In place of a pet...

For a number of reasons, we will not be getting a pet (at least if it's up to me...Jon really want to get a bird).

Aside from the developmentally delayed gerbil we adopted from our school and a couple of rabbits who ended up as meat at a rabbit farm (something of which I only found out in my adult years), I never had a pet growing up or at least one that I felt connected with.

I do see beauty in the relationships that people establish with their furry friends and do agree that in many ways I've missed out on something. However, I remain resolute in my decision not to have pets.

To compensate, I've started buying dog treats and cat food for the pets of our neighbors. The kids love feeding Whitby, Francie, Piper, and Joey (in Jacob's case, it's throwing the biscuit as soon as the dog comes close).

I also try to visit pet stores with the kids when time allows. A huge act of love for me as I almost vomit every time I walk into those stores and get engulfed by the smell of the animals.

And, probably because I do feel a bit selfish for inflicting my animal phobias on my children, we've also been reading lots of books that have animals as main characters. Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web and now, The Mouse and the Motorcycle series. Claire, David and I are now into the second book and I think I'm enjoying it as much as they are.

The world of books is often the world I feel most at home in. There, Ralph is a cute and daring mouse. One I'd consider a friend. He's nothing like the mouse that inhabited our basement for awhile last winter. Nothing like the squirrels who made their home in our kitchen ceiling.