This afternoon,barely dragging myself through the mandatory things of my
day, hurting everywhere, and so exhausted I was on the verge of tears, I
drove very carefully over to get the mail.  And found A BOX!
 
I wasn't sure if I should take it or wait till I was in better shape, but I
decided to lug it home now as I have learned that when I put a thing off it
usually is a thing I absolutely should have attended to immediately... so in
the mini jeep it went and I took it directly home.  I was too tired to even
eat, I had planned to stop and grab a little something, but that was just
more than I could coax my body into doing...and when I got it inside I just
plopped down on my bed and took a Foggy break.  I didn't remember anyone was
to be sending a package, pretty fuzzy thinking patterns today, and later
when I did remember I realized I had been expecting a package...as in object
the size of a small shoe box at the largest, so it didn't connect at all.  I
had Foggy sprawled across my lap and was trying to give him at least a
portion of the snuggles and petting he is used to everyday from me but he
kept wriggling around until he could see that big box.  I sensed it scared
him and feel boxes have some very unhappy associations for him..so I decided
to open it and empty it and get the darn box itself out of his area so he
could relax and get in a little play/affection time.  Just cutting the tape
had him stiff and making scared little chirps, so I was relieved when it was
all free of the closing tape and I could open it at last.  As the top popped
up it finally penetrated my fatigued fuzzy brain that this might be THE
BOX...the expected one...come days early!  After I got Foggy soothed and a
little curious by petting then scratching the white paper with my nails I
placed him on my forearm..like a saddle on a saddle horse and fastened him
in place with a couple of velcro strips..he likes to ride with me sometimes
when I do things around the infirmary and he knew something was 'up' then so
he got real alert.  I held my arm so h could see in and removed the paper
covering.  His reaction reminded me of a very poor orphaned kid looking in
the window of the biggest, fanciest toy store in the world.  His eyes were
darting everywhere at once and his want to get in there and look around was
very evident.  I started touching each thing, slowly until he couldn't stand
it any longer and he began to really try hard to scoonch down my arm to
investigate the object he found most irresistible.  It was a flat cardboard
sleeve with a cat crinkle sack inside.  He nosed and sniffed and pushed
trying to get it out to see it better and when he was about to bust with
frustrated impatience I withdrew the folded sack and laid it on my lap and
unstrapped him and put him down by it... He did his ferret swimming on fry
land trick and with a little help got it to start to open up...then he
froze!  It made a crunchy, crackly kinda noise lie the plastic grocery bags
the other ferrets love to crawl into and drag around and generally
demolish..all with great glee..Foggy could only watch them with envy written
all over him as he could never pin the grocery bag and make it make that
delicious noise much less grab it and run while dragging it for more super
sound effects.  But this sack that was so pretty and looked so soft was
making a better sound than even the much coveted grocery bags.  He kept
ecstatically poking and nudging it while I rendered him my very slight
assistance until it was opened flat out and he was completely delighted with
its huge size and interesting edges and pattern...thats when I sprang the
surprise on him...I lifted an edge and showed him that it had an
inside..like a sleep sack.  He got so excited he nearly threw himself off my
lap.  Holding him firmly against his frantic wiggling I opened the sack
wider and just slid a very agitated Foggy inside.  He laid there looking all
around and was so tickled with this development it took a while for him to
move a leg..And that started the biggest flurry of wiggles and flops and leg
bumps you ever saw.  A hyperactive, intoxicated eel had nothing on that
ferret!
 
And the sound effects of the bag and a whole new collection of ferret
squeeks, chirps, chuckles and Mrrr's soon had the other fuzzies raising cain
to be let out so they could play with the marvelous new toy.  After closing
and setting aside the box I le the others out..but gave them their usual
grocery bags to play with and wouldn't let them do more than sniff and look
at the one Foggy was having a wildly delightful time in.  Shortly he noticed
I was restraining the others and he sort of went limp and loked resigned to
giving up the glorious wonderful magical new sack.  I lifted him out and
whilke I kept the others back I lifted the oh so special NEW sack out of
their reach and took it and Foggy over to his enclosure.  He realized he was
to be put back and was being a good sport and tryig not to hold onto or grab
the sack with his teeth..but it was easy to see he was disappointed that the
sack would be theirs now and he would be back to only watching everybody get
to pley with it except him..as usual with the other ones..  I gently pushed
him onto the floor of his padded coop and he tucked in and tried to look
like he was tired and sleepy while sneaking last peeks at the
better-than-any-sack-in-the-world sack.  At that point I laid the sack out
on the flooring right where he was brushing the edge of the opening and
tapped him on the side f the neck to get him to twist around and look that
way.  He looked at the sack and at the others and bac at the sack and at me
and all around again..and then just stared up at me with the most extatic
and incredulous expression n his face and body language.  There was no doubt
he was asking me 'For Me????' so I nudged him a little way inside and gave
him a pat and a little kiss n the nse and whispered...'For YOU, Little
Foggy, All For Just You!" and snapped the gate closed with him and the much
lioved very beautiful special only one ever sack inside aloine.  In seconds
that sack looked like it had a whole business of very happy ferrets inside
and it was over an hour before the crunching finally slowed and stopped.  I
snuck over and peeked inside his space and he was fast sleep with his 'paws'
wrapped tightly around all f the sack he could pack into his grasp.  And I
swear he was smiling bigger than I have ever seen him smile before.
 
Any fuzzy owner knows what a contented fuzzy looks like but Foggy was
posatively Euphoric!  He slept the sleep f the happily exhausted and except
for meds and his potty break he hasn't let it out of his grasp for a second.
I don't think that poor little deprived fuzzy would trade that sack for a
whole new set oif beautiful silver mitts.
 
I think tomorrow is soon enough to treat him to a second exposure to the
Grand Adventure of the Magical Mystical Box.
 
How can I ever thank the giver of the box for the joy it has have given
him... and I have a suspicion the treasures of the Magical Foggy Box have
just begun.  You may be sure I will let him discover and experience each and
every Heavenly Treasure one at a time and slowly and completely before
returning to the box to choose and experience another happy discovery.  I
cannot describe my inner intense happiness to see him have such a joyful
experience.  I think this must be the luckiest fuzzy in the world to have
such a wonderful Friend and Gift Giver!
 
 My Heart is very full tonight...dayna
 dayna frazier   102046,3162
'resident of the 'Marvellous Menagerie of Mirthful Mayhem'
             MMOMM!!!
[Posted in FML issue 1580]