about the rats

petra and willo, artemis' beloved rattie girls, lived beyond our expectations to the ripe old age of three years plus a little bit. willo died in her sleep on palm sunday; we euthanized petra a few weeks later so she could pass on peacefully.

my boy was terribly lonely without his companions, so we searched for new ones. we were able to locate two brothers in a litter of rescue babies, fortunately, and by june we welcomed fort and monty into our family.

fort started out as a bold little nibbler, and monty seemed a shy and timid creature, but now both are growing fast and tolerating petting and scritches even from me. at just a few months old they are much more active than what we had become used to with the girls in their advanced age, but we are getting accustomed to their ravenous appetite and relentless nighttime wrestling and squeaking each other (a bulbous fort usually stepping on top of monty's head).

it's good to have these boys with us.

photos courtesy of artemis

put a friend in your pocket

and if you don't have a big enough pocket for your friend, make a new pocket.

furry friends

artemis rat-sat for a lovely family who was going on vacation and really needed someone who knew about rats to take care of theirs. rudy and rex were beefy boys, keeping us quite entertained and in awe of their curly-furred antics.

sweet

i am the one who enjoys blueberries the most in our family, possibly excepting petra.

sleepy snuggles

fifteen

To celebrate my eldest son's birthday, I wrote an acrostic for him:

A - Artistic & Authentic
R - Resourceful & Remarkable
T - Tenacious & Talented
E - Empathetic & Enthusiastic
M - Magnanimous & Musical
I - Introspective & Insightful
S - Scintillating & Sensational

Artemis, I have loved you since before you were born, and my love has grown ever deeper and stronger. You are a dynamic and powerful person, intelligent, funny, beautiful, and kind, and I believe you can do anything to which you put your mind and your heart.

(he provided me with an approved selfie with his ratties)

curious

the softness of a friend