Hi everyone, Critterpen here. All ten of our little loveable fuzzies are doing fairly well now. I was reading the one piece about the ferret who saw blue sky and ran away and it reminded me of a funny little incident with my second ferret, Hilfy, who was a very loveable ferret. She and Mij took part in the art shows at our county fair where I was superintendent of art for many years. The first time I took baby Hilfy outside, she was around 6 months old. She had on her harness and leash and was riding on my shoulder, her favorite place to be. Unfortunately for Hilfy, just as we stepped out into the blue skies and sunshine, an Army helicopter flew overhead. Instincts told Hilfy that this was a BIG, BAD, NOISY, hawk and she reacted with extreme alarm. Clinging to me and chattering and hiding her head in my armpit (ugh). For the rest of her six years, Hilfy would not go outside. She only went if she was in a carrier and safe from "the hawk in the sky". If any of you have read C. J. Cherryh's "The Pride of Chanur", you will know where Hilfy got her name and yes she was just as impetuous as her literary namesake. Cheryl, Vivian and the ten lovers. [Posted in FML issue 2075]