Lonely

I know for a lot of people, time by themselves is common. For me, the mother of many, extended time alone is extremely rare, and not entirely desirable. I find that I do get lonely, very much so, when my children and partner are not home. Especially when they are gone overnight. Of course, the current youngest is still home with me, but it's not exactly stimulating conversation when you're conversing with a toddler. The nights are always the hardest, I find myself putting the youngster to bed, then bringing her out of it when I retire myself so that the loneliness is held at bay. That and she also provides a valuable service as bedwarmer, in spite of her night-time restlessness.

I find lately that I try more and more to live in the present and not think about the immediate future. Depression is altogether too close for me to bear thoughts that inevitably lead to it's return. And the future is altogether too bleak to consider at this time. Based on the current economic instability, I can expect to go back out into the workforce and start from the beginning. It doesn't seem to matter how much education I have behind me or how much experience in my chosen field. The companies out there are struggling to survive and with them, their employees. So I look around me and wonder, are there any safe avenues to pursue? The medical field? Government workers? Is anyone really safe? And in the meanwhile, while pondering these potentially life altering queries, how will I pay my bills in a few months, especially if I'm incapacitated with a newborn. If I must lower myself to taking a job at a significantly lower rate of pay, how will I afford to pay for childcare? I'm sure it is evident how these unending questions can quickly lead to a depressing mood and improper ability to find restful slumber at night. So I hack away trying to find something, anything that will pay the bills, and avoid all consideration of what will happen if something doesn't break for me soon.

Gardening

I'm not sure what's gotten into me. Perhaps the prospect of no income in just a few months has my subconscious worried. Whatever it is, I seem to be more in the mood for gardening this year than I have been in a very long time. Several years in fact. So today, while out I decided to pick up a few things to start some plants inside. I picked up a bale of peat moss and some starter pots and several packets of fresh seeds. I also have plans to try starting some things from seeds I had saved from a few things last summer. Since Sunday is forecast to be quite warm, that is when I plan to begin. Included in the lineup are Roma tomatoes, several varieties of pepper, a few different herbs, butternut squash from saved seeds, and a request from my oldest to try some watermelon seeds that are a bit more aged. Now, of course, I simply have to decide whether I want to soak any of these seeds prior to planting to aid in germination. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. We shall see.

Since I have 2 does that have palpated positive, I also picked up a couple bales of wheat straw. Though I've yet to decide where to store them out of the weather. Straw, like hay, can be so messy that I'm not terribly keen on simply putting it on the floor in one of the buildings. I'd much prefer to have it store in some kind of bin or tub. That would keep it dry and keep most of the mess contained.

The Transporter

Somehow I seem to have become a sort of on/off rabbit transporter. I don't really mind, at least I get to enjoy rabbits for a short while without the pressure of trying to feed them for extended time periods. Currently I'm temporarily housing a trio of fluffy bunnies: a pair of Fuzzy lops and a Jersey Wooly affectionately designated as 'Jaws', not for disposition, but rather owing to an unusual series of events involving photographs. These particular rabbits have had a rather long and drawn out transport beginning all the way out in sunny California. I admit, at first it didn't seem they were too keen on having traveled such a distance only to be subjected to a much colder and wetter climate. When they finally reach their new owner they will have traveled nearly 4000 miles extended over nearly a month with stopovers in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

This isn't the first time I've transported or held rabbits. A while back I held a pair of rather robust English Lops for nearly 3 weeks while they waited for the next leg of their journey. Though I don't believe they traveled nearly as far as the current set will have done. If I recall correctly, they were picked up in Rhode Island.

I've even been the recipient of a transport that also began in California, but which involved ground transport to Texas and then to Virginia. That was more than 2 weeks of traveling for the poor rabbit, who turned out to be the best acquisition ever! Definitely worth the expense and trouble of arranging transport. Indeed it's not entirely uncommon for rabbit folk to assist with transporting, often over great distances. It's nearly always worth it to help out a fellow fancier.

Rabbit Additions

We went to the show intending to come home with some new stock. I'm not really looking to outcross my Mini-rex at this time, but having only a single Holland doe was definitely a handicap to improvement in that herd. So I brought home 2 little ladies, a broken tort and a broken blue tort. At the moment, the bkn blue tort is the better looking, but she is young and likely will end up as a brood only (going to be a big girl). This is her:


We also picked up a few raffle rabbits, including this youngster:

This is an English Spot, of which I have no intentions of raising whatsoever! There was also a Jersey Wooly and a Lionhead, all bucks. I really wanted the Lops that were in the raffle, less fur to have to deal with when butchering.

