I would like to let everyone know how appreciative I am to those people who signed up for the Thanksgiving Card Exchange and sent cards to the West Michigan Ferret Connection. It's been extremely gratifying. Thank you. The cards have been very creative and, packrat that I am, they will be saved. I have a ribbon full of Thank You cards from years past hanging in the ferret room. These new cards will hang from their own special ribbon. I don't post much on the FML, usually only when I want to announce something for the Midwest Ferret Fellowship, which is a group of ferret lovers based in Michigan . The West Michigan Ferret Connection was founded in October of 2001 and it celebrated 5 years this year (probably by changing bedding). I began out of a 2 bedroom apartment and then in April 2005, I bought a house for the ferrets, literally. The back yard is a huge deck, completely ferret-proof. They get to play in a sandbox and wading pool in the spring and summer, leaves in the fall and snow in the winter. The lower level of the house is dedicated to the ferrets and, again, it 's completely ferret-proof. I have much to be thankful this year. The ferrets here and I were extremely busy. We visited PETCOs in Grand Rapids and Holland once month. They went with me for presentations at the Detroit Public Library (downtown Detroit), Milford Public Library, Ottawa County Fair, Petapaloozas in Taylor and Ferndale, 4 Michigan Humane Society Youth Camp sessions, 2 Humane Society of Kent County Youth Camp sessions, West Michigan Pet Expo in Grand Rapids, America's Family Pet Expo in Novi, Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival Pet Expo and Johnson Controls Company Picnic. The highlight of the year was my invitation to speak about ferrets at the Michigan Partnership for Animal Welfare Conference at Grand Traverse Resort, sponsored by the Michigan Humane Society. The seminar was entitled "Rabbits, Ferrets and Other Small Mammals in Shelters". I would like to give special thanks to Angela Espinet of www.craftycreatures.com . Her FAQ and Ferret History is an excellent resource tool and I thank her for allowing me to use her material. I highly recommend it. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to those members of the Midwest Ferret Fellowship who have been, as the song goes, "the wind beneath my wings". I would also like to acknowledge and thank Rose, who has been my right hand here at WMFC. Funny story ...... I dated her brother a few years ago. She bought a kit & her brother said "I have somebody for you to meet." I'm no longer dating her brother but Rose is like the daughter I never had. Take care Dee Gage West Michigan Ferret Connection [Posted in FML 5436]