Good Bye Ol' Blue. Then end of an era

Old blue, our weasel wagon is up on EBay. She need lots of work to become safe and road worthy, and right now the shelter need funding.

It is sad for me. Over 900 ferrets have ridden in that mini van, even a few people too. That van has been to many shows, fund raisers, vet office visits, supply runs. One time we had it one third of the way up the sides with Feline Pine bags, 500 or so pounds of it.

Day after Christmas back in 97, 98 - can't remember. We did a rescue out of Detroit. Forty one ferrets fit in that van in cages with hammocks, food bowls, water bowls, bottles, bedding and litter boxes.

I can't tell you how many thousands of pounds of food got hauled in that van, or how many times on long trips I stopped in rest areas to take a nap.

Sounds like I am saying good bye to a friend doesn't it? Well, I am. I purchased Old Blue for the shelter from the company I used to work for, they took payments from my check. The first thing that I did was get rid of all of the passenger seating. Only one passenger, and the driver. After all, I wasn't going to haul people around.

I put 25,000 miles on her in less than one year driving all over creation for ferrets. She only left me stranded once. But there were no animals with me, and it was only 1/2 mile from home.

I miss driving her to the vet, it is so easy to get a travel cage in and out of a mini van, I never used carriers for that, always had nice cages, that got taken out and put on a dolly. That way if I had to leave them over night, they had their very own little cage with bedding they had slept in.

Yeah, I miss driving her. She had just enough power to go, and keep me out of trouble (I have a lead foot at times).

But the shelter needs funds, and she needs repairs, more than we can afford, so hopefully someone buys her that will give her a good home and appreciate her.

1991 Chevrolet Lumina

First Trip done second trip planned - Help the 700 plus rescue ferrets

Thursday I finally got a rental, well I had to settle for an SUV because i couldn't get a mini van through priceline, got it for $30 a day including the tax. Not bad. Enterprise wanted $60 a day for a minivan!! The difference paid for gas.

Got an email from two of my Akron volunteers, let them know at 10:00 PM, I got an SUV, and if they were still up for it, come on down, two SUV's full are better than one. Our new volunteer Jim, came to help us load, and at the last minute I called Rick in Stubenville, he drove up to help too.

We got to the storage locker, and Laurie says, "We can rent a trailer, I used to haul a horse trailer, so I am used to it". We go to see if they had the ball part. The storage place we were at didn't but a mile or so away, there was one who did. So we went there, while Jim, Jane and Rick loaded the rental SUV.

We got to the second Uhaul place, and Laurie got the hitch part, and we were going to rent the trailer, got it hooked up, and no wiring harness. It would take $100 and at least an hour to put it in. Time is our problem, so we said no.

Back to the storage unit. Laurie and Jane chatted. they went up to see what renting a box truck would cost. (I already knew, $19.95 a day plus 99 cents a mile) The manager came down on the mileage, and called corporate to find out if he could come down lower, but they said no.

Laurie and Jane came back with a 10 foot box truck, and we filled it. Everything in the locker that could be used. All of the Marshall litter boxes with the bolt on it, all of the bedding donated for the rescue, and blankets. (Trust me not enough) all the cages, yes all of them the new ones and the few used ones we had. If it was usable for her, it went.

No, these sisters are not rich, they work a normal 9 to 5, they charged it because they felt it was the right thing to do, and knew the shelter was already doing everything it could.

All of this was purchased for the new building. And no matter what I tried, I banged my head on a wall, it seemed like road blocks continually got put in the way of the building, so all this had to be stored somewhere. Maybe it was fate telling me that it would be needed else where, and the time wasn't right for the building because this was going to happen. I don't know, I'd like to believe that there was some type of Divine intervention because of what was to happen.

We drove down, took 5.5 hours, she lives in a very remote area. She had four helpers that day. None the day before. Lorie is tired and running herself ragged.

I did bring back some kids 13. No they are not ready for adoption. If you want to help, adopt some of the kids that have been here for awhile to make room for some of the other farm rescues. Or please donate to help with the vet costs.

Now, we are going back Wednesday. I plan on leaving at 8 AM. You have today, Monday and Tuesday to dig.

She needs, paper towels, bleach, laundry soap, dish soap, hand sanitizer, toilet paper (yes, with the people popping in and out the bathroom is used) snacks for the volunteers, pieces of fleece cut to about 8 x 18 (serves to cover the wire in the cage and a blanket), trash bags.

If you would like me to bring a donation on your behalf and hand it to her, I will. Gift cards from Target, Walmart, Kmart all can be used too. Needed items like listed can be purchased with them.

If you would like to give Lori a special gift as a thank you. Wrap it up and I will deliver it.

If you are bring stuff to fill up a mini van for the second trip and want a tax receipt, make sure to see me, or leave the receipt with your name, address and phone number. I will give you a tax receipt so you can deduct it.

Come on let's help. Let's fill a mini van, and a station wagon!! Please.

A Fellow Ferret Lover needs your prayers & cards

Mike Janke. Some of you know who he is, some may be wondering who he is.

Mike is a gentle soul who has been there to help many of us ferret owners with our panicked questions, a shoulder to cry on when we loose a battle, a staunch supporter of shelters.

He worked tirelessly with the Miami Ferret Group. He is a very special man who has always been there to help us all.

Now, I ask each person who visits this site to please stop for a moment, and the Greater Power in your life to help him, and to send him a card or snail mail.

Mike is ill and has been for around a year now. His last round of experimental chemotherapy did not work and that combined with his malignancy pretty much knocked him for a loop. He is home and resting with hopes of trying another experimental approach, but in the meantime he is largely bed-bound and could really use a number of cards while he is so ill, please! His address is:

Mike Janke
11930 SW 131st Ave.
Miami, FL 33186

So please, spare a prayer and a note for Mike.

