Hey ferret people, Merry Christmas! I hope that yours is a happy, safe and healthy one. I know that ours has been blessed with some new family members. Kim and Lisa went down south to Marmora on the 23rd to pick up some of the ferrets from TJ's Ferret Haven, and they're all so thankful to be here. I know that Anne Ryan has many more than we do, and also needs your support and kind thoughts. Kim's birthday was the 8th of December, and I asked her what she wanted. I know many of my friend's girlfriends/wives ask for jewelry/perfume/clothes.... Kim asked for some Totally Ferret. I thought she was kidding. She was not. After the car accident she was involved in back in October, and she missed 3 weeks of work, and subsequently, 3 weeks of pay. She was running low on ferret supplies. I know Kim, but I know a lot of you don't. She thought of the ferrets before herself, and wanted to make sure they had food before she had luxuries. Trust me, those ferrets got food, and a fat vet donation for Kim's birthday from me. Right now, Kim, Lisa and Will's Christmas is basically over. Any decorations in Kim's (and Lisa & Wills) house have been taken down to make room for these new arrivals. They're in the living room, the bedroom, and the kennel. Yes, I know that she only took in 15, but please bear in mind that 11 of them are whole hobs, in need of their own cage, and own space. The kennel overflowed at 6 hobs, even with my modifications of the Midwest cages. Lisa (Kim's amazing friend and volunteer) and Will (her husband) have gone above and beyond the call of duty. On Thursday, my neighbors home burnt down, and they took in their dog, rather than have him spend the holidays in the shelter. Then, after the new shelter arrivals got here, they also took in 11 of Kim's existing shelter ferrets. I know Kim is so thankful, and even though I'm not involved in the day to day operations of the shelter, I am too. Without kind and generous people like Lisa and Will, small shelters like KiSta would not be able to remain in operation. If you'd like to thank them like they deserve to be thanked, you can email them at [log in to unmask] What did Kim want for Christmas? Originally she wanted a new shop vac (for the kennel) and a battery charger for her car, which since the accident has been giving her problems (we're fighting the insurance company now for the "total loss" value of her car), but since picking up the new rescues, she's changed her list. She now wants stove pellets, small litterpans, and a Jeffers gift certificate. Yeah, I know. Kim isn't very romantic, is she? She already has the Shop Vac and the battery charger (don't be jealous ladies), but I'd also like to let her know that I'm getting her a gift certificate to Home Depot and Wal-Mart, where she can get some of the other things she requested. She needs these things year round, so please, if Santa was extra good to you this year, consider helping these rescue ferrets by sending donations to either Anne or Kim. You can see what these 2 ladies are up against by seeing this: www.kistaferret.com/xmasrescue Happy Holidays to all, and a ferrety New Year=20 Stan Sikorski=20 The Sta in KiSta=20 [Posted in FML issue 3277]