Plumpkin, Jess' beloved hamster, died earlier today. The vet had diagnosed him with tumors in his leg, and he spent his last days curled up in a ball with Jess at his side to nurse him. She had him for over a year, and I guess it was time. Dressed in black, Jess, Christine, and I carried Plumpkin in a little box and searched for a burial ground. Our search brought us to the trails and Bonita Creek Park. But alas, the soil was too hard to dig through with plastic cups and we were unable dig a proper grave. Christine went home to bring back shovels.

Who knew that hamsters live for only a year, two at most? I didn't. So now, I'm wondering how long till it's Quiznos' time. With the exception of fishes won at the carnival, and the unfortunate tadpole incident, I haven't had to deal with a pet dying since the Philippines. And even then, I think I was too young to understand that those pets were gone forever.

There's a part of me that believes Quiznos will live forever, like the frog in Tuck Everlasting. He's a daredevil with 9 lives. Quiznos has managed to climb out of his tank and jump down a dresser that's almost as tall as I am, several times without injury. Just last Sunday, Olie found him chillen in the cabinet under the sink. How he opened and closed the cabinet door is beyond me. Wolfe says that Quiznos reminds him of me, feisty. You have to work to win his affections, he is a fighter. So maybe...just maybe....he'll surprise me and live forever.

But for now, rest in peace dear Plumpkin.