Is this not an icredibly wonderful, thoughtful gift?

A little background, the paw print you see belonged to Samson. Samson was a 12 week old mink, that was around 3 pound of pure muscle, who happened to be born here.

No, I don't breed mink. His mom escaped a fur farm shortly after being bred, and April 27, she said "surprise!". (We do mink rehab, and release for the wild - we release on private property) and give sanctuary for ranch escapees, even find them homes, but those are few and far between.

Sampson died, and I personally was crushed. So were the vet techs, and the volunteers here. He had been had raised, bottle fed, and they all had a hand in it.

This was done by Alexander Draven, and he does beautiful silver work, and makes awesome jewelry. He can be reached at: dravensinferno@hotmail.com or 330/618-7857.

He does custom jewelry pieces, and his work is incredible. Perfect man to go to for the hard to please person you need a birthday, anniversary, Valentine's Day gift or something special for you!!

The Bowling Benefit

Well it is the day after, and it was lots of fun. Mary Meszar, owner of the lanes is an awesome lady, sweet and kind.

The employees are great, Patty the bar person is wonderful too. The whole group of people at Meszar's are friendly, and people oriented. If you are looking for some fun check out their lanes, a small bowling alley but fun, and cozy. You can't beat the atmosphere.

OK, now here is the down and dirty on how the benefit turned out.


Total taken in: $1077
Cost of the lanes: $467
Leaves $610 to be split between the two shelters, or $305 each.

Now don't go and get all happy yet. These are the expenses for the added items, just from Ferrets Unlimited

Postage to mail out the post cards $112 (Ran short of help, so got them out late)
Raffle items and baskets $175

• Although I get things as cheap as possible, getting donations for raffles are a near impossibility, one thing I have learned from attending and helping with fund raisers, this is a necessary expense. People like to win stuff. That means they buy raffle tickets!

Additional food items $150

• This included the 12 slabs of ribs, coleslaw, potato salad, deviled eggs. Not every one likes pizza, so to appeal to more we added ribs (buy one slab get two free) to the menu, and other types of salads so those who do not eat meat would have something to eat.

Goodie bags for kids $ 70

• I can hear you know, why spend money on THAT? It is a family event, and you need to have something for the kids. Even though the goodie bags had little trinket, and a craft in them, it makes the kids feel like they belong too.

OK here is the nitty gritty:

112
175
150
70
507 Total expenses

305 Take in
-202 Kind of backwards for a fund raiser don't ya think?

We started letting people know about this at the end of September, and kept it up through October and November. Every time I posted, I asked for help and donations for door prizes.

We sent press releases to all of the TV Stations monthly about this event. I begged and pleaded to have Public Service Announcements done.

I can hear it now, but I don't like to bowl. What ever happened to the Medieval Murder Mystery, or the Vegas Night? I'd do that?

I totally understand the I don't like to bowl, or I cannot bowl. Physically, I cannot bowl. As far as the Murder Mystery, or the Vegas Night, you can't put on a fund raiser like that without help, and without donations. Not to mention the fact you need people to show up.

The Murder Mystery would involve hall rental, food, organizing a "script". The food involves getting donations of it, or cash and cooking it, not to mention serving. Oh yeah, and PEOPLE TO SHOW UP.

The Vegas Night involves finding a place we can legally hold it, and a minimum expense of $3500 to rent the equipment. Not to mention the food, and all of the other things that go with making it a fun success. Oh yeah, and PEOPLE TO SHOW UP.

So where am I going with all of this, well, it is simple. There were 15 ferret people at the event. I sent out 487 post cards (Ohio only, 456 Northern Ohio), posted to the shelter's my space, the web page, the FML, and several other boards.

The total that showed 43, the rest of them were the family and friend of the ladies who run Helping Hands. Which just tells me that maybe it just isn't me.

487 post cards, 7 were returned non deliverable. 480, out of 480 6 show up, one brought some friends to make the ferret people count 15.

They got mailed out a week later than I wanted, they got mailed Monday the 4th, and started arriving in mail boxes on the 5th (people who showed up told me)

You did it on a Sunday night. Yeah, that was the date that was open, we did it so that people could do their Christmas shopping, and not have to cook, just come kick back, socialize, bowl, eat, and enjoy themselves, bring the kids and let them tire themselves out.

You need to do an open house. No, there is no room. There is no room for people to stand and chit chat, there is no room to walk, there is no room to cook, there is no room for more cages. There is no dining room, only cages.

I'm sorry, I really don't like the way this is turning out. I just want you to understand the stress, the frustration, the total feeling of desperation, of feeling like that no matter what is done, the animals in the shelter don't matter. I need you to understand how frustrating it is when people react, "Oh ferrets, why save them?".

I want to have Christmas. I want to decorate, I want to bake and do all those things I love to do, but I can't. The shelter is EVERYWHERE here.

People were oh great you are getting a building, and what little help there was disappeared. That is a post in the archives of the Director's Corner. If things went as they were hoped, the shelter would have been in it's building, and all of the shelter stuff would be there, not in my living room, kitchen, attic, basement (which floods) storage locker.

I'm sorry, I am really frustrated. I am out of ideas, and I need new ones, ones that I can do with no help or very little help. EBay isn't the answer either. I have done that several times. I start the bids to cover the cost of the items, which I am perfectly happy with but it isn't cheap enough.

I really feel like crap today, head ache, sinuses blocked, stomach upset, tired. But I have to clean a room of cages, so I can't be sick, I can't be tired, I can't be frustrated. Shelter operators can all attest to the fact that we are not allowed, because of the animals. And that isn't just here, that is in shelters across the states.

If this offends you, again I apologize, but I need to vent somewhere.