Give a Man a Fish . . .

. . . and he he's not hungry for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will never starve (my paraphrase). But follow the instructions given by a WalMart *pet specialist*--and the man just might starve the fish! How long ago did we get Smaug? Months, right? He's not a very interesting pet. Just floats, barely moving, day after day. We often question whether he's still alive, but the slightest movement assures us he's still with the fam. Well, folks there's a good reason for that . . . forehead slap!

The pet people said to feed the fish ONE pellet ONCE a week. That's what we've been doing. The kids remarked, "Wow, this little container of fish food will last us ten years!" I'm thinking, "There is no company on the planet that can stay in business selling pet food once every 10 years per family." Aloud, while checking the web for beta info simultaneously on my phone, "Hey, what does food container say for how often the fish should be fed?"

Oh.My.Goodness. This poor little creature! He's supposed to be fed as much as he can eat in five minutes EVERY DAY! No wonder he hasn't been swimming around--he's conserving the meager calories we've been unknowingly providing him all this time. No wonder when he eats, he looks like he's chewing (and gagging) . . . he's trying to get his digestive system to reactivate. Never have I felt like such a jerk about a FISH! :)

I'm actually largely impressed at his fortitude--he's been surviving on prison rations. You should see him zipping around now that he has some energy to burn :) I think even his tail feathers (yes, I know fish don't really have feathers) are starting to look less raggedy and sad.

Speaking of sad--our window toad did not return this year for another season of classroom learning. I'm kind of bummed. I miss the little guy (or gal) sticking his (or her) froggy fingers on the window and begging to come in from the rain. So, Bombur is no more, I guess. Along with Gandalf and Pippen. But three cheers for Smaug who survived the homeschool experience! :) And rumor has it, there's a guinea pig coming down the line . . .