However, an interesting event did occur, as my eldest was observing the raffle, a lady came over with 3 Mini-lops for the raffle. Before she could donate them, my eldest had talked her into letting her have them instead, in exchange of a minimal donation to the club. Of course we agreed, it was a great opportunity to try something new. My eldest was very excited about the prospect of raising these slightly larger rabbits. I later found a set of young Mini-lops for sale for an extremely reasonable amount, all does. I purchased 2 out of the 3. Though looking back, I probably ought to have gotten all of the baby girls. So we now have 5 Mini-lops in all, 3 seniors and 2 juniors, 4 does and a buck. The 2 senior does are already bred. These are intended to be a dual purpose breed for us, showing and meat. While I know they aren't strictly a meat breed, I'm excited nonetheless. Here's one of the youngsters:


Finally, my eldest found a nice buck for her Fuzzy doe, but as a consequence my second was wanting something at the show. There were none of her chosen breed to be had, so she went with something a bit... different. Have a look at what she brought home from the show:

She named him Arthur and he currently resides with her old boy, Baja. I'll admit he is rather cute and she seems very dedicated to him.

More Breedings... & a Winter Storm

Finally got all the rabbits in their newly appropriated cages, fed and watered everyone, and paired up a few rabbits with minimal success. I honestly expected more from rabbits that had just been through the stress of a rabbit show. Usually they are more receptive, though perhaps it was too much stress. In that case I'll try them again tomorrow. The following were breedings done today:

Hazel to Justice (ML breeding)
Jewel to Phoenix... again (HV breeding)
Cinderella to Dynomite (HL breeding)

Of course, this was all done before I found out that we are effectively on a winter storm warning until Wednesday. I was just thinking earlier how odd it was for it to be this late in January, this cold, and still have yet to have really had a good snow storm. Apparently, the thought came too early, because they are now calling for just that very thing early this next week. I'm still on the fence about whether or not school will continue or be canceled, they tend to use better sense when determining that, so it'll have to be a wait-and-see situation as they decide each day. I kind of hope we do get a good solid storm. We usually have at least one every year, it would be handy to have it out and done with sooner than later. February tends to be cold, but usually out worst of winter is in January. With only a week to go in this month, Mother Nature had better get going!

Ahh, the Misery!

I had forgotten just how hard rabbit shows can be for me. I take medications to control my sinuses, but there's nothing I have at the moment that can make my breathing problems easier. This is why I claim that rabbits will shorten my life. I had a wonderful time at the show, the friends were plentiful, the competition was good, the rabbits were beautiful. We walked away with 3 BOB and 1 BOV award, which really wasn't bad considering just how long it's been since we showed.

My eldest picked up a new AFL buck, not showable due to late onset eye spot, but a lot of greatness in him (had a BIS once). My second picked up... a rat. *sigh* Another boy, thankfully, but still it's yet another little mouth to feed and look after. Someone also gave my eldest a senior trio of Mini-lop rabbits and I picked her up another pair of young does, rounding that group out to 5 total. She thinks she'll be showing those sub-standard rabbits, I'm thinking potential meat source. We'll see.

Speaking of meat source, the pickings were slim at the raffle table today, which is unusual. However even so we walked away with 3 rabbits and a bottle of homemade strawberry wine. The rabbits will likely be gracing the freezer soon as none are breeds we currently raise (1 English spot, 1 Jersey wooly, 1 Lionhead). I may have to do the butchering some weekday morning however, as I ran into quite a bit of resistance to their being eaten by my eldest. What she doesn't know won't bother me.

Now if only I could recover enough to be comfortable about going on to sleep...

Looaded Up!

Okay, the only thing left to put in the car for the show tomorrow is the rabbits themselves and the kids. This should be an interesting event at the least for the simple reason that it's been such a very long time for us showing. About a year now actually. So we have some rabbits expecting soon and we have a (very) tentative show schedule set. I'm going to enjoy the spring as much as I can, because I really don't know that everything will hold as we move towards the end of the year. Plus adding another little face to the family always makes things difficult.

