Hamster Funeral

Well, one of our two resident hamsters was found dead today when my daughter got home from school. This is one of the many things about having pets that I dread. It's so sad when kids get a taste of death-comes-out-of-nowhere-and-kicks-your-butt, even if it is good training for real life.

So, I got the shovel and managed to dig a little hole (good thing the ground isn't frozen here), suggested a respectable burial shroud for our little dead pet (a long piece of floral fabric), and took the kids out into the bitter cold for the burial and quick funeral.

It reminded me of times in the past when we buried hermit crabs ("Goodbye Sparky. You were a great hermit crab..." while my 4 year old son cried quietly.....so sad and funny I had to force myself not to have an inappropriate laughing outburst) and other pets. We now have two deceased hamsters buried under the tree in our front yard. Our very own pet cemetery.