Goodnight, Sweetheart.

Kelly is not going to be happy when she comes home on Thursday from Canada.

Yesterday, when I went into her room to have a little play-time with the hamsters before starting my day, Oreo was laying in her enclosure, halfway between her nest and her food. Looks like she just laid down on her path and gave up the ghost. Maybe she had a stroke. I'd handled her in the evening, and she'd looked fine, climbing into my hand, and nosing around for treats. Of all the hamsters, her demise is the one that has caught me the most off guard.

She'd been so pleasant and nearly friendly the last few months. Instead of attacking anything that came into her cage, she actually would listen for your voice, and then come to the sound, climb up in your hand, and sniff around for any seed-treats you may have brought her. We hypothesized that she might have gone blind, and I wondered if she had diabetes because she went through water about twice as fast as any of the other hamsters.

She was a good pet for Kelly. By far the spunkiest, but still, even with her ornery streak, Kelly had found a way to love her.

And while she'll be missed, I'm actually kind of happy to have reclaimed the space.

You had a good life, Oreo.