If my email (and post office) box is any indication, my lack of participation of late has caught the attention of more than a few people. Dozens of you have sent letters and cards of condolence, and for that I am extremely grateful. One dear person sent a picture of a different ferret each day for more than two weeks, just to cheer me up! I have been left speechless. Thank you all. I have no desire to speak of the particulars of my loss; it is too private and too painful. I will just say it was sudden and unexpected, and the loss hit me like a heavy blow to my stomach. I have learned to live with my own mortality, but the sudden intrusion of death into a carefully preserved aspect of my private life caught me unaware. It has taken me some time to deal with the loss to an extent where I would be interested in posting here again. I am still not sure if I am willing to post in such intensity as before; the nitpicking and sniping exhibitied by some people have removed much of the joy of sharing discovery with others. I have a wealth of self-confidence and I have always believed admitting mistakes demonstrates strength of character, and the truth is, my deep love of ferrets is a far greater incentive in trying to be as accurate as possible than any one or any group of people's opinions. None-the-less, the intensive nitpicking without substantive argument or the offering of viable alternative evidence makes the experience less than enjoyable. It also leaves the person in a lose-lose situation-- say nothing and you risk that some will misunderstand the silence to affirm the opposite viewpoint, or defend the idea and see seen as someone aggressively attacking the other. It may not quite be an internet version of casting pearls before swine, but it is still hardly worth posting new ideas or on controversial issues. In other news, my daughter Elizabeth, once an occasional poster in this forum, is a fireman and paramedic in the Army Reserves. She has been recently activated and sent to San Antonio for advanced paramedic training. She is engaged to a fireman who is a member of the Marine Corps reserves, who has also been called up. Both have been issued desert camos, if that means anything. Elizabeth graduates in the beginning of May, and since I WILL NOT miss the event, I will be putting off my trip to Britain and West Europe to gather information of the history and domestication of the ferret until later in the year. Instead, I will drive down to San Antonio to visit Elizabeth for a week and attend her class graduation prior to her next duty assignment. My route will be through Springfield to Oklahoma City, through Dallas-Ft. Worth, to San Antonio. My return will likely be through Houston to Texarkana to Little Rock, and back to Columbia. I am open to stopping and visiting ferret shelters or clubs within an hour of that route, first asked, first accepted. However, the reason for the travel will be to visit my daughter, so time is limited. Please contact me directly for time, details (and a single caveat). Bob C [Posted in FML issue 4047]