Saturday, December 31, 2005

Petbunny Xmas Card Swap

Another holiday season is coming to an end. We had my DH's family for Christmas Eve and for dinner on Chrsitmas Day. That we were able