It has been almost a week now since our little Stormin Norman made his
journey to the Bridge, and I wanted to share his precious, very short
little life with you, in hopes that it might bring a smile after all of
the tears that have been shed since his journey.
 
Stormin Norman became part of the Pietinkieville Gang several months ago
while my husband and I were on vacation.  Very dear friends of ours, who
are also shelter parents, took turns baby sitting our zoo while we were
on vacation.  While we were away, Jean, shelter mommy, brought Stormin
Norman to live with our family because she thought that he would fit
right in, and had been passed up by several people when they came to
adopt a fuzzie from the shelter.  Norman was very cute, a blaze, very
ornery and full of life.  She was right, he fit right in, as she called
him one of the Three Stooges, cause he took right up with Charlie Brown
and Rudie Patutti Head and were best buddys.
 
Shortly after Norman's arrival, it became apparent that he also wanted
to become friends with one of our pet skunks - Elmo Buggerbutt.  He
accomplished this by getting a mouth full of ferret food and throwing it
down from the top floor of their cage, to the familyroom floor where Elmo
would be waiting for it.  All Elmo had to do was just go stand in front
of the cage and look up at Norman, and Norman would feed him.  Well, we
finally got that stopped because skunks are supposed to have vegetables
and fruit, not ferret food.  Never under estimate the intelligence of
animals - cause these two certainly had a unique way of communicating
with each other.
 
Norman was always very playful, very much a little "party animal", very
loving, and ornery all wrapped up in one very precious little fuzzbutt.
He was just about to turn a year old, when his spleen got very enlarged
and we found out that he had cancer.  It was removed, and a few days
later found out that it was probably in his bone morrow as well.
 
Norman lived 11 days after his surgery, and then he went on his great
journey to the Bridge, while mommy and daddy were at work.
 
Norman, mommy, daddy, all of your brothers and sisters and Elmo
Buggerbutt love and miss you very much, as well as your shelter mommy and
daddy.  You were and always will be a very precious little angel, and I
hope that Sandee at the Bridge will have a special job for you, hopefully
helping feed another stinker!
 
Someday, little angel, we will be reunited again.  Until then, please
know how much you are loved and missed.
 
Your mommy and daddy and the Pietinkieville Gang from Ohio!
[Posted in FML issue 3869]