Back in October, the children's librarian and myself decided to add a fish tank with tropical fish to the decor of the children's department. So I happily pulled my old fish tank out of storage, a treasured birthday gift from my late grandfather, and donated it to the library. Much to the dismay of the circulation ladies and director, we named those original fish after them. We quickly filled the tank with a collection of zebra danios, mollies and platys. It looked wonderful and the kids absolutely loved it.
Throughout the last six months, we suffered some mass casualties in our happy little fish community. At first we attributed this to a number of different reasons: the big fish were eating the little fish, the fish had ick (ironically the librarian got the flu this same week), the tank was too clean, the tank wasn't clean enough and the list goes on and on. After much thought and frustration after about thirty fish deaths (try explaining all of those to a preschooler), we realized that one fish NEVER died and SURVIVED every mass exodus, Rita, the lone zebra danio from the original fish family. Rita, named after a sweet, older woman who works at the circulation desk, either had a strong will to live or was the culprit in all of these deaths.
Early this week, I decided that the best decision would be to kill those last two fish, including Rita, and start fresh with a clean tank and a brand new set of fish. As today approached though and I prepared to clean the tank, I did not have the heart to murder Rita and her unnamed little fish friend, so I talked one of the other circulation ladies into taking them home for her grandchildren. Knowing that Rita was going to a good home, I put the two fish in a cup in the library kitchen until I had finished cleaning the fish tank, not thinking there would be any problem with that for a few minutes. Well, I cleaned the fish tank and then the hermit crab tank and took the hermit crabs for their weekly walk around the library (yes, I walk our hermit crabs) and went to check on Rita.
I let out a shocked "Oh know" when I saw to my dismay that Rita was no longer in her cup. At this time, Laura and the real Rita joined me in the kitchen to help find the lost fish. The three of us were laying on the floor looking under counters, in repair supplies and behind boxes. We feared the fish had become the latest victim of the library's most unwelcome inhabitant, a mouse or that she had fallen into the repair supplies and the woman who works on those would soon find a dead fish amongst her replacement cases. Just when we were about to give up, we found Rita the fish covered in dust under the counter. Alive! The real Rita grabbed her namesake and headed for the sink to wash her off. At this point, thinking the worst was over, we breathed a sigh of relief.
Wrong! The unnamed friend decided to jump ship and attempt a suicidal plunge right then, so Laura and I jumped around the kitchen trying to catch the fish. We caught him just as the real Rita let out a cry. Rita the fish had squirmed out of her grip and taken a free fall down the drain. So much for our attempts to save her life and find her a new home, she just wanted to continue ruling her watery kingdom in the library fish tank. So, now our little Rita is swimming through the sewers of North Fayette I suppose...
Ah, all in the day of a librarian.
Throughout the last six months, we suffered some mass casualties in our happy little fish community. At first we attributed this to a number of different reasons: the big fish were eating the little fish, the fish had ick (ironically the librarian got the flu this same week), the tank was too clean, the tank wasn't clean enough and the list goes on and on. After much thought and frustration after about thirty fish deaths (try explaining all of those to a preschooler), we realized that one fish NEVER died and SURVIVED every mass exodus, Rita, the lone zebra danio from the original fish family. Rita, named after a sweet, older woman who works at the circulation desk, either had a strong will to live or was the culprit in all of these deaths.
Early this week, I decided that the best decision would be to kill those last two fish, including Rita, and start fresh with a clean tank and a brand new set of fish. As today approached though and I prepared to clean the tank, I did not have the heart to murder Rita and her unnamed little fish friend, so I talked one of the other circulation ladies into taking them home for her grandchildren. Knowing that Rita was going to a good home, I put the two fish in a cup in the library kitchen until I had finished cleaning the fish tank, not thinking there would be any problem with that for a few minutes. Well, I cleaned the fish tank and then the hermit crab tank and took the hermit crabs for their weekly walk around the library (yes, I walk our hermit crabs) and went to check on Rita.
I let out a shocked "Oh know" when I saw to my dismay that Rita was no longer in her cup. At this time, Laura and the real Rita joined me in the kitchen to help find the lost fish. The three of us were laying on the floor looking under counters, in repair supplies and behind boxes. We feared the fish had become the latest victim of the library's most unwelcome inhabitant, a mouse or that she had fallen into the repair supplies and the woman who works on those would soon find a dead fish amongst her replacement cases. Just when we were about to give up, we found Rita the fish covered in dust under the counter. Alive! The real Rita grabbed her namesake and headed for the sink to wash her off. At this point, thinking the worst was over, we breathed a sigh of relief.
Wrong! The unnamed friend decided to jump ship and attempt a suicidal plunge right then, so Laura and I jumped around the kitchen trying to catch the fish. We caught him just as the real Rita let out a cry. Rita the fish had squirmed out of her grip and taken a free fall down the drain. So much for our attempts to save her life and find her a new home, she just wanted to continue ruling her watery kingdom in the library fish tank. So, now our little Rita is swimming through the sewers of North Fayette I suppose...
Ah, all in the day of a librarian.
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