7/29/2011 The girls are back!

I'm not crazy about it when the CDC asks us to pick up kids from somewhere other than their location, but it worked out today -- Gabriel's Archery Camp pickup was nearly within walking distance from the CDC's field trip from where they asked us to pick the kids up. So I picked up Gabriel first, then the other two.

So of course I think: all-three photo-op? Not really -- Gabriel had to trick Katrina into thinking something unexpected was behind me. She turns these situations from photo-ops into documentation moments, where the best I can do is record that they were all together.


The really good news for us this week: we get to rat-sit! Spot and Scabbers are back! Their true owners are going out of town for a week, and we gladly volunteered to rat-sit. The kids are thrilled, none moreso than Gabriel.



We're old hats with rats now; we know how to handle them and deal with the cage and all that. These two have grown a little, so may not fit into pockets quite the same way as before, but we'll manage (such as with bigger pockets).

It's so obvious we need our own pets. But with both parents working full-time and always feeling very on-the-edge, anything that needs more emotional maintenance than a cat (meaning: very little) wouldn't do well here. And school is starting in just a few weeks.

San Francisco seems a pretty dog-friendly city. I really enjoyed walking around during lunch breaks, touristing and immersing myself in the "city" world (though a completely different city world from New York). I saw a lot of dogs, and smiled at scenes like bored doormen in the high-class hotel district enjoying passersby with their dogs. I really liked walking around the city, especially with its beautiful hilltop views of thebay, but I also really liked seeing the normal scenes of normal life, including so many people passing their days and their lives with the companionship of a dog.

Rats are terrific pets for kids, and cats make the most sense for working parents, but there's no getting around that I've always been a dog person. Oh, if only. There are a lot of reasons for me to quit my job -- that could be one too!

But for the next week at least, we get to enjoy the company of two very funny friendly little girls!

7/29/11