Hi, all.(Just a reminder.  Beginning next week, Sandees Greeting post
will be on monday or tuesday.)
 
I met a little guy coming across the Bridge.  In the World of the Living,
his name had been Calvin.  Here, he wishes to be known as the calvinator!
(There's a good story somewhere there, I am sure!)
 
Anyway, the Calvinator's Brother in Fur Houdini Ferret was waiting with
me to Greet him.  They had a wonderful reunion...hopping, pouncing,
war-dancing and popping straight up into the air.  They took turns
rubbing one anothers sides, and sniffing gently until they all shared
more or less the same scent.
 
The Calvinator says that he feels better than he has in ages, there is no
pain, and no illness, just the memory of the love his last Mommy , Tonya
gave him.  The Calvinator had so many homes that didn't last nearly as
long as forever, but she gave him more love than the rest combined, and
he will never forget her for it.  A long time from now, he hopes to see
her again.
 
He just had one wish for the Big Boss.  He really hated those speckles
on his nose, they made him feel like Opie from the Andy Griffith show.
True, his coat is glossy and soft now, and he is at the peak of his youth
and vitality, but the speckles made him feel like a dork.  Well, the Big
Boss didn't see any reason that Calvin couldn't have a nose job, so to
speak.  Now it is wide and a soft brown that goes nicely with his eyes.
He spent literelly an hour admiring his new nose in the surface of the
still spring near the end of the Bridge while his friend giggled at him,
the spring near the lilac bush that blooms either lilac or white
depending upon its mood on any given day.
 
There was one other thing that Calvin wanted, and that was to visit the
mountain of squeakie toys.  It's not too far from the Fruil Bar, so it
was an easy walk for the three of us.  Why not?  It was a beautiful day
to stroll through the grass and the dasies, and get caught up.
 
Finally, we could see the top of it against the horizon.  Squeakies!
Tens of thousnads of squeakies!  Soft ones, rubbery ones, ones like
fantastic animals, ones like little T-bone steaks, bunnies, dog bones,
kitties, unicorns, shoes, rolled up newspapers, monsters in many colors
with or without google eyes, you name it, there was a squeakie to suit
you.  The best thing about squeakies here in this World?  NO INTESTINAL
BLOCKAGES, EVER!  You could eat your weight in soft, pink rubber pencil
erasors and get nothing worse than gas!
 
It took the three of us an hour to climb the pile and really sort through
it, but in the end the Calvinator found a hot dog squeakie that reminded
him of home.  That was the one!  He carried it in his teeth all the way
back to the Fruil Bar, where we rewarded ourselves with a feast of fresh
honeydew and watermelon chunks for all of our hard work.  I just know
that the Calvinator will be happy here!
 
I met another little guy coming across the Bridge.  His name ws Phillip.
He had been dreaming about the Bridge, and was happy to be in his new
forever , forever home.  More than anything, he as happy to see his
friends Mandy, Gizmo, and Betty.  That had a great reunion, catching up
on all the gossip from home.  Only one thing was missing.  Lowell.
 
Lowell was never an outgoing ferret, not to say that he was shy.  He just
marched to the beat of his own drummer, very independant, was Lowell.
Phillip was a little sad that Lowell didn't come to greet him along with
the rest of the Business.  Rumor had it that Lowell had "gone Polecat" as
we like to say, and had basically gone back to the wild.  It happens from
time to time, it's not a big deal around here.  We just try to give our
new polecats a lot of space.
 
Well, that wasn't good enough for Mandy, Gizmo, and Betty!  They wanted
Lowell front and center to greet Phillip, who was a heck of a nice guy!
So they did something sneaky...They went and had a talk with the Wild
Black Footed Ferrets who seem to know everybody's business.  They asked
if maybe the guys could hunt up Lowell for a little visit.  Could they?
YEE-HAA!, said the Wilds, just watch us work!  And off they galloped into
the woods, hollaring and whistling and making all sorts of a racket.  By
now Phillip wann't sure that this was such a god idea...but it was too
late.  *You* try calming down the Wilds!  It doesn't work.
 
About two hours later we could hear them thrashing through the
underbrush, getting closer and closer, and who should pop gasping out of
the long grass but Lowell, who greeted us with some very, VERY bad ferret
words!  He finally ended with 'Hello, already!  Are you happy now?"
 
I know it's cruel but we just couldn't help laughing at him.  He was
panting and covered with little bits of torn leaves and twigs.  We all
put on our wings and flew away before the Wilds caught up with us.  We
settled atop a hill to enjoy the sunset, all except Lowell, who was
pretty much determined not to enjoy anything if he could help it.  He
didn't say ten words, and finally left when nobody was watching.  One
minute he was there, the next, he was just a pair of eyes glowering out
from between two clumps of grass that he had pushed his way between.
Oh, well, it was good to see him anyway.
 
I met another little guy coming across the Bridge.  He had a huge
business waithing for him, even though he was a young guy.  He was
greeted by Oliver, Seth, Fiona, Fuzzy, Leo, Gabby, Nico, and Cocoa.
They had a good reunion, wrestling and bunny kicking at each others
bellies until the grass was stamped flat all aound them.
 
Well, everybody strapped on wings and went to show Linus where their den
was.  It wasn't a far fly, but we did have to go a way into the forrest
to get there.  Their den was built of pine boughs bent over into a short
of bell shape.  There was only one entrance and exit.  There was a little
hole in the roof to let the smoke out from a small campfire that they
would light inside on really cold nights.  To do that, they would have to
push aside the soft layer of dried moss that lined the floor of the
lodge.  The moss kept the lodge smelling good, and was very, very soft to
sleep on.  The den was about three feet high, and could have accomodated
a few hammies, but everyone prefered to curl uo on the moss.
 
The Business knew that their Daddy loves and misses them so terribly
much, and that he wanted to come visit someday.  What to do?  The den was
much, much too small!  So they sat and they thought, and they thought and
they sat.  Finally, Nico starting pogoing up nad down excitedly going "I
know, I know, I know!"
 
Here was the plan.  They asked the Big Boss to help them move a car that
they really thought that their Daddy would like.  It was a 1965 Lincoln
Continental, jet black, with suicide doors.  What was not to love?  Shiny
chrome, fender skirts, black leather interior.  It took them four days to
fill it with enough pine needles that they thought he could sleep
comfortablty in it.  It's there right nreart their den, just waiting for
the day he comes to visit.  Just to honor him, they didn't rip up it's
interior, they know hoomins are funny about such things.  It's ready
whenever he is, a long time from now.
 
Sandee
[Posted in FML issue 4476]