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i've had requests for at least one more installment of this lengthy fish story, so here we go. when we last left off, gold 3 was swimming around the bowl on our kitchen table, and all was well in ezra's world. as you've come to expect, that quickly came to an end. less than 24 hours after the last post, gold 3 passed away. once again, ezra began to ask about his beloved fish. at first, i fed him the lines we've been using: "gold is sleeping" and "gold is hiding." i could only do it for so long, however, before my conscience started getting to me. i've started feeling bad about "lying" to our son (not sure why i put quote marks around lying; i think it makes me feel like it wasn't really lying). we have a friend who, when her daughter lies, asks her daughter: "do you know who the father of lies is?" in case you don't know the answer -- it's satan (read your Bible people!). so rather than team up with satan, i decided to bite the bullet and just tell him the truth.
ok, i didn't tell him the whole truth, like the part about death and what being dead means. i simply told him that gold was gone, and we needed to get a new gold. to my surprise, ezra wasn't sad at all. in fact, he was excited and for the rest of the day talked about going to the store to get a new gold.
after ezra's nap, and before kendel's nap was quite finished, ezra ran into our bedroom, jumped up on the bed, and said, "mommy, wake up! we go to the store! we go get gold!" so with an excited child and a sleepy mommy, we headed to the pet store. -- side note: we're done with walmart's fish. we're pretty sure they're demonically possessed; either that or sick, but i lean toward the former. after gold 3 had been dead for 48 hours (we've been busy, give us a break!), kendel once again put the fish in a ziplock baggie and headed to walmart's return center. they informed her that next time she returns a dead fish she should consider freezing the fish if she's going to wait so long to return it. it wasn't so much the rotting flesh that was troublesome; it was the smell.
back to the real pet store. we had recieved advice that it might not be our fault that our fish keep dying on us. we were told we needed to get our water tested at the pet store, something they would do for free. (for any of you who have visited our "beautiful" city, you know what i mean when i say the water could kill the fish. our water is so bad that the city has to send out official statements promising its residents the water is potable). we got the water tested; we practically took a course on fish management; we've read the literature on setting up a sustainable fish habitat; we bought drops to take out the nitrates in our water; and we even bought a live, submergable plant to put inside our small "tank" to spruce things up.
so what did we find out in our fish101 class? turns out that one possible reason the goldfish kept dying was because our tank is too small for a goldfish (just to clarify, i still think demons were involved). therefore, rather than continue the goldfish holocaust that we had unwittingly begun, we chose to get red-blonde guppies instead. yes, that was a plural on guppies. two, to be precise. we are now the proud owners of gold and gipper, our newest pets. gipper the guppie. i named it. i thought it was a natural fit for how we name our pets: bun bun the bunnie rabbit, gold the goldfish, and now gipper the guppie. pictures of the new gold and gipper will be coming soon.
the following are pictures from before ezra was forced to eat from the knowledge of good and evil, forever losing his innocence (if i have to explain that reference, you really need to read your Bibles!).
ok, i didn't tell him the whole truth, like the part about death and what being dead means. i simply told him that gold was gone, and we needed to get a new gold. to my surprise, ezra wasn't sad at all. in fact, he was excited and for the rest of the day talked about going to the store to get a new gold.
after ezra's nap, and before kendel's nap was quite finished, ezra ran into our bedroom, jumped up on the bed, and said, "mommy, wake up! we go to the store! we go get gold!" so with an excited child and a sleepy mommy, we headed to the pet store. -- side note: we're done with walmart's fish. we're pretty sure they're demonically possessed; either that or sick, but i lean toward the former. after gold 3 had been dead for 48 hours (we've been busy, give us a break!), kendel once again put the fish in a ziplock baggie and headed to walmart's return center. they informed her that next time she returns a dead fish she should consider freezing the fish if she's going to wait so long to return it. it wasn't so much the rotting flesh that was troublesome; it was the smell.
back to the real pet store. we had recieved advice that it might not be our fault that our fish keep dying on us. we were told we needed to get our water tested at the pet store, something they would do for free. (for any of you who have visited our "beautiful" city, you know what i mean when i say the water could kill the fish. our water is so bad that the city has to send out official statements promising its residents the water is potable). we got the water tested; we practically took a course on fish management; we've read the literature on setting up a sustainable fish habitat; we bought drops to take out the nitrates in our water; and we even bought a live, submergable plant to put inside our small "tank" to spruce things up.
so what did we find out in our fish101 class? turns out that one possible reason the goldfish kept dying was because our tank is too small for a goldfish (just to clarify, i still think demons were involved). therefore, rather than continue the goldfish holocaust that we had unwittingly begun, we chose to get red-blonde guppies instead. yes, that was a plural on guppies. two, to be precise. we are now the proud owners of gold and gipper, our newest pets. gipper the guppie. i named it. i thought it was a natural fit for how we name our pets: bun bun the bunnie rabbit, gold the goldfish, and now gipper the guppie. pictures of the new gold and gipper will be coming soon.
the following are pictures from before ezra was forced to eat from the knowledge of good and evil, forever losing his innocence (if i have to explain that reference, you really need to read your Bibles!).
kendel snapped this one while talking to her friend thinking, "oh! how cute! ezra playing an innocent game of catch the fishy. surely he's not capable of actually catching a fishy?"
"oh crap, he really did catch a fish!" mommy thinks and, "how can we put this thing back without crushing ezra's heart?"
ezra is so happy and content. for ezra, the moon is in its seventh house, jupiter has aligned with mars, and the age of aquarius has descended upon us. for mommy . . . "dang it!"
is that daddy with a look of total surprise or horror on his face as he first claps eyes on ezra's new prize?
here's ezra trying to pet the fish.
ezra and gold: a tragic love story
4 comments:
The pictures say it all...proud fish owners you MUST be! How could you disappoint that sweet boy!!! Precious, precious px and video. So, so sweet...
Thanks for the update. Promise not to tell Gold and Gipper the track record for fish longevity at the Gilchrest's house.
Glad you worked through the lying thing, too... good job! :)
Absolutely laughing out loud!! Glad you aren't aligning with the father of lies anymore-ha! :)
Granpa says, "During the Vietnam War, is was inaccurate body counts. In Waco, it's inaccurate fish counts!
I don't know who was more excited, Eric or Ezra?
Sweet memory."
Granpa says, "Kendel, returning a dollar fish on two dollars worth of gas makes an expensive trip. :)
It reminds me of the yard sale when you were little where the buyer told you he would give you $4 and you said, 'No, but I'll take 3.'"
We would of loved being there when you presented that rotten fish at the counter!
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