Animal husbandry

The girls wanted a cat.

It all began with an involuntary kidnapping. Tasked with looking after three kittens while their keepers were out of town, I accidentally walked out the door with Ginger Cat. He was too cute to just leave there. And he was giving me a look that said "please accidentally kidnap me."

I see what you're up to, kid. 

Then when Ginger Cat came home, they wanted a dog. So when a friend offered a lovely three-year old golden retriever, I jumped at the chance. And when another friend offered an adorable six-week puppy, I could hardly say no.

I've become obsessed with pointing out the benefits of our new home: tractors, hay bales, running space, high fructose corn syrup as high as an elephant's eye, etc.

I focus on this stuff because their occasional forays into homesickness really get me in the gut. So when I pointed out that we could now have pets - an impossibility in our previous life - this really captured their imaginations.

Next stop, hamsterville. 

Three pets later, I've just about earned me an intervention from my long-suffering soulmate. In my defense, every time I bring home a new pet, the girls suddenly discover another pocket of homesickness that will only be cured by their mama accidentally kidnapping ANOTHER creature.

Ali, for instance, is now feeling quite partial to horses. And Ana has noticed that a bullsnake would bring her great cosmic happiness. Her uncle has one, and he is basically a superhero.

In response to her latest pet acquisition  Ana said: "I still miss London. Until I get a hamster."

So you see, I am being played like an idiot violin by my own offspring. But you have to admit that hamsters are pretty cute...