Hi.  Remember to get your Flanders' Field poppy, Rolling Thunder bandana,
or other way to show "Thank you!" for Memorial Day.
 
Debi wrote:
>Ferrets perceive pain as a threat.  They don't have the capacity to regret
>they did something that got them hurt.  Whatever hurt them is perceived as
>a source of fear.  If that fear source has also established dominance the
>ferret may appear to have "learned" not to do what got him hurt... to that
>dominant fear source.  But when someone else does it, the ferret's first
>response is to get in the first shot in this new battle for dominance.
>The ferret has not "learned" not to bite.  It's only learned it's below
>the dominant handler in the pecking order.  Anyone else is fresh meat.
 
I found that brilliant.  It is such a LOGICAL and ELEGANT explanation for
things I've seen over the years with some little ones who had been hit.
Part of it's been said before, but Deb put it together into a cohesive
package complete with a bow, and with addition observations that I can't
recall anyone making before.
 
If I read you right, Debi, you use a sort of touch to the nose ONLY and
stop at that -- sort of literally "Getting in your face, Ferret!" to show
dominance by invading their space in an assertive manner rather than in any
painful form -- sort of an "Attention Touch".  Is that right?  Interesting
approach.  Haven't run into that before that I can recall.
 
On the opposite end of the coin Susie Sherman years ago at the 10th year
FML reunion showed me a technique I'd never run into for those who have
become deathly afraid of hands.  It's really neat so I'll pass it along.
Instead of gloves in the beginning she would touch and hold the ferret with
a bit of fleece blanket.  The ferret could that way gradually be used to
people moving her without even seeing the form which so bothered her.
 
Susan, I know that you respect geeks and have no bias against them, but a
person might mis-read your joke the other day and think otherwise.  Since I
have corresponded with several young people here on the FML who aspire to
geekdom let me just remind all that geekdom these days offers one of the
very best chances for adventure a person can ever have -- and not only that
but someone who goes into an adventurous aspect of geekdom gets to be paid
for it and may garner a lot of praise at the same time.  I know people who
have: explored jungles, gone swimming with sharks, worked with fashion
magazines at shoots, dashed off a small boat to plant a U.S. flag on a
new volcanic island days before it exploded, worked with ground-breaking
musicians who were interested in new technology, prospected in the Egyptian
desert, etc, etc., etc.  Science, computers and such can get you there and
further.  So, for those who aspire to a life of curiosity, new experiences,
and adventure: go for it!  Life is for living.  Real adventure may not be
the 1950s ideal, but, heck, it's not the 1950s, even if too many people
(even a few young ones) are stuck in 1950s perceptions.  (NOT meaning
Susan, here, just people in general for those who miss that.  Susan was
joking.)
 
Tammy, I loved your dollar-a-day comments.  You are right; they are cheap
for the pleasure they give.  You were right on the mark.
 
Dawn, we used to include ProPlan in our food combo but stopped due to the
corn content.  Not having numbers of how much corn it takes to cause the
formation of bladder stones or how much is in that food we felt it prudent
to just drop it and be safe.
[Posted in FML issue 3065]