Cute story: I found a very nice, large basket the other day that my neighbor was tossing out (okay, I admit it, I occasionally bring home stuff on trash night). It looked like just the right size for a cat to sleep in, so I put it on the living room floor. The next morning, I saw that a little present had been left in it--a bright orange teddy bear squeaky toy. *Somebody* must have been hiding the bear and saving it for a special occasion like this, because I hadn't seen it for months. Later in the day I saw Ralph carrying the bear upstairs (over his head, like a parasol ant) back to where it belonged, I guess. Ferret occupations... I loved the story about the ferrets who liked the firetrucks. I once heard a talk show host ask his callers what would their pets be if they could be something when they grew up. I thought it would be fun to do this with my guys (not that ferrets ever grow up) so I asked them: Norm has so many interests it would be hard to choose, but being a sanitation engineer would be high on his list. He would also like to work in a bookstore, because he loves taking books off the shelves. And also a plumber, especially of bathroom fixtures; and he says he wouldn't mind crawling under the kitchen sink to find out where the problem is. Besides commanding a Federation Starship, Ralph would like to be a parachute jumper, and of course, he would also like to be a surfer. Cinderella says that she's a princess and princesses don't have to work for a living. However, she says that she wouldn't mind being a benefactor and giving an endowment to the Sock Collection at a large museum. Max the dog says he was a door-to-door-salesman in a past life; and the cats fall into the same category as Cinderella--they're not interested in working for a living (but then, neither is their mom) :-) Miscellany: I've had 4 ferrets so far, each coming from a different background. My first, Mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy, was turned in at a wildlife sanctuary where I was volunteering and they convinced me to take him home (I had never seen a ferret before that). Cinderella came from a friend of a friend who no longer wanted her; Norm was abused at a pet store and I adopted him from a shelter; Ralph is a MF ferret who I adopted from the same shelter. They are all very different from each other and came from different places along the way, but they are all wonderful and endearing friends. --Ronnie & pals [Posted in FML issue 1247]