Good-bye Swimmy

'Tis a sad day in the Vander Deen household, as death has left its cold touch on our doorstep. I am sad to announce that my beloved Swimmy has passed away and is now swimming with his friends in the sewer pipes. Swimmy will be missed by, well, me, anyways, and maybe by Kitty. Swimmy led a long and unproductive life, moving from place to place with an uneasy stomach and a finicky temperament. He knew very few tricks, and liked to hide under his rock. He always enjoyed reminiscing about his mud-puddle days, and would quickly transfom his newly cleaned bowl into a bubbly bubble-nest mess. He ate more than he should have, except in his last days when he ate less than required to survive. Swimmy leaves an empty spot on our bookshelf, but his memory will live on in his very own book: Swimmy, by Leo Lionni.

Swimmy's first day: September 21, 2002. Swimmy arrived with

balloons, fancy-dancy birthday cake, and a big surprise with many

people. Actually, pictured here is Swimmy I, who suffered

much stress and only lasted one day. Swimmy II arrived a few days later,

and soon assumed the general name of Swimmy

Swimmy doing some reading in our new home. He was never one for

much discussion, but he did enjoy his place on the bookshelf.

The Hole Swimmy leaves behind

Swimmy's favourite book of all timeHe taught them to swim close together, each in his own place, and when they had learned to swim like one giant fish, he said, "I'll be the eye." And so they swam in the cool morning water and in the midday sun and chased the big fish away