Originally published as a column on CFJC Today Kamloops and Armchair Mayor News on Monday, December 7, 2020.

Sunday morning came with slices of blue sky spiked by bright sunshine. It was almost 11am by the time we got home from our long morning hike.

I noticed a neighbour peeking under parked cars. I assumed she was trying to locate a runaway cat. Instead, she asked if what she was seeing was a ferret. The small, long-bodied creature was all white with a black-tipped tail and moving very swiftly.