A little bit late? Why, yes, I am, but at least I'm honest about it.
;-)

I've been extremely hard at work on the Ferret Project data and took a
few weeks off for the holidays, visiting with family and grandkids. I
left my cell phone off and computer home and did nothing except play
with the kids. Elaina got to spend a few days with Granddad (me!) and
Heather ran me so hard I've LOST weight over the holidays! Call it
therapy, call it insanity, call it anything, but it was heaven on
earth!

I have found grandkids to be as addictive as ferrets. Heather calls
me "Geedad" and at one point looked Elaina sternly in the eyes and
said, "My Geedad. Mine!" I had to take the high road and instruct
her on sharing, but what I really wanted to do was a victory dance
while spiking a toddler tumbler. After one prolonged play period, I
"accidentally" took a nap on the rug and woke up to find both arms dead
asleep; each had a sleeping toddler's head pinching off the median
nerve of each arm. It wasn't all their fault; I have some inflammation
of old surgical scars caused by repairs due to decades of shoulder
abuse by heavy camera bags and a favored old Kelty backpack (I never
figured out why my backpack and 30 pounds of gear would weigh 75 to 80
pounds...some suggested it was my field 4x5, tripod and film, but they
only weighed about 45 to 50 pounds.... 100 pounds of lightweight gear
should weigh less than 100 pounds, don't you think?). Add to the abuse
wrestling and rockclimbing injuries and it is just time to go back in
and take out the garbage.

I've been gone from my email for several weeks and will need a bit
of time to catch up. My next few months are going to be crazy. I'll
be visiting KC this month, going out to the east coast in Feb, and
going back to Europe in March. In the middle of all that, I have Aiden
coming in early March (Elizabeth's son, the one who has had such a hard
pregnancy), I will be having eye surgery rather soon, and have to have
another surgery in early feb (related to those shoulders). Kind of a
full plate, but nothing that will slow me down.

My ferrets are doing great and I have started introducing them to my
grandkids. Elaina called them "ittydoks" and Heather called them "short
kitties." I don't care who you are, that is just sugar sweet cute. I
expect to become diabetic soon. ;-)

When I return from Europe in April, I hope to start the USA side of the
Ferret Project. I have divided the USA into 6 regional zones and Canada
into three. I would like to add Mexico to the total, but have lost my
contacts when my hard drive died while in New Zealand. I strongly
encourage Mexican ferret owners to contact me regarding this important
study. I want to sample ferrets from at least 3 or 4 areas per zone.
Remember, the sampling is completely harmless and painless to your
ferret, but the information will go a long way to deciphering several
husbandry problems in ferrets, as well as answering DNA questions.

I will get to the emails as soon as I can, but if there is something
that is time sensitive, better drop me another line. I haven't read the
FML for some time, so don't expect I know what is (has) gone on. It is
probably a good idea to communicate sooner rather than later because I
am not sure how well I will be reading after the eye surgery.

Seriously, have a (belated) happy holiday and New Year!

Bob C [log in to unmask]

[Posted in FML 6208]