Mary Shefferman of Modern Ferret and I have exchanged some e-mail lately.
She would very much like to let FMLers know a little about what is going
on in the Shefferman's household but she really feels unable to write it
all down right now.
 
I've agreed to extract some thoughts from her recent e-mails and write
to the FML on her behalf.  None of this is necessarily my own opinion --
Mary has read this and indicated it was OK to post and I'm just acting as
the messenger.
 
Now, I certainly don't want to start another round of bickering.  Many of
us have chosen to express our opinions about Modern Ferret here over the
last couple of weeks but the Sheffermans have not responded in this forum.
So this is their response.  Take or leave it please -- it's a response to
past posts, not an invitation to start the mess all over again.
 
Q: Well, OK -- first why doesn't Mary or Eric post?  Why go through me?
 
A: The short answer is the emotional demands of doing so are just too
great.  Eric is extremely ill.  Mary is trying to hold everything together
while suffering from MAJOR depression.  Their love for each other as well
for the magazine makes this an incredibly trying time.  Better let someone
else who can remain relatively neutral post than to expend great emotional
energy writing about what's so dear to their hearts.
 
Q: Why do we have to find about it here?  Couldn't they send out a card
   to their subscribers?
 
A: They theoretically could.  But that costs a lot of money, which just
isn't there now.  Eric has no medical insurance.
 
Q: But what about the magazine?  I even volunteered to help and heard
nothing back.
 
A: Plans are to continue the magazine as soon as it is possible to do
so.  Eric is one of the few "things" in life more important than the
magazine and his health comes first.  As soon as he is strong enough
he will have surgery.
 
Offers of help are much appreciated but just aren't practical.  The
business is run out of their too small residence.  Even in normal times
there's so much going on that accommodating and supervising extra people
would be difficult, but the already crowded home now resembles a hospital.
Mary has to give IV medications to Eric every eight hours as well as
change the bandages on the drain in his side.  Plus take care of the
business.  And the busyness.  And if you've lived with someone with
Crohn's Disease you'll know it's not pretty.  Makes cleaning the litter
box seem like a spring picnic.  It is not really an environment you want
to invite strangers into -- even well-meaning, sympathetic strangers who
want to help.  Sleep fits in there somewhere when it can.
 
Q: So why can't I help via the internet?
 
A: The magazine is a labor of love.  Maybe in normal times the effort
to explain their standards and requirements might allow some sort of
"internship", but these aren't normal times.  Everything has to be
just right and it can't be that way without lots of input from Mary
and Eric.
 
Q: Well, I'm sorry to hear about what's going on, but that's not MY
   fault.  I want my money back.
 
A: Write to Mary.  Paper letters are better, but if you MUST use e-mail,
do so.  Mary may not answer for a while, but the letters aren't just
thrown into the garbage.  They are honest people -- when there's any
money to pay for refunds you'll receive it.
 
Q: Mary really hasn't been too friendly lately.  It's no way to run a
   magazine.
 
A: Well, maybe not.  But major depression (and difficulty in finding an
adequate medication to treat it), a very ill husband, little sleep and
huge amounts of stress take their toll.  Apologies for any harshness --
really, sometimes it's impossible to see things calmly.  The posts on
the FML upset them quite a bit -- it's hard to read posts against Modern
Ferret without them taking it personally -- they ARE Modern Ferret.  Those
posts added to their already stressed situation.  Something had to give.
 
Q: But is there ANYTHING I can do to help?
 
A: Yes.  A few things.  Be understanding.  Have patience.  Have faith.
Visit their websites ( http://www.ferrettradingpost.com and
http://www.ferretdesigns.com ) and buy their products.  These orders
are filled by outside sources (not Mary & Eric), so they ship right away
regardless of how the Sheffermans are feeling.  The income will help very
much plus the products you get in return will help your fuzzbeans.  Pray
if it's in your nature to do so.  They need all the help they can get.
 
Bill,
writing for Mary and Eric Shefferman.
[Posted in FML issue 3753]