Arcola, Saskatchewan
You know how you are supposed to buy gifts for milestone years according to this chart?
We have a slightly altered tradition in our family. Both 10th and 60th year gifts are “Rodent”.
When my sister Val was 10, I got her a gerbil for a special occasion. She turned 60 recently and she is getting another one.
I purchased the first gerbil at Woolco Department Store in Regina. The box it came in had a large store logo on it, which I taped to the rat’s cage. Forever after, Val’s gerbil was named Woolco.
Woolco Department Store, ca 1975.
The Ford Fairlane Station Wagon I owned at the time could be the one parked out front.
Woolco was a hit! Val loved that pet! I don’t remember how long Woolco was with us, but he lived a charmed life.
Woolco evaded capture in this photo. Val is proudly holding his cage, but only the treadmill is visible.
I faced a dilemma as Val’s birthday approached this year. I found a nicely furnished cage and printed a billboard-sized “Woolco” sign for it, but I couldn’t find a gerbil. Pet stores have every imaginable type of livestock, but gerbils are hard to come by. Woolco Department Stores are even harder to find.
When you have your heart set on a beady-eyed gerbil, even a calico cat won’t do.
I found a hamster, but I thought to myself, “If Val doesn’t want gerbil lite, I might end up with it.” That would never do.
I ran out of time to look for a live gerbil (Amazon was no help), so I tried to find a stuffed animal. I am not sure why, but they don’t make gerbil stuffies either. Again, I found a stuffed hamster, but hamsters don’t have tails, and they just don’t cut it.
There is no substitute for a handsome golden gerbil.
Defeated, and short of time, I bought the stuffed hamster. Bear converted it to a gerbil by sewing a long bit of fabric to the hamster’s bum.
Our family is getting together this weekend. We will present Val with the cage, the stuffed hamster-turned-gerbil, and this gift certificate for…..
… One Live Gerbil
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Sandra Hagenes
Russ,
Becky told me about your blog but I wasn’t able to find it. I’m glad Val is having a birthday!
I look forward to reading more!
Sandra (Carr) Hagenes
Russ Paton
Always good to have more South Arcola folks on board!