Tragedy Averted

If you have seen Seven Years in Tibet, you might remember a scene where the Tibetan monks are sifting meticulously through the dirt on the construction site of a new building. They were searching for worms and bugs to save from possible destruction by the new construction.

Sometimes I think I would have made a fairly good Buddhist. I remember hiking once, and discovering that the crunches I had been hearing weren't twigs I was stepping on, but snails. The rest of the hike found my eyes glued to the ground in an attempt to avoid any more carnage. I can hardly stand seeing worms crawling on pavement after a good rain, and have to resist the urge to spend hours 'saving' them.

When I discovered that Chet (my white goldfish, Waylon is the orange one) was sick last Friday, I was, shall we say, distraught. Louie had crafted a nice stand out of white oak for the 55 gallon tank we just acquired to move the fish into. They had outgrown the 20 gallon tank, and were in desperate need of a larger home. I couldn't stomach the idea, that one of them might die just at the point I could get the fish into a more appropriate abode.

I did some quick research on fish diseases and discovered Chet probably had a bacterial infection. I went to the store on Saturday and bought some Melafix, hoping this would help. When I saw that Chet looked much worse Sunday afternoon (nasty red spot at the base of his fins, bloody-red streaks on his body), I did more research, and discovered that Chet had hemorrhagic septicemia and the stuff I bought wouldn't help. But the pet stores were closed, and there was nothing I could do until the morning.

I spent the evening in a state of self-condemnation and regret.

The next morning, I got the kids ready, then went to grab my wallet and run out the door. My wallet was missing. After a frantic search of the house and a phone call to my husband at work, I nearly lost hope. Thankfully, Reanna had some money I could borrow, and I drove very carefully to the store (since I didn't have my driver's license) and bought the appropriate medicine.

I am please to report that Chet is recovering nicely. All the redness is gone, and the only evidence that remains is a gimpy fin and some fog in one eye. I am hoping he will be well enough to be moved to the big tank on Saturday.