Dear Ferret Folks-

My new friend Kimberly Emerson at Pingsford Porridge (
http://www.pingfordsporridge.com/ ) tells me that we have TWO Pings
goin' on at the FML. And what's more, her Ping is getting my Ping's
mail! Now, that's fine with my Ping unless there are *FOOD* treats
enclosed in the envelope. He thinks that Kimberly should forward
those at her earliest convenience. FedEx is good. UPS. Whatever.

Here is the history of her Ping:

Ping was an under appreciated little girl, a runt that nobody wanted
in a pet store. Kimberly met her and saw the fine weasel inside, the
onethat only ferret people see sometimes. Kimberly went home with the
little runt (the discounted little runt, some people are simply blind
to greatness) and decided to give her an elegant name. Abigail.
Kimberly also noticed that Abigail zipped around like a ping-pong ball,
so her middle name became Ping-Ping. She is sometimes known as Abigail
Q. Ping, (she uses her full name at tax time) but is more generally
addressed as "Ping."

Now, my Ping began his life with unreliable hoomins. They bought him
as a pet for their young daughter, but decided that he wasn't "cuddly
enough." So they dumped him at a shelter. Then they decided to give
*him* another chance. Ah-ha. They took him back, then what a surprise,
they dumped him again and replaced him with a cat. If I recall
correctly they then dumped the cat, too, and replaced it with an
iguana. I first ran into Ping when he was advertised as an adoptable
by the folks at the MAFF Shelter, the Massachusetts Ferret Friends.
( <http://www.maferrets.org/> ) He had a small picture and accompanying
paragraph that identified him as "Ping."

The name struck a chord with me. Many years ago in Greenwich, CT, where
my Mom was a little girl there was one particular hillside planted in
spring crocus bulbs. Originally, it was planted in giant letters that
would bloom "Spring is Here" each year. Over time, though, some of the
letters failed. My Mom remembers it blooming "Ping is He" each spring,
a sort of dyslexic floral display. Every year when the crocus come up,
my Mother starts enthusing "Ping is He! Ping is He!", and well...people
who don't know the story give her some hard looks. You can imagine.
Anyway, I added "is He" to Ping, it seemed the appropriate thing to do.

I rather like the thought of Abigail Q. Ping getting some of Ping is
He's fan mail. His head is big enough as it is. My Ping is He has not
yet received any requests for porridge mix, although the stuff sounds
yummy from an obligate carnivore's point of view. (A tasty melange of
suet, elk, buffalo, and beef tongue make up the "Red" mix! ) I will
let Kimberly know if my Ping receives and shipping orders. My Ping's
favourite flavor is, or course....chicken.

Alexandra in MA

[Posted in FML 5976]