Hey Everyone!
 
Well, I survivied my first week of school at Mizzou.  Trudged through ice
and snow, ovens that passed as classrooms and sitting on floors due to lack
of seating.  I am too old for this!!
 
I thought I had better write before my reading gets the better of me.  I am
going over the subject of the sublime by Immanueal Kant as background for
Antigone.  Philosophy class?  Nope.  This is a soph level required class for
English majors, Intro to Lit Study.  I am reading Plato for philosophy.  And
if you don't know who any of these people are, count yourself lucky.  ;-)
 
I finally got what I think is a perfect system for pooper scooping.  I know
this topic is of great concern to the FML and realize also that it is the
only forum in which I could broach said topic without being carried off for
observation.
 
The background-I have 14 boxes in the bedroom that is the farts, some of
which are actually large rubbermaid storage containers.  There are 5 more
boxes in the house.  I have 19 ferrets and 3 cats.  I am currently using
wood stove pellets as litter.
 
My new system--In my garage, just outside the house door, I have 2 20 gallon
trash can side by side.  One with a green lid, one with black.  I empty
several bags of fresh pellets into one, in which I keep a small galvanized
livestock feed scoop.  The other is lines with a plastic garbage sack.  I
take a empty 15 quart pail with a sturdy handle and scoop all the boxes in
the house into it.  I carry wipes/paper towels for misses with me.  After
scooping all the boxes I empty the pail into #2 trash can, spray the inside
of pail with a premixed solution of clorox (8 parts water/ 1 part clorox)
and wipe out with a paper towel.  I then fill up the pail with fresh litter
and go and top off the boxes.  You know about how much new you need from how
much old you dumped.  The pail is easy to carry and pour with, much better
than the small trash can I was using.
 
This cut my time way down today and I am very happey with the results.  Plus
the kids loved playing in the pail of fresh litter as I was going around
with it.
 
Give hugs to your fuzzies for me and keep them warm and dry.  Of course, I
am not sure were you would have to move to accomplish this right now!
 
Mo' Maggie and the Marvelous Mustelids of Mayhem
[Posted in FML issue 1827]