Hello Everyone...
 
I would like to share a little of one of the ferrets here..  He came to me
old and creaky [no muscle tissue to speak of and the last 5 years in a
little cage alone..  when he got to be three the human family got a new
fuzzy..  and this old fellow was fed and given water but little freedom
much less interesting ferrety things to get into and have fun with] so he
slept a great deal and after one animal pathologist and two vets looked him
and his teeth and bones over pretty seriously we have deduced he now over 8
years old..  He arrived and as with the last five years went back to sleep
most of the time..  but something kept waking him up..  several small furry
somethings..  while he is a dignified white these little fur people we all
sorts of color schemes..  so he figured maybe he should at least check
things out..  and GOSH no cage..  go where ya wants and eat what ya like
[lots to choose and all very tasty] and can go any place and sleep where ya
want to..  even in the heated bed in the pillow case [now mind you there
was not a lot left for this human to use with several ferrets all happily
crammed in ones pillow case for the night..  but who cares about the little
stuff..right?] and fresh water from the bottle or the large dish..  good
tasty water..  not tap stuff..  and treats..  oooh the goodies and treats..
lots everyday and ya can choose what ya want..  and it's OK to be a little
piggy over all those goodies..  oh and snuggles and hugs and kisses from
the caregiver ..  all you wanted..  not get down till want to..  just held
and snuggled and petted and rocked in the funny chair of hers..  and when
we got our tummy sickness a really nice vet person who got a hold of the
tummy problems and stopped them and has kept them stopped..  special
medicines just for me [and they taste terrible but its worth it..  no
huting in the tummy anymore..]
 
and then something odd happened..  I got so I could stay awake longer each
time..  and even snatch and hide a few toys for my own..  and while still
tottering around on these weak old legs..  I now and then try a little
dance step and even hum a few bars of 'Fuzzies in the Moonlight'..  and the
youngsters all treat me with respect [one wrong move and the cargiver lady
steps in and sternly tells those you upstarts what's what!  and no
nonsense!] and now I eat more every day..  yeah I overdue it..  but it all
tastes so good!  and I even teach the youngsters little tricks and some
manners with other fuzzies and humans too...
 
but the very best thing of all for this old tired guy..  is I am hugged and
held and cared for and seen to and loved and loved and loved..  and I have
a lot of that to catch up on I suppose..  five years is a long time..  I am
HOME..  no cage again ever..  and even vet trips are in a soft carrier the
caregiver lady wears..  now its up to me to live long enough to enjoy life
for a while..  and I do mean ENJOY!  the only hitch is when the caregiver
lady is tired or feels crummy..  she won't take even one little bite of my
ferret food [and its Totally Ferret and really very tasty..  just what she
needs..  I think..] Humans are good at fixing us fuzzies..  now to get them
to let us fix them the same way..
 
and each nite..  the same little prayer as she checks on us and makes sure
we are all well and happy..  the poem prayer is by a lady named Jeanne
Stadmiller and is framed on the wall of out free roam room..
 
Evening star
so big and bright
Keep my ferrets safe tonight.
 
Give them dreams
of treats and such.
Let them know
they're loved so much.
 
When daylight comes,
please let them play
safe and happy another day.
 
and the only toast ever offered in her ferret home is 'To Absent Friends'
and she looks at the books of pictures of fuzzies gone on to the ferret
fields at the Rainbow Bridge and cries a little..
 
and she promises me each night when she tucks me in tight..  that one day I
too will dook and dance the days away..  healthy and strong again..
 
she says I have a wonderful dear spirit that gives new light to her every
day..
 
so maybe the glowing embers of old age have a little something that just
might be better than the fires of youth..  and slowly those five years of
not really existing in a cage are fading into a forgotten memory in the
joys of today..
 
thanks for taking the time to listen to this old fellows rambles..  its
such a wonder that anyone even listens after such a long empty silence..
but I am learning..  and getting better at this living stuff everyday..
 
thanks for sharing this little ones thoughts..  it means a lot to him you
know..  and he is such a joy to be with every minute of every day..  and oh
the kisses he rains on your face when you hold him..  years worth he saved
up I bet..  the little rascal..
 
this one truly lends me Grace..
 
dayna and the woozles
 
The MMOMM Ferret Rescue and Shelter has a new name...
The Sandeborne Institute, Inc. {501C]  http://www.sandeborne.org
You can help the ferrets at the Sandeborne Institute by visiting
http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?cid=5526&mid=63921
iGive will donate $2.00 to the shelter for each person who joins.
Membership is free, and there is no obligation to iGive or the shelter.
All registration info is kept Private.   *Thank you from all the fuzzies!*
[Posted in FML issue 2791]