I've had rabbits for a very long time, however when I first started showing, my eldest children were already toddlers. I remember just how hard it was back then, trying to take them with me to shows. It's a little different now, having some older kids to help out a little bit. Still, I'm wary about the whole 'showing with young children' aspects. That and I genuinely suspect my current youngest to have allergies similar to my own. I'll have to keep a close watch on her. I don't want her to suffer as I did way back before I knew what was happening.

Overeating

Ugh! There's one other aspect of pregnancy I could gladly forego. That's the apparent inability to eat in any sort of ordinary capacity. Because this little one is currently sitting right at the top (I always seem to carry high, regardless of supposed gender) and therefore pushing right into my stomach. It makes eating a chore because I *want* to eat, but rarely have the desire or the capacity. If I eat a normal portion, I'm miserable and don't want to eat for the rest of the day. I could try 'grazing' I suppose, but the idea of snacking throughout the day does not appeal to me. Plus I'm less likely to snack on healthy foods when I graze. So what inevitably happens is that I have no interest in eating until quite late, then I eat and have no interest again until the following day. Not good, I know. Still I can't seem to help it.

Breeding Update

Well... I'm still trying to get babies. Once every week I pull out the does and palpate. I'm generally good at palpating, if there's nothing to feel, I check to see if she's 'in the mood' and if so, she goes back to the buck. Generally, this will work eventually to get a doe pregnant. If, however, she reacts in an alarming manner toward the buck (grunting, squealing, running away, or biting him), I'll pull her quickly and give her another week, just to be sure. So far, this method seems to be working. Because even though it is the dead of winter, I now have 2 girls expecting litters, 2 that are questionable, and 3 bred (or re-bred).

These girls are expecting:
Niffler, by Samson (English Angoras), due Feb 5
Chincherub, by Evan (chin Mini-rex), due Feb 5

These girls are questionable:
Polo to Evan (chin MR)
Rena to Dynomite (HL)

These girls were re-bred:
Smoke to Evan (chin MR)
Eternity to Evan (seal MR)
Aruba to Momo (blue/black MR)

And then the Havana girl is still too fat to breed. It's a long hard struggle to get her back down to a broodable size. Her buck has turned into a food digger (PITA), and she's an inhaler. *sigh* I think we'll be looking for another doe at these next few shows. Meanwhile, I'll still be selling the Rex, but now I have to decide whether to keep the Angoras and try to sell the whole lot (parents and offspring), or sell the pair as a 'bred pair'. Ahh, decisions, decisions.

Incidentally, I don't believe there is anything more painful than rabbit scratches... especially on the knuckles and wrist. Ouch!!

Pedigrees

I am so bad at maintaining pedigrees and tattooing on time. Usually I print pedigrees only when I'm selling a rabbit. Fortunately, I do actually keep fairly accurate records for litters and names. So it's merely a matter of going back and re-discovering which parents produced which offspring and when. Then fixing up the appropriate paperwork. The same goes for tattoos. Generally, the only time I actually tattoo is when a rabbit is going to be shown, and usually it's the morning of their first show. I know I need to improve these particular aspects for myself. And I am working on that, but it's a slow progression. I always found it tedious filling out pedigree information. Even having a program to assist doesn't guarantee that everything will be where it's needed. I find it an equally tedious job having to set everything up for tattooing rabbits. Inevitably, I simply don't feel like dragging everything out to accomplish the task on a regular basis. At shows, I have most of it already setup in the form of a grooming stand.

Show Entries

Well, I have officially sent in our show entries for the show this week-end. So all that's really left to do is keep everyone well fed, tattoo one, and trim up the nails for the show. I, of course, also need to look into some better allergy medication. The fact that spending a mere hour in close proximity to the rabbits earlier this week had me wheezing worries me greatly. I don't want to be miserable at the show, and I can certainly admit that constant sneezing, watering eyes, headache, and difficulty breathing does have an effect on my emotional goodwill towards others.

