A Death in the Family

My heart and sympathies go out to everyone associated with the shootings in Virginia. I didn't know anyone involved.

However, we lost a smaller member of the family yesterday. As I sat down to relax last night (grateful that I could), I noticed that my pet rat, Moses, wasn't moving. I only got a little bit closer before going out to the garage to get C. I kept saying that I'm sure he's just sleeping and I guess he was. Moses died yesterday. He was a very good rat, judged mostly on the fact that he only bit me once when I poked him while he was sleeping. He never bit anyone else. I got him from a pet store before pet rats were popular, so he was a feeder rat that was supposed to go directly down a large snake's gullet. Technically, I rescued him. He was full grown when I got him, but I made sure to fatten him up quite a bit. He would have been with me for two years on Memorial Day. Lately, Moses had been losing weight and losing his balance a lot, so I knew his time was near. I think he went to heaven in his sleep because there weren't any signs of a struggle. Poor guy.

We buried Moses in the backyard under some bricks (thanks, C) and now I'm sure that he's not in pain anymore. I really need to clean his cage tonight because I kept looking at it expecting to see him in there last night. He did have a very nice life. I picture him running around the green yard and trying to dart under the bushes and then I think of how he was so attached to me in these last weeks, very content to sit on my shoulder or in my hood for awhile. Moses was loved.

My deepest condolences go out to L, who also lost her grandma yesterday. I'm here for you whenever you need me.