Tattle Tail Tuesday: My Mommie and Skippy

Today I am going to tell you a true story about my Mommie, the outlaw.

This is my Mommie many, many, many, many, many, many years ago. Decades ago! Maybe even an entire century ago! I was very surprised to find this photo because I did not know cameras were invented then. This is a picture of a picture, that's why it looks No Good. I cannot explain why her hairdo was No Good.

Back then, my Mommie had a pet hamster named Percival. You could call him Percy for short. Here is a picture of the hamster. Sorry the picture is all scratched up. I did not do that. I promise.

So, after Percy went to the Rainbow Bridge, my Mommie really wanted a gerbil. Here is a picture of what a gerbil looks like:

But back then, my Mommie lived in a place called California. Gerbils are illegal there! But my Mommie and Daddie used to go to Nevada all the time to ski or go to the casinos. So, they went on a roadtrip to Nevada and bought a little gerbil there. His name was Skippy, after the TV show called "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo." The pet shop sold Skippy in a little cardboard box with round holes for air. Sort of like a Chinese food take-out container. Only no food was in there.

Here is my best imagination of what the trip home with Skippy was like. Except the car stayed on the road. And this was my Mommie's car from only about 10 years ago. If you biggify, you can see her big scream. Hahahahaha!
This is the outlaw part. My Mommie had to hide Skippy when they went through the California/Nevada agricultural checkpoint. She just stuck him under her jacket and tried to look innocent. Then, during the entire drive home, Skippy was gnawing and gnawing on the holes of his container and making them bigger! He would gnaw on one hole, and my Mommie would cover it with her finger. Then he would gnaw on another hole! He almost escaped! My Mommie had to keep saying to my Daddie "Can't you go any faster? Hurry! Hurry!" Finally, and just in time, Skippy made it to his new home and lived happily ever after. Until Skippy had to go to the Rainbow Bridge, too. It seems that many stories end this way.

I hope my Mommie does not get in trouble because I told this story. I am pretty sure that the statute of limitations ran out a few decades ago.

I do not recommend breaking the law.

Tattle Tail Tuesday: My Mommie and Skippy

Thursday Thirteen, Edition #9

Here are thirteen pets my Mommie has had:

1. Her very first pet was a bunch of snails that she kept in a jar when she was a very little girl. I have been thinking I might like to get some snails for my very own pet.
   
2. Then she got some of those little turtles. There were three of them: one for her, and one for each of her brothers. Her turtle was named Myrtle. When they went outside in their little pond to get some sun on their shells, BIRDS PECKED THEIR HEADS OFF!
3. Her Gramma got her some Sea Monkeys. You just add water to make them come alive. These were a disappointment, because she found out they were not really monkeys. They were not even very cute. They did live in the sea though. The Sea Monkeys never even did any of the tricks they showed on the back of the comic books. Just FYI: the x-ray glasses were a disappointment too.
4. Then she had an apricot toy poodle. His name was Andy. Or Andrew. Or Rooney.
5. When she went to U.C. Davis, she lived in a dormitory. They allowed small pets. So she got a guinea pig. Her name was Mrs. Bill, named after the character on Saturday Night Live. One day Mrs. Bill chewed up the arm on her jacket. Ohhhh Noooooooo! Mrs. Bill!
   
6. The next pet was a hamster. His name was Percival. You could call him Percy for short. He made a big mess in his cage. And he stuffed his cheeks with food. What a nut!
   
7. Then there was a gerbil. His name was Skippy. My Mommie lived in California at the time, and it is illegal to own a gerbil there. So she went to Nevada, bought one there, and smuggled him across the border! I guess he was an outlaw gerbil.
8. Next was the first cat. It was a black cat named Slinky. She was a stray kitten, and my Mommie got her from the U.C. Davis Veterinary school. Slinky eventually got diabetes, and had to have insulin injections every day! And she went potty on the carpet. She was bad.
9. Then there was the great Haiku. She was a very beautiful chocolate point Siamese, and my Mommie loved her very, very much. She got kidney disease and died when she was only 4 years old.
10. There was also a big fish tank full of African Cichlids. I never got to meet them, but I guess they were very pretty fish. A Loach lived with the Cichlids. When they moved away from California, the fish did not go with them. Since this was almost 20 years ago, the fish are probably not still alive. But I am not sure.
    
11. Then my Mommie got Cricket. He was another chocolate point Siamese, and he was a very sweet cat. Sometimes she called him Crickettoni. He lived to be 16 years old. But my Mommie wished it was a lot longer.
    
12. Next came my big sister, Pixie. You already know all about her.
13. I'll bet you can guess who is the last, and very best pet. You are right, it is ME! Daisy!
    

Thursday Thirteen, Edition #9