A Recent Death, Picket Fences, and Spring

The Hegehog is dead. I think, in retrospect of course, that he never really was well. His days and nights were marked by feeble scuffling and lethargy. Not at all the funny, busy, bright eyed pet we'd hoped for. Once we realized that his days were numbered, and we kept him clean and fed and waited somewhat anxiously for the end. Our son had a very dignified burial for him, and his corpse will rest nestled forever in our herb garden. I feel guilty about all this of course. Everyone knows that an exotic pet is a bad idea. I knew the likelyhood of Squint being happy in a glass aquarium in my living room was... nil. I also knew this would be the case no matter how enriched his environment was, or how hard we tried. I also knew that if you are dumb enough to buy an exotic animal of some kind, you should pick the healthiest one, not the one with the crooked face earned by freefalling from astounding heights...but I can drown out my common sense voice very easily...and his spines were the prettiest in the whole store.. anyway. No more pets. Just Rocky and he is not a pet ,he is a dog... he ate an entire block of dill havarti yesterday with no apparant ill effects, his behavior is often annoying, yes. But predictable, and familiar, and easy to relate to. Who WOULDNT want to eat an entire block of dill havarti, He is almost human. The hedgehog was alien, not meant for this world.
On fences. I love picket fences. I don't know why. It must be residual from another life. I like the symmetry. The lines. The division of space. The structure they provide for organic forms. I like the old feel to them. I like that they are labor intensive. My husband is working on a picket fence around our yard. This is not it. when it is done I will put up a photo of it. It will be simple and wooden. It will keep our boys in, undesired individuals out, prop up lavender and thyme, wild yellow roses, thornless raspberries that will be planted as a gift to our second born, and some tall grasses, of undecided stature. As M. was working on the fence yesterday I realized I want my boys to all stay with me, just like this, forever. I want them to laugh and talk and eat and sleep here forever. I want them to stay little forever. I want them to grow up too, I guess. though not really. Not today. Not this week. I want them to wait until I am ready.
Yesterday the baby schooched a chair out from the dining room table and with a wide crazy grin on his face started puhing it across the house..WALKING. He thinks he invented it yesterday. So funny. His short little legs were moving so fast, he looked like a lunatic. Still small and almost totally bald he does not look like he should be able to move that fast. But he has a taste of it now. With no help or encouragement from me he is learning to walk.