This weekend I learned that the father of my nanny (a young lady who watches my kids on Tuesday afternoons) delivers our newspaper! I told her to ask him if he remembers the time he had to get out and climb into the ditch to put the paper in our box. Post on that later.
The lady I pay to help me shovel out my house about once a month has a master’s degree. (not in cleaning)
I also learned that the guy in the pet store knows as much about fish sex as I do. (side note: the only fish/pet store in our town closed and joined with a “country” store my SIL calls Pettycoat Junction, to open a branch store, then the branch didn’t make money, so they are back to the one Pettycoat Junction, but I am not sure the fish/pet store is still involved. They have not relocated anywhere, leaving me to wonder if anyone really knows about fish at the Junction, or they just clean tanks and order what looks fun) He suggested that maybe they wouldn’t reproduce again. I refrained from suggesting the same for him. Mom thought I should surreptitiously return the babies to the store when nobody was watching. I wonder what the penalty for that would be…it wouldn’t be stealing, more like donating. Stan the fish man mentioned letting them swim in the toilet, but I can’t bring myself to do that either. Yet. Maybe they won’t reproduce…I have always been big into denial.
So I called an expert, my friend Traci. She told me that I needed to see if I could exchange an adult fish for one that is enough different so they wouldn’t reproduce, or learn to “sex” them, that means tell the sexes apart, and get the same sex. So I am talking to Traci and I see what looks like clouds all over the bottom of my tank. Little cottony things that weren’t there last night…caviar anyone?
Tuesday Game Plan
1. Research fish species and identification on the internet; become more knowledgeble than Stan the fish man
2. Take a fish to school, for Mae’s classmate, Jane has show and tell, maybe we could kill two stones with one fish
3. Find out about a fish exchange at the store, and procure a non-compatible community fish (see, I have already learned)
4. Clean the tank out tomorrow and scrub it well, then get on my knees and pray.
5. Quit obsessing about my fish.
I wonder if a catfish thing would eat the eggs…then I wouldn’t have to get rid of a fish. Back to part 5 of my plan.
Mar 18, 2008 @ 14:54:00
I just got an education in fish sex. Those little pillow/cloud thingies at the bottom of the tank… yep, I never knew what those were until now. lol What kind of fish do you have? Are they guppies or gold fish or something? Know anybody that’s having a birthday party for one of their kids coming up? I hate to say it but it just may be time for a few of them to take that last swim in the toilet. Maybe you could seperate them into smaller tanks and keep them apart so they stop reproducing? Just trying to help here. lol
Mar 18, 2008 @ 17:01:00
I don’t know as I would feel very bad about killing unwanted fish babies… Although, when I put it like that, maybe I would! I am pretty citified and wimpy about making life or death judgments on animal life. I am probably less charitable to our renters, now that I think about it. (-:
Mar 18, 2008 @ 22:57:00
@evagarringer – I could do it once, but it looks like it would be about every five or six weeks.
Mar 18, 2008 @ 23:00:00
@MeAndMiniMe – I just missed Jane’s birthday, dang it! I could get out mason jars and line them up across the counter…nah I don’t think so.