Today's installment actually started a few years ago when we were celebrating celebrated Christmas with my in-laws. Drinks were flowing and I was in quite the festive mood, when my niece Brittany asked if we knew anyone that could look after her pet jird when she finished University (She was moving across the country once she graduated). As my husband points out on a regular basis, you get a couple of drinks under my belt, and I'll agree to pretty much anything. So, happy to oblige, I pipe up "We'll take the jird, we don't have a jird yet, and oh by the way what's a jird ?" Turns out a Jird is part of the gerbil family, so while Brittany is gushing her appreciation, Rob is giving me the stink-eye from across the room, which I promptly ignored. Anyway, at the end of the evening, we go home, I sober up, get on with Christmas and totally forgot about the Jird & my promise to our niece.
Fast forward a few months, and I get an unexpected call from Brittany, checking to see if it was OK for my in-laws to drop off the jird on the following Saturday. My first thought was what the hell is she talking about, while in the dark recesses of my mind, a faint memory stirred. "Yes, yes of course it's OK" I tell Brittany, playing for time, "Can you go over the details again ?". As she is giving me the rundown, I remember my less than sober promise at Christmas. Oh well, what the heck, if this thing is the size of a gerbil, we already have 5 hamsters, should be a breeze. "Not a problem at all" I tell Brittany, "We're happy to take her, anytime" I promptly hang up the phone, and you've guessed it, totally forgot about our conversation.
Fast forward again, to Saturday, and I head out for the afternoon to visit a friend and her new baby. When I return home a few hours later Rob is standing on the front doorstep, looking none too pleased. Figuring it must be the kids that have pissed him off, and secretly congratulating myself on missing the latest turmoil, I get out the van, having no idea the shit was about to hit the fan. "You have some explaining to do" he exclaimed. Me ? What on earth could I have done. "Mum & dad stopped by this afternoon" he continued, yeah, so I'm still not getting it. I give him a vacant look, "The jird?" he questions. Oh, crap!, crap!, crap!. I had totally forgotten to warn him. "You should see the size of the fucking cage." he said. My husband never swears, so I know I'm in trouble. "It's huge. Mum & dad laughed all the way here. Mum was very disappointed she didn't get to see your face" (My in-laws can be really evil) "Why don't you come and see?" he carries on. I walk in the house only to be confronted by three kids grinning from ear to ear "You're in trou-ble" they chant in unison. Little bastards.
I head down to the basement, kids in tow, still chanting. They are going to pay, and so is Brittany. Rob wasn't kidding, this was the Taj-Mahal of cages. The damn gerbil is 5" long, the cage is the size of a frigging dog kennel. I think even Grady could fit inside it. "So where do you think you're going to put it?" asks my husband, like all of a sudden trying to be nice and help out his niece is all my fault? As well as the jird, Brittany also had a whole bunch of snakes. She is a lovely girl, smart & talented but I don't understand her proclivity towards reptiles. I'll find a home for the cage somewhere, I'm just so thankful I didn't inadvertently agree to taking the snakes.
I quickly did some reading up on jirds, and discovered they are supposed to very intelligent (which is more than can be said about me right now). One owner even commented that he lets his jirds have the run of his apartment and they actually come when they are called. Even my kids don't do that, I'm starting to like this little rodent more and more.
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