**Note from Muldoone**
 
I bees a bit ahind on gweetings dis week.  Sees, my hooman-beans wost one
of deir fuzzies and dey be bery bery sads.  Da fuzzy gets sick, hoomans
take fuzzy to da doc, spend bunches of monies whateber dat stuff be, and
den da fuzzy awives here at da Wainbow Bwidge.  Da fuzzy wides ober on
MoonBeams Molly our unichkorn dat bwings all da fewest to da Bwidge.
 
"Nots to worries mom I takes gud cares of da fuzzy I pwomise to shows da
fuzz-butt how to bisit you in yur dweams and gibes you whisker kisses."
 
    *****************************
 
Early morning at the Rainbow Bridge has Muldoone at his appointed spot
awaiting the arrival of a little girl fuzzy.  It was a special greeting
and it had to be handled just right; Muldoone's hooman-bean mom and this
little ferret's hooman-bean mom were friends so it be was a special
honor for Mully to greet this ferret.
 
The music in the wind had begun to changea dn the sad sweet melody of
the Welcoming Song could be heard.  Muldoone felt the familiar tingling
in his whiskers and he knew another was coming.  The music of the wind
danced around him, singing of welcome and loss, of love and longing.  It
sang of the Great Promise that love was eternal, and it sang of the pain
of separation and the sorrow of humans.
 
The flash of light subsided and then Mully heard the unmistakable sounds
of ferrety feets coming across the planks of the Bridge; the moonbeam
express having delivered another ferret whose time on earth had been cut
short.
 
Mully steps forward to greet the new arrival.  "Welcomes to da Wainbow
Bwidge Switch, I be Mr. Muldoone, officialist Bwidge Gweeter."  Muldoone
leans forward offering his nose to the little girl ferret.
 
The new arrival sits down and looks all around at her new surroundings.
"Wow she exclaims dis pwace be purrdy!!  How dooes you knows my name?"
the new comer asks Muldoone.
 
"It bees my job to knows yur name and yur hooman-bean konkletacts my
hooman-bean and asks dat I dooes your gweeting.  Our moms be fwiends!!!"
Mully tells Switch.  "Switchers Mully begins what yur wife be wike on
earf wif yur familee?  Tells me `bout dem."
 
Thinking about her familee the little ferret begins to dance the
weasel-war-dance.  "I habe da bestest familee a fewet coulds habe, she
exclaimed excitedly.  And my dad dwink WootyBeer and he wets me sneaks
a dwink.  And I habs a sistur and we habs wots of fun!!  Mr. Muldoone,
Switch begins with a serious expression on her little ferrety face dids
you eber habs an encounterest wif a dog-dog??  I wecomends dat unwess it
bees yur dog-dog you aboids dem.  Dey bites and dey wants to eat fewest.
Dids you eber sees a dog-dog's teef??!!!  Dey gots big old sharpy teefs!!
But you can fixes me and sends me back to my sistur right?  She be sick
and she need me so you habe to sends me back to earf."
 
"No Switchers I be sworry I not sends you back to earf.  Yur hooman-beans
takes care of yur sistur until she comes here" Mully explained to her.
Switchers afore I shows you awound da Bwidge I habe a surpwise for yous."
 
"Ok Switch tells Muldoone looking all around what be my surpwise?"
 
Hearing giggling from the direction of a fat bush near the Bridge
lets Mully know the Welcoming Committee had gathered.  Mully's buddy
ScoudderFerret had located the fuzzies and had them all there to meet
Switch.
 
"Mr. Muldoone I not eber knowed fat bushes be gigglers" the little girl
tells Mully with a confused expression on her face.
 
"You bees right Switchers Mully tells her, fat bushes not giggles but if
dere be fewest hiding in dem it makes da bush sound wike it be giggling."
 