At this particular show I'll be looking for Holland does, to add to my herd; meat rabbits, both for butchering and for breeding; and to sell my Angoras and Rex rabbits. I thought long and hard about the Rex, having no buck is a great hindrance, but they grow too slowly and eat too much to make good meat rabbits, so I won't be looking for any new bucks. Instead I will be attempting to sell the remaining does. If they don't sell over the next few shows, I'll likely butcher them. I can't see giving them away or putting them in a raffle when they could just as easily be putting meat in our freezer as any other rabbit. I really am not too keen on it though, simply because I know these rabbits and have a bit of a bond with them. I'd rather sell them if I can.

Yet Another Tuesday

*sigh* I really wish this would be the one day that could be deemed unnecessary in the grand scheme of weekdays. Most complain about Mondays, but my Mondays of late are relatively uneventful. It's those blasted Tuesdays that get me every time. Today was an early day, having to deal with dog issues at 7 in the morning is not exactly my favorite way to start off. Then the routine job search, there were a couple that I felt good about. Though simply because I have confidence in my ability to perform a job apparently does not always translate into my resume's ability to get by the computerized selectors. Because I have no doubts in my mind that most resume's are being sent through the proverbial grinder before a human being ever has to touch them or glance at them. I'm finding it difficult to get through these grinders, even when I find that the job would be perfect for me.

I'm not feeling too well either. A long week-end coupled with a long drive has made me feel quite 'under the weather' which is a completely silly phrase when you consider that you can feel that way regardless of the actual weather forecast. At any rate, perhaps a good does of echinacea coupled with a nap will make me feel more inclined to 'greet the day' as it were.

Tired

Whew! Spending a week-end with family can be an exhausting experience. Especially when that family is approximately 300 miles away. So there's a long drive, with young children in tow, then enduring the company of family and extended family that simply *must* stop by to say hello while you're there. Not to mention that's usually when kids choose to act out or just act differently. Trying to keep everyone in line can be wearing plus the fact that family tends to want to include outings that may or may not be draining. And all this is besides the fact that my particular family just happens to reside near a semi-popular public beach. Though in January, there aren't many requests to go there. It does help, I suppose, that this particular part of my family happens to have not only a pool, but a hot tub in the back yard. So at least there's the benefit of possible relaxation, once the kids are put to bed.

However, there are some aspects that are difficult to deal with while visiting. One of these is the unfortunate tendency of some family members to imbibe more than they ought. It's tough being the only sober adult in a small group of people. Of course, it's not my place to dictate to them what they do in their own home, so I never say anything. Though it's nearly always amusing for me. It can also be tiring though, having to watch it. Still, there were many other aspects of the visit that were nice. I do enjoy my family, though sometimes I am somewhat grateful that they live so very far away. I love them dearly, I simply need to have room to be myself and not have to listen to the seemingly constant drama that continuously unfolds therein.

The Price of Meat

I'm really not sure if it's just because I have to be much more careful with my money these days, or if it's from when the gas prices peaked, or if it's simply the poor economy. To me it would seem that the cost for most meats has really gone up. Rarely can anything as simple as a whole chicken be found for less than $7. I had been accustomed to paying around $3 or $4 for whole chicken. Chicken parts for family sized (with my family, there's really no point in getting anything smaller) are running close to $10. And just forget beef or pork! An average, small steak is going for $5 to $6, and I always need at least 2 mid-size or 4 small to feed my family. Even hamburger, I cannot afford to purchase the 5 lb rolls as I once did for around $6, because now they are closer to being $12. I can sometimes get the 3 lb rolls for around $6... on sale. Regular those are going for $8. Sausage now goes on sale for $2.50 rather than the $1 sale I was accustomed to seeing every now and then. So recently, I just haven't been able to afford to re-stock our freezer as I am generally accustomed to doing. Slowly it's begun to empty. There are still some of the not-so-easily used items, pork and chicken breasts mainly, for which I have been searching for a purpose.

With all this in mind, I have been trying to consider alternatives. Buying some meat poultry chicks this spring perhaps. A dozen or so chicks and a few turkeys should do well for providing meat in the future, but does not solve our immediate problem. So there is another avenue that I am considering... rabbits. I'm no stranger to butchering, and preparing the meat is no problem either. We have more than ample space for meat storage as well. However, procuring the live animals might not be so easy. So I am planning to carry a large cage with me to the next show. I will take about $20 with me as well. All in the hopes of winning as many large raffle rabbits as possible. These animals will be brought home and butchered the next day. I only hope that I win enough of them to make it worth the effort. I'll probably do the same for the next few shows I attend. It will be a twofold service, providing my family with meat, and assisting the club in removing unwanted raffle animals while providing them with some funds.

