Karen expressed concern about someone's use of the term "hobby" in relation to the rescue or shelter of ferrets, and that her dictionary defined "hobby" as something done for "relaxation". Dictionary.com uses the term "pleasure" instead. Having done it, I can assure you there is plenty of pleasure in running a shelter! There is the pleasure of seeing a fearful ferret become loving and playful, a sick ferret regaining health and dancing and dooking, the joy in the eyes of a new adopter realizing they have just been kissed by their new best friend. Lots of pleasure there, admittedly along with lots of work and sorrow. I think Karen's concern is that, to many, "hobby" implies a casual relationship. But many hobbyists are passionately committed to their hobbies, pursuing them wholeheartedly and with love and devotion. Even those hobbies that I personally would find little pleasure OR relaxation in, like skydiving! Earlier this year, I read an FML post that used a phrase that raised my hackles. That phrase had a certain connotation to me, and I immediately assumed the worst. But I reread the post twice, and went back and read earlier posts in the thread, and realized the problem was simply MY interpretation of the words, not what the person wrote or the situation behind it. These are just more examples of how words often mean different things to different people. We need to learn to look beyond the words themselves to find the intent. Linda Iroff International Ferret Congress http://www.ferretcongress.org [Posted in FML issue 4549]