I told you. I told you this storm was going to be different. But before I say why and what incredible debris it left behind ... the surprise.

        I need to correct something. I said we were caring for 10 rescues. And you must be all like "and?!" It was 15, plus, Renee's crew, plus mine. 20+ ferrets ... ten with very special needs. The surprise that Renee left behind? A DMK rescue of my own. I have a new baby in my life. My own personal ferret. The first since Serendipity left us. I was waiting to announce the arrival of my baby ferret from the Doug McKay Ohio Rescue so I'd have photos, movies and most importantly a name. The photos and movies came, but not the name. Just ideas for names. So as you look at this wee one, please let me know if anything comes to mind. She was born this past St Paddies day. And here is her story: Baby Stout was born on the Doug McKay farm in a small rusted, rotting cage surrounded by trash in a dump like atmosphere, with two foot of feces under her, and vulnerable to feral cats, loose mink, and wild animals that could reach into the cage. Imagine being in an open cage, all six sides wide open to the extreme seasonal weather that Ohio has. Temperatures can dive into subzero temps in the winter and rise up to nearly 100 during a good heat wave in that state. Imagine your food spoiling rather quickly in the summer and freezing up in the winter. Imagine the thirst and seeing your water frozen. Imagine being in a cage and seeing grass that you will never touch. This is what my baby lived through with hundreds of other ferrets.

Here is the movie that shows you the photos that brought this farm into public view and outed the conditions there.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eADmummyIkY

 This little girl came in with about 15 of the hundreds of ferrets that were rescued. They were on their way down the east coast to various homes. I was a sort of way station for them. During that stay, I was taken back by how pretty this little girl was and loved her little turned up nose. My husband was determined to help by adopting a ferret and he liked three of them. I said no. Then he asked for just her. I said no. But as I was helping Renee Downs over the course of the two day stay, I kept seeing this flash of green from one of the many cages. I'd jump and kept thinking I saw a wild animal in the room. And each time, I'd see it was just a little ferret ... the same ferret. It fooled me every time I went in the room. I'd see a flash that would catch my eye while working with the animals or doting on one of them. I'd look at the green glow which disappeared every time I turned my head to see what it was. I began going to that cage more and more to play with those ferrets because of it, and began to really love the little one who kept calling to me. I read the tag. She was born this past St Paddies day. She was a girl. I wanted my next ferret to be a girl. Tika (my cockatoo) and I are the only girls here in this house. She was private bred. I've always dreamed of a privately bred ferret. I wanted a late alter someday. She was just now spayed. She was a rescue, so it'd be a good thing to do. She was very young, so I'd have many good years with her. And what was crazy was that even the nicest rescues were so terrified they bit me at least a few times each. But she never did. EVER. No matter what I did, she was not scared of me. And here she was on my front doorstep. This was all too much of a coincidence, and so I realized it was just meant to be. I decided to adopt her. And I just cried when I looked at the DMK movie again of the ferrets trapped in such bad conditions, even though I had already seen it before. It took on a whole new meaning now that I have this little girl as well as having met the little ones from that movie. I couldn't keep my eyes off them while they played with toys they've never had and slept in blankets they never felt. My little girl is gorgeous. She is a stocky little thing. Imagine the biggest bull dog hob you can, and take a laser gun and shrink him. That's her. She hasn't shown her personality much yet, other than she doesn't want to be put down and loves to be doted on right now. Chet said she needs a pretty name like Jackuisha. Lol. "She has the boom mom!" (no, like literally, you'll see in one of her movies). Here are a few names I'm thinking of (I prefer for them to sound Irish, or mean green or something): Shelaylay, layla Shanini Shenanay Emerald May, Emmie May Clover Paddie, Paddie Cakes shaylyn lassie, lissie Julia, juju jodi Lotti And a special one up my sleeve ... Shennanigans Help me out. Take a look at her here. Please put it on slide show so the pictures are big and so you can read the story. Guest stars are Leeka Weasel and Renee downs:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Ectmbdo1cPHg&emid=sharshar&linkid=link4

 And watch my baby in a movie here. Baby Stout. Turn up your sound and listen to me at the end of the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srVVg20Gsis

Very happy and fun little movie of two rescues, Rosalina Renee and Baby
Stout (Shenanigans) ripping around a ferret room a month after
rehabbing in a home:
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=uQ58P5qpV80

Touching movie of Rosalina Renee, a ferret I am fostering for Karen
Douglas ... her first dances and coming, her bursting out of her shell:
hhttp://www.youtube. com/watch? v=huOKCrZk3r8

[A bit boring, but other rescue parents will "get this one"] Movie of
Baby Stout (Shenanigans recouping after arriving from many travels into this home and being loved:
hhttp://www.youtube. com/watch? v=xV3nA6BsV7M

 We had the happiest of Thanksgivings yesterday. We both fell asleep together during the afternoon. I hadn't done that with a ferret in many years. Told ya she was cudly.