Give me anything but Muzak!  Says this woman who would love to be
remembered as the world s greatest singer!  Since the age of 2 this
speaker wanted a zoo.  *I just never knew it would be ferrets.*
 
An animal person all her life, this foster mom has opened her heart and
home to canine, feline and avian.  Her husband, Karl, was pulled in and
is now a full participant in the care of all ferrets in their home.  At
one point she considered opening a shelter, but zoning regulations
prohibited that.  Luckily, someone else came along and opened one nearby.
 
Before ever living with her first ferret, this NEFFER co-founder had this
interesting ferret encounter: *I was camping out of state and a couple
with a ferret lost their poorly-pitched tent in a storm and accepted my
invitation for the three of them to stay in my tent.  I was awakened very
early the next morning by a ferret running over my face.  I couldn't get
that experience out of my head, and I waited for years for them to be
legalized in Massachusetts!*
 
Facing a daily academic, when both her dog and parrot died, this brave
soul was left to face graduate school alone.  Wanting company, and
mammalian company at that, she narrowed the search to ratite or mustelid,
and the mustelid won because *ferrets (so I was told) lived longer.  I
was surprised to find how easily and thoroughly ferrets managed to co-opt
my heart.  They turned out to be a perfect match for me.*  And a good
thing indeed.
 
Having lived an interesting life, including a chat with Dith Pran, this
wonder woman would like to spend time with two nature lovers, Ansel Adams
or Jacques Cousteau.  She looks to role models like Dith Pran, Mother
Theresa, Gallileo, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, Mahatma Ghandi and
the firefighters and police officers who ran into the burning and
collapsing towers of the World Trade Center to save the lives of others,
people she admires *for their courage, a virtue which has become less
valued than it should be.* .  For fun and relaxation, this active ferret
mom enjoys reading, photography, sewing, embroidering, ballroom dancing,
creating, stained glass, exploring beautiful places, talking to friends
and learning.  The Symposium should be right up her alley!  Be sure you
take a little time to know Catherine Bell!
[Posted in FML issue 4283]