If you want to know how she got her first ferret, you will have to come
to the Symposium!  Shirley says that is the first story she will share.
What she will tell us is that she has had ferrets in her life for many
years.  *I joined the Western Australian Ferret & Ferreting Society 12
years ago and became very interested in ferret health.  Then, as now,
the Society is very active in educating the public about ferrets and it
is very easy to get caught up in a group that shares your own enthusiasm.
As my first ferrets were all found ferrets that were never claimed, I
suddenly found myself with more ferrets than ever intended.  My love for
these little fuzzies has never diminished over the years and nor has my
interest in their health issues.*
 
Shirley and her 28 year old son, Shaun, live in Australia, where it will
be fall while she is north of the equator.  She enjoys sitting n her
front yard with her feet up and a glass of wine, watching ferrets gambol,
as he cooks dinner on the BBQ.  *This happens occasionally so I have no
complaints about my life,* says Shirley, even though Shaun *doesn't do
his fair share of the housework.  In fact he does none whatsoever so I
consider myself a failure as a mother.  Apart from that, he does love
the ferrets, so he's not all bad.*
 
Shirley does not have a lot of free time, so when she gets a moment to
herself, she likes to enjoy the ferrets.  * Playing with the ferrets at
dusk on the front lawn always makes me laugh out loud.  If I can include
a good friend in this activity, my day is complete.*  And, her favorite
part of ferret play is seeing * that first war dance that a ferret
performs as it begins to feel better,* which always leads to tears.
 
Of course, since Shirley rarely has time to herself, she could use a few
hours to herself.  When asked who she would spend 24 hours with, she
first opted for herself!  *Of those 24 hours, I would love 4 hours to be
by myself without interruption so that I can just stare into space and
let my thought wander.  I would then probably be able to think of who I'd
like to spend the other 20 hours with.*  if able to get these 4 hours,
Shirley may decide the rest should be spent curled up with a Stephen King
book!  Her fantasy is to have a day to herself to just read because her
chores are all up to date.  But, with *way too many ferrets* Shirley says
this remains a fantasy!
 
How would Shirley like to be remembered?  *It's fine by me to be
forgotten.*
 
To learn more about Shirleys activities, visit the Western Australian
Ferret & Ferreting Society at http://www.waffs.org.wa
 
Meet Me in St. Louis!
April 29 - May 1, 2005
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 4832]