Today's Activities

So it's just been an idle Tuesday. I put in for a few jobs this morning without much hope. My expectations have been dropping steadily lower with each week, but I have to keep on trying. It took much longer the last time, I suppose I was just hoping that things had improved. If anything, though, the economy now is worse than it was then.

I trimmed back the trees today, the rose bushes and Crepe Myrtle in front of the house. I still need to tie up one of the roses, it's leaning much too far outward. I cut the smaller new growth of the fig tree, but I really need a saw to cut back some of the thicker outgrowths. That is one of the most difficult trees to keep under control. It grows at a phenomenal rate every year! I'm fairly sure it would have taken over the entire side of the house if I didn't try to beat it back every other year. It was the first year I'd worked on the apple tree. I'm still a little leery about cutting into it, but i want to try and control the height of the tree as much as I can. I also removed a lot of the smaller offshoot branches to increase fruit size, even though it will mean fewer apples this year. I still need to transplant the baby Maple trees from the front garden, but first I have to decide the best placement for them. One of them may become difficult to move if I wait too much longer, it's now roughly 3 or 4 years old.

I also checked the does bred last week. It looks as though none of them took. However, I'm holding off re-breeding two of them, because of their reaction to the buck. I'll give them a few more days to a week and check them again. I did swap their cages though to see if I can push them into a cycle. I held off breeding the Angoras again because I think it would be better to try and sell them at the next show. Two of the does were interested in the bucks, so hopefully they are ready for litters and I can look for some little ones from them a month from today. The following does were bred (or re-bred):

Marco Polo to Momo (she did breed with him) (MR, re-bred)
Aruba to Momo (MR, re-bred)
Rena to Dynomite (a Holland breeding, re-bred)
Jewel to Phoenix (she bred with him) (HV, re-bred)
Eternity to Evan (MR)

Strange and Melancholy Mood

No doubt about it, today is shaping up to be... well, depressing. After losing Little Red last night, I decided not to get anymore chickens. My remaining hen doesn't really like the rooster, so I can expect to see no chicks this spring from them. As such, I'm probably going to give the pair of them away, and the guinea cock as well, if I can catch him. I also have not heard back from a breeder I contacted about a Holland Lop doe. I've spoken to a few different ones now, but this doe was by far the most superior of any I've looked over so far. Someone said, "well maybe she's just busy." but I'm not so sure that's the case.

See, this breeder and I have a long history, and not necessarily a good one. Many years ago, when I was still young and new to rabbits, I played around with developing a new breed, a dwarf velveteen lop (DVL for short). At the time, I didn't realize there already was a breed like this being worked on called Mini Plush Lop (MPL). Anyway, I needed some dwarf lops and I went to this breeders home to look at her available rabbits. I ended up picking out a decent, long-eared doe and a buck. She wasn't originally going to give me the pedigrees, but I convinced her that I wanted them for history. So she did. I never did get any actual babies from either rabbit, and I never showed them either, but when the breeder saw me at shows and showing a Holland Lop (from a different breeder), I guess she assumed I had somehow tricked her. It was nothing of the sort, but it took a long time of careful patience for me to convince her that I was sincere in wanting to be a breeder. She eventually became civil towards me again, she even congratulated me when one of my rabbits beat hers on the show tables once (it was a fluke and wouldn't have happened if the judge had been any good). In spite of that, I just cannot seem to get her to return my e-mails on this other doe. I can only hope she wouldn't let an ancient grudge get in between a good sale and the betterment of a breeder's stock (namely my own). I suppose I could look elsewhere for stock from her lines, but it would be so much easier if I could just purchase directly from her, even though she's rather pricey, usually her stock are worth the cost. Plus the fact that she lives very close to me is a huge bonus for me.

Also, it's depressing because it's Monday again, and I still haven't had any hint of any job offers. I'm starting to look at alternatives, entry level positions that perhaps won't make a lot of money, but might help keep us afloat until something better comes along.

Why is it whenever life seems like it might, just might, be getting easier, something will come along and slap you right back down again. Why do the poor always seem to stay poor no matter what they try to do to get out of the hole?! If anyone has an answer, I'd dearly love to know.

