Please lower your anarchy flags to half mast, Silky, the non-conformist hamster, has gone to the great slam dance in the sky. Kate had been at her dad’s all weekend. Nik and I had both looked in on Silky and he seemed fine, enjoying a few days away from Kate’s constant manhandling. Nik and I would joke that Kate was going to “love Silky to death.” So Kate gets home and heads off to bed. Next thing I know she’s weeping outside the bedroom door. She had found Silky in a state of rigor mortis in the very hamster wheel that had kept me up so many nights. Poor little guy. We’re not sure what happened, as he should have lived for at least another 8-10 months. Kate was devastated, of course. Silky was her first pet and finding him dead must have bee a shock. She asked us please not to throw him away (not that we would have). She picked out a spot in the yard to bury him and she made a headstone that says “RIP” out of black construction paper. It was a sad spectacle.

Nik agreed to get Kate a new hamster, since Silky had an unnaturally short life. They came back today with a new little fellow. Kate has dubbed this one “Digger.” We’ll see if he has Silky’s rebel spirit. Hopefully, he’ll live to the ripe old age of 1 at least.

Silky, here’s to you, little buddy. Live fast, die young indeed.