Boy this is some kind of fun! I love car rides. New sights, new smells, adventure galore. Yes! And I get to be the only one going this time. You gotta love car rides if you're a ferret, my friend. Where are mommy and daddy taking me today? Gosh I hope it's that school place again. The new smells there paint such a neat picture for me. I get hugs and attention from everyone at the school. And I really crave smell and touch because I'm deaf. We're finally here, and here comes daddy to get me out of the car now. Oh wow, it is, it is, it is the school! The hallway is a really fun to go through. Look at all the kids looking at ME. Wow. Yes, I am pretty... I know. Uh huh... yup, I'm a ferret. My dad tells me I'm adorable to, I know. Here we go right into the classroom I know and love. "Is that the ambassador? Is that him? Can I hold him now, can I? Ooo I wanna walk him, did you bring his leash," asks Alicia. Alicia is tall, and dark with bright eyes. She's so pretty. She makes all kinds of faces, smiles, and moves her mouth all the time so she is fun to watch. She can't sit still anywhere at all just like me. Boy I can relate to her. The teacher is chastising her, I know she has to, but I wish she wouldn't. She keeps petting me even though everyone says to her that she has to wait for her "time". I like how she is. She's a real fighter. Ooo, look over there... all the kids are waiting just for me in a circle. I'm the star afterall. I don't like this part. This is the part where Mommy is moving her mouth a mile a minute... telling stories to the children. Thank God I can't hear, you know. Daddy keeps holding me and I want down, I can't help myself but to wiggle because I want down. I'm just like Alicia, my mommy tells me so (I can read lips... pretty nifty huh?). Ooo, everyone jumped, what happened? I can't hear so I don't get scared from what mommy calls sounds. Oh, that's what it was, that little boy, Malcolm, dropped his chair. How do you drop a chair? Well you just never know what will happen here, the children are special. They are differently abled and so interesting. It's so much fun because there is so much to keep me busy and entertained. "Miss Rebecca, Miss Rebecca, is the one that can't hear? Why he don't have hearing aids like us Miss Rebecca? Can I hold him yet?" says Alicia. My mommy is so understanding of her and has a way of calming her down without being hard on her like some grown up humans can be. Mommy says it's not her though and that it's all me. That I calm her down, and that's why she is able to behave. I don't get it. All I do is look pretty. Oh finally the best part. This is when I get to visit each child quietly... whatever "quietly" means. I get to see Alicia in the beginning of the visiting time a lot so she won't have to wait long since it's so very hard for her to wait. Alicia is neat. She is so ferrety. I mean she isn't scared of anything, and she thinks she can do anything! I remember when I met her, she just reached right out to grab and hold me when she didn't even know what a ferret was. Is that cool or what?! She gets so overexcited, mommy used to be scared she would squeeze me too hard. So mommy never has let her hold me alone. But Alicia doesn't care. She only has eyes for me. Mommy says she is misunderstood, and that she feels bad for her because she can tell the teachers get really tired of how aggressive she is socially and how loud she always is. What is loud? Anyway, I can be myself around Alicia and wiggle and sniff her face. Get right up there. She smells so neato! Mom says I have a gift. All I know is I love the kids and I treat them all differently. They all smell unique, and are beautiful. So I'm different ways with each child. That is why mommy says I'm gifted. Like I am really careful when I spend time with Zack. He pulls away and acts scared if I touch his face, or move too much. If I just lay on him, he pets me all over though. And Emily, wow, if I don't let her squish and hug me all over the place she will stop making that big funny smile I like. When I visit Michael, he likes to watch me just be a ferret. I have to be gentle around him so he will touch my tail and pet my back. Let me tell you, everyone here is so special. Mom says I'm special too. She says I'm differently abled like the kids. Well if I'm anything like them, I know I'm something special for sure! Wolfy Please visit: http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/ for information on ferret deafness: http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/deaf.html [Posted in FML issue 3706]