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

Please vote for MSOD

OK, last year the founder of this band and his lovely better half organized a fundraiser for the shelter and raised $600 for us to put on our vet bill.

And I didn't have to worry about what was happening, where it would be or anything. It was a blast and everyone had a great time, so please, click on the link and vote for them.

VOTE FOR MSOD!

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 bit of a Conumdrum

Well, it is the only way to explain. You see, I honestly hate sounding like a whining, complaining witch, and I really don't want to start a mass snail mail (blew up big time last year) or mass email campaign to find support and help, but it seems that it in the only way.

I would like to send out newsletters, but that is a problem two fold, first, I seem to be the only person putting any articles in it. (I have asked several people to write about their experiences over the years, and have not gotten one). I have asked for vet referrals and information and why they like their vet, only one person sent me the information on their vet and asked their vet to give us some info on themselves personally.

This puts me back to the original spot of ending up sounding like a whiney shrew, which I really do not want to sound like. Honest! : )

At the Brain Storming meeting, 15 people showed up, I mailed out 339 invitations, to folks who have adopted or volunteered in the past all within a 40 minute drive, give or take a few. Nineteen came back undeliverable.

One of the things I was trying to get through is the fact, that if someone says they will do something, they own it, they follow through with it, and so I am not left hanging and doing a mad dash to find a way to get it done. Normally either that happens, or no one steps up to help and it is all done by one or two people.

The Car Show is a good example. Sarah said she would make follow up calls to the businesses who received the Show Packet, BTW, she is a trooper no matter how rude or nasty people were, she kept her cool and was polite. Someone else was supposed to help and put it off until yesterday, so here I am this week punting.

You see, I do like organizing things, doing the newsletter, creating things, and that, but I do need help. With the regular stuff of the shelter, like cleaning and such, help getting donations, raffle prizes, people to follow through with what they say.

Someone at the meeting said, it would be harder for businesses to say no if you show up to ask with the information. Which, in some cases it would work, but I have one question, how am I suppose to do that? I am one person. I cannot be everywhere.

If I am working on the basics, mailing out information packets, getting together the addresses, general mailings doing vet runs, talking on the phone, doing adoptions, dealing with surrenders, keeping track of items for rescues and funds raisers, sending thank you letters and receipts, litter boxes, oh and let's add trying to find a way to make the human area of the house smaller, but still livable, and trying to keep up with the bills, cooking, cleaning, well, you get the idea? Oh, and doing the taxes and recovering the shelter information that is in back up form (another story, did I ever mention that I have the kiss of death with computers sometimes? I look at them and loose information).

The shelter needs its own home. I have not given up on that. I am still working on it, just got off the phone with a group looking for summer opportunities for volunteering, but they will not come into a private home.

I cannot blame them, and to be honest, someday I would love to have some privacy.

So back to the original reason for this, we need help, and if you say you will do something, own it and follow through to the end, without having to have someone hold your hand the whole way through, if you have questions, ask, but do what you say you are going to do, don't just talk it up.

If you think about it, that is something not only for helping here, but also in every area of life.

Are you rich? Believe it or not a question FREQUENTLY asked

I got an email today from one of the many folks who have been part of my life, even if for a short time like volunteering for a day. Some people are a part of my life just simply by virtue of reading the Director's Corner, or one of the boards I belong to.

The email was really very nice, they said that they heard about something the shelter did for someone last year who's ferret would have died, and helped another person that needed a temporary home for their ferrets, and a bunch of other things, it ended with, "Are you rich?"

I had to laugh at that, because that is a question that can be answered Yes, and No.

Am I rich? Yes, I have friends that care, human kids who love me for the nutty mom I am, a roof over my head (even though the basement floods LOL!), and food to put on the table. And yes, I will share anything that is mine with someone who asks (well, there is one or two exceptions to that ;-p).

Monetarily, no. Most of the money that I personally get goes into the shelter, and I take it from hubby for the shelter too. The animals here come first. That is just the way it is.

Does it bother me? Another question that can be answered yes and no. No in the fact this is something I picked to do, and the feeling of seeing an abused ferret war dance for the first time, or a biter that had been horribly abused give it's first kiss, and play, well there is no price on that.

Yes, in the fact I would like to do more for the shelter. Be able to provide more for the local ferret community. Help more people.

So when you stop and think about it, yes, I am rich. I am rich. The love and satisfaction that I have in what I do (now I do get frustrated and tend to whine and complain when I do, but I am human), the love I have from family and friends, makes me a very rich woman.

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.