Hi list, I'm John Gordon in Pekin, IL. I live with Bill, Hillary (more later), Leroy, Baby Girl and Hershey. Each of these fuzzbutts were "2nd hand". I can't forget Striper, Garret, Weasel and J.R. Ferret who are at the Bridge waiting along with Cleo the kitty. My girlfriend Dee's Dinky and Slinky are there as well. Later today, I will join her for our Ferret Connection Christmas Party. We will play with her Lucky, Jack, Jill and Buddy (aka Chubbs) who you may remember was the starved boy left on the doorstep of my friends pet shop just over 1 year ago. I've been on this list since early 1997. I heard about it, before going online, from "Ferret Mary" who originally organized our Central IL Ferret Connection. I'm late with this as I've been pre-occupied with several things, the latest of which many on this list have privately known about. My little girl Hillary has been ill all week. Yesterday the best vet in the world (I admit to being prejudiced) Dr. Chuck Burmeister operated and removed a large eraser like piece of rubber from her. It had almost reached her colon. This wonderful man took his Saturday afternoon to do this. After hours. He told me he wouldn't rest well over the weekend wondering what was wrong with her. Best of all, he meant it. This morning, Hillary is resting at his office. Yes, he is coming in on Sunday morning to check on her. He left his office's Christmas Party last night to check on her. If you have a vet as good as this one, consider yourself as blessed as I am. I still can't figure out where this piece of rubber came from and, at 3(?) years of age, she has never been a "chewer". She's my climber (named after Sir Edmund Hillary) and the fearless Queen of the Pekin, IL FLO. She somehow swallowed this and I strongly encourage you to recheck everything they have access to. This piece is a mystery as it isn't a familiar item and our only guess is that it may be some sort of rubber motor mount from the refrigerator that she climbs to the top of and has a hidey hole underneath. I've always been very conscious of this problem. My point is that no matter how hard you try to ferret "proof" your home or how much you may love them - sometimes things happen. To the many who offered prayers - and have been asked to further pray for her recuperation - God has listened once again. Sorry for the length of this, just very happy this Sunday. Her lifelong friend Bill isn't as sure she's going to be OK. He's searching the entire house for her, even though I've tried to tell him she'll be OK and where she is. Leroy is also acting strangely. Baby Girl is enjoying being the only girl for awhile - she was also the last one to snuggle with Hillary and keep her warm in the sleepsack before I took her to Chuck's yesterday. Hershey is still young enough that playing can't be interfered with. They will all be happier once Hillary returns. And so will their dad. [Posted in FML issue 2896]