Pets

I've been thinking a lot lately about getting a pet. Besides Lapel, who lived with us for a month, Ian and I haven't had any pets.

We've talked a lot about getting a fish tank. In particular, a salt-water tank. But it sounds like a lot of work, and now that we're in our new house and we've uncovered our wood floors, the thought of putting a huge tank of water over them makes me a little nervous. Not that they're in the best shape, but we've already had enough issues with water and leaks.

We've talked a lot about getting a kitten. I'm allergic to cats though, so it really has to be something we think carefully about. Maybe it would be best if we could arrange a trial period with a cat, to see how bad my allergies become. Sometimes they're really bad, sometimes they hardly bother me. It seems to highly depend on the cat. Also, a friend of Ian's got a kitten a few months back, and he has allergies, but he says they're actually getting better with exposure. It's been years since I had a cat, though it seems we always had two when I was growing up, until I moved out I guess.

I don't really want a dog. I love dogs, but they are a huge committment and a lot of work. I'm really not sure I'm up to that.

I've thought a bit about birds too, but I'm sort of on the fence about it. I'm not sure why.

I guess what it comes down to is that I'm still feeling lonely, and a pet is a companion, particularly if we had a cat that you can actually interact with. You can't really develop the same kind of relationship with fish, and birds could go either way, depending on the kind of bird. Certainly Lapel had quite a personality, and there was way more interacting with her than we were prepared for. She used to get quite upset if we didn't let her out to sit on our shoulders when we were home.

But I think, given our financial situation at the present time, until I'm working, it's probably not a good idea to get a pet.

So in the meantime, these guys have sort of become my pets.

This is Bunny.

He lives next door, maybe under the shed,

but he frequently comes over to our house to eat.

This is Robin.

Yesterday was a very warm day, and Robin was singing in the trees.

Usually Robin doesn't sing so much.

Or maybe I just can't hear her over Cardinal.

This is Squirrelly, seen here eatting spilled bird seed from the bird feeder.

Obviously we need to get different bird seed when half of it gets spit on the ground for the squirrels, grackles, and bunnies.

You've met Cardinal before, but I'll tell you a bit more about him soon.

And I can't wait to introduce you to Hairband. I've mentioned him before here, but I'll try to capture a picture of him. Ian thinks they're going to be friends. I think he's probably right.

I need a job, right?