Last week, in a fleeting moment of optimism, we bought a pet. A pretty low maintenance pet, this one, for it's a single little fish, a beta, with pretty blue fins flashing in the small bowl that now sits on our living room coffee table. As with all pets, though, there are always problems, and with this one there are two specific isues which we haven't yet resolved.

One is its name. Every creature, we believe, has to have a name, but so many of them are gender-related and we don't have a clue as to whether it's a he or a she. A couple of gender neutral names have surfaced, but none stuck, so our Name the Fish contest is now open. The contest closes October 15th (that's long enough for the poor fish to continue nameless), and the prize is a color photo of what's-it's-name.

The other issue is more basic. (By the way, don't you love it that we all have "issues"?) Anyway, is the fish a pet or a room decoration? Or both? It occupies a small glass bowl which has previously contained a garden terrarium and later a beach scene with sand and shells. It has a prominent place in the decor of our living room.

But we've also gotten rather attached to our little fish, feeding it and cleaning the bowl appropriately. Unsure about the longevity of these creatures, I'm already anticipating some level of grief when it goes to fish heaven.

I think we're leaning more and more toward recognizing it as a real pet, and naming it will seal the deal, thereby resolving both of these problems. To tell the truth, though, as much as we are enjoying the pet it's even more fun to visit grandchilden and enjoy the grandpets.