Folks, I've been a member of the FML since I got my first ferrets in
1998, which compared to others on this list isn't a long time.  I have
seen a lot of good people, with good intentions leave this list because
someone kept jumping all over them every time they posted, reading the
wrong thing into the posts, or maybe just being plain nasty on purpose.
 
There has been & continues to be a lot of sadness in the posting of
someone who has a sick ferret or those that have gone to the Bridge.  The
people posting however usually get a lot of support from others reading
the FML which helps them heal.  Maybe not enough humor to counteract the
sad posts, but what there was & is, will usually make you smile, if not
burst out laughing throughout the day if you think about them.  Then
there is the medical information which is so great.  I know almost
immediately after getting my first few ferrets I was faced with medical
problems, that I knew next to nothing about.  I didn't start out with
"new" ferrets, but those that no one wanted.  The first group was made
up of 8 & many more followed.
 
So, so far from this list I have shared my losses and those of others &
received & gave support, shared & laughed at the funny stories, (what
ferret isn't funny at one time or another?) received & passed on medical
info, which I know sure did help me over the years & continues to do so.
However the greatest gifts I received from this list is the friendship
of people I have made over the years.  These wonderful people have stuck
by me & have helped me get through some of the hardest times of my life,
such as last year when everything went to hell.  I have never had friends
like these people before.
 
Lisette who some people don't understand & ridicule, who is one of the
warmest, most giving people I know of, whose love of all animals is so
great it puts me to shame.  I'm so glad that she is back on the list & am
waiting patiently for her to share stories of her wild critters & those
of her fur kids.  Troy Lynn who has given me so much medical information,
that I know for sure has saved the lives of a few ferrets, especially
some of the Utah kids.  She is one lady that would give her life if it
meant saving that of a ferret or any other of God's creatures.  I will
swear to the day that I die, her presence was felt here one time when
one of the Utah kids was going through a bad time & wouldn't eat, but
did at that time & continued to do so.
 
Rebecca Mc Farlane who along with Wolfy, Judy C, Laurel Dittman, &
missing a wonderful lady on the "west coast", (without whose help on
shipping my 3 great big boys who I wouldn't have been able to get
otherwise, even if she did try to feed them squid) who along with
others have tried over & over to add humor to this list, especially
when bickering on the list got to be too much.
 
Kat Parsons, who makes the most wonderful Afghans (Kat I use my purple
one every day) in the world & shares them to help with her fur kids
medical bills, or other causes such as making one for Christopher,
founder of the FHL, to give him something soft & warm to have during his
last days on earth, or to help shelters raise money.  Who btw--joined
forces with Lisette to have a eBay auction for me, which I knew nothing
about until it was too late to try & stop them.  Lisette makes the most
wonderful ferret art & puts so much of her time into it & Kat who does
the designs on the web pages, what talented artists these 2 ladies are!
 
Ms Lynda Galloway, who also does her best to keep humor alive here,
didn't tell all of the story about the sewing machine.  Didn't mention
that she was having car problems almost daily & needed money not only for
that but for her own fur kids not to mention her own medical bills.  Yet
she got the idea that she wanted to help out the smaller shelters that
have a really hard time of it, by making bedding for all of their fur
kids.  She said she wanted every baby to have it's very own bedding to
curl up & keep warm, especially the bald ones.  She told you that she
bought a old clunker of a sewing machine & practiced on it until she knew
she could do a good job on the bedding, then the day she sat down to
actually make something, it broke down.  I knew how very disappointed she
was, that she couldn't get it fixed, couldn't afford another one but most
of all now couldn't make & send out the bedding for shelter kids.  So yes
I found a great deal on eBay & she had a machine that should work a long
time for her.  Along with the help of another wonderful lady, Marie Smith
who gave Lynda pointers on making the bedding, Lynda started making her
bedding & what does she do but send a big box of hammies, sleep sacks,
tubes & blankets, plus a stash of small stuffed toys, down to my kids to
be "tested" by them to make sure they would hold up & be good enough for
her to make more to send to shelters, at her own expense I might add.
Well my kids are still using them so they were made well & with love.
 
Jackie H who puts all of the ferrets in her care, before her own needs &
is so worn out nursing sick ones most of the time, still has time to
write me with medical info, to help out my kids.  She reinforced my
believe that Cody's pain upon urinating was not due to prostate problems
or adrenal problems & put me in touch with Laura who has a shelter near
me, that I never knew about.  Laura promptly told me about her ferret
vet that is so very much closer than the 2 I was taking my kids to, the
2 who gave up on Cody because of his very enlarged spleen.  This doctor
believed he had enough knowledge to go ahead with the surgery to remove
the spleen & Cody did come through surgery with flying colors.  However
Cody's problem turned out to be far greater than we had thought, it went
beyond the spleen & couldn't be fixed.  The doctor thought that Cody was
just taking a long time to heal, but with Laura's help the vet was
convinced to take x-rays to see if there was another problem.  When it
was time to help Cody pass, I have never in my life seen a vet show as
much emotion & compassion as this one did.
 
