If I survive this holiday season, it will be a miracle.  I thought dealing
with the "Thanksgiving Flood" was a nightmare.  Well, I think this weekend
topped it!
 
My mother-in-law came to spend the weekend with us.  (She is here from
Mexico.) She was going to spend the nights in my 15 year old son's room.  I
went in and asked Andy why his room smelled.  He said, "it's the ferrets
Momma, they've been using my room for a bathroom!" I told him that was not
true (praying all the time it really wasn't!).  He said "then what is this?
My carpet's all wet!"  I found the wet spot on the carpet, it looked like
there was a gallon of water on it.  I told him if that was the ferrets then
they had better go to the vet because there was a BIG problem with them.
Well, we sprayed disenfectant, and I was left to puzzle who was "whizzing"
on his floor.
 
My mother-in-law tactfully commented, in Spanish, on the smell and of course
Ricky Ricardo too blamed the ferrets.  Again I sprayed, and sprayed, and
sprayed.  My mother-in-law spent the night with no comments.  The next day,
my 18 year old daughter said to me "I know why Andy's room stinks!  (I'm
preparing to defend my furry babies again.....)  His waterbed is leaking!
Sure enough, I go in and find it wet to the middle of the floor.  I mention
this (with the aid of my pocket translator) to my mother-in-law, and she
tells me she felt water in the bed and she was sinking lower during the
night!  I page Andy at work at McDonalds.  He comes home, and he and his
friends start to drain his bed.
 
I think it's safe to take my mother-in-law to K-Mart shopping for Christmas.
When I get home, "Ricky" says "the front door was left open while the boys
were draining the bed and I think Snowy got out!" That was the last straw.
What really got me was that the kids and my husband thought I was
overreacting.  I went outside and called for Snowy for over an hour.  I come
in the house in tears.  I went up to Andy's room and he and his friend
Brandon are telling me Snowy was in the house somewhere (I knew, with a
ferret Mom's esp, I guess, that he wasn't) and to "quit freaking out." I was
so worried, since it was supposed to be our first big snow of the year in
Utah (and it was, too!).  I'm talking to the two boys, when Brandon looks
out the window and says "S**t!" and about knocks me over getting out of the
room.  Now, Brandon is a very polite boy and this was out of character.  I'm
thinking how they are already on my list and this isn't helping.  Then my
son, Andy, says "S**t" and JUMPS OUT THE WINDOW!  (This is a second floor
room, he jumps out, holding onto the window ledge and then lets go and falls
to the ground.  He is tall, but this is a bit much, I think!) I look out the
window wondering what the boys saw, and I see this LITTLE FAT, WHITE BUTT
going back through the fence to the field where the construction site is
next door!  I run downstairs yelling "Snowy!  Snowy!  Come to Momma!"
 
Well, the boys climbed the fence and cornered the little reprobate in the
brush pile.  Brandon caught him and handed him to me.  Once again, Snowball
was "Dirtball".  He had muddy little feet, a muddy face and a poofy tail.
(He stayed poofed for over a half an hour, too!) I kissed him and told him
how worried I was.  (And I kept thanking Andy and Brandon for catching him!)
Snowy usually kisses by just pressing his mouth on yours, but this time he
was actually KISSING!  He couldn't stop licking!  I took him upstairs and
gave him some ferretone (thinking, yeah, right Cath, reward him for being
naughty......) and put him in his cage with Pato.  Thank God!  (I'm sure my
Mother-in-law, who is a very nice person, thought I was completely nuts!)
 
And how was everyone else's weekend?
 
Catherine, Pato (you run away and get a treat) and Snowball (Oh, Momma, I
was so scared!)
 
Behind The Zion Curtain
[Posted in FML issue 2149]