I realize after 12+ years with a person it's a little late to say "what have I done", but "what have I done"!?!?! Abe recently went through an old box of his belongings that we have been hauling around all these years. In it he found a bunch of old video tapes with recorded episodes of Dr. Who on them. Well, I succeeded in convincing him they should be gotten rid of. This is no small feat. As you will soon find out, he is a pack rat, in a bad way. But before I go any further I must congratulate him on getting rid of something from his past and at the same time apologize to Abe's step-mom as she is now the keeper of them because Abe's Dad said he would take them.
In the same box were several other miscellaneous items, also from Abe's past. These things were piled up on top of the washer and dryer waiting to be sorted through. Well I saw this item in particular and questioned Abe about it.
I said, "this is trash, right? What is it, a homemade cat toy?" Seemed like a logical guess to me. He laughed and said "maybe you want to put that down". The whole time sounding hesitant about getting rid of it. He told me what was inside and I will make you scroll down to find out. He did agree to get rid of it as long as we documented the item, as well as its' contents with pictures. So here you have it.
Carefully cutting the specimen open.
Carefully unrolling the specimen.
At last, the specimen. That's right a mouse...a mummified mouse. His name is Jake and Abe was 12 when he had him as a pet. When Jake died, Abe decided to preserve his memory via mummification, courtesy of the encyclopedia. So little Jake was put in salt water for 7 days and then wrapped up in this fabric and stitched with about 3 little stitches. And if you check the encyclopedia you will find out this is an abbreviated version of the mummification process, at best. For example, he didn't remove the organs since he did not have the appropriate tools to do so.
So after taking inappropriate pictures of Abe pretending to eat Jake, we gave him the proper burial he deserved, courtesy of the trash can out front. RIP, little Jake, RIP.
7 comments:
From one wife that married a pack rat, to another, I sympathize. If you can get me the trick in getting rid of Dr. Who I would be much obliged. Actually....I read this post to Bill and he said, oh yeah....I watched those with Abe. And little Jake. He was right there too. Called it a spirit bag. Our husbands.....what to do?
There seems to be a whole group of guys who cherish the Dr. Who shows. Someone said they may start rerunning them again on PBS, but we have not found it as yet. The tapes may be a collector's item one day - I would not dispose of them. Unfortunately, I am a keeper of stuff and have a hard time letting go. I also have started taking pics of items we have given away to ease the pain. mb from TC
why am i not surprised by this at all?
Beth! I can not believe that you made Abraham get rid of those last precious remnants of his childhood! I would have taken little Jake and kept him safe for all eternity... or until I die and you have to go through all your (pack rat) mother-in-law's crap!! I guess you know where Abe get's that pack rat thing. I remember the whole spirit-bag thing, but I didn't realize that Abe had the mummy. I thought I had it wrapped in a little box made of masking tape. I was always afraid to ask.. maybe I have an earlier version, cuz I was thinking that Abe was about 9 when that happened. Also, Abe used to have a very nice Dr. Who tee shirt when he was younger that was handed down to a few of our friend's kids. Oh, what I would give to have it back for Zane! (or me.)
Chris,don't worry, there are several more "precious" remnants of Abe's childhood still around here.
I can't believe you've been living with a dead mouse for so long and never had a clue!
I'm saying prayers for little Jake....hopefully, his journey to "mouse heaven" has been completed (after "mouse purgatory") and he's living a life of luxury with all the cheese and shiny things he could ever want. RIP
Janet
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