Project Puppy Postponment

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again… we need a puppy like we need a hole in the head.

And every chance they get, both boys tell me how many puppies they “need.”  Last night Jake told me he’s going to have five or six dogs and Nate informed me of a more reasonable two.

Fortunately, Hot Lava and Boobooboos are doing swimmingly.  Boobooboos is so cute.  Every morning she greets me and swims around excitedly when she sees me.  Really?  Yes, I wouldn’t have believed it either, but a fish can be both cute and excited.  She swims like she’s wagging her tail.

And in the spirit of puppy postponement, we’re now the proud owners of TWO Uncle Milton’s Fascinating Ant Farms.

The ant farms were a Christmas gift from Uncle B and Auntie T.  They may have been my idea.  But when Jakey found out we were going to have to wait 4-6 weeks for the ants to show-up, he went with Plan B, which is to catch your own ants.

I think he caught four or five, got them in the farm, and got them inside the house.  Unfortunately, it appears he miscalculated the size of native San Joseants.  All of the captives went missing overnight.  We had to revert to Plan A.

The ant farms started off quite well.  I wasn’t there for the initial set-up, but I’m told an ant crawled up JJ’s arm and he freaked out because at the wise old age of 5, he already has gained the knowledge that red ants bite.  And Uncle Milton makes ’em big and red.  The harvester ants were industrious as expected, except for a few unfortunate souls that seemed to have lost their heads either in transfer via US Mail, or in transfer via the hole that is the gateway to the farm.

Over the last few weeks, visiting the ants first thing when you wake up and last thing before you go to bed has become a new routine.  There was one suspenseful evening when an ant was buried alive when a tunnel collapsed.  We watched and cheered and breathed a sense of relief when he finally dug his way out, one grain of sand at a time, unharmed.  And whenever it’s quiet and I can’t find James, it’s because he is silently leaning over the kitchen counter… watching our fascinating ants.  Uncle Milton delivers on his promises.

Although things started out well, the ants have slowed down and the burial grounds have grown, turning the majority of the farm into a cemetery.  We recently came across the care-taking instructions that we should have been following.  I don’t think the ants are going to make it through our trip to Hawaii.  The last survivors may be destined to buy this farm.

That said, Project Puppy Postponment is going well and I’m pleased with the progress.  Next up: Butterflies!

They have a kit for everything.

Except puppies.

Thank goodness.