Yesterday turned out to be a fun day. We caught the bus downtown and learned that on Saturdays it’s only a quarter per person, but we didn’t have any change so we paid a buck. During the week it’s a buck a person.

Our first stop was a discount store where I got 3 mauve bath towels, 2 sports bras, and a tablecloth of blue geraniums and purple tulips.

Then we stopped at KFC before heading to the pet store. Normally we get male rats because our experience with lady rats hasn’t been great. One died the day after we got her, the other turned out crazy. However, the instant I approached the cage where the females were kept, which was next to the males, I knew I had to have Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell’s a cute little brown rat and seemed really friendly and curious from the get-go. I also picked out Coconilla, named for her chocolate brown and vanilla cream colorings. Although they both were fine with being held in the store while we waited for the girl to fetch us a box for them, Coco’s been rather shy here at home. Not aggressive, thank God, but shy. The girl at the store said they turn any aggressive ones into feeders. Serves them right! Anyway, I wouldn’t mind if Coco never wanted to come out, since having to entertain Tinkerbell outside of the cage is enough! She is one awesome rat! She’s very playful and affectionate. I never thought any rat would make me happy again after losing Blondie, but Tom said he figured they would. I still miss Blondie, though Tinkerbell’s quite a hit.

They were in with two other rats, and one of the good things about stores like this is that they take the time to tame the animals by paying regular attention to them. One of them was even raised by someone like Blondie. The big chain stores, however, like Petco and PetSmart, who deal with so much quantity, simply don’t have the time to tend to all their pets, so they’re only good for getting things like fish and supplies.

Tinkerbell’s about 5 months old and Coconilla’s about 3. Coco was the smallest of the 4 ladies, and since she’s been eating like crazy since we got her here, we’re thinking the others bullied her out of eating much. I know Tinkerbell takes food from her so I make it a point to serve plenty. I just love Tinkerbell. She’s a lot of fun. She may sit with me when she gets older and loses some of her spunk, though she does a combination of sitting with me, playing with me, and running around the place. And this has been going on since day one. Usually, it takes them time to warm up to you and to want to come out. I haven’t taught her how to climb my leg when I’m sitting in my chair, though she may one day figure that out on her own like Blondie did, though she runs up to my chair when I’m not on the floor with her and I scoop her up for a few minutes, then put her back down so she can run around some more.

Tom set up the bigger cage with the bars spaced closer together since there was no way I could keep them in the other one. Neither of them is interested in wheeling, but the wheel makes a good door prop. That’s the sucky thing as far as the design of this cage goes. This door opens inward while the other swings out and down, making a little ramp for them.

We had to wait 15 minutes for the bus back, and because it was in the low 40s, I was glad there were two of them to keep each other warm. We took the wrong bus too, so we had to walk up from downtown, but being right on the edge of downtown, it only took a few minutes.

The buses sure have evolved since I was taking them regularly 15 years ago. The buses here have cloth-covered padded seats.

The only bad news going on right now, which is nothing compared to past bad things we’ve had to deal with is that one of my dolls broke a leg and a pinky finger. Fortunately, it wasn’t a favorite of mine and was easy enough to hide by throwing her in a long gown.

Also, my ear has been driving me nuts as usual. If Tom can’t find anyone who will help me (he’s going to make some calls tomorrow from work during lunch) then I’ll just assume it was meant to be and I’ll learn to live with it somehow. I know God would be oh so proud of me if I hurt myself somehow on my own, but I’m just not ready to go that far. Having no choice but to give in to the fate He lays out for me is one thing, but deliberately going along with it is another.