I live in the desert. Desert Center California to be exact. My little burg is near the Mojave Desert, Death Valley and the Salton Sea. The seasons are changing here.
Summer is hot - up to 130 degrees. This summer it was not so hot - only 120 but the humidity was high 89%. When it is hot like that we stay under the swamp cooler or the air conditioner.
Two summers ago we had a hamster in a habitrail. We lost electricity for three days. We had the hamster in the habitrail in breezes. However we tried keeping it cool we still lost it.
So, we got another hamster. This time we have the hamster in the habitrail during the winter and an open wire cage during the summer.
Summer just ended. Yesterday our weather was 101. Today our high is 85.
Today was moving day for our hamster. This entails capturing the little critter. Putting Scritch (that is her name) in a walking ball and letting her wander around the house while the cat watches the moving ball. The cat does not hit at the ball nor chase it. She just follows it around hoping the lid will come off and she will get some fast food.
Then we unmercifully rearrange Scritch's enviornment. Her bedding is changed from cool shredded paper to cushiony and warm paper filler. We made the mistake one day of putting pine shavings in her cage. We found out the hard way that most hamsters are allergic to pine and cedar. So, now for winter she gets warm mushed up paper filler. Her air-flo bars are replaced by warmth holding plastic habitrail walls. Next step is finding Scritch in her walking ball and putting her in her new home.
She snuffs around and digs around and makes herself at home. Scritch thanks us for moving her to her winter home by hibernating most of the winter.
Me? I'm just the opposite. I enjoy the winter. It is envigerating. I get more done. I have more energy. I work out more. Its just nicer. I even write more. Which is a good thing.
I wonder if there is a place that is always just the right temperature? Just the weather? A place where I would always have energy? Of course if there was such a place, I'd never see my hamster. She would always be in her winter home hibernating.
Charlene Leatherman, Author of Adventruous Romances
Prophecy of Vithan available at Cerridwen Press
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1 comment:
Love yuor hampster story, We got a hamster for our son, Martin, (11 years old at the time) when we lived in California for six months. We were then transferred to Calgary and had to cross the border to enter Canada. The border guard looked at Harvey, the hamster, checked in his book and said, "That belongs to the roden family and you can't take it across the border."
Martin burst into tears and the man relented and let Harvey through. More little adventures along the way but I'll spare you the details. Harvey turned out to be Harriet and she lived for over two years.
Anita
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