With the final season of the Oprah Winfrey show this spring it was only fitting that Oprah (the guinea pig) decided to make this her final season as well. Today June 6, 2011 around 6:00pm Oprah took her last breath and was buried in our backyard.
Oprah came to live with me almost 5 years ago - not intentionally - but more out of duty. After brainstorming with my younger sister for many days as to what to get our brother for his birthday my sister said "I got it. The perfect gift would be a guinea pig. A soft, furry pet that Adam can hold and pet but would not be much work to care for." So after agreeing with her that maybe it was an ok idea we contacted my mom who found a "guinea pig breeder" and off we went to pick her up. When we picked her up I have to admit she was pretty cute and I was excited for my brother. It seemed like we had gotten him the perfect gift. We loaded the cage in my car, told him we were coming over for a birtday celebration and knocked on the door. Needless to say we pretty much knew right away how excited he was by the look on his face when we shouted Happy Birthday and showed him his new birthday gift. A mixture of shock, diappointment and maybe a little bit of disgust towards this furry little creature. He decided to try it out for a week or two (probably just to make us feel a little better about getting him such a crappy gift) but after she chewed several tv wires, computer wires and he found out he was allergic to her she became my new pet. But not without Adam giving her a name that I decided to stick with Oprah.
While I would have never gotten a guinea pig for myself the experience of having one for a pet was special. It was really cool to just go to the fridge and pull out some fresh fruit and lettuce and watch her chow down. Her vocalizations (that really sounded like a squelling pig) were very amusing and comical. When I was still single and living alone her squelling was nice to hear in a quiet house. And the times she raced around her cage full speed either because she had too many blueberries or to get excercise always caused me to smile. She also provided much amusement for my 2 cats and more recently my 9 month old infant.
So Oprah thank you for bringing laughter and amusement into my life in an unplanned, unexpected way. You were a great pet and will always be remembered.
P.S. Thank you Troy (my husband) for the many cage changes and feedings over these past several years Oprah lived with us.
2 comments:
Oprah: I'll tell it like it is. I won't miss cleaning your cage; but I'll miss your squealing, esp. on my way out the door every morning. We'll see ya on the other side!
Goodbye Oprah! You were cute and I enjoyed talking to you when I came to visit. It was fun picking you up and petting you. You were a nice guiney pig if I do say so myself. I will miss your little noises! Nanny M.
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