Friends:
 
I don't write too often, but when I do ..... Yesterday there was a post from
a highly stressed woman who was going to have to give her babies (ferts)
away in order to reduce her work/stress load.  I certainly don't want to
judge this woman - I'm not in her shoes and I don't want to be.  I'm just
writing because I suspect there are alot of us out there who react to things
a little differently when it comes to our short friends.
 
I'm about at the max stress levels for me right now and I'm just so grateful
that I have my 4 (Fairy, Niles, Chandler Bing and Bug) to keep me sane by
keeping me laughing when things are really bad.  I'm a single mother with an
ex who would put a worm to shame (nough said), my daughter, who is turning
13, has severe panic attacks the first few weeks of school (are we going to
counseling several afternoons a week?  Oh yes, and we (she - well actually
both of us for various reasons) are on meds - it will get better (but if
anyone has been through this, you might send me a private post so as not to
take up space on this FML.  I am the guardian of my 98 year old aunt who has
complete demtia and has been in the hospital six times since January because
she can't remember she can't get up (she's in a nursing home).  My 79 year
old mother was sent home from the hospital last month, diagnosed with
congestive heart failure (no surgery possible - way too late for medication
for her lung condition or heart condition) - so naturally I'm trying to
break my 25+ year chain smoking habit.  I have an extremely stressful
office/computer/babysitting executive type job - at least once a month I
have to work around the clock to get a project done, with no overtime or
comp. time and where I grossly underpaid (the ex also fails to send regular
child support).  To top it off, my S.O., whom I dearly love, and who loves
me (please don't go judgmental on me) is married (40+ years) and I don't
think that, due to his feelings of responsibility, there is a "shot in hell"
he will leave her - and I will never ask him to (oh, by the way - he is 20
years older than me and no one in my family can know about him because of
the married issue - my choice not his).
 
Back to ferts - but when I come home and somes times just want to sit down
and cry because every nerve I have in my body is literally screaming but I
trying to "stay cool" for my daughter's sake, I get to watch my babies, and
I can't help but focusing on them and laughing at their antics.  Each one of
the 4 is special in his/her own way.  Yes, they have shredded the brand new
carpet I won't be replacing for years (I have an idea of how to take out
where they shredded and replace with matching colored tile in the doorways
(I think it will look planned and very modern).  They are all "free runners"
(except when I am at work during the day and they are in the big closet I
had converted into a cage to give them plenty of room - yes, it has a small
diamond pane grilled door with a low light in the closet so they get plenty
of air and light, but because of evenings, nights, afternoons, etc.  they
are out more than in and they are newspaper trained (to every corner I
have) - so that alot of cleanup every day and lots of candle lighting (no
they can't get to the candles).  Yes, they cart dog food, which they always
try to snatch from the dogs, all over the house; hide everything they can
run off with, and knock over all kinds of spillable, breakable things that
have to be cleaned up.  And all the other typical ferret things they get
into and do.  But I truly do love them and keep wondering what my next one
will be like.  My daughter, sister, nieces, etc.  keep telling me to "get a
life", but this is my life - and I think a pretty good one at that.  I have
a super great daughter and two great dogs (if I could just get the Sheltie
to quit her constant barking) and 4 ferrets who provide me with laughs and
joy and help me remember that no matter how bad things get, I can always sit
back and watch them race around the house - leaping into walls - Chandler
Bing is a little spacy sometimes - doing their "war dances" and chasing or
being chased around the house by the dogs.  They love me, and I love them.
I love nice furniture, breakable artwork and all those "material type"
things, but they are just "things", and "things" are replaceable -
unconditional love from pets is much more special.  Its worth any trade off
to me.
 
Thanks to you all for letting me read every morning about other ferret
lovers, and thanks for letting me write this - and the length of this - and
now that you know you can't shut me up, I promise it'll be awhile before I
post again.
 
Kay Winters
[Posted in FML issue 1674]