2004-11-11 - 10:16 a.m.

Well, my wish was granted and when I got up yesterday the sick gerbil had died. I am so glad I didn't have to take her to the vet. We've only got a courtyard garden which means that there's no where really for us to bury her. It felt horrible having to put her in a box and then into the bin but I guess there's no point in being sentimental over an empty vessel. Whatever I do she will return to the earth. My Mom's a card, she's suffered my love of gerbils for many years before I moved away and was even (mostly) supportive when I was young and didn't quite think of the implications of not having a pair who were the same sex (and ending up with 18 of the buggers). When she heard that we'd put her in the bin, shocked she offered to bury her in her garden (some 165 miles away).

"....so you want me to send you a dead gerbil through the post?"

(Slightly hesitant but being supportive) "Well, you could. There are others buried in the garden somewhere or other"

"Yeah, amongst all the fish and canaries. Listen Mom, I'm a grown up now and I realise that death is just another stage of the circle of life and that the gerbil just ain't in that body anymore. I don't feel that we have to respect her in any solemn kinda way 'cause, well mom.......to be frank, she was a gerbil and gerbils don't understand what you're on about at the best of times let alone in death, ok?"

"Well, if you're sure"

"I'm sure Mom but thanks for the offer"

I could almost hear waves of relief flowing through the phone. I mean, who really wants a corpse through the post?

Phoe always cries when one of the pets dies but I guess I've become harder over the years. She reckoned that it was sad seeing the empty space on the shelf and insisted that we get more so yesterday I ended up having a very surreal conversation with an old bloke who was impressed with my baby gerbil sexing talents and decided that he should tell me everything he knew about gerbil sperm.

Gee, thanks for sharing that knowledge awd fella....

Anyhoo, I've got 2 scrappy little boy gerbils called Barry and Simon now. Cute.

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