Good Morning!

It was a very very busy weekend at Raisins!

Today, there are some very, very worn-out ferrets at the shelter. But
they sleep soundly with big grins on their little fuzzie faces.... We
had two afternoons (Sat and Sun) filled with teenage-volunteers from
our church playing with and cuddling up with the ferrets in our
shelter. While I cleaned and cleaned and did volumes of laundry, the
kids (under the close supervision of my Joe) entertained and wore out
many a fuzzie. I think every single cat and ferret toy got brought out
and used to the delight of both kid and ferret alike. Laughter was
everywhere! The moms and dads supplied sandwiches, pizza, soda, hot
dogs, and hamburgers both days ..... all the while, I got to focus on
some much-needed cleaning and sanitizing. It was amazing and it was
just what these very stressed out ferrets needed - some playtime and
some much needed cuddle time! =)

My Saturday began bright and early at 5:30 a.m. and I finally went to
bed at about 1:00 a.m. - I think I sat down all of about 2 hours to
eat and for a few minutes here and there. Sunday was a bit easier but
it was a very full day!

We are blessed and excited that many of these kids will return next
weekend for another weekend of fun and excitement for our ferrets and
we are happy to have them back. We will also have some new teens coming
in on Saturday. Should be lots of fun for our ferrets!

Our total ferrets taken in still remains at 22 as a result of tornados
and flooding in Tennessee. We have been in contact with a couple who
lost their home to flooding in Dyer County....they must relocate and
the family members whom they are moving in with have three dogs and
this couple is concerned that those dogs may pose a threat to their pet
ferrets (a pair of little girls). We will hear from them by the end of
the week on their final decision. I have proposed that we take them in
temporarily while they make preparations for a final move and a safe
haven for their pets. The little kit from Millington has officially
been surrendered by its owner.

Some good news... I did finally receive a call from my foster home in
Yazoo City, MS, and human and ferrets (and kitties) are a-okay! The
house, well, not so much.... Remember, Yazoo City was devastated by a
tornado the weekend before the big flooding disaster in Tennessee. But
the rebuilding is already underway and everyone is currently staying in
a FEMA trailer and electricity and phone service is almost restored to
all of that county now. We are sending that family some ferret food and
treats, extra bedding, and toys to ensure that they ferrets have what
they need while money is in short supply....both jobs were wiped out by
the tornado destruction. But both those companies are rebuilding and
hope to reopen in the next 60 days.

We have received much love and support from our ferret community and we
are truly grateful and blessed. We were overwhelmed with food, bedding,
treats, and crochet eggs for our ferrets in shelter and words cannot
begin to express our appreciation. I think I just sat down and cried
for 20 minutes Friday night after assessing the boxes of treasurers
received that day.

The biggest challenge facing me this week is battling the "shelter
shock" that is afflicting some of my kids as well as some of the
boarders. This was my biggest fear and, alas, it is now a reality.
Although, I am making some progress... The little elderly silver
blaze boy surrendered just weeks with his younger cagemate is finally
beginning to eat some A/D, Dook Soup, water mixture now...and gaining a
little weight. And he seems to really enjoy my exclusive company while
he is out eating up his soup. Whenever I enter the ferret room, he
instantly wakes up and rushes to the cage door waiting for me to take
him out. Such a sweet little guy!

The past few weeks have taken a great toll on the ferrets in my shelter
prior to the storms and also the ferrets which have entered into our
disaster relief boarding program. For our kids in shelter, it was first
the scary storms, then the chaos of our house being patched to avoid
any more water damage, then the stress of the added ferrets coming into
the shelter, etc etc. As for the ferrets in our boarding program, you
can imagine the stress of the storms, then the upheaval of their life
and home, then the travel to a new and unfamiliar place.....etc etc.
It's a miracle, I guess, that we haven't lost one yet...and I will
continue to work like hell to make sure they all make it through this
very difficult and stressful time.

Lord! I hope I have not forgotten anything....so much going on.

Please keep these kids in your prayers and I thank so many of you for
kind words of support and love for me, Joe, and the ferrets in our
care.

God Bless,
Maren Doshier
Founder/President
Raisins From Heaven
Hernando, MS

[Posted in FML 6701]