Remembering Hana-sama

Hana-sama 1 1/2

Hana-sama the first, passed away Sunday April the 11th of 2010. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Most especially by myself who loved him best of all. The world will be less special without his clever, silly, and harmless antics. Though there will surely be more yogis in the world. I know that where he is now he will never want for them, surely there are limitless amounts of yogis in heaven.

He was roughly three years old, a respectable age for a rat. It was likely his heart that gave out while I was gone. The sturdy rat was showing signs of his age, he had put on a lovely amount of fat, and had calmed down a very great deal.

Hana-sama was no ordinary rat, as his name well implies. No he was a Rat-Lord, noble and gentle of spirit. He was a very special creature with the ability to cause joy and laughter with hardly any effort at all. Chewing anything and everything that came into his cage to pieces was one of his very favorite past times, along with nesting, and being a ridiculous rat-fink and or Rattie McRaterson.

Hana means flower and nose in Japanese

This wonderful little Rat-Lord was my first pet. I was lucky enough to hear a co-worker say she had a rat that needed a new home. I went home after work that day and started researching, trying to teach myself how to be a good caretaker for such a friend. When I was able to take him home I continued to learn. I learned that caring for another, person or animal, is rewarding, but that being the soul caretaker for such a wonderful little friend is more fulfilling then I could have ever imagined. Hana-kun, as he was known to his friends, taught me the joys of pet ownership with more grace then I thought possible.

A privet service will be held later today at the Apple Tree Graveyard in Dallas Oregon. Many generations of Noyes pets rest there, though Hana-sama will be the first of his species to retire there. I know that all of you will be with us in spirit.

He is survived by myself, his caretaker, friend, accomplice, and yogi purveyor. He is also survived by James Proestos, his friend and chief admirer, Erin Quirk, friend and namer, Kabo-kun and Choblet-kun his worthy adversaries, and many admirers through out the Willamette Valley of Oregon, and even across the nation.

A prim example of 'Rat-Lord'