Somehow I’ve been volunteered to look after the guinea pig while the rest of the family frolics at Shasta Lake. Which is fine, by the way. I have no time for frolicking at the moment, and Biffle is no trouble. He smells somewhat better than the rats I looked after during the equivalent week last year. (He really smells a lot better than the rats do now, as they have been dead for several months.)

David brought Biffle by this morning, before I was fully awake, but I think I remember from before how to feed him. He gets his produce in the afternoon, I think, and the food dish gets filled when it gets low, and the water dispenser has to be attended to. Other than that, no work at all. If I had a pet, it would have to be at least as low-maintenance as a guinea pig.

But I’m perfectly happy to watch the local cats play with the local field mice on my newly mown lawn, and to chortle at the turkeys as they waddle through the yard in the afternoon. Maintenance don’t get no lower than that.

Moving on, I’d like to say, “Thank goodness for Target.” There, I said it. They are the only place in town that currently has the Peach Mango flavor of V8 V-Fusion Light, to which I’ve developed a mild addiction. I don’t mind the Strawberry Banana, which is available everywhere, and I could get the regular Peach Mango, but I don’t perceive a need for extra calories in my drink when it can be had without them.

I’m also mildly addicted to Vitamin Water, even though I have grave doubts that it’s any better for my system than regular water, but you can’t choose your addictions. Okay, you can, but why bother? As long as I don’t have to pay more than a dollar for a twenty-ounce bottle, I’m happy. It’s certainly better for me and cheaper than beer, even Heineken Premium Light, which is only 90 calories a bottle. See, I do my research.