As I look back on her life, I realize Belle really was a grand lady,
with many varied activities and accomplishments.  She has been on TV and
radio, featured on web sites, was well known and liked in local stores,
entertained college students, flew on a plane, was the heroine of a Modern
Ferret story, etc.  What an exciting life she led!
 
Some of the highlights:
Belle's Thanksgiving Story was featured, along with her picture, in Modern
Ferret #6.  The story, written by daughter Joy when she was 9, won first
prize in the Funniest Food Story contest.  The story is well worth a read,
see http://www.modernferret.com/ for ordering back issues!
 
She was very popular on the Web in its early ferret days.  Her picture
still graces Dr. Bruce Williams' ferret pathology site
<http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html>
and was on a Massachusetts ferret bill site during the efforts to legalize
ferrets in that state.  She was also Dr. Fredericka von Ferret for a
company that made ferret litter.
 
In August 97, Belle went 3 for 3 at the Cincinatti Ferret Extravaganza!  As
I wrote to the FML then: "Belle floated to a first in the Lightest ferret
speciality, weighing in a 1 lb even.  She waltzed to a first in the costume
contest, wearing her lovely lavendar southern belle outfit.  And she was
just crochety enough to take first place in the Grandma speciality." She
and Buttons were filmed by a local TV station in their costumes, and she
was held up next to a HUMONGOUS male to show size comparisons, but I never
saw the resultant news story.
 
About 2 years ago, Belle visited the very popular Lanigan and Malone
morning show on WMJI.  This was after one of the hosts referred to ferrets
as smelly rodents.  She charmed them completely.  Lanigan kept saying how
cute she was, and after she trompped across the control board turning on a
telephone line, he picked her up and cuddled her.  He even gave her a kiss!
 
In her younger years, Belle went everywhere with us.  She was so easy to
tuck inside your jacket or just carry on the shoulder.  She was well known
at the SuperK, Drug Mart, and other local shops.  We took her to outdoor
concerts and twice she met the Vogues ("5 o'clock World", "My Special
Angel", "Turn Around Look At Me").  One of them used to own ferrets, and
remembered Belle from one year to the next.  After seeing her during the
break of the second concert, a mention of ferrets was ad-libbed into one
of the songs!
 
And on top of all this, she was loved and cherished, and gave back love
generously to all who met her.
 
I miss her greatly.
 
Linda Iroff
Oberlin OH
[Posted in FML issue 2972]