Hello everyone. I was planning to sleep all the way through Thanksgiving, but mom rewired the speakers on the stereo and was testing them out with some maximum volume Jimi Hendrix...even a ferret can't sleep through a racket like that! The reason I'm so tired is because we all went for a long expedition in the snow last night. Mom noticed that I like to run along the edges of buildings (as opposed to out in the middle of the yard all exposed to mean ol' hawks and stuff). Wimp that she is, she got a little tired of following me around and around the shed while I worked on the problem of just what's underneath there. (I'm also concerned about what's underneath the house, but that will probably take a little more work to solve, since it's got a concrete foundation.) Suddenly mom cries out "Aha! I know where to go." She scoops me up and the next thing I know we're cruising down the railroad tracks, just going and going and going. Whew! That rail must be the edge of one BIG building. I spent a long time exploring, and I still haven't found even one corner of it. Mom says she sympathizes. She's still working on her thesis, and though she claims to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, she's overwhelmed by how long the remaining tunnel is.... We did a little comparision shopping on those extendo leashes I mentioned in my last posting. The ones called Trakt have a much weaker spring than the Flexi ones, which is not so great for dogs maybe, but it makes it a lot easier for me to leap and twirl in my snow bunny mode. We have a couple of questions for you FML gurus. We hear all about Marshall Farms, but out here in the wide open spaces, the pet shop seems to be in league with somebody called Hagen instead. Hagen ferrets (not me!), Hagen food, Hagen toys. Who is this Hagen anyway? I wouldn't want to be associating with a bunch of low-castes, you know. Next question. I think I'm about four months old. I plan to do some heavy jet setting for the next couple of months, and mom thought it might be a good idea to get this spaying operation out of the way now, since we'll be out of vet range during that time. Is that a good plan, or should I wait til February? The poodles are gone (remember the poodles?), and life is pretty tame these days. Mom says she's just waiting for a rescue ferret to come along needing a home. She bought a squeak toy to keep me company yesterday, but that stodgy old dog who lives here snarfed it right up and now she sleeps with it between her paws. I may have to engage in some serious toe biting to get it back. But really, I *am* thankful to be here. Kim "I'm thankful somebody decided domesticating animals was a good idea" Khaz "I'll see if I can't make you regret that statement" Kobe "Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Thanks!" Sockeye "How come I don't get my own turkey?" [Posted in FML issue 1768]