Hi, all.
 
I met a little guy the other day.  His name is Brownie.  He came across
the Bridge very slowly, very carefully.  He wasn't the least bit afraid,
though.  He walked right up to me and touched noses!
 
I explained what had happened, and where he was.  I helped him pick out
a hammie, and got him a set of strap on wings.  I asked him what his
interests were.  He enjoyed many of the stndard ferret hobbies, like
eating, sleeping, and eating some more.  Playing was high on his list.
And fleece.  He just looooveed polar fleece.
 
Well, that was something that we both had in common!  Snuggling up to
fleece is a warm, wonderful thing.  So light, so soft!  I had him strap
on his wings, and I strapped on mine, and off we flew, to a special place
I knew about.  It's called the Fleece Heap.
 
We flew for a long time, over the land and over an arm of the warm,
shallow inland sea.  There on the farther shore was a very, very special
place.  We landed, and took off our wings.  It's a rule, here.  NOBODY is
allowed to stash an abandoned set of wings.  We could be sure that they'd
be right where we left them when we came back!
 
Imagine an area about the size of a large swimming pool.  There, on the
ground, was a mound of fleece about six feet high!  Little fleece bags
to sleep in.  Fleece pants, jackets, and scarves.  Fleece hats.  Fleece
blankets.  Fleece covered pillows.  Scraps of fleece material.
 
In the Fleece Heap, it is a tradition to be very, very quiet.  This is
because many ferrets are napping there at any given time.  You might not
see them, but they are buried in there, somewhere!
 
Brownie and I took a long, luxurious nap there.  When we woke up, he told
me that he had seen his hoomins in a dream!  Some day, a long time from
now, they will meet again.
 
I met A little girl named Fro.  Such a little thing, but very scrappy!
She told me proudly that SHE was the Alpha ferret in her home, and I
believe it!  Her Business of Natalie, Bandit, and Scamper came with me
to greet her.  There was lots of sniffing and dooking and pogoing!
 
Fro decided that she would spend her first night with Natalie, in
Natalie's bungalo.  The bungalo is wonderful!  Natilie wove it herself
over a period of days.  It is essentially a long tunnel in the tall
grass, made from more woven grass.  It is shady inside, nice and cool,
but never completely dark, as the sun still shines through the open weave
of the grass ceiling.  It is nicely ventilated, and it smells marvelous
and fresh inside, like summer and sunshine.
 
Natalie has a little pile of treasures inside, shiny things that she
has collected and stashed.  Tiny metal keys, a few coins, a spring, a
gold-colored pen, and a few little pieces of jewelry.
 
The five of us had a nice afternoon inside the bungalo, reminiscing about
the things we had stashed, and about our hoomins.  (Isn't it funny how
they want all of their stuff for themselves?  They get so frantic when
they find out you've moved just a little, little bit of it beneath the
furniture!)
 
Fro talked about his Mommy, and how much love she gave him.  Even Bandit,
who almost never says more than a few words, had some very nice memories
of his Mommy Marla that he shared with us.  Fro also told us about some
of the battles she had fought in order to become Alpha ferret, and then
stay that way.  Getting to the top position is very easy, compared to
keeping it!  Fro says that it was all worth the effort, every minute of
it!  The other guys teased her, saying that her domination days were
over, now!  There are no Alphas up here!  She laughed, and said she had
eternity to adjust to the change.
 
Well, back to work!
Sandee
[Posted in FML issue 4375]