the ferret and the rat

With her post the other day, Sandra took to officially calling our daughter a rat. [Those who had their money on me referring to Charlotte as a type of varmint first, it's time to pay up.] Oh how the times have changed. It seems like just yesterday that Sandra accused me of calling her a rat.

Actually it was the winter of 2002. The DC Sniper had finished laying siege on the capitol region; the Eagles were good, and the Phillies were the Phillies of 1883-2004 (the sucky ones).

Sandra and I would sometimes walk to the Metro together. When it was cold, she would burrow her hands into the pockets of my jacket, regardless of whether they were welcome or not. When I objected and referred to her as a ferret, she replied:

"What's a ferret?"
"A ferret is like a weasel."
"What's a weasel?"
"Well, a weasel is a type of rodent."
"What's a rodent?"
"A rat is a rodent."
"You're calling me a rat!"

[True story.]