We’ve never really had a pet, although we did cohabitate with my mother-in-law’s dog for awhile. And there were also a couple of stag beetles that died untimely deaths. Pets, then, are something of a novelty for us.
We are babysitting a goldfish while some friends are on vacation. “He’s very friendly,” my friend assured us. (A friendly goldfish?? Might she be projecting?) She added that it was okay if we forgot to feed him once or twice. He’s a rather large fish.
Forgetting to feed him is definitely not the problem. I think he might have been fed three or four times yesterday. It’s supposed to be Lilia’s job in the morning, but yesterday morning Yoshi fed him. “He was demanding to be fed,” my husband claimed.
In the evening, I found him sitting on the floor, gazing at the fish, which I’m sure had a calming effect. Lilia wrote about feeding him in her picture diary, and last night my mother-in-law was fretting about leaving him in the dark. She thought that we should leave the light on for him.
It’s kind of nice to have a pet, but I’m thankful that my friends will be back from their trip before it’s time to clean the tank.
Gaijin Mama 
Oh, you should see if you can track down “A Fish Out of Water,” one of my toddler’s current favorites, a very silly take on what happens when you overfeed a fish. I like fishtanks at doctor’s offices and such, but I’m with you, even caring for a fish seems like too much work to me…
I thought the title was referring to your mouse at first!
Thanks, Caroline. I’ll check it out. And Jean, happily we’ve had no more mice in the house, knock on wood, though I’ve come across two lizards (geckos?) recently.