Rest in Peace, Flower

Flower the hamster was discovered by my step-daughter in the summer of 2007. While Indigo played outside her apartment in Salt Lake City, she noticed the little dwarf hamster running around the yard (you can all start humming "Born Free" right about now). Indigo captured the little creature and she and her mom brought Flower to me the next day. We had recently lost our third hamster, Rosabelle, and had an empty cage to fill.

Flower was tiny (hence the "dwarf" title) and was missing one ear. She was white with a little pale gray stripe down her tiny back. She was the sweetest little thing and loved to play in her cage and on her wheel. My girls were kept awake many a night by Flower's exercise regimen. She loved to climb up the inside of the cage and squeak at anyone who would listen, including Timmy the Wonder Cat.

She and Timmy had a funny relationship. Timmy would sit beside her cage for hours on end just watching Flower. Flower would climb up on the cage and squeak and Timmy would sniff her and bat her back down into the cage. One morning, after hearing strange squeaky noises emanating from the girls' room, I turned on the light to discover Timmy chasing an escaped Flower around the bedroom floor, but not trying to claw her or actually catch her.

Maya and Penelope took Flower to daycare several times in a little hamster travel carrier. The other kids at daycare loved having her there. She was friendly and gentle and didn't scare easily.

Two weeks ago, our little Flower dug into and curled up under her bed of fluff and passed away in her sleep. When I noticed that she hadn't hidden her food and hadn't been heard running on her wheel for a couple days, I mentioned to Corbin that I thought she may have died. He checked on her and broke the news to me.

Corbin, the girls and I made Flower a little casket lined with her favorite... cotton balls. Corbin dug a small grave in the front flower bed and Penelope helped cover her casket with dirt. We used a nice, smooth, rather large rock to mark her grave, and Penelope and Maya told her "goodbye".

After the funeral, Penelope wrote the following:

You wer sach a grate hamster
I miss you so mach
Love, Penelope
I love you
By, Flower

So sweet!

I'm ashamed to say that this is the only photo I could find of Flower. One of my girls took it. She was so adorable, and the girls had her out of the cage so many times, I don't know why I didn't take pictures of her.

Timmy the Wonder Cat

We adopted a kitten back in September. He and his two brothers were found in a bale of hay when they were approximately two weeks old. They were bottle-fed and cared for by a local vet. He has definitely found his way into our hearts and made his own unique place in our family.



He's not skittish, doesn't hide when people come to the house. He LOVES to go for rides in the car, climbing from the back window to the dashboard, trying to find the best place to see everything. He's the alarm clock for Corbin and me. At 6:00 every morning (weekends included), he jumps on the bed, climbs under the covers and attacks my feet. If that doesn't wake you up, I don't know what will. Then, at 7:00, he climbs onto Corbin's chest, puts his face in Corbin's and squeaks out a little "good morning" meow. I still haven't figured out why I get the claw punctures on my feet and Corbin gets the slightly wet nose and tickly whiskers on his face.



He won't drink from his water dish, instead preferring to drink from the toilet,a dripping water faucet, or someone's glass (which inevitably gets tipped over and spilled, or worse yet, shattered on the floor). He will spend hours sitting on the girls' dresser right next to the hamster cage, just watching Flower, our one-earred dwarf hamster. He will sniff her when she climbs up on the side of the cage to say "hello" to him, but he has never tried to claw her.



He loves to play with the girls. He's been known to jump onto Penelope's back so he looks very much like a furry, orange-striped backpack. He lies on the floor on his back, paws up in the air and freezes that way. With Corbin's help lifting him up to the eaves of the house, he will use both his little paws and pick small icicles off and lick them. Although, his favorite game seems to be escaping from the house and having us chase him through the neighborhood while he hides under cars, in trees and in bushes.



I think I've traced my affinity for cats way back to the womb. When my birth mother was pregnant with me, her cat would sleep on her stomach and purr all night. No wonder I haven't found anything as calming as a purring cat. We love you, Timmy!