At that moment four fuzzies came bursting out from behind the bush.
"SWITCH!!  Switch are you really here?  Auntie Sabrina squealed.  The
other three ferrets began firing questions at Switch left and right and
the little girl quickly became confused.  They knew her hooman-beans how
was that possible??  The eager faces of the three ferrets stood before
her waiting for an answer they wanted to hear all about their hoomans.
"I be sworry Switch tells the trio but I not knows you, hows you knows
me and my hooman-bean's name?" she asked them.
 
"We wived wif dem afore you, the albino told her.  Excuses me I forgets
my manners I be Maya da MooseFewet and dis be Don'ts and Nooes she said
as she introduced the other two ferrets to Switch.  Pwease tells us how
da hoomans be doin" she pleaded.
 
"Da hoomans be gud but I misses dem Switch told the little group dropping
her head.  I specially misses my sistur fewet Lily."
 
At that time Switch's Aunt Sabrina spoke up "Switch we understand and we
are here to help you and take care of you until you make the adjustment.
We all loved the hoomans and we missed them but we will see them again I
promise.  Switch, how is the big hooman, the one that has the fur on his
face?  I have never understood that, WHY would hoomans glue curly hair
on their face, some of them looked like they were wearing a poodle and
others have no fur on their faces.
 
Switch's eyes got bright once again and her feet began doing the happy
ferret dance at the mention of one of her humans.  "Da big hooman da
one wif da poodler fur on his face he be doin gud he wets me dwink his
WootyBeer and I bets he be missin me wots."
 
"Mr. Muldoone Aunt Sabrina spoke up would it be okay if you let us show
Switch around Rainbow Bridge and help her get settled?"
 
Thinking it over and knowing what a stickler Nanna is for the rules and
doing all greetings by the book Mully decides maybe it would be okay.
Switch seemed sad about being away from her familee and maybe these four
ferrets could help her to make the adjustment and get settled.
 
"I tink dat would be ok Muldoone tells her I bees back to check on you
watter" and with that Mully heads down the path going over in his mind
the other things he has on his list of things to do that day.
 
Later that day Muldoone hears a sound he had only heard a time or two in
all the time he had been at the Bridge.  Someone was sounding the FOG
HORN!!  Of course there was no need for a fog horn at the Rainbow Bridge
because there was no fog but it was a signal that every ferret recognized
and they all knew to come to the center of the Rainbow Bridge Village for
an important announcement.
 
Hurrying to the village center Mully sees Nanna marching up and down
going from one ferret to another asking the same question over and over.
 
"Is it yours?  ScoudderFerret is it yours??  FlashFerret did you put it
there?  WHO DOES THAT CONTRAPTION BELONG TO AND WHO PUT IT THERE??!!
 
Muldoone had no idea what Nanna was so upset about but she was one VERY
angry ferret.  And even though Mully didn't know what she was talking
about and pretty sure he was not to blame for the situation, still yet
he was worried as to whether it could somehow be blamed on him whatever
it was.
 
Answering the call of the fog horn, Mully was still worried, especially
about the puffs of smoke curling up out of Nanna's ears....  This was
very angry ferret.
 
"M U L D O O N E !!  Do you have any idea who put that thing on the
Bridge??  Who does it belong to??  How did they get it here??  How are
we going to get it off the Bridge??  MULDOONE I NEED SOME ANSWERS!!!"
 
"Uh Nanna sworry but I not knows what be going on and whateber it be I
pwomise I not be da one who dooes it" Muldoone tries to reassure his
boss.
 
"FOLLOW ME!!" shrieks Nanna we have to take care of this and down the
path Mully's boss flies.
 
Arriving at the Bridge Muldoone had practically had to run to keep up
with his boss.  "Nanna I not understands what be wong" Mully tells the
older wiser ferret.
 
"LOOK FOR YOURSELF AND TELL ME THIS WAS NOT YOUR IDEA MULDOONE!!  ONLY
YOU COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS!!!  This has YOUR paw
prints all over it!!" Nanna shrieks at him.
 
