My sister and I had lots of different kinds of pets when we were growing up. The shortlist included: cats, dogs, mice, guinea pigs, snakes, tarantulas, an armadillo, and several assorted ponies and horses. My favorite, however, were the guinea pigs. We had quite a few of them over the years. My mom loved animals so we never had to beg for a pet.
The guinea pigs were great. They would squeak when you picked them up. They could eat an entire lettuce leaf in a matter of seconds. They really were a lot of fun. The only problem with the guinea pigs was that we tended to forget about them. Meaning, when we were done playing with them, we sometimes forgot to put them back in their cages.
The Great Guinea Pig Ban of 1972 (or GGPB) was born from our constant forgetfulness. My sister and I were forever leaving guinea pigs about the house. The ban was instituted specifically after one was left on the third floor of the Barbie townhouse overnight. This was the final infraction that pushed my mother to institute the ban that stated we could no longer get them out.
Previous infractions included but were not limited to; leaving a guinea pig in the Barbie van while we were out for dinner, leaving a guinea pig unattended on a shelf, leaving a guinea pig under a pillow on the couch in an attempt to hide him. Unfortunately, my dad came in and accidentally sat on the guinea pig. The guinea pig wasn’t the only one who squealed when that happened!
The GGPB of ’72 was lifted for a short time as I recall. It didn’t last long, however, after my mother heard “scratching” inside our closet one day. When she asked how the guinea pig had gotten into the closet, I offered a very plausible explanation, “I’m guessing he ditched the Barbie van somewhere along the way and started walking.”
And that was the end of that.
What wonderful childhood memories, Barb. I love reading your post. They always evoke emotion! Today it was a laughter!
That armadillo looked an awful lot like an opossum! lol
That’s why it’s good to have your mom do the fact-checking! Yes, it was an opossum named Possible!
Oh Barb!!! I’m so glad that you decided to write! I remember the way you share stories – whether at the lunch table or virtually, is beautifully entertaining. Don’t let your pen run out of ink and KEEP WRITING!!!!
I.’m so glad we’re still neighbors – what a treat!
I thought I was the only one leaving them scattered about?! I did enjoy them, I mostly played with the albino ones and named them all FRED 🙂 lol
Thanks for the memory Sis!