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Chronicles INDEX :: Chronicles 2 :: Chronicles 3 :: Chronicles 4 :: Chronicles 5 :: Chronicles 6 :: Chronicles 7 :: Chronicles 8 :: Chronicles 9 :: Chronicles 10 :: Chronicles 11 :: Chronicles 12 :: Chronicles 13 :: Chronicles 14 :: Chronicles 15 :: Chronicles 16 :: Chronicles 17 |
Blossoming Fuzzies : Extreme Changes Even though it seems as though we are winding up our lives here at our first family home, packing away our lives in boxes that are taped shut and labeled ... the ferrets and kitties seem to be thriving and even blossoming in this environment of daily change.
The most marked changes seem to be in Sasha, but all of our resident fuzzies have become somewhat eccentric. Sasha went from a shy, fearful, almost hateful little girl to a loving, happy go lucky, playful, bold and brash fuzzy lady. She has finally allowed her true personality to shine through. It seems that the days of lingering painful memories of her first six months of life have finally faded into an occasionally recurring nightmare. Sasha's personality explosion is right in line with everyone else's in the house ... When we started moving everything out of the back bedroom and taking things off the wall, out of the corners, off shelves, and even removing the shelves as well, all bets were off and the dookers really started dooking! Blitz has been spending long moments in the back bedroom, which was previously forbidden, off limits, no ferrets allowed prior to our cleaning it out. He runs around the almost empty room, dooking softly to himself almost continuously, attacking his fellow ferrets with extra glee. Bandit has somehow morphed into a dog, or at least has assumed the personality of one. He certainly weighs about as much as a dog these days! Our Bandit's favorite thing to do is to curl up at our feet, between our desks in the front room, and snooze while his brothers and sisters are sleeping in the ferret room. When awake, Bandit takes extra delight in chasing around both cats, determined to win them over to his way of thinking. Bandit thinks both cats should sit still and allow him to sniff them up close... real close ... as in nose in their fur close. The cats are not going for it. However, the cats ARE developing equally interesting habits of their own. Both Dusty and Pepper have suddenly started stalking the smaller ferrets, especially the two girls. Poor Sasha and Raven get the brunt of their feline focus, suffering a swipe here and there, until the cats tire or we come to save them. More likely than not, either my husband or myself stop the madness before anyone gets hurt. We have been checking on the ferrets much more often when they are out now that they have more access than ever to the place. Usually we sternly admonish both cats or just the offending ones. Without fail, the one that was just scolded the most or more often that day will head over to the other sister and pick a cat fight. WHACK. The chase begins and kitten swears fill the air. Two cats sound like dozens thundering up and down the length of the apartment, chasing each other with a sharper edge of ferocity than usual. It seems the cats are not faring as well with the change as the ferrets, as we had expected due to the nature of both species... Extreme Weezil-y Antics Life with ferrets is anything but routine. Sometimes I marvel at the ability of these wonderful creatures to make me laugh, smile, and feel good about the world in general despite what personal issues may be haunting me at the moment ... Here are some recent ferrety antics:
Raven was showing me the new trick that her and my husband do - she sticks her little ferrety head inside his open mouth, like a lion performing in the main tent of a three-ring circus. I watched as my husband opened his mouth up wide enough for Raven to feel comfortable about poking around in there, and sure enough, she went on in. As she reached the far point of her range into my husband's mouth - her head and neck almost all the way in, I distinctly heard Raven sneeze. Ah-PLEPPBH! [that was a Raven Sneeze.] I could almost feel the ferret nose juice fly from my front row vantage point, and both my husband and myself were laughing so hard at Raven's apparent critique of that particular game that neither one of us were grossed out. I almost wet my pants because I was laughing so hard, but I was not in the least bit grossed out.... Basil discovered McDonald's french fries. I'm fairly certain he did not actually eat the two fries he managed to spirit away, but he sure had a lot of fun doing it. Next time we have fries in the house Basil will be sniffing the air with an expectant look... The Tension Mounts ... A Double-Edged Sword Now that we are ABSOLUTELY moving to our new house at the end of November, I feel that it is safe to use the above heading for this entry. The implications of this move are so exciting that I can only think about it in small increments, or I will most likely explode.
