Chickens, Snow, Auntie and Romi's Tush

My friends all find it funny that a few weeks ago, early on a Sunday morning, Romi locked me out of the house. I'd probably find it amusing too, if I hadn't been in my robe. It was about 6:30 a.m. and I was trying to let Abba get a much-needed break from the 5:00 a.m. wake up call that is the Romster. Romi likes to sit on the washer and dryer and play with buttons and knobs and the car keys, but I won't leave him up there unattended and it gets a bit dull so I figured I'd read the paper. However, when I went out to get it, leaving the main door open but the iron security door closed, he reached up those cute little fingers and threw the deadbolt. And it was cold outside. When he just looked up at me through the door I was pretty sure I'd soon be knocking on our bedroom window to wake up Rob, but after two a couple of tries my Little Manster managed to let me back in--cold, but no worse for wear!

Romi has been up to quite a bit these last few weeks. He is a busy hamster. He recently helped Abba wash the car, which he absolutely loved, probably because if it has to do with water, he's in. He worked hard, soaping up the car, rubbing and rinsing and, of course, getting drenched in the process. He especially liked it when he was inside and Abba pointed the hose at the window. Rob couldn't hear him from outside the car, but it was obvious what he wanted when he kept pointing at the window!

We have recently had the pleasure of some company, and Romi was just thrilled to see his grandmother and auntie. He looks after my mom quite well and if I serve him something on his plate for dinner, he makes certain she gets her fair share too, even if it's something she doesn't like or want (like couscous). Although he's smart enough not to share too much of his new favorite: asparagus. And, of course, Romi will do things for Grandma that he will do for no one else. She loves to see him naked (which resulted into two accidents on our carpet while she was here) so whenever he gets out of the shower, he immediately runs to find Grandma so she can kvell over the naked baby. And when she asks him to get over to her so she can pinch his tush, he turns around and backs up so she can do it. For us, he won't even pick up a toy.

When his auntie came to visit the two hit it off fabulously. She taught him how to splash in the bath (thanks Jodi) and they had many long conversations, often about a bee-in-the-car incident on the way back from Mount Lemmon. Speaking of Mount Lemmon, I was more than excited to take Romi to the snow. We loaded up clothes and gear and sleds and headed up the mountain. Granted, I hadn't been on a sled since my infamous accident in D.C. 14 years ago, but I was willing to give it a try and I wasn't about to deny Romi the opportunity. Turns out I didn't have to worry. After weeks of trying to find the perfect day and then us driving all over the top of the Catalina Mountains searching for the perfect sledding spot, Romi absolutely hated the snow. He liked the sled ride, but after five minutes kept he just kept asking to get in the car. He was quite insistent, so while I do have video of both Romi and his auntie on a sled (no, really, Jodi went sledding!), we didn't stay long. Good thing we live in the desert!

As for the latest news, Romi is getting used to the baby chickens. He was quite wary of them at first and while he still doesn't like to touch them, he is growing more and more fascinated every day. His new favorite past time is to have us take all three chicks out of the brooder so they can roam the sunroom. He isn't petting them yet, but he loves to watch them run around.

From left to right: Buffy, Heather and Loretta