Ferret-Sitting for a Soldier
(a letter from a reader)

  When we were publishing Modern Ferret, we got a lot of letters from our readers. Even though we can no longer publish the magazine, we still get letters like this one from Rebecca Farrow, whose cousin Chris Weaver is stationed in Iraq:

My name is Rebecca Farrow and right now I'm "ferret-sitting" for my cousin who is in Iraq (CPL Chris Weaver). The ferrets are his, but since he left for Iraq about a month ago I have been taking care of them for him. I've definitely had a blast looking after the little bundles of joy. They are a blast and really bring joy to our household. I know that he subscribes to Modern Ferret Magazine (at least before he went to Iraq he did) and I know that it would lift his spirits greatly to see his ferrets in Modern Ferret Magazine. So I was just wondering if maybe there would be any way of putting them in there somehow. I know that you probably get lots of requests to do this, but I feel that my cousin really deserves to have this. He is a great guy who is out there fighting for our country. Every time I write to him I have to tell him all about the ferrets and the trouble they have gotten into. It really lifts his spirits to hear about his wonderful ferrets.

  Since there's no magazine in which to publish this letter, we figured we'd do it here in the FerretNews newsletter. Over the years that we published the magazine we noticed that many people in the military keep ferrets as pets. We even featured ferrets in the military in our "Wide World of Ferrets" department in Issue #20 of Modern Ferret. For the last few years we've heard from several ferret shelter operators who have been caring for ferrets whose owners are overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan serving our country. People like Chris Weaver.

  Rebecca continues:

He had three, but right before he went to Iraq, we had to put one down because she had cancer and was suffering. Now we are left with two boys, Tink who is fat and lazy, and Runt who is a whole heck of a lot more mischievous. Tink got his name because he was said to have been a girl and his sister a boy so he ended up with Tink and she ended up with Pan.

Each of them has their distinctive personalities, and it is definitely a joy to watch them play and even sleep. Tink is more laid back and is rarely mischievous. He likes to sleep in some really funny positions. (It really amazes my family to see just how flexible they are.) He sometimes gets excited and likes to pounce on Runt and get a big play fight started.

Runt, on the other hand, is totally the opposite. He likes to steal socks and anything he can get his teeth into. He has a bad habit of nipping at people when he starts to get rambunctious. He has stolen several things and hidden them underneath our couch, including my dad's tape measure, several pairs of socks, a Swiffer sweeper, and much more. He is a very fast little booger and can outrun everyone in my family. He is definitely the clown of the two.

  We've never been away from our ferrets for more than two weeks (when we went to California to interview Harry Anderson (Issue #24) and Nikki Fritz (Issue #26))-- and that was really difficult! We can't imagine the kind of "fuzzy withdrawal" Chris is experiencing. We hope that seeing his little furry pals featured here on FerretNews brings a smile to his face. We also hope that he comes back home soon, along with all the other men and women in our armed forces.

  We're amazed that we still get these letters even though it's been about two years since an issue of Modern Ferret was published. I guess the magazine really resonated with ferret lovers.

  If you aren't familiar with Modern Ferret, and you're curious about what kind of magazine can draw this kind of attention even after it has stopped publishing, you can  check out all the books and back issues of Modern Ferret magazine at the FerretTradingPost.com (http://www.ferrettradingpost.com/bookandmag.html)

  Commentary by Mary R. Shefferman.

Mother's Day Coupon Reminder

  Mother's Day is May 8th! You still have time to save $3.00 on women's T-shirts, tote bags, and barbecue aprons with the coupon code:

MUM05

  Choose from any of the great designs at these shops:

• FerretDesigns
• AmysDesigns
• PowerDesigns

Items from these shops all go into the same shopping cart for your convenience.

  Amy's Designs also has many other animal-themed designs. PowerDesigns has all kinds of different types of designs (occupations, sentiments, food). You'll be able to find exactly the thing your mom will love!

  This coupon code is valid until April 26, 2005.

#1 Ferret Mom Women's T-Shirt (design also available on a BBQ apron, tote bag, and other items) Many other ferrety designs to choose from!	Ferrets Are A Girl's Best Friend BBQ Apron (design also available on a women's tee, tote bag, and other items) Many other animals to choose from!
Ferret Power Tote Bag (design also available on a women's tee and other items)   Many other designs to choose from!

  For more ferret information, or to read previous issues of the FerretNews newsletter, check our Topical Index and Newsletter Archives. For even more great ferrety fun and information -- and some wonderful human- and ferret-interest stories, the Super Monster Pack of Modern Ferret Magazine Back Issues.

--Mary & Eric & Gabby, the lone modern ferret