only the good die young..

ok, so. hazel died.

i've had a difficult time trying to write about this. not because i'm too emotionally overwrought about losing a dear little buddy that liked to chew anything made of anything resembling paper, but because whenever i start to write or talk about it, i feel flippant. i make jokes and speak frankly and focus more on the fact that she's in a box in my freezer than how it's a little lonely around my apartment without her stealing mail or snuggling up in my blankets for naps. she was a good little buddy, we were fast friends and i miss her dearly.

but i like to think i'm pretty grounded when it comes to death. life is impermanent and everyone dies. mourning, in the traditional sense, is just not my thing. i am sad, but i am ok with it and all right and everything is fine. i've cried my tears for hazel, she was my pal and kept me company when i was feeling pretty lonely living all by myself here in the biggest little city. she always made me laugh and she was nice to everyone. (except francis, eQ's rat friend.)

but. she got sick and a short while later, she breathed her last little rat breath. i sat with her, made her as comfortable as i could and when she was dead, put her in a box with pieces of various nests she's kept throughout my apartment and her favourite treats and put her in my freezer. i'm going to take her to The Muc and bury her amongst a few of my other favorite animal friends.

so. a few photos in memoriam. you will be missed, hazel b.