full view of my pet turtle's tank, which is sitting on the schoolroom table (this is also where our computer is). Oddly enough, whenever I walk in, my turtle, Tintin, suddenly starts madly swimming in place against the tank wall. He almost never does that to anyone else but me, and I must admit that it makes me feel special. I take him for 'walks' across the kitchen floor.

Yeah, I'm weird. A turtle's affections (either that, or Tintin's trying to strangle me) make me happy. =) And honestly, I don't think I'd be well off without a pet of some sort. I've had about five hermit crabs, two cats, chickens, five fish, one shrimp, and now a turtle. Never had a dog. =( I do have a pet dragon, though! Lol, in my own virtual world, that is. I still have my favorite cat's collar and picture on my nightstand. =( He died a loooong time ago. Like, when I was nine or ten years old.

I also don't know many people who had a pet chicken. Pequenita was a black bantam pullet, absolutely gorgeous. I entered her into the fair, where she got a first place and beat out Erestor's bantam. =) The judges said that she was a perfect show-bird (good breeding, dealt with the stress of the show-barn well), but since we live in the suburbs I couldn't keep her. We gave her to a friend's farm, and now I have no clue what happened to her. Erestor's cockerel was named Dixie, and he was a lot different than Pequenita. A very nice bird, but he kinda went...well, mad...from being in the fair.

Such is the life of a dork...unusual pets, unusual hobbies...completely awesome!

Oh! Completely unrelated, but guess what! Mom and I went to Borders, and I got....DA-DA-DA-DUH! ALL THREE LORD OF THE RINGS MOVIES! YAY! This is a big deal for us, because we rarely buy movies. Now I have them stashed up in my room, right next to the LotR soundtrack. =)

Izori

Never mind about the fish getting along...

*sigh* Don't you fish know that it's close to Christmas? That means you're supposed to BEHAVE, but no, instead you start attacking each other! No Christmas presents for you, young ladies!

Yep, our betta fish fight. So now they're separated. And I've also at least decided which one is mine. You see, one fish is white/ice pink, and the other is black. I thought both of them looked pretty cool, so I wasn't sure which one was mine. But now I've picked the black.

If only I had a really cool name for her...any suggestions, anyone?

Izori

More Fish!

After Arwen and Galadriel's untimely deaths (the fish, not the elves, remember?!) we got two new betta fish. Females of course--if we had gotten two male betta fish, they would have eaten each other. And, so far, these fish (unnamed yet) appear to be a lot healthier than the last ones! They get along well, too.

We haven't put Shrimp in there yet, though. We're just waiting for our unnamed fish to get used to their new home before we introduce him. Arwen and Galadriel both tried to eat Shrimp, and we don't want that happening again! So now he's just in a plastic container. Poor guy; in the last week he's been moved back and forth about six times!

While we were getting our fish, Mom, Luthien, and I (Erestor, Galdor, and Dad didn't go) took a look at some other pets. The kittens were SOOOOO cute! And the rodents...I LOVED them, but Mom has this thing about anything that looks like a rat (does that sound familiar?) And of course I saw the parrot. :D I think parrots are cool. However, Mom also has this thing with birds...

Izori

We have a pet! Or rather...Luthien does

We went to our 4-H recognition banquet (wow, we're getting pretty good here--banquets in our honor :) just now. Grandma and Grandpa stayed with Erestor, Luthien, and me while Mom and Galdor and Dad stayed home. Erestor and I are both greatly involved in 4-H--we both got 1st place on portfolios and were outstanding members for two clubs!!

About the pet thing...

There was a sort of contest, where everyone who was sitting on a chair that had a 4-H clover sign on the bottom would get the fish (with a fish bowl, of course) on the table. Well, little-sister Luthien was the one for our table! She named her fish, which is a neon tetra, Ana (the shrimp-thingy that goes with it is named Vestus).

We are no longer a no-pet family!

(Boy, Mom and Dad were thrilled when we all burst into the house, shouting that we had a pet!)