Mary Conley, whose knowledge of herbs & other healing plants is so
extensive, felt such great compassion for Cody, (and many other fur kids)
a guy she had never met that she made a special formula just for him to
help ease his pain & sent it at her own expense, her husband going out in
a bad storm just to mail it.  She posted on another list for prayers &
healing thoughts for him.  Judith White, who sent tons of Reiki towards
Cody, which I am sure gave him some comfort.
 
Fuzzyslave, who I know couldn't afford it, sent something to help War
Weasels out, God bless you Sandi, & you also Juliana.  I know you both
could have used what you sent.  Sukie who is has so much information
stored in her brain that it is wonder the weight of it doesn't make her
fall down.  Ulrike who has become like a daughter to me, one of the very
first people I corresponded with on a regular basis & Caterina who also
makes the "mom" in me come out.  Roger V, who one of these days I am
going to meet in person.  Donna C, who is such a soft hearted warm,
wonderful ferret mom & lady who can't say no to any ferret knocking on
her door, even if it is miles away.  Carol, (synergy) who has been
supportive in times of need, Stephanie G, who always includes me in her
emails of jokes or pictures which usually come just when something to
laugh about is needed.
 
Other people who I have not had time to stay in touch with, who of the
older FMLers can forget Millie & her wonderful Cleaning Crew stories,
Mary R who opens her home to ADV kids, Sharon B who is the force behind
Kouri's Klub & does other great work.  Betty, (Blur of Fur) who also was
full of great stories & gave wonderful support.  Ron C, who has also
provided much humor on this list, Sonya G who gave me support with QT by
sharing what she was going through with one of her fur kids.  April who
I have wanted to meet in person for so long, if for no other reason than
to see her hair & tats, a lady who will go out of her way to transport
unwanted ferrets from one place to another, but often falling in love
with them so they get no farther than her home.  I know I am forgetting
some wonderful other people & if I haven't mentioned you I am sorry
because one way or another you have affected my life & that of my fur
kids.
 
I guess my point is that without the FML I would have never met these
people & would never have the most thoughtful, understanding, sharing,
caring, loving friends that I have.  It is true that there is often
bickering & flaming here but for the new guys, you have to just ignore
it & if it doesn't go away by itself, Mr. BIG who tries to be fair to
everyone that posts will stop it.  Where he gets his energy from to stay
up very late to edit & send out this list, I have no idea.  Not to
mention his patience with some of the folks that post, including myself.
I seldom have the time to read the FML anymore, but try to quickly scan
the subject list to see if there is something I can take time to read.
Which Ms Galloway's post would have slipped past me had someone not
pointed it out to me.
 
If you are old or new to this list I urge you to keep flames to yourself,
yes you can defend yourself if something is incorrect, but once done,
either let it drop or take it up off list.  If you can't stand to read
the sad posts, don't read them.  It helps people that have suffered a
loss to talk about it & in some cases it helps us realize dangers to our
fur kids & how we can better protect them.  Those posts have to be the
hardest ones that anyone writes.  What has always bothered me though is
the flaming of one shelter against another, the down & dirty fighting
that goes on.  If there is something wrong at a shelter & you can prove
it, yes post it & yes that other shelter should have the chance to defend
itself, but don't keep going on & on & let personal feelings get in the
way.  I thank God that there are people who have it in them to open
shelters & their hearts for the unwanted & needy ferrets.  I know I could
never do it & know that there are many others that couldn't.  How you all
get through all of the grief of losing those you can't save, the cost of
medical care, the retraining that some need, how many of you work outside
jobs & then go home to tend to all of the fur kids & their needs, I have
no earthly idea how you do it.  You all are so wonderful in each of your
ways, it is really a shame that you can't support each other if only
because of the fact that you all care enough about the fuzz butts to have
shelters in the first place, so what if you don't like the person, care
that they are doing what they can to take in unwanted ferrets.  And who
gives a crap if someone calls themselves a shelter or rescue, as long
they do the same thing?
 
The friends you make here will always be friends to you, maybe the best
you will ever have.  No one understands ferret people like other ferret
people, sometimes not even family.  I have been simply overwhelmed by the
actions, caring, thoughtfulness & love of my friends recently that have
been trying to either help me or my fur kids.  Frankly much more of it &
I am going to have to buy a new keyboard.  This one keeps getting
waterlogged.  Thank you dear friends for all you have done over the
years & now, you all have kept me going & it is greatly appreciated.
 
Sincerely,
Lynn & Clan War Weasels Refuge
[Posted in FML issue 4562]