Friday, September 14, 2007

Peas and Garlic

My mantra as I walked the dog yesterday was "Peas and Garlic, peas and garlic, peas and garlic".

Why?

Well, my pretty little betta, Lava, is sick. He appears to have a swim bladder disorder, which is causing him to spend a lot of time on the bottom of the tank, listing slightly to one side. Sometimes he'll swim up to the top to breathe and will hang out there resting on plant leaves. But you can tell it takes a lot of effort to swim.

After cruising around the internet and the one hundred billion websites devoted to Bettas, I finally figured out that basically, there's not much you can do. Overfeeding is the culprit, so you feed very minimally and eventually the fish will recover on its own.

But the cure-all for bettas is boiled frozen green peas. Like chicken noodle soup for people, green peas apparently have a very restorative property for sick little fishies. So "Peas".

And the garlic? After my husband groused about a container of cream cheese having only a little cheese in it, he wondered aloud why we would have a container with just the tiniest bit in it and why couldn't I buy larger containers... So I decided to stop by the store on the way home from work and called him to see if he wanted anything. No mention of cream cheese, but he did announce that he wanted garlic.

I really should write things down. My memory just isn't what it used to be, you know. So I go to the store. I buy granola bars, cream cheese, french bread and a couple of really chocolate chocolate bars (hubby is a chocolate fiend). But I forgot the garlic. And the peas.

When I got home, Darling Man asked for his garlic. Bloody hell. I offered to go back to the store and get it for him and remembered that I also forgot the peas (much more important in my opinion - it's for a SICK fish, you know). But he said no, he'd live without the garlic - today.

So the next time I go to the store, I won't forget. For two days the phrase "Peas and Garlic" has been pounding through my head.

Peas and garlic. Peas and garlic. Peas and garlic.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Peas and Garlic. Peas and Garlic.
I wear garlic around my neck all the time and I peas in the potty.

Anonymous said...

I have the strange feeling that I'm going to be chanting that as well. And I don't even have a beta...

Liane Michel said...

Sounds like Lava could benefit from a session with Matt.

I know what you mean about forgetting items at the store. A week or so ago Jason wanted tacos for dinner, so I got everything from the store necessary EXCEPT the hamburger meat. I didn't feel like going back to the store so we had something else that night and he accused me of sabotaging his dinner plans.

Now the other day he wanted tacos again so I went to the store. This time I bought the hamburger meat but forgot everything else!

Anonymous said...

I make a list and then leave the list at home.

I luuuuuuv peas and garlic.

Knock knock - it's cancer! said...

Here's to peas and garlic.

Hope Lava will be better soon. We have a beta as well, named Dragon -by my kids- they are beautiful fish. Although quite mean if not alone in the tank.