The Hazard Chronicles

Bedtime stories. That's what they are, really. It started when the kids were very young, as the final step in a nightly ritual. Picture books first. Then Magic Treehouse and easier chapter books. Maybe some Roald Dahl. As they got older we transitioned to Newberry winners, and then on to some easy YA fiction. 

Since then, the dynamics of our family have changed considerably. Bed time rituals are a thing of the past, and some of our teenagers are often up later than we are. But reading has not gone anywhere. If anything, it has become more important- a time when the whole family is together, often connecting or discussing challenging topics with each other. It's definitely not an every night thing- maybe like three times a week. But I love it every time.

Last night we read a short story assigned in Evelyn's AP English class and I was impressed with the insight that each person brought to the table. Just before that we had finished reading The Outsiders, since Addy will likely be seeing the Broadway play in New York in a few weeks. It is a weekly occurrence in our family for someone to reference a work of literature when trying to get a point across or to reach out and identify with a character or situation that is similar to what they are experiencing. Anyway- I don't really know where I am going with this. It's just something that I don't think I could have predicted for us and I just really love that this is a thing. That is all.

*****

Okay. On to our week:

When I go home from work today there will be zero rats in our home (as far as I know). This is a chapter that has finally come to a close, and though it took longer than ideal, the ending was a good one. Here's a  recap of the story:

Maren got some pet rats back in February. She had done a lot of thinking about it, and spent most of the money she had to get things ready for them. She bought books and watched internet tutorials on how to take care of them, and she made impassioned arguments that they are actually very smart and clean creatures. Her and I stayed up late one night putting together a cage, and her room was rearranged to make a perfect little space. She looked at multiple pet stores and rat places and finally found a couple of furry friends that she brought home. Tito and Daisy were their names. Maren was so excited. And I have to admit- the rats were kind of cute.

But then Maren started getting rashes. It took a couple of weeks to narrow it down- mostly because we wanted to be in denial about it- but after a while it became pretty clear. Maren was allergic to her new friends. Now, by this point they had already managed to become a part of the family- at least from Maren's perspective. They had names and personalities and had gotten used to their new home. And despite the allergy, she loved holding them. But we knew that this couldn't last forever.

And then something else happened. It turns out that, unbeknownst to anybody, Tito the rat was recently pregnant at the time that she came to live with us. It wasn't long before we had, not two, but thirteen rats living in Maren's room! This was a huge blow- especially to a girl with as tender a heart as Maren's. Without loving them, she dutifully took care of those baby rats for as long as she could. They all looked pretty much the same, except for one who was more curious than the others and had a little white star on his forehead. We named him Cheeto Puff. The rest were just "the baby rats."

Because of the allergy, Maren had to take a shower every time she held any of them or cleaned their cage. Most days she ended up taking some sort of medication or cream to help relieve itchy skin. And she couldn't really even go in her room, so she slept on the couch. This also affected Lindsey, who shares the room, because the thirteen rats were pretty active at night and would run around and wake her up. So Lindsey would sleep on the couch too. This meant that in our house, which already has fewer bedrooms than it does kids, an entire room was devoted only to these rats. And this has been the status quo for at least the last couple of months.

For a while it looked like the only solution would be to surrender the rats to a pet store, where they would be sold as feeders. This was unacceptable. These were Maren's babies, and as annoying as the situation was, putting them to certain death out of convenience was simply not an option. And so the long, arduous process of selling them to loving buyers commenced.

And that's pretty much it. Once the babies reached a proper age they were sold off in pairs. Tito and Daisy were given to a very kind owner who lives in a big house with a whole room devoted to rats and who sends pictures to Maren from time to time. Even though they ended in a good place, there were a lot of tears during that transaction. And then finally, finally, the last of them- including little Cheeto Puff- were given away to a very understanding pet store manager who gave Maren a solemn oath that they would never become food.

And that was that. I feel bad for Maren. She stuck through all of this. She had the best of intentions, and she showed more personal sacrifice and responsibility than what I would have expected. It just didn't work out though. I guess this is as happy an ending as we could ask for.

*****

Here are a few other pictures from the week. Also, Ev and I played in the church band together again- her on drums and me on bass. I really enjoy doing this with her. 

Evelyn organized a cleanup of a local climbing area. It was part of a school assignment and she recruited a bunch of her friends and some of our family to help.

Lindsey's class went on a field trip to the Cataldo Mission, and Rachel went along with them.

Look behind us- it's the early stages of an actual wall! This project is slowly marching forward. These walls will probably take the majority of the summer to finish. We'll hopefully do carpet and lighting in the fall, and have everything furnished and ready before next ski season starts.

These next few are just from hanging out and hikes and stuff around our area. 

Have a good week!