Gerbil Drama

We had some drama in the house on Friday night.  Gerbil drama.  Coral and Jessalyn have two little gerbils named Lacey and Blossom.  Nice critters - never bite or cause any trouble.  This is our third pair of gerbils - the first two sets came to rather sticky ends.  Gerbils are not exactly a long-lived creature normally and this is particularly true of gerbils who have the karma to wind up in my home.
Jessalyn & Coral were just doing the final preparations for a sleepover with a couple of her friends when they discovered poor Blossom.  Talk about a lucky squeaker!  Having teenager owners, none of the alarming calamities that befell those earlier gerbils had happened.  No, instead we had one die of...  (wait for it...)


Old age!

Yes, a milestone in our child rearing has been reached!  Our little girls are growing up... >sniff<
No more senseless accidental slaughter for them!  Oh, no!  No, instead Tiffany and I held them as they cried and cried in the emotional devastation that followed the immediate discovery and then through the funeral. 
Yes, you heard correctly - the funeral.

I must confess that I felt like a pretty jaded gravedigger, having handled the aftermath of many such little pet-issues in my day.  But it was a very big deal for the girls. I felt really sorry for their broken little hearts.  (I can't wait for the first boyfriend break-up - Oy, veh!)
The sleepover guests arrived in the middle of the funeral and their girl-party was begun with tears.  Jessalyn's friends all gave her understanding hugs and they were a very subdued group for about an hour.  Luckily, teenage girls can't stay morose for long with a party waiting to be had and soon enough all of them were dancing and laughing again.

Thanks goodness for that party!  I'll take a nameless rodent atrocity over the weeping of my little girls any day.  Maybe I should give Lacey to my toddlers while there's still time...