We have always had a wide variety of pets in our family. Skunks, snakes, iguanas, chickens, giant Oscar fish, hamsters, cats, dogs, a bantam rooster, a duck (long story) and several bunnies we saved from certain death as someone's dinner. When my father worked as a machine technician, he had a pager where you could leave messages with a service that would call him and relay it. My mother called them after our beloved and elderly bunny had given up the ghost while Daddy was at work. The phone attendant asked what message she could relay and Mom said, "just tell him the rabbit died."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and the lady said "Oh, congratulations!" My mother was puzzled for a minute and then realized her faux pas. "OH! No, no, the rabbit actually did die. I just wanted him to know so we could bury it tonight." Embarrassed and a bit disappointed, the attendant replied, "Oh, well I'm very sorry then."

Our own house is full of critters. Each of our pets has a very distinct personality and it's fascinating to see how they all knit together. But this big new house has still seemed kind of empty lately, so we decided to expand our family a bit.

I'm just calling to tell you, the rabbit died.

The due date is October 13th.