Happy New Year to all FMLers.  May your ferrets and you be blessed with
good health, good times and good memories.
 
It's heart-wrenching to read about ill and departed fuzzies.  There are so
many darlings who have weaseled their ways straight into our souls, then
stolen our joy away with them when they've left for the Bridge.  But if
there's any "God" or "Good" to existence (and after being owned by ferrets,
we must KNOW there is!), we'll find our fuzzies' "Joy Stashes" on the day
we join them.  Meanwhile, I am thankful for all the people...caring vets,
heroic shelter operators, responsible and dedicated breeders, historical
and dietary experts and "civilian" Ferret People in general...who share
this most compelling of loves.  It doesn't matter, it seems to me, if
ferrets are third or not in popularity to date, because the love they
elicit is unquestionably First-Rate.
 
Now....a ferret "ghost-story."  My wonderful Bumble B. Bobbitt went to the
Bridge on December 2nd (and I want to take this opportunity to thank all
the people who sent condolences, because I've been just too heartbroken
to reply individually).  Since Bumble left me, I've often thought I've
glimpsed him peeking around corners or half-open doors, and mentioned this
several times to my Significant Other.  (He's a CPA and consequently seldom
sees ghosts.)
 
I bought the great 1999 ferret calendar, of course, and just after midnight
on New Year's Day, while my SO was preparing to crash in the bedroom, I
hung the calendar above his favorite chair in the family room, directly
across from a porthole-sized mirror on the opposite wall.  Noonish on New
Year's Day, SO arose, trudged downstairs, sat himself down in his chair,
glanced up----and saw what he thought was Bumble B. Bobbitt looking at him
from the opposite wall...the January ferret looks remarkably like Bumble
and his face was reflected dead-center in the mirror.  My SO sprang from
his chair while "vocalizing loudly."
 
Bumble would have loved it!
[Posted in FML issue 2546]