In this Christmas season of giving let me be one of many, I hope, who will
offer just a small note of thankfullness to all those ferret-loving people
who donate their time, energy and substance to helping ferrets and the
ferret community.  They are givers and not takers.  In this particular
instance I am moved to write of the generosity of a certain Debbie,
formerly of the Washington State Ferret Association*, who has posted today
that she would like to donate to all the shelters which have need, her
home-made hammocks, crinkle sacks, and other items that she herself and her
mother have hand-sewn, and which the two of them are willing to distribute
to where ever the needs exist.  I also wish to thank the American-born
woman, Keiko Kojima, the wife of a Japanese national, who has similarly
made hammocks and sleepsacks for the various shelters and who, in addition
to sewing these goods, she also mails them to stateside shelters, including
Edward Lipinski's shelter, from the nation of Nippon at her cost.  Are
these people great or what?  One cannot help but contrast these wonderful
individuals to others in the ferret community who offer no service benefit
whatsoever, but who, instead, seek self aggrandizement and personal profit
from the selling of their "goods" as well as charging fantastically
inflated prices , such as $250, for supposedly superior ferrets.  So to
all of you, the givers, and not the takers, please accept my heartfelt
gratitude to you, each and everyone, thank you, thank you, thank you times
10 to the 99th power.
 
Washington State Ferret Association* , or abbreviated, WSFA, is soon to
undergo a name change.  This new name is purported to be Washington Ferret
Association, or abbreviated, WFA.  Hopefully, some time in the future the
story behind this name change will be made public, but for the time being,
due to possible pending legal action involving one or more of the former
WSFA officers and the alleged misappropriation of WSFA funds, that portion
of the WSFA history must remain undisclosed.  Concurrently, with the name
change, look for a change in the Email address of the WFA from
[log in to unmask] to [log in to unmask]
 
Edward Lipinski, who is thinking that the $20 membership fee charged by the
Washington Ferret Association for the coming year 2,000, the pre-millinnium
year, is possibly a bit too stiff.  Several have asked me and I in turn
will ask, what do we get for the membership fee of $20.00?  Are there other
ferret organizations that charge such a high fee?
[Posted in FML issue 2895]