I would like to let everyone know how appreciative I am to those
people who signed up for the Thanksgiving Card Exchange and sent
cards to the West Michigan Ferret Connection.

It's been extremely gratifying. Thank you.

The cards have been very creative and, packrat that I am, they will be
saved. I have a ribbon full of Thank You cards from years past hanging
in the ferret room. These new cards will hang from their own special
ribbon.

I don't post much on the FML, usually only when I want to announce
something for the Midwest Ferret Fellowship, which is a group of ferret
lovers based in Michigan .

The West Michigan Ferret Connection was founded in October of 2001 and
it celebrated 5 years this year (probably by changing bedding). I began
out of a 2 bedroom apartment and then in April 2005, I bought a house
for the ferrets, literally. The back yard is a huge deck, completely
ferret-proof. They get to play in a sandbox and wading pool in the
spring and summer, leaves in the fall and snow in the winter. The
lower level of the house is dedicated to the ferrets and, again, it
's completely ferret-proof.

I have much to be thankful this year. The ferrets here and I were
extremely busy. We visited PETCOs in Grand Rapids and Holland once
month. They went with me for presentations at the Detroit Public
Library (downtown Detroit), Milford Public Library, Ottawa County Fair,
Petapaloozas in Taylor and Ferndale, 4 Michigan Humane Society Youth
Camp sessions, 2 Humane Society of Kent County Youth Camp sessions,
West Michigan Pet Expo in Grand Rapids, America's Family Pet Expo in
Novi, Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival Pet Expo and Johnson Controls
Company Picnic.

The highlight of the year was my invitation to speak about ferrets
at the Michigan Partnership for Animal Welfare Conference at Grand
Traverse Resort, sponsored by the Michigan Humane Society. The seminar
was entitled "Rabbits, Ferrets and Other Small Mammals in Shelters".

I would like to give special thanks to Angela Espinet of
www.craftycreatures.com . Her FAQ and Ferret History is an excellent
resource tool and I thank her for allowing me to use her material. I
highly recommend it.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to those members of the
Midwest Ferret Fellowship who have been, as the song goes, "the wind
beneath my wings".

I would also like to acknowledge and thank Rose, who has been my right
hand here at WMFC. Funny story ...... I dated her brother a few years
ago. She bought a kit & her brother said "I have somebody for you to
meet." I'm no longer dating her brother but Rose is like the daughter
I never had.
 
Take care

Dee Gage
West Michigan Ferret Connection

[Posted in FML 5436]