Had a great time in Georgia, making new friends and shooting ferrets.  The
Georgia ferret thingie was great; lots of people and ferts.  I enjoyed
watching blindfolded people trying to sniff out their ferrets from three
offered.  I would have no trouble with Amber who poofs just because it is
apparently fun to do.
 
I shot ferrets most of Sunday; well, *after* I accidentally took a prolonged
tour of the rich side of town.  Afterwards, it was a sprint back home for a
bicycle training session with Andrew, and doctor appointments.  Andrew is
faster than me anymore, but I can outlast him.  Took along Bear and Stella
on the ride; the weather was cool and the two of them were jumping around
like kits in the cool air.  They must have tunneled more than an hour in the
leaves and grass by the Missouri River before it was time to head back.
They had a brief encounter with a box turtle and Stella must have jumped a
foot in the air when the turtle stuck it's head out of the shell.  I haven't
heard her hiss since she was a kit.
 
I have mucho mail I am slowly working through, and the ferret questions are
piling up.  I will get to both as soon as possible.
 
I had to resort to scanning stuff and so may not be completely up with some
of the recent issues.  But here are a few opinions anyway.
 
I support anyone mature enough to understand they don't have the time, money
or deep-seated love to maintain their pet ferrets (or any other pet), and
elect to release them for adoption.  That is not to say I believe ferrets
are disposable pets, nor do I support spontaneous pet purchases.  I just
believe two wrongs do not make a right, and it is wrong to keep a pet you
dislike or cannot maintain.  Adopting it out is the moral thing to do.  It
is hard enough to give something you love away; it doesn't help to yell at
them for it as well.  I adopted four ferrets from a single young lady, and
she has dropped by to visit them, and calls at least once a year to see how
they are doing.  I not only encourage it, I recommend it.  Those actions
alone have shown to me the depth of her feelings for the little beasties,
which is good enough for me, and I hope someday she can own ferrets once
again, and I would vouch for her if asked.
 
I might be considered somewhat of a ferret apologist for saying this, but I
ask those unlucky few who sometimes feel the heat from us more rabid ferret
fanatics to try and understand the depth of our passion for the little
carpet sharks.  A few of us are more passionate than others, and like the
time I hollared at a professor for cruching one of "my" bones at an
archaeological dig, can say things in a terse and excited way that is
immediately mistaken as angry or rude.  Forgive us our words of passion, and
accept my praise for your maturity and your own depth of feeling for your
efforts to get your ferrets to a good home, for whatever reason you have to
get rid of them.
 
Fert Update: m Sand and Foster are doing great!  Almost all of Sandy's hair
has returned, except for a monk-like patch on her rump, and her complete
tail, which are hairless.  Foster has returned to the top-dog status he once
held, and *runs* to me when he smells chicken.  Gosh, does he love BBQ
sauce!  And he has put back on all his weight; he is back up to 3.2 lbs.
I've noticed him standing in the food dishes, not letting anyone eat with
him.  What a hog.
 
Apollo has started to lose hair on the top of his rump, so I've scheduled
him to see the vet Friday.  He is a MF fert adopted from TLE a couple of
years ago, and had his front canines cut off by someone.  (At first they
looked broken, like from biting the cage or falling, but closer inspection
clearly showed the tale-tail marks of a wire cutter on the base of the
teeth.  He is very sweet.
 
The kits are doing fine; Carbone is just at 3 lbs and is almost the largest
fert in the house.  And he is not yet 6 months old.  Amber and Jezabel love
to terrorize the back of my legs, but no longer bite hard.  Jet thinks I'm
her daddy, and jumps into my hands when I call.  Her little white eyebrowns
give her somewhat of a comical look, but I am thankful for them because they
are about the only way I can tell her from Jezabel.  They get their 3rd
distemper shots next week.
 
I got a lot of mail about Simon's strange cough, with most htinking he might
have had a sore throat or something.  Can't tell, even though I pulled out
the flashlight and looked.  It cleared up on its own.
 
Everyone else is doin' jus' fine.
 
Bob C and 20 MO Ferretoholics
[Posted in FML issue 2096]