Little Red Riding Hood

No, not the traditional story of a naughty little girl and a wolf in grandma's nightgown. Little red was a red Cochin hen of mine. She passed away this evening, she was my last pure Cochin hen.

Apparently, the chickens decided this afternoon to take a stroll in the neighbor's yard. They have a tied Golden Retriever that is very friendly, but it's still a dog. Little Red underestimated the dog's lead, or simply didn't see her and she got too close. The dog, being a dog, did what dogs do, she caught the charming new toy and proceeded to 'play' with it. My neighbor got Little Red away from the dog, but my girl was injured. My neighbor thought the chicken had a broken leg, but I couldn't feel any kind of break. I put Little Red in a large birdcage, comfortably, hoping she was just banged up a little. However, it was not to be. A few hours later, she passed quietly away.

I don't blame my neighbor in the slightest. If the chickens hadn't wandered where they didn't belong, it wouldn't have happened. Still doesn't make me feel any better though. I probably won't get anymore chickens. I have a pair left, and if they go, for whatever reason, then I suppose I will be out of chickens for the first time in over a decade.

What to do Today

Boredom is not something to which I'm normally accustomed to suffering. Yesterday was passable only because the weather was not cooperative for any extensive outdoor activities. But generally, I'm not a sedate type of person. So I'm feeling the urge to do something productive. Of course, it could simply be those pesky (yet often useful) nesting instincts flaring up again. Remember the last time this happened, I started cleaning out the basement. I just wish the weather would warm up enough for me to be comfortable working outside.

I certainly have a few things to do inside, if I choose. But I'd really like to work on the basement more, or perhaps I could do some cleaning out in the barn. Maybe try posing some rabbits for photos, clip nails, and try to get my eldest daughter's rabbit bred. The last would probably be nothing short of miraculous! Though that rabbit does need some grooming. And if I'm going to assist in grooming one rabbit, then I might as well get the Angoras out for some grooming time as well. Do you see how my day can sometimes roll uphill?!

Cage Space isn't the Problem

Time used to be, and now it's energy and interest. Do you know that I once maintained close to 150 rabbits in my rabbitry? Looking back, I really don't know how I did it. The cost to feed them alone would have been astronomical. I remember I used to buy feed in 1/4 to 1/2 ton increments (500-1000 lbs). And I'd be buying feed every month or 6 weeks! Nowadays I can only afford 250 lbs at a time and it usually stretches a month to 2 months (depending on season). I now only house 20 rabbits, with plans to move 5 more that aren't contributing to herd advancement any longer. However, cages don't simply disappear, they just remain unoccupied. So I did a little calculation for what I actually have available at this moment (without building anything new). Even with having removed some of my older, wooden type hutches, I still have 50 holes inside the barn, 20 large holes in the pen, 6 holes outside the pen (wooden hutches), 2 holes in the basement (kindle cages), and 20 holes requiring minor refurbishments. For a total of 98 available rabbit cages. That translates into approximately 80 empty cages. Most breeders complain about not having sufficient cage space. I'm probably one of the few that does not have to worry about that for quite awhile.

Stray Dogs

A neighbor called me this morning, there were a pair of dogs after our rabbits. So out I ran (barely dressed mind you) and down to the pen. I didn't think to take anything with me (dolt!), I guess I was just intent on scaring them away. Sure enough, there were 2 dogs in the pen, at first I thought they were large Shepherds, then I realized they were medium mutts. I approached cautiously, I just wanted them out of the pen so I could close off the rabbits. There was a black and a brown, when I approached, the black one dropped to her belly and crawled over to me in complete submissiveness. She had on a collar, so I took hold of that and tried to call over the brown (who was trying to get out the back of the pen). He was determined to stay clear of me (fine by me!), so I led the black out of the pen and the brown followed her.

I shut the pen and took the black up in the yard. The poultry were out, but staying grouped together and far away from the dogs. I couldn't seem to get hold of the brown, and I didn't have a leash. So I led the black up and put her in the basement, ran and grabbed a leash, made a quick slip-knot-noose, and ran back out to get the brown. If he hadn't gotten himself trapped, I probably never would have gotten close enough to put the noose over his head. I tied him up, got another leash and tied the black up near the brown, then called animal control to come and get them.

