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From:
Barbara Griswold <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 3 Feb 2006 23:03:30 EST
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I am at a total loss for words so forgive me if I sound like an idiot.
I didn't receive the digest today.  Apparently AOL is at it again.
However, Danee Devore forwarded Muldoone Greets Lizzie.  I thought I was
past the tears...evidently not as I'm still crying hours later.
 
I don't have a clue how Muldoone knew about Lizzie as I haven't posted
anywhere other than once to the FHL back when Lizzie became ill.  I found
it very difficult to talk about what was going on with Lizzie and in some
ways I still do.
 
Sweet little Lizzie...how do I ever tell you all about this baby.  And a
baby she was.  She was 6 months old when she left this earthly plane on
January 23rd, 2006.  Lizzie had DIM...that gawd awful killer of babies.
Lizzie was one of the sweetest, funniest, people-friendly ferrets I have
ever had the gift of meeting, much less sharing my house.  She was born
on July 6th, 2005, a Marshall ferret, who was pitch black in color.
Meeting her for the first time was completely viseral for me...something
I had never ever experienced when meeting a ferret.  It was in my vet's
office and the tears came instantly to my eyes and I had to look away as
I didn't want to cry in the middle of the waiting room.  I was absolutely
sure that she was my Hope girl come back to me.  She also instantly told
me her name...Lizzie.  I have a thing about ferret names and I always
have wanted 1 syllable, human names.  So I went thru Faith (I had a Joy
and a Hope,) Beth, Jazz (she was so jazzy!) and even tried Liz.  None
worked...it was Lizzie!
 
Lizzie was taken away from her brother at the age of 9 weeks as she
was such an alpha that she wouldn't let him near the food bowl, and he
literally was starving to death!  What a strong little girl she was.  She
took every single toy that had been Hope's favorites and made them her
favorites.  But her most favorite toy, and somehow I hate to admit it,
was my hard-formed bras of all things.  I have a tendency to drop my
clothes on the floor at night when I'm getting ready for bed.  In the
morning, up would come Miss Lizzie and she's roll around inside one of
the cups and then drag it around for a while.  I'm embarrassed to admit
it but I found I was missing 5 bras.  Voila...under my husband's
dresser....5 of my bras had been dragged.
 
Lizzie put up the good fight.  We had such hopes that she would beat this
ugly insidious disease but she decided for herself that she was leaving.
She played on the floor, got in her cage and while Pat, her ICU ferret
nurse (a long-time shelter woman who is the one that gave her to me and
who has a gift for healing) was in the kitchen getting her a bit of soup,
Lizzie left for the bridge by herself.  It was a long haul...6 weeks of
high temps up and down, up and down.  She never gave up until the end.
 
This experience has been like none other with a ferret.  I've had ferrets
for over 10 years now but this one...the pain, the grief, the temporary
loss of faith in any higher power, the angst and the anger, were like
nothing I have ever experienced.  I never want to experience it again.
 
I thank God for Dr. Ramsell.  The ferret community needs desperately to
get behind her research.  Donate donate donate just as we have done for
ADV.  This disease is killing our babies...literally.
 
So, I thank you Muldoone, whoever you are.  You are truly a ferret angel
in human garb with a wondrous gift for writing.  This story has been
printed off and will be inserted inside a specially carved wooden box
with Lizzie's name and date she was born and died.  Her remains will be
inside with this story.  My heart grieves, my eyes cry buckets and yet I
feel a bit of Light knowing that my sweet Lizzie girl is with all her
brothers and sisters awaiting my arrival.
 
Barb and her 4 remaining whirling dervishes...Cher, Jake, Sam and  Tess
In memoriam to Joy, Flo, Zak, Gus, Bren, Hope, Kate and  Lizzie
[Posted in FML issue 5143]

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