Super times and sad times...

This weekend we got the opportunity to get to know a real character of a guy, Skinner, meet some mules and go for a sleigh ride in Heber. Skinner is a retired flying circus clown, a skilled craftsman and blacksmith, and a true mountain man. He noticed our gypsy wagon, or vardo, in our yard and invited us to store it in the barn where he trains mules in Heber. We took it there and he treated us to conversation, homemade wassail and a sleigh ride. He's building a vardo of his own design to go on a journey from Oregon on, back-tracking the Oregon trail. He seems to know about everything and has some really colorful stories. We really enjoyed the day with him!




Also, this weekend we watched, along will millions of other people, the Steelers beat the Cardinals in a pretty exciting Superbowl game. If was funny to hear Alex and Alan cheering when the Steelers made a great play and groaning when they "fumbled."




Those were some happy times but Sunday evening I found that our last hamster, Pop, had passed away. It was too much for Alan to bear losing both our little friends so close to each other. He felt that if must have been his fault. We know that Blaze died of old age but we're not sure why Pop passed on. It is so hard to see your kids hurting and not really knowing what will make them feel better. I cried myself as Pop was the hamster I took out and played with most often.



Pop was very hand friendly and would come to the door of the cage when ever I came into the room. He always seemed ready to play. He was a different kind of hamster than Blaze (who was a dwarf Russian winter white hamster), slightly larger and more brown colored, a Campbell's dwarf hamster. We got Pop with his brother Pip last January right after they were able to leave their mother. Pop and Pip roomed together until Pip passed away (not long after we got them). Pop wasn't a runner like Blaze rather he just loved to gnaw on the bars of his cage. He was always climbing up like a monkey and gnawing away. We'll inter Pop side by side with Blaze and in the spring we'll create a marker for the graves.




Unfortunately we never took any pictures of the hamsters. Here's a look at hamsters who were similar to Blaze and Pop:



This one looks a lot like Blaze.

Here are two that look like Pop.