Happy Life Zoo

For Christmas, the children received from Santa not only a new puppy, but four little freshwater crabs in our existing 20-gallon fishtank. The children each named their own crab (Paphet, Liz, Jacko, and Sally). Sadly, only a few days after Christmas Lucy's crab (Sally) went missing. It was nowhere to be found, until a day or two later when I found some "remains" among the rocks. A shell, a leg. Lucy handled it like a champ; rumor has it that Santa got these crabs at the North Pole Walmart so their quality was in question to begin with. Lucy got a new little fish to make up for dead Sally.

Then, a few weeks later (or a few weeks ago, same difference), Liz up and vanished. But this time we never found any signs of a deceased Liz, and figured she must have climbed up to the top of the filter and OUT... I thought I might find her remains behind the trash can or underneath Juno's food bowl or (gulp) in Juno's, uh, poop. But Liz was never found (and no I didn't search too hard) so Molly also got a new fish to make up for it.

Yesterday a miracle occurred! Molly looked at the fishtank and found Liz! There were three crabs in there again, no doubt about it. We guessed she had been hiding - buried in the rocks perhaps? Of course we had done a thorough in-tank search weeks earlier, so hiding in the rocks is the only answer. Molly was so excited and decided to donate her new fish to "the family" since she had her crab back; always thinking of fairness that girl.

Then also yesterday, about half an hour after Liz's resurrection, I had just gotten out of the shower when Molly came up to my room wide-eyed, announcing incredulously that she had just looked again and there were now FOUR crabs in the fishtank! Lucy's crab Sally had reappeared! Sadly I didn't believe her. I told her it must be the angle and reflections of the glass. I told her we'd seen Sally's remains. I told her to cut it out so she wouldn't get Lucy's hopes up. Molly walked back downstairs, dejected, and I could tell I'd hurt her feelings by not believing her. But come on, what were the chances?

In an effort to be a good mom, I realized I'd hurt Molly's feelings and I went down the stairs after her (in my towel; this was urgent) to see the crab miracle for myself. INDEED!! There were Paphet, Liz, Jacko, AND SALLY in all their former crabby glory! The kids speculated that Santa had brought new crabs in the night since he felt bad; I speculated that they have been "hibernating" in the rocks and that crabs do some sort of molting (to explain the "remains" we had seen weeks and weeks earlier) but whatever the explanation, we are back to four crabs.

And eight fish (of different varieties) (named Shadrach, Meshack, Abednego, Bruce, Al, Glinda, Rosie, and Olivia)

And one puppy named Juno.

For former non-pet people we're sure amassing an impressive collection around here...