Dear Ferret Folks-

For some time now, I have had a secret. I didn't want to jinx it by
saying anything ahead of time. But the time has come, and I am humbled
to announce that we have the honor of having one of Val's kits come to
live with us and become a part of our family. Around my home we have
just been calling the kit "The Little Stranger" for the past few weeks
because we knew we had to physically meet and spend some time together
before he would reveal his name. Just looking at the pictures Danee
posted wasn't enough. A name is *very* personal, even more personal
than a tail.

Well, my sister and my litttle nephew Alex and I met up with Danee last
night and met the Little Stranger, as well as a number of the Little
Stranger's immediate family. We met Val and her husband Roarke, and
Roark's brother. The Little Stranger's older brother from a previous
litter was there, as were all of his litter-mates born this spring
and a number of cousins. Danee was traveling with a *huge* business!
Think *Haliburton* in hammies! She had just come from a ferret show in
Pennsylvania. She won a few ribbons there, and they were objects of
great curiousity for Alex, who was un-subtly hoping that Danee would
give him one to keep. Nope! Good for Danee. There is nothing subtle
about Alex, who at one point took his shoe off and announced his
intention to file his toenails with one of Danee's emory boards. Then
he actually DID file his toenails with her emory board. Danee was very
gracious about it. Did I mention that Alex is a bit hyperactive?

Now, I am not used to un-altered ferrets. Most of mine have been
those two-dots in the ear Marshall's ferrets that someone didn't want
anymore. And by the time I have taken custody of them they are often
unwell. They have suffered badly from being altered at an insane age,
and they lost their stinkers when they lost their gonads. And I have
learned that the kind of people who give ferrets away are also the
kind of people who knowingly lie through their teeth about how old the
ferret is and what kind of vet care it has had. In short, my ferrets
have not always been given opportunities to express their full
potential.

Well, Danee's ferrets are different. Breeder ferrets are a world apart,
although I have loved some of those two dots in the ear fellows very
dearly! Breeder hobs are *huge* and smell wonderfully ferrety. The
ladies have those subtle curves that remind me of the base of a fine
violin. All of Danee's ferrets are wonderfully soft, clean, and
well-padded. And the kits...oh, the kits. Adorable isn't quite strong
enough a description. They are radiant, never still unless it is nap
time. Their play is awesome to behold. They leap, bounce, and make
funny little noises that sound like trying to write on a rubber baloon
with a felt-tip pen.

Thanks to the wonders of internet video, I had seen the Little Stranger
and his litter-mates being born only weeks ago. The Little Stranger is
nine weeks old. He is two thirds the size of Todd, and his head is
already considerably broader. He is strong enough to push Todd around
when he wants to. Actually, he likes to drag Todd across the floor by
his head. Todd doesn't much mind. And I wonder what Todd would have
been if he had been treated better as a kit, and not neutered right
about when his eyes opened. Mind you, I love Todd just the way he is,
my Butter-Butt with the white knees and toes!

How to describe the Little Stranger? I am told that he is a 'Sable
Point." Well, he asked to be bowled across the kitchen floor linoleum
fourteen times in a row after I introduced him to the sport this
evening. When he is not dragging Todd around by the head he is finding
ways to defy gravity and bend physics to his will. This has everything
to do with his name as he revealed it to us. Have you ever watched a
crime show called "NCIS?" My husband is very fond of it. In reality,
he is fond of the Goth chick on the show, played by an actress and
singer named Pauley Perette. (Sic?) Maybe fond isn't quite the proper
adjective. Put it this way. We watch a *lot* of NCIS. An awful lot.

The Goth chick plays a charachter named Abby who is addicted to a
particular beverage that appears in almost every episode. It comes in a
huge red cup with a straw, and is called "Caff-Pow." Abby can be coaxed
into doing almost any thankless job for a Caff-Pow. At times, though,
she must avoid it lest she overdose. Her co-workers actually confiscate
it so that she doesn't have an unfortunate cardiac episode. There have
been times lately when my sister and I have joked that we really need
some Caff-Pow. She *also* winds up watching a lot of NCIS. Her husband
is oddly fond of it, too. Hmm. Imagine that.

Well, The Little Stranger revealed that his name is hereby and
henceforth Caff-Pow. It makes sense. He was born in Alexandra, Virgina,
one of the sites that shows up regularly on the show, which is taped
near there. And he is a tornado, a depth charge, three quarters of a
pound of Willy-Pete with *fur*. He is...Caff-Pow. And he is leaving
little fang-holes in our hearts!

Alexandra in MA

Todd:" Omigod, kid..." 
Caff-Pow:" Oh, COOL! Let me bunny-kick your gut again, Uncle Todd!

[Posted in FML 6330]