Looking to see what Nanna was so upset about, parked squarely on the
Rainbow Bridge was a big green and yellow 1949 John Deere Tractor.
 
"Nanna sputtered Mully I not dooes dat, I not eben knows what dat ting
bees.  NANNA IT NOT BEES ME!!!
 
Pacing back and forth wringing her paws "what are we going to do I have
to fix this before the Boss finds out.  I am going to be in SOOO much
trouble for this.  Oh dear oh my...." Nanna trails off.
 
Starting across the Bridge with Muldoone following closely behind Nanna
finds SabrinaFerret and the new arrival Switch sitting on the green and
yellow beast.
 
"Try it again Switch yells Sabrina we have got to get this heap started
and get it off the Bridge."
 
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF FOAMY FRIES IS GOING ON HERE??!!" booms Nanna's
voice.
 
"Uh uh nothing Nanna Sabrina tells the older ferret flashing her a weak
smile.  Nanna, uh Switch, this Switch, my Switch, she was missing home
and I thought maybe I would take her for a ride on the tractor to cheer
her up but it konked out on us and now it is stuck.  Nanna I am really
sorry I had no idea this would happen."
 
"Well for sure we have got to get this thing off the Bridge, it is
blocking traffic for the arrival of other ferrets.  DO YOU ALL HAVE ANY
IDEA HOW MUCH TROUBLE I WILL BE IN IF THE BOSS FINDS OUT ABOUT THIS??!!"
Nanna shrieks at them all.  Come on Nanna yells at all the ferrets
standing around watching help me and maybe we can push it."
 
All the ferrets hurried onto the Bridge and started trying to push the
metal beast back out of the way but it was no use, it was too much for
them.
 
At that moment Muldoone began to get a tickling in his whiskers.  Oh
noose he thought, dis not be a gud time for anodder fewet to comes.
 
A deep and calming voice spoke to Muldoone and told him to tell everyone
to get back away from the tractor.  Mully stood frozen in fear not
knowing what was happening or what to do.  "Tell them Muldoone, tell them
all to get back and I will take care of it" the voice told him again.
 
Finding his voice Mully yells at everyone to get back.  Whirling around
in his direction Nanna demands to know what he means "everyone get back",
Muldoone we need all the help we can get.
 
Again Muldoone hears the voice speak to him "GET EVERYONE BACK OUT OF THE
WAY NOW."
 
Running over to Nanna, Muldoone tugs on her apron "Nanna I not knows what
be goings on but I tink da Boss be fixing it and He say for eberyone to
gets back.
 
Nanna screeched at everyone to get back and a loud boom of thunder was
heard overhead.  Next the group of ferrets saw a thick heavy cloud of
fairy dust descend over the tractor.  With another boom of thunder and
the clearing of fairy dust, the big green and yellow mechanical beast
was gone, there in its place sat ferrety-size tractor.
 
Nanna stood there with her mouth hanging open not believing what had just
happened.  "I was certain the Boss would be furious about this......"
Nanna trails off.
 
"Switch, hop on Auntie Sabrina yells at her lets take this baby for a
spin." With Sabrina at the wheel, the tractor chuged, clattered, and
klanked to life.
 
"HOORAY!!" the crowd sounded when the minature tractor roared to life.
 
"Looks like the Boss fixed it so we won't need to squirt ether in it to
get it started!!" Sabrina yelled trying to be heard over the sound of
the tractor.
 
Finding her voice and courage at last Switch informed Sabrina "you gots
to watch dat eaffer stuff" and off they rode going for a sight-seeing
trip around the Rainbow Bridge; Sabrina at the controls with Switch in
her lap, the ferret known as No and Maya the Moose each riding on a
fender.
 
Standing there shaking her head Nanna looks vivibly pale.  "First
Muldoone and now tractors!!  What next??!!"
[Posted in FML issue 4830]