We’ve got family, friends, and the rest of the known universe dropping in for a visit over the next month, so we decided to clean the house. 

This is not a regular event around here, you must understand.  We keep the place reasonably clean–you won’t find anything dangerous or disgusting left out, the dishes get done, and the garbage goes out regularly–but odds and ends pile up where they’re set until something prompts a cleaning spree.

Lately it’s been especially bad.  Which is exactly how the ferrets like it.  They run around happily exploring the chaos, dragging junk after them to hide in their little holes.  Every mislaid marker, every sock without a mate, every brightly colored toy goes into their stash.

Except today.  The place was all cleaned up and vacuumed, with nothing left for a poor little thief to hike off with.

But ferrets are not easily discouraged.  They climbed chairs and lept to the table.  Hunted corners and slouched behind the couch cushions.  Finally one of them found something.  Shoved back underneath a bench was a case of water bottles. 

She pulled and tugged until she got one free, then dragged it all the way to her cubbyhole stash in the kitchen.  Only to find that it wouldn’t fit.  The bottle was too big.

But that’s okay.  Later on one of the kids was careless with a clay creation, and off it went to her horde. 

She’ll sleep peacefully tonight.