January Month In Review

Okay...I feel like we are we are in some sort of time warp.  Somehow Christmas was like 42 years ago but January whizzed by at lightening speed.

January was a pretty good critter month.  No major health issues to report for any of the furries.  Everyone seems pretty happy and content. Clooney has been squatting in Nigel's cage.  Madison is going through a playful, affection filled phase.  I am loving it!  Nigel seems to be doing well.  Whatever was ailing him last month seems to be over.  I will continue to watch him closely.  Kitties are good.  Zoey and Ollie are going through a friendship phase and spend lots of time together.  Phoebe is still loving her toys.  We play fetch/catch every night.  Aggie is great - spending more time hanging out with the humans and the other critters.  Emma is well...for the most part she is being a pretty good girl.  She is getting pretty hairy.  Might be time for a haircut soon.

On to February....

Competitive Seating

Ugh...Oliver and Zoey have this new competition going.  It's called Who Can Get the Best Seat on Mom.  One of the lays in my lap.  The other tries to better that spot.  If I am laying in bed its worse.  They start at my lap and move up til I have one on my neck.  I swear the would lay on my face if they thought they could get away with it.

This game is somewhat annoying and somewhat interesting as the was a time not all that long ago that Zoey wouldn't even let Oliver within five feet of her.  Now the are crawling all over each other to get a better seat.

Madison the Pen Hoarder

You know how you can never find a pen when you need one?  Well in this household I have found out why...in a word - Madison.  Wow - I was cleaning and I came across her extensive pen collection.  It's evident that her favorites are the kind with the rubber grip - she chews that off leaving bald spots.

I found a total of 18 pens and 4 lids with no pens attached.  She has been collecting for awhile and my guess is that there are other hidey holes that have additional pens in them.  Funny....  Clooney always hoarded things that were shiny or made noise.

I took the regular ball points - I left her the ones with the grips - no point in taking away all her fun since she doesn't eat the rubber part - I found it discarded by the pile.  I put the others in the almost empty pen drawer.

I bet the cycle will start again....

Just Stuff

Random snaps and random thoughts....

First the random thoughts:

• I heard Nigel running on his wheel last night....this makes me happy!
• Clooney is not only sleeping on Nigel's heated bed but he is eating his food and using his litter box...I ordered Clooney his own heated bed so he can quit Goldilocks-ing in Nigel's cage
• Madison love company...we had people over for dinner and she climbed in laps and was the center of attention
• Hubs and I were discussing whether we should watch tv upstairs or downstairs.  I said down he said up, down, no up...Emma was on the steps going up then down then up...she was happy when we decided
• Is it nuts that I sewed a quilt for my ferret?  I had extra fabric from a baby gift and it reminded me of Clooney so a new quilt he gets...I will post pictures soon

And some random snaps:

Ollie's Just Chillin'

Ollie cracks me up sometimes.  He does have quite the personality.  For these snaps he was just relaxing and hanging out in front of the fireplace.

Nigel's New Blanket

I hit the remnant bin at the fabric store and found this cute train material for $1.32.  Nigel goes through multiple blankets each week.  This one is too small to be a cage blanket but its perfect for when I get him out of the cage and let him snooze on the couch.

The Morning Ritual

Around here - mornings go something like this....

• Alarm goes off - Kitties who aren't already on the bed come up for a visit.  Madison comes up for a visit, as does Clooney.  Cue ferret wrestling.
  
• Once I get up we all head for downstairs with a pop in to Nigel's room to check on the little critter.
  
• Downstairs - Clooney gets a rawhide stick which he promptly takes behind the sofa to eat.  Maddie gets her Ferretone supplement,  feeders are checked to make sure everyone has food and water.  Emma is taken outside and then given her treat.
  
• Once I start working everyone tends to park downstairs - kitties on sofas and kitchen chairs, Maddie behind the cabinet in the laundry room, Emma in the entry way - only Clooney and Nigel are upstairs.

That's about how the morning ritual happens around here.  Sometimes on lazy mornings we can stay in bed and everyone just hangs out with me.  I love those mornings....

Wild Kitty Zoey

Wow - not sure what has gotten into little Miss Zoey - she has been full of it the last couple of days.  She has been active - to the point of being naughty.  Yesterday she got on the kitchen counter - the one place in our house critters are not allowed.  She never does this.  She has been leaping from the furniture, racing through the house and tormenting her siblings.  She has also been pretty tolerant of the ferrets - letting them get close and today she even gave Madison a bath.

I guess she is feeling good - which makes me happy.  Its been almost 16 months since her major health scare.  My guess is that she doesn't have anything going on - no intestinal cancer or issues of any sort.  I think whatever made her so sick was a foreign body that found its way out.  I am so thankful that we opted not to go through with the surgery for her - she is doing so well and seems so happy.  Love that orange girl.

Nothing, Nada, Zilch

Today was just a day.  Not a good day or a bad day - just a day.  It was just a day for the critters as well.  No crazy stories, no funny tales, thankfully no sickness or injury...just a plain old day.  Every now and then just a plain old day with nothing to report is kinda refreshing.  Let's see what tomorrow has in store...

Ferrets are Excellent Climbers

They say - ferrets are excellent climbers.  I say that for the most part my ferrets are not climbers - they are good at it - but they just don't do it much.  Maybe its because they are free range ferrets?  Madison is much more of a climber and much more fearless than her brother so if climbing is going to happen its usually going to be her.  Usually....

The other day - after cleaning out Nigel's cage - I noticed that his litter box was moved away from the side of the cage and his water bowl was in a bit of a different spot.  I thought it was kinda funky because he had never moved that stuff before but I didn't really give it too much thought.  Yesterday, however, I went in his room to check on him and low and behold Clooney was in his cage.  INSIDE - geez.  The cage is 4 feet tall and the door is halfway up the middle.  Nigel didn't see to care - he was sleeping in his blanket all sprawled out and Clooney was happy snoozing on top of the pile of blankets.  I got Clooney out and he went to bed in his chair.

Last night when I put Nigel to bed I closed his cage door.  This morning when I got up - Clooney was in there again - not sure how he managed that but he was sleeping away.  So - I opened the door and left him in there.  I went back a bit later and he was sleeping in his chair again so I have determined he can get in and out on his own.  I don't really care if he goes in there and Nigel doesn't seem to mind.  I hope to catch him in the act of getting in so I can see how he does it.

I guess Nigel has a new part time roomie....

Laser Toy

The Christmas laser toy is still quite popular.  Here are some fun snaps of Ollie and Phoebe.  Zoey was firmly planted in daddy's lap and Aggie was napping.

Miscellaneous Pics

The randomness of our household captured in digital images: