Buzz & Woody - The sad goodbye

Been meaning to post this for several days, but a combination of being a procrastinator and just waaay to busy and preoccupied to sit and blog has kept me from updating...

You may recall that a while back we got some hamsters... Details can be found here.

Well... We got home from work on Thursday of last week to find that Woody hadn't made it through the day... Both Buzz and Woody have been looking haggard for a couple of weeks. I honestly think that our house is/was probably too cold for them to live comfortably in. We had also switched them to cedar shavings instead of pine shavings for bedding and they didn't seem to like that at all...

[ PETA DISCLAIMER : now before anyone goes and calls PETA on us for hamster cruelty, yes they were fed and watered with fresh food and water regularly, and yes I was cleaning the habitat completely out and washing the whole thing down with warm (non-soapy) water weekly... Yes, we have had pets before... and yes, I can assure you the hamsters did not die of neglect... ]

Anyway... Woody was dead when we got home, and Buzz was having a lot of difficulty moving around and didn't act like he was able to see or hear me that well when I attempted to interact with him.

I quickly moved the habitat up out of Ellie's range of vision and reach so that I could check the situation out, and after determining that Buzz was obviously not going to make it I gave him a little boost up to hamster heaven.

I fashioned a hamster coffin out of a paper towel tube (biodegradable) and after placing both deceased rodents inside, stapled the ends shut and went to have "the talk" with Ellie...

Jenn laughs at me now... I guess I was naive enough to think that Ellie would be very sad and need comforting...

I picked Ellie up and sat her down in my chair to tell her that her little pets were no longer with us and the whole process got me all choked up...

Me : "Ellie sweety, Buz and Woody got very sick and they died today"

Her: "Oh yeah?" ( At this point she did look a little sad, but I think it was b/c I was crying and she couldn't figure out why... I did my best to regain my composure... )

Me: "Aren't you sad sweety?"

Her: "I guess so."

Me: "Do you want to talk about it?"

Her: "Not really"

Me: "Do you want to go with me while I bury them?"

Her: "No Dad, can I get down and play with my princesses now?"

*sigh... Great life lesson there Dad.

So... since there was apparently no reason for me to be sitting around sniffling I took the hamsters out back and Ellie got down for some playing with princesses grief therapy...

So we are now hamster-less... Maybe we will try again after the new year... Maybe Ellie will persist in not-caring and we won't get anymore at all... Time will tell I guess.

Late. Random.

11:10 PM. I'm sitting in the recliner. Woody is running on the hamster wheel. Buzz is sleeping in the dome. Jenn, Ellie, and Silas are all in bed. The dryer is running. My suitcase is packed, except for two pair of shorts, which are in the dryer. I cleaned the hamster cage tonight. Woody & Buzz seem much happier. Halloween starts in 48 minutes. It hasn't even felt like October yet. We have had frost two mornings in a row. I like frost. I like cold mornings. I like walking in frost covered grass in my bare feet. On Thursday it will be November. The leaves have been changing. The weather today was perfect. I wonder how the weather in St. Louis compares to here? I want to go tent camping. Tent camping in the fall is the best. I like to sit around the fire when it is cold enough that you need the fire to keep you warm. I shaved my head this evening. I hate my hair. I'm so tired, but not sleepy. I am very stressed. If my days had 25 hours in them, and I didn't need sleep, I might feel more organized. I'd love a cup of coffee. Coffee is also better when it is cold. The weather, not the coffee. The coffee is much better when it is very very hot. Hot coffee. Cold weather. 11:25 PM. Surprising how noisy hamsters can be when the house is quiet. Dryer is still running. I think woody is on crack. He's the mean one. 39 degrees outside. Wonder if it will frost again tonight. Did I mention that I like frost? 11:36 PM. Distracted. Should be asleep. I don't get enough sleep. Lots of people on IM at this hour. Strange. Maybe not strange. Who am I to say. My toes are getting cold. 67 degrees in the house. May need to turn on the heater. Been very cold in the mornings. In the house I mean. I'm Too stubborn to turn the furnace on. Maybe in November. Silas is crying. Probably afraid of the dark. Or cold. Ellie is afraid of the dark. Sleeps with a light on. He stopped now. Must have found his binky or been rescued by Jenn. 11:52 PM. Headache. Took my glasses off when I shaved my head. Didn't put them back on. Eyes are tired. I'm grouchy. I Let too many small things get to me. It is dumb. I need to take a deep breath. Maybe get away. Maybe move away. Maybe just take a break. 12:01 AM. Happy Halloween. Alarm will go off in five-and-a-half hours. *Sigh. Still a lot of people online. Definitively will be wanting a good cup of coffee in the morning. I should go to bed. Dryer is still running. Should go check on it. I think I will. 12:04 AM. Roogles out.

Hamster Paradise

Well, if you are a follower of the lives of the Ruggles at all then you are already aware ( from here and here ) that we have recently become the proud owners of two new pets.

"Buzz" and "Woody" are a pair of very cute dwarf hamsters, compliments of the Ford Family Hamster Farm and Livery.

Now I was all about the "ten gallon aquarium with wire lid" hamster living solution as recommended by my good friend and hamster expert Martin L... However, our little shopping trip yesterday has resulted in our hamsters having much more luxurious accommodations than any mere glass box.

Behold, what Ellie now loving refers to as "The Habitat".



Needless to say we had a blast this evening, watching Buzz & Woody explore their new surroundings, run like crazy on the hamster wheel, and get used to life at the Ruggles Ranch.

Ellie is in the tent again... ( Yes, I took it down this morning, but we had to set it back up for bed tonight... ).

This picture is of the tent in relationship to "The Habitat" ( from the vantage point of the recliner ).



Ellie is sound asleep and snoring from within the tent, and Buzz is furiously trying to get some where on the hamster wheel...

All in all, today turned out to be another good day. Hopefully the remainder of the long weekend will fare as well as yesterday and today have.

With that, it is way past my bedtime. More to come.

-Roogles out.