Rest in Peace, Chuck

Last night, our hamster, Chuck, was having a major freak out. He was running around his home, bouncing into walls, not eating or drinking, and completely ignoring his wheel. So it was no surprise when my husband found this morning that the Chuckster had gone on to the big hamster wheel in the sky. We'd had Chuck for 2 1/2 years (and his brother Boris for slightly less time). He had reached the end of his life expectancy and he was sick, too. Chuck had been a well-taken care of pet and we're happy he doesn't have to be sick anymore.

Now comes the inevitable question of what to do with Chuck's little rodent remains. When Boris died, Gavin was going to bury him in a ziploc bag (Gavin may have even suggested just throwing him away). I calmly persuaded him that the little dude deserved some sort of coffin and a decent burial. So Boris is buried in our yard in the box our last order of checks came in. For Chuck, there were no nice little boxes ready to serve as a hamster crypt. But necessity being the mother of invention, Gavin created a burial box for Chuck. He shortened the sides of a box of fruit snack bars and then taped the created lid shut with packing tape. Once it stops raining, we will bury him, too. My husband is a genius.