Then I went and checked all the rabbits (all fine thank goodness). The dogs were both thin, but I don't think they've really hunted before and didn't know how to get into the cages. The gander was protecting the flock, which kept the dogs away from the poultry too.

The animal control guy probably thinks those were our dogs or something. LOL Because the girl was so friendly, I let my eldest feed her some milk-bones (which she gobbled down), and my eldest had wanted to keep her. Because they were so thin, I figured they'd either been on the run for awhile, or had been neglected by their owner. So I told the officer that I didn't think the girl would have any trouble finding a home. He said since she was wearing a collar, she probably had one, and then I told him that they were quite thin, and my theory on them being on the run for awhile. He said, they'd fatten them up again.

I don't know whether those dogs were strays or whether they had an owner. My neighbors told me they'd seen those dogs before, so they apparently came here trying to figure out how to eat my rabbits for lunch! I'm still not certain as to how they managed to get in this yard. I truly hope they can find owners that will appreciate them better.

Mood Swings

If there was only one aspect of pregnancy that I wish I could not have to go through, it would be the wild mood swings. I can handle the debilitating all-day sickness for the first 3 months. Painful heartburn is no worry. Excruciating pain with every step as the ligaments loosen, piece of cake. But the constant losing of my temper is just unacceptable. And even explaining what the problem really is to my wonderful girls doesn't excuse it. I try to control it, but then something utterly inconsequential will just set me off, and the next thing I know, I feel terrible. Fortunately, I don't have a problem with apologizing, still I just wish I wouldn't do it in the first place. Not to mention when I go the other way, just start bawling my eyes out over something that really shouldn't be having any effect whatsoever. So yeah, bring on the pain of labor, the ring of fire, but please take away this emotional rollercoaster!

Basement Cleaning

Today I started working on clearing out the basement. It has been accumulating junk ever since we moved in here, nearly 12 years ago. It hasn't even really been entered much in the past 3 years! Now, this isn't a nice finished basement, oh no! This is one of those half-concrete, half-dirt ancient basements filled with damp that floods every so often. So in general, putting anything that isn't metal down there is nearly a death sentence. So the junk has been building up and decomposing. I began to work this morning, about 10-ish, and stopped around 6 this evening. It's was absolutely the most difficult thing I have done in quite awhile, to keep going with only a few breaks. I am utterly worn out now. However, I am pleased with the progress.

No, I didn't complete the *whole* basement in a single day, but then really anything worth doing well usually takes some time. I did manage to clear out one entire side, and it was the worst and most cluttered side. I'd say that most everything that was in the pile is now either by the road waiting for tomorrow's trash pick-up or tucked into the van to drop off at the donation center tomorrow. I lined up some boards on the floor and neatly stacked cages and holiday boxes on top of them. So now, when first entering the basement, the side that was a huge pile of refuse has been converted to a neat stack of clearly identifiable items.

Unfortunately, the remaining sections of the basement will be equally difficult, not because there is a lot of junk, but because there is a lot of heavy refuse to remove. I still also have a few large items to make decisions on whether to keep or toss them. Anyone looking for a stove?!?!

Rabbitry Refurbishment

So my interest in the rabbits seems to have increased. However, due to an extended period of time where my interest waned, I'm now considering a refurbishment of the rabbitry to make it easier to take care of my small charges. Or, more accurately, I'm looking at a nearly complete conversion from a current nearly indoor rabbitry to an external one. Some of my major concerns with leaving them where they are currently are as follows:

1. the barn is very old, poorly designed, and poorly ventilated
2. there is a current fly/rodent problem that regardless of repeated treatments, refuses to go away entirely
3. The barn tend to stay cold in the winter and hot in the summer, regarless of external temperatures
4. there are trees next to the barn on the verge of coming down, if they do it will likely cause a lot of expensive damage to the building, money that I currently do not possess to repair it
5. the barn is currently about 100 yards from the house, not fun having to traverse that distance in inclement weather (snow, ice, rain, wind)
6. The design of the rabbit holes in the barn was originally very piecemeal, and intended to maximize the tiny space, as such the catch trays are large and awkward, especially to clean
7. the barn ceiling is low, with the beams even lower (about 6 ft), the door to the barn has a lip/step and everyone (including me) must duck to enter or risk unconsciousness, I cannot roll any kind of cart into the barn to ease the cleaning of the large trays