The bedroom that we designated as the Future Home of the Extreme Weezils has now been prepared to face it's fuzzy occupants .... The rug was actually removed and linoleum laid carefully to cover the entire floor. Wood mouldings will keep the edges of the linoleum from being targeted by any particularly ambitious ferret with some scratching to do. Also, hard plastic runners will cover the doorway thresholds, preventing the destruction of any carpet that is flush to the doorways. Tell a ferret that they cannot do something - that thing becomes an all consuming obsession, regardless of the futility or personal danger. Autumn 2001 - The Change of Season is a Season of Change
Summer to Fall : Change is In the Air The Fall Season always was my favorite, bringing with it the inevitable back to school activities for eighteen years, the changing colors of nature, and now, The Winter Ferrets begin to arrive. Who are these wintery ferrets that take over where my svelte summer weezils left off? They seem to change overnight from sleek furry snakes to husky bears, complete with coat and markings changes.
This will be winter number two for all but Basil, who is approaching his third winter. All six Extreme Weezils maintain a uniformity in the bulk they acquire as the crisp, colorful autumn days quickly fade to damp, dreary winter grays. Ferret faces get fatter, bellies become rounder, fur thickens and layers on itself, all part of natures design to protect her children from the inevitable chill of winter. This continues despite the domesticated ferret, especially our six, are in constant splendor of perfect temperature for the time of year, whatever it may be. The new house we are moving into has four bedrooms, one of which we had to assign as the Ferret Room. After much debate between my husband and myself, we decided on the room with the smallest closet and the second to last biggest window. I have my sights on creating a ferret complex more encompassing that we have now - going from the ferret room into the front entryway/hallway/center of house - although my husband thinks otherwise. He will come around. After all, it was HIS idea to set up the contraptions we have for the ferrets now... |
Final Week of August 2001 Random Thoughts and Musings and Potential Future Events As the Summer of 2001 hurdles screeching towards an inevitable end, I find myself quite distracted by the happenings of the past week or so... My in-laws are moving to Alabama from here in Seattle, WA - our last family tie will be severed, only to connect via technological means as long as we live here .... [I reread the above paragraph after taking a short break - with video camera in hand, I walked around the house grabbing shots of sleepy fuzzies of the ferrety AND feline kind - it sounded a bit fatalistic after the fun I just had, but I decided to leave it in, for now....] .... AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT .... My in-laws sudden relocation to the American South has not only created a gaping void where family holds its place in our hearts, but also an opportunity to get the largest house with the most extras that we would be able to at anytime, anywhere. A combination of chance, following our instincts and waiting, and letting things just happen created this likelihood of us; myself and my husband James, our six ferrets, and our two cats; moving into a four bedroom, two and a half bathroom, two living room, dining room, and fenced in backyard home. All this, and ... BUT WAIT .... THERE'S MORE! Not only do we have the chance to move into the above house as described, in addition it has a hot tub AND a large brand new shed PLUS a two-car garage .... plus it is incredibly AFFORDABLE. Now, it's not like we are DEFINITELY buying this house, so I am keeping a lid on my enthusiasm for the time being. It doesn't hurt, however, to tell all our fuzzies at various times throughout each day that they may well be running around in 2100 square feet of home very soon .... What are we going to do about our Ferret Room Setup? If you've checked out our Extreme Weezils' Ferret Cam or our Extreme Weezils' Ferret Room : A Weezils' Habitat pages, you know that we have a centralized situation in our home right now. Our two computers, couch, coffee table, television, and Ferret Room all meld together nicely in a snug, comforting way. We can see the babies when they are romping around in their room, in and out of the various cages, sleeping in the middle of the floor without a care in the world. When and if the house deal goes through, I will be looking for any and all ideas on how to expand on our two-room ferret territory extravaganza in a brand new environment. Any and all suggestions or comments would be much appreciated. August 22 - 25, 2001
The Games Ferrets Play Every day when I am not working, I spend hours with the ferrets and cats, playing, watching, petting, and cleaning up after. It never ceases to amaze me how intelligent, loving, playful, and clever those little fuzzy ferrets are. Combined with our kitties Dusty and Pepper, it is like living with the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet in our own home from moment to moment ...
