My ferrets only play area is the kitchen, so arriving home in a rush I had
two concerns.  Getting Burnie, Kouri, and Welly out for some romp time, and
preparing a "real" meal because company was coming for dinner.
 
I don't actually "cook" with the ferrets underfoot, but wanted to spend time
with them and get my preperations underway.  Peeling potatos seemed like a
safe task.  All chairs have to be removed, or they'll
 
All chairs have to first be removed, or ferrets will be on the eating bar in
a heartbeat.  They actually have to be rolled completly out of the kitchen,
or they become springboards for launching onto countertops or the stove!
This done I put up the plexiglass barricade across the doorway, and gathered
the leaping ferrets from their cage.  The rolling chairs appearing in the
computer/ferret room is their cue that out time is about to begin.  Much
leaping into the air, interspersed with wild dashes to the litterpan goes on
while I do the chair movement!
 
While the 3 ferrets tear wildly around the room and leap against my legs, I
gather the needed culinary items.  Freshly purchased bag of potatoes, my
most dullest knife, large plastic pan - oops, the pan is still in the lower
cupboard, the one I don't want them to learn how to open!  How to divert
them while I retrieve it?  Viola - open the refrigerator!  Three ferrets
happily gather at the base of the double crisper, attempting yet once again
to scale it, while I quickly retrieve my pan.  "Sorry guys, did I leave this
open, how silly of me"!
 
Ok, do I have everything?  Potatoes in pan of water, the extremely dull
knife, cup of coffee, an extra absorbant rug (I know my guys!) and all the
spare dishtowels.  Everything goes on the floor, including me.  Now ferrets
are jumping up and down on my lap.  Kouri, the water baby, wastes no time in
plunging his head in to see if the bottom most potato is better.  I begin
peeling.  A ferret rushes in and flinches the peel out of the water.  I drop
everything to retreive it.  How fortunate that I always choose the sink to
lean against when sitting on my kitchen floor, I can just fling the peels up
over my head and they will land in the sink.  Cool!
 
Everyone investigates what I'm doing, but because they are "in water!" only
Kouri has any real interest.  He rumages among the pototoes, up to his
shoulders in the water.  Finding an especially tasty one, he bites into it,
lifting the entire spud high into the air and rushes off with it.  And you
wondered why I put all the dishtowels on the floor!  Retreiving the potato,
I find someone has made off with the knife.  Yes, cooking with ferrets is
LOTS of fun.  The knife, by the way, is my oldest and dearest, it has a hard
time with warm butter!
 
Kouri repeatedly shagged potatoes out of the pan, and I was amused at what
our guest would think if he knew ferrets had been playing with his food.  My
coffee they had no interest in.  None of the 3 do more than look into the
cup, it's never been spilled or tasted.  Am I using the wrong brand?
 
Next time, maybe we'll bake cookies!
 
Georgia
[Posted in FML issue 2084]