Currently there are just 5 rabbits housed inside the barn, there are approximately 50 holes available therein. That is a huge amount of wasted space. I already have 14 cages that need minor alterations to make them ideally suited for a move to the house. It would cost less than $100 to have them ready for new occupants. However, the following are my concerns with trying to complete the move now:

1. the weather, we are at the start of the coldest and wettest part of the year
2. No method for keeping the weather off the cages, I would have to build some kind of roofing system and invest in tarps to cover the front of the cages
3. the new cages are all somewhat small and would not be capable of housing any larger sized animals or does/litters, I would have to return to table breeding method also due to this
4. money is tight, not sure if I could spare even the little bit needed to get the wire to finish those cages

However:
1. closer to the house, I could keep a better eye on everyone
2. does could kindle inside the basement
3. reduced odor/pest problem
4. reduced impact on my allergies

Wind!

Whoa is it ever windy out there!!! Did we jump straight from January to March or something?!?! Not that I'd object IF it meant that warm weather was on it's way. Sadly, that doesn't appear to be the case. Nope, it's wind & rain forecast for the remainder of the week. What does this mean to me? Lots of ruffled hair and fur, tops blown off cages, and a huge risk for the dead Maples to come down before I'm ready for them to do so. Although can one ever be ready for a huge dead chunk of wood to come crashing down... especially when it's currently in a position to cause a lot of expensive damage?

Back to the Grindstone

Ugh, Tuesdays aren't exactly my favorite days. But today seems particularly nasty to me. It doesn't help that the cold I've been fighting for several days now chose today to peak, so I felt like crud the moment I opened my eyes and realized I couldn't breathe. Plus there's a headache just starting to throb in the center of my head. Then Tuesdays are the day I usually get the job-hunter stuff (why Tuesdays I'll never fully understand), but the pickings this week have been very slim for some reason. The weather has turned cold and nasty, hovering in the 30's with an icy rain soaking into everything. And I have to travel to collect my 2nd daughter from her Team XL dance practice. I love that she's in that, I love that it's uniquely hers (they don't offer it every year), I hate having to go across town to retrieve her. So this day was doomed right from the start and just doesn't seem to be getting any better. Ah well, perhaps I'll go and play with a bunny or two, maybe that will make me feel a little better. Although with my allergies, it could also make me feel worse. Poor me.

Clearance Sale

Not only did I get in the mood for some early breeding, I've also started developing spring fever... although I suppose it could just be early nesting. Anyhow, I've been staring at the pile of instock items I've had for sale for quite awhile and decided I couldn't look at them anymore! So I'm having a clearance sale, everything must go! Though that probably means I'll have to give some of this stuff away. Oh well, at least I won't have to look at it anymore! In case you're wondering, I make baby items out of wool yarn and various fabrics. I'm clearancing out several pair of hand-knit shorts (like the one shown), some hand-dyed/painted shirts, super-soft fleece security blankets, and various crochet toys. :)

Rabbit Breeding Commences!

Well... the weather is holding steady, a lovely and balmy 55*. So I paired up the rabbits and put does with bucks. These are the pairings:

Niffler to Samson, an Angora breeding
Jewel to Phoenix, a Havana breeding
Chincherub and Smoke to Evan, a Mini-rex breeding
Aruba and Polo to Momo, another Mini-rex breeding

However, so far no one seems really interested in doing the deed, so I don't really expect to find any litters a month from now. I wanted to try a Holland breeding, but those ladies aren't quite ready yet. Maybe in another week or so.

Weather & Rabbits

Whoa, 3 whole days of nice warm weather... in January! Just what will I do with myself?! Hmm, perhaps it's a good time to start some early spring cleaning and breeding. I haven't felt much like doing much of anything with the rabbits in a long while. For me to get the urge to go down and work with them is amazing in itself! But a good long look at the barn and pen today convinces me that a little picking up is definitely in order. Especially in light of the recent wind storms! So yesterday I re-arranged a few rabbits in the yard and took some new photos. Today was laundry and taking down the holiday decorations. Tomorrow I am going to try... *gasp* breeding a few rabbits. We'll see how that goes.

Getting Started

Bear with me, it's been quite some time since I've maintained an online journal. This one's purpose will be to catalog the adventures of my tiny farm and not-quite-so-tiny family.