Thanks all of you who have commented on the Rocky and Squeekers
adventures.  They are a pair, Squeekers the frisky male into everything,
Rocky the aging but still beautiful Grand Dam who makes an occassional
appearance here at the computer, at my foot wanting to be picked up, cause
the green peppers are gone from the bowl.  We haven't put the tree up yet
this year, they drink the water, but have not yet learned to climb.  Thanks
Marcy for the story.  Also, I thought that we were the only ones with a
ferret that knew how to get up on a counter from inside via the drawers.  We
have to be careful where we keep the sharp knives now.
 
        Several have commented about food preferences.  It really seems that
ferrets (actually all animals) are a lot like people in their differences.
Squeekers will try an occasional piece of bannana, but it is not a favorite,
loves grapes and rasins, and won't touch raspberries.  Rocky won't touch
banannas or grapes, likes raspberries a lot, and will eat an occasional
raisin, as well as a bit of Jack's (our cat's) canned food from time to
time.  Probably to spite him.  Both love Green Peppers and Friskies Ocean
Fish Flavor dried cat food.  They used to both love sliced turkey, now won't
touch it.
 
        There was also a question about experiences with pasta.  About five
years ago my wife was teaching Home Economics, had planned a lesson in
Japanese cooking and had bought the materials for 'gioza'.  These are sort
of like miniature raviolies except that the shells aren't really hard in
their uncooked state.  When she got to the class and started to lay
everything out, two packages of shells were nowhere to be found.  A search
of the car, the grounds, and later the entire household turned up nothing.
It was only several weeks later that it was discovered, on a surprise visit
to the underside of a bookcase that Rocky had used the entire contents of
both packages to paper her walls.  Good insulation against the winter cold,
and ready food to boot.
 
        Concerning Mass legalization.  I called the State House re bill
#5196.  The document room clerk said that it was a rewrite by the Committee
on Counties (What do they do ??) of bill #783 which was originally filed by
Janet W. Obrien (Who is she ??) I'll be in Boston this week and will stop by
to get copies.  IMO these things are passed not as a result of just calls
but more as the end product of a whole process which includes public
relations to correct or create public opinion as probably the most important
part.  Thus the importance of the upcomming GMA piece.
 
        Right now the legislature is all in a uproar over a $16,000 pay
increase slipped in by the leadership and signed by the Governor concurrent
with a capital gains tax cut which was also 'blocked in committee'.  The
argument could be made that both were needed (the pay increase brings the
legislature into somewhat parity with other states), but the PROCESS was
subverted, the voters aren't happy, and not many are in the mood to take
risks as they may see them.  Didn't help much that the Governor almost
immediately left for Ireland on a trade 'mission' along with legislative
leaders, and was reported this morning as 'relaxing at lunch over pheasant
and a Guinness.'
 
        Re GMA.  I called the good folks at ABC last week (Thanks Steve for
the number) and they seemed somewhat harried if not impressed by the calls
that had been received. Patty Neiger is apparently the producer of the
program, and had left instructions that she wanted to 'talk directly' to the
next person that called.  I waited but she was in a meeting, and then never
called me back.  I was able to voice an opinion that if Mr Hanna really
thought that ferrets were 'vicious and dangerous', he was mistaken and that
nothing could be further from the truth.  It will be interesting to watch
Friday's program.
 
        Happy Holidays to all from Rocky, Squeekers, Jack, and the rest of us.
[Posted in FML issue 1041]