Raven, for example, knows how to wake me up in the morning if my husband gets up and lets the fuzzies out while I'm still in bed. Like a professional acrobat, she climbs the bedsheets to the top, somehow knowing that I am there. Using her uncanny ability to find the sensitive parts in my hand, Raven starts clamping her little ferrety jaws down on the skin between my thumb and index finger, exerting just enough pressure to wake me out of any state of slumber. Basil has just started finking mom, like all his brothers and sisters already do. Since Basil has been here, a bit less than a year, he has blossomed into a true Extreme Weezil - going from a frightened, submissive ferret to a full-blown dooking, war dancing, wrestling fuzzy. The Extreme Weezils' Hidey-Hole CleanOut, the Summer Of 2001
August 2, 2001 .... Midnight in Seattle, WA, USA in front of a networked computer .... around me are plastic bags filled to almost bursting with spoils from the Official Hidey-Hole Contents Extraction. The sorting begins .... join me, won't you? |
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CLANG ... CLANG ... CHING-CHING-CHINGGGG ... CLANG ... These were the only sounds in the entire house. I was home alone, attempting to entertain six ferrets and two cats with only my normal amount of hands and eyes. Unfortunately, one does NOT grow eyes in the back of the head despite the need or desire to do so. Panic and fear for my eight fuzzies caused me to hurdle over the coffee table from my computer chair, desperate to determine the source of the clanging noise. All I could think of is that a stranger had gotten into our home while we were out, and because I came in first while my husband went on another short errand, the stranger did not perceive me as being a threat and was coming to "get me and my babies." Bizarre way to think, yes? Mere seconds passed between the mystery noise and finding the source of it. Blitz had not only recovered one of his coveted empty soda cans from the bedroom and was en route to the main hidey-hole behind the living room couch, but he was forced to duck and dodge five brothers and sisters to maintain control of it. No one was going to take Blitzy's can away from him. No one. Like a star player in the NFL, Blitz diverted tackles, slithered out from underneath piles of struggling bodies, and ran like his whole world depended on completion of his mission : Operation Soda Can Transport. |
Post-Mini-Vacation : Sunday Afternoon With the Extreme Weezils
We left for a short vacation Friday morning about 11am. Headed towards Vancouver, B.C. we felt the distance between us and our fuzzies grow by the mile. Although we knew my mother-in-law would take stellar care of all six ferrets and two cats in our absence, we could not help but wonder if they felt like we abandoned them.... The stay in Vancouver was to be a special deal, that is why we went. Yes, we spent a minimal amount of money but we had to listen to some high-pressured sales pitch about the 'vacation deal of a lifetime' that we of course passed up. Who Can Travel with Weezils On Our Mind? [... that should be a new country western blues tune, shouldn't it?] At the end of the day, I neither had much done on my website nor unpacked the way I had planned, so it was a failure all around except for the time spent with our six ferrets and two cats. I had the pleasure and honor of getting to spend some quality time with each fuzzy individually as well as in groups.... I KNOW what is important! 9:15 AM : Six ferrets dook, chuckle, wardance, wrestle, and revel in general chaos up and down the hallway. Two clear 'Ferret Highway' tubes run down the center of this hallway, becoming an essential part of the action. Pepper, our grey tabby and self proclaimed queen fuzzy, waits for Raven or Sasha to appear so she can ferret-bop them. If Pepper bops one of the boys, they come right back at her with jaws wide, teeth bared, and are quite tenacious! Such goes the usual Morning Romp for the Extreme Weezils. On the REALLY fun days, both myself and my husband are home, the two kitties are up and about, and all TEN of us play together; wrestling, chasing, giving and receiving snacks [guess who does which?] and having a general rip-roaring time. This morning I was up extra early for a day off work, so I let the ferrets out while my husband slept on in the back bedroom. I do not know HOW he remained asleep throughout the Romp session! Especially with Blitz having a new obsession: Soda Can Transport. 10:00 AM : Those tuning in to the Extreme Weezils' Weezil Cam today around 10am Pacific Time got to see the tail end of the Morning Romp. Most of the fuzzies were still a bit hyper, so I put the tubes that were in the hallway into the Ferret Room, allowing the ferrets to position the tubes where they like them. If our Ferret Cam had sound, crinkling of wrapping paper combined with the plastic crunch of ferret body through tube would be the soundtrack. **** THIRTY MINUTES LATER ****
10:30AM : Here I was, figuring I could write about my solo experience with all six ferrets out for a Morning Romp; impressed with my abilities to get all six ferrets BACK into their room without bribery [Ferretone] or pleading with a squeaker .... My husband woke, got dressed, and was out the door in twenty minutes, while all six ferrets thought, "Hey, we get to come out AGAIN cuz the Big Hooman is awake! Yay!" When they DIDN'T get to come back out right away, all heck broke loose in the Ferret Room! Bear had taken his begging to come out position in the front cage, on the top shelf, in the corner away from the wall, swinging back and forth, back and forth with his head and neck while his front paws grasp the bars near the top of the cage. "I didn't do it, see? Let me outta here, see?" Bandit was actually staring up at the Ferret Room Weezil Cam, like he knew I could see him from my computer, and gave me 'The Look' The two girls were traveling in and out of the tubes like they were trying to expend excess energy, and wouldn't it be great to use that energy by playing OUT of the ferret room? Basil was UNDERNEATH the black PVC tube that exits by the door of the Ferret Room [barricaded properly, of course!] HEAVING the tube PLUS the adjacent water trough up, over, then down .... up, over, then down ... each time making an outrageous amount of noise which included the unmistakable SPLOOSH of water sloshing out of their large ceramic water dish..... Blitz, as usual, was being the most creative AND destructive of all six. He gets in one of the two fleece tents that they have [can you say, SPOILED FERRETS?] and ROLLS the tent from the inside. The end result is Blitz getting the tent over to the water dish and DUNKING himself AND the tent into the water. All six Extreme Weezils came back out for another twenty minutes. 11:06 AM : Blitz is throwing a Blitzy-Fit, again, because he wasn't done being OUT yet. He has torn away yet another section of the carpet in protest. *SIGH* He wins, AGAIN. Sasha wanted to come out, too, so the two of them are triumphantly dashing around the house looking for more trouble.... Today Bear got to my keyboard, his favorite 'forbidden' place to get to. This is what he wrote :
lo |HNY . If anyone's ferret is waiting for a message from one of my Extreme Weezils, this may be it!
Another Potato's Journey
Blitz has now developed the same affinity for root vegetables as his brother Bandit. Between the two of them, they have moved the latest potato up and down three floors in the main cage, snuggled with the potato on all three floors, and seemed to really enjoy the actual moving of the potato all around the ferret room .... First Fireworks For Few Ferrets
Although we had Bandit, Bear, and Blitz for the July 4th NoiseFest that is our neighborhood on that holiday, they were too young to know what was scary ... This year we had Basil, Raven, and Sasha for the first summer, and the three original boyz were around to show the ropes! The ferrets, all six of them, were seemingly unfazed by the audio chaos surrounding the house. However, for the kitties' sakes, we still had all three air filters on, two big fans on high, and the ceiling fan in the ferret room cranked up ... serving dual purposes of cooling the air and creating white noise to blanket the battlesounds outside. |
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