Our three Guinea Goddess are together again. First we lost Isis, then Mona earlier this year, and Mimi last month. I miss all three of them terribly.

Peter or I have fetched their fresh veggies every night since I first got Isis in January 2005. It still feels so weird to finish cleaning the kitchen after dinner and NOT reach for the fridge to grab lettuce, carrots, or red bell peppers. I have to keep reminding myself that our routine has just…ended.

Here are their three completed urns.

I used Egyptian imagery for Isis (of course):

Mona, born in November, got a Greek cornucopia, since she is named after Pomona, goddess of the harvest:

Mimi was named for Artemis, Roman goddess of the hunt, because the orange on her head looks like an arrowhead when viewed from above (I threatened to name her “Insert Food Here,” but Peter argued against it):

They’re probably together somewhere giving each other hell. Isis is running laps and bouncing around, Mimi has climbed head-first into a pile of hay, and Mona is popcorning so hard she flips herself over…repeatedly.

I am so very sad to let you all know that Isis left us sometime early this morning. As you probably remember, she has been suffering with ovarian cysts (and the resulting digestive issues) for the last 3 years or so. Over the past few months, she also developed some tumors, which I believe are what finally overcame her. She would have been 6 years old this December.

She was a shining example of guinea pig-dom. She was the original Guinea Goddess. While it breaks our hearts to finally have to say goodbye to her, we know that she’s no longer in pain or distress. I always used to call her my “angel pig,” and now she finally is one.

She grew to be a stubborn, moody thing as the years went by, and I think she overcame her various health issues by sheer will alone: it was her way or the highway! I used to joke that the Rainbow Bridge didn’t want her, and Hell was afraid she’d take over. Through all her bossiness, cage-chewing, and demands for MORE FOOD!!, she always loved to cuddle with me and was as content as could be in my arms. She loved to give kisses, stretching out her nose to touch someone as soon as she was close enough.

I’m going to miss her very, very much. The sun is a little dimmer now that she’s gone.

We gave Mimi and Mona a chance to say goodbye. Mona wasn’t quite sure what to do, but Mimi laid down next to Isis and tried to wake her up. It was heartbreaking, but I’m glad that she passed at home and they were able to see her one last time.

I’m not sure when I’ll stop crying — probably not for a long while yet. It grieves me to let her go, but it’s my firm belief that she’s found herself a big carrot patch somewhere over the Rainbow Bridge and is furiously chomping away at them.