This afternoon,barely dragging myself through the mandatory things of my day, hurting everywhere, and so exhausted I was on the verge of tears, I drove very carefully over to get the mail. And found A BOX! I wasn't sure if I should take it or wait till I was in better shape, but I decided to lug it home now as I have learned that when I put a thing off it usually is a thing I absolutely should have attended to immediately... so in the mini jeep it went and I took it directly home. I was too tired to even eat, I had planned to stop and grab a little something, but that was just more than I could coax my body into doing...and when I got it inside I just plopped down on my bed and took a Foggy break. I didn't remember anyone was to be sending a package, pretty fuzzy thinking patterns today, and later when I did remember I realized I had been expecting a package...as in object the size of a small shoe box at the largest, so it didn't connect at all. I had Foggy sprawled across my lap and was trying to give him at least a portion of the snuggles and petting he is used to everyday from me but he kept wriggling around until he could see that big box. I sensed it scared him and feel boxes have some very unhappy associations for him..so I decided to open it and empty it and get the darn box itself out of his area so he could relax and get in a little play/affection time. Just cutting the tape had him stiff and making scared little chirps, so I was relieved when it was all free of the closing tape and I could open it at last. As the top popped up it finally penetrated my fatigued fuzzy brain that this might be THE BOX...the expected one...come days early! After I got Foggy soothed and a little curious by petting then scratching the white paper with my nails I placed him on my forearm..like a saddle on a saddle horse and fastened him in place with a couple of velcro strips..he likes to ride with me sometimes when I do things around the infirmary and he knew something was 'up' then so he got real alert. I held my arm so h could see in and removed the paper covering. His reaction reminded me of a very poor orphaned kid looking in the window of the biggest, fanciest toy store in the world. His eyes were darting everywhere at once and his want to get in there and look around was very evident. I started touching each thing, slowly until he couldn't stand it any longer and he began to really try hard to scoonch down my arm to investigate the object he found most irresistible. It was a flat cardboard sleeve with a cat crinkle sack inside. He nosed and sniffed and pushed trying to get it out to see it better and when he was about to bust with frustrated impatience I withdrew the folded sack and laid it on my lap and unstrapped him and put him down by it... He did his ferret swimming on fry land trick and with a little help got it to start to open up...then he froze! It made a crunchy, crackly kinda noise lie the plastic grocery bags the other ferrets love to crawl into and drag around and generally demolish..all with great glee..Foggy could only watch them with envy written all over him as he could never pin the grocery bag and make it make that delicious noise much less grab it and run while dragging it for more super sound effects. But this sack that was so pretty and looked so soft was making a better sound than even the much coveted grocery bags. He kept ecstatically poking and nudging it while I rendered him my very slight assistance until it was opened flat out and he was completely delighted with its huge size and interesting edges and pattern...thats when I sprang the surprise on him...I lifted an edge and showed him that it had an inside..like a sleep sack. He got so excited he nearly threw himself off my lap. Holding him firmly against his frantic wiggling I opened the sack wider and just slid a very agitated Foggy inside. He laid there looking all around and was so tickled with this development it took a while for him to move a leg..And that started the biggest flurry of wiggles and flops and leg bumps you ever saw. A hyperactive, intoxicated eel had nothing on that ferret! And the sound effects of the bag and a whole new collection of ferret squeeks, chirps, chuckles and Mrrr's soon had the other fuzzies raising cain to be let out so they could play with the marvelous new toy. After closing and setting aside the box I le the others out..but gave them their usual grocery bags to play with and wouldn't let them do more than sniff and look at the one Foggy was having a wildly delightful time in. Shortly he noticed I was restraining the others and he sort of went limp and loked resigned to giving up the glorious wonderful magical new sack. I lifted him out and whilke I kept the others back I lifted the oh so special NEW sack out of their reach and took it and Foggy over to his enclosure. He realized he was to be put back and was being a good sport and tryig not to hold onto or grab the sack with his teeth..but it was easy to see he was disappointed that the sack would be theirs now and he would be back to only watching everybody get to pley with it except him..as usual with the other ones.. I gently pushed him onto the floor of his padded coop and he tucked in and tried to look like he was tired and sleepy while sneaking last peeks at the better-than-any-sack-in-the-world sack. At that point I laid the sack out on the flooring right where he was brushing the edge of the opening and tapped him on the side f the neck to get him to twist around and look that way. He looked at the sack and at the others and bac at the sack and at me and all around again..and then just stared up at me with the most extatic and incredulous expression n his face and body language. There was no doubt he was asking me 'For Me????' so I nudged him a little way inside and gave him a pat and a little kiss n the nse and whispered...'For YOU, Little Foggy, All For Just You!" and snapped the gate closed with him and the much lioved very beautiful special only one ever sack inside aloine. In seconds that sack looked like it had a whole business of very happy ferrets inside and it was over an hour before the crunching finally slowed and stopped. I snuck over and peeked inside his space and he was fast sleep with his 'paws' wrapped tightly around all f the sack he could pack into his grasp. And I swear he was smiling bigger than I have ever seen him smile before. Any fuzzy owner knows what a contented fuzzy looks like but Foggy was posatively Euphoric! He slept the sleep f the happily exhausted and except for meds and his potty break he hasn't let it out of his grasp for a second. I don't think that poor little deprived fuzzy would trade that sack for a whole new set oif beautiful silver mitts. I think tomorrow is soon enough to treat him to a second exposure to the Grand Adventure of the Magical Mystical Box. How can I ever thank the giver of the box for the joy it has have given him... and I have a suspicion the treasures of the Magical Foggy Box have just begun. You may be sure I will let him discover and experience each and every Heavenly Treasure one at a time and slowly and completely before returning to the box to choose and experience another happy discovery. I cannot describe my inner intense happiness to see him have such a joyful experience. I think this must be the luckiest fuzzy in the world to have such a wonderful Friend and Gift Giver! My Heart is very full tonight...dayna dayna frazier 102046,3162 'resident of the 'Marvellous Menagerie of Mirthful Mayhem' MMOMM!!! [Posted in FML issue 1580]