After a long battle with insulinoma and other cancers, Ralphie has joined
his dearest friends Norman and Cinderella at the Rainbow Bridge.
 
I adopted Ralph in the autumn of 1994, before any of the other ferrets I
have now.  He came from the FACT shelter in Connecticut, where he learned
to fly.  I was told that soon after Ralphie made one of his spectacular
leaps between the bannister posts and over the stairs, the shelter moms
blocked off the landing so other ferrets wouldn't do the same.
 
I subscribed to the FML shortly before I adopted Ralph, and this was one of
my first FML posts: "Ralph has a fascination with the dog toys.  The other
day I saw him trying to push the latex Snoopy underneath the bottom kitchen
drawer.  That didn't work, so he crawled under the drawer and, with just
his head sticking out, tried to pull Snoopy in.  Well, Snoopy was just too
big.  However, the next day I found Snoopy in the cabinet with the pots and
pans... he 's still trying to figure out a good place for the orange rubber
fire hydrant, which is almost as big as he is."
 
Any toys for the dog quickly became Ralph's treasures.  He enjoyed surfing
with a squeaky dog toy which was in the shape of a folded up newspaper.  He
would hold it under his body and "surf" back and forth behind the couch.
 
Ralph also loved the latex carrot dog toys.  He and Prince Charming engaged
in what I called the "carrot wars." Each of them thought the carrot toy
belonged in a different spot.  Ralph would drag it under the kitchen
drawer, and then Prince Charming would move it back to the cabinet.  This
was further complicated by Clover, who occupied the kitchen when the other
ferrets were in a different room.  She would move the carrot somewhere
else, and when Ralph and Prince Chaming returned the next day, it would
start all over.
 
Besides being funny and smart, Ralph was the most gentle, loving being.
He loved people and other ferrets, and was always a wonderful ferret
ambassador.  When I think of Ralph, I will mostly remember his pure,
loving spirit.
 
Besides his grieving mom, Ralph leaves behind the rest of his FLO unit--
Harry, Prince Charming, Merlin, Roxanne, Petunia, Epcot and Clover, as well
as Lily the dog and 6 cats.  Although his beautiful sable body now lies in
the garden, Ralph's joyful spirit is playfully surfing along the Rainbow
Bridge with his many friends.  Farewell, good and loving friend, you will
never be forgotten.
 
Though lovers be lost,
Love shall not,
And death shall have no dominion.
   --Dylan Thomas
[Posted in FML issue 2853]