Hey, Bob!
 
Good to hear from you and to know you're okay.  I lost my dad and my little
fuzzy, Melampki, within 30 days of each other back in '94.  Then I lost my
19 year-old Siamese two months later.  It wasn't a good year.  I'm glad to
know you're among friends and fuzzbeans, even if it has to be in CaCa Land...
 
And speaking of states...
 
BTW, lighten up Arkansas; I used to work at a paper in Little Rock, and
that's where I heard the joke.
 
I couldn't agree more.  For the record, I got several e-mails from fellow
Arkansans telling me they were getting a real hoot out of the lighthearted
banter.  Like me, they're *proud* to be from Arkansas and don't mind giving
or taking a little good-natured ribbing.  What's more, they're some of the
finest ferret-loving people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting!  :-) So
don't fret -- we Arkansans love you and enjoy your posts, even if you are
from Missouri!  (BTW, "Arkansawyer", as you know, is also correct but
somewhat archaic.  It went out of style sometime around Reconstruction).
 
Thoughts and prayers are with you, friend.
 
C.B. and Maximilian
Little Rock
[Posted in FML issue 1943]