In my Advanced Discussion Class this week we talked about pets.
It’s an interesting topic, and it can be talked about at a lot of levels from having pets, naming, caring for them, choosing pets, and what pets you might want to have or think would be fun to have.
You can also talk about the benefits of having pets. There are many besides the obvious benefits of companionship. Pets are also a liability and come with their own sets of difficulties. It’s interesting to see both sides.
I have had lots of pets in my life, and some of them have been a little out of the ordinary. My house growing up was home to raccoons, hawks, and even a pig or two besides the normal dogs, cats, fish, and turtles.
We have those at my house now, well, the fish and one turtle.
One set of fish live in a large bowl on the landing between the first floor and the second. I pass them several times a day and almost every time I at least talk to them in passing. I clean that bowl completely every few months, but add water and wipe the sides on a regular basis.
I lost my net about 2 or 3 years ago, so I have started using my hand to scoop the fish out. They’re very funny about that because they’re also very used to it. They don’t just jump into my hand, but once I have them in my hand, they just lie there, mostly quietly, while I move them to their little bucket to wait for the cleaning.
Here are a couple of pictures of them and the process.
In transit
Waiting for the cleaning crew to finish
Back in the water