About half way through Journal #2, a change occurs. Fishing drops out of the picture; it will briefly return in the fall of 1988, but only briefly, and only in the background of other more significant events: getting a new job and moving once again; Linda and I deciding to begin a family with a resulting pregnancy; and the welcoming of the first mammalian pet (I believe we already had a couple reptiles such as a big corn snake I found along the road and a cute little box turtle) into our home.
On May 15, 1988, I note with delight that “I bought Linda a new pet: a baby skunk we named “Cyranose.” On June 2 I continue, “We like him and he has become very special.” However, there is then this ominous observation: “He bites hard when he plays, however, and he is not training to the litter box very well either.”
In the short term, things appeared to get better. “Linda and I have grown very attached to Cyranose. He really does like being with us, and always wants to be where we are, in the middle of whatever we are doing. I love seeing his adorable pudgy body waddling around the house. He bounces and pounces, stomps and stamps. He never fails to make Linda and I laugh heartily.”
But on July 7, the initial concerns return. “Cyranose still bites. His bites are playful, not aggressive, but they still hurt. It is particularly a problem when we have guests. If one pulls away quickly from his bite, he clamps down harder and sometimes draws blood.” Then Cyranose bit the mailman--hard.
Clearly, not a good situation. And clearly, not a good situation at all for Cyranose, who, being descented, could not be released back into the wild. Where did that leave us? Where did that leave him?
(due to the length of this story, I am going to break it into two or three parts).
I'm definitely interested in hearing the rest of the story. My initial thought though is that this seems like the perfect time to get the gift of a boa constrictor. In no time flat Cyranose will have disappeared and you won't have to feed the snake for a week or two, double-bonus.
Posted by: Tom | April 18, 2008 at 02:00 PM
gee, yes, gotta hear the rest of this!
Posted by: mindy | April 18, 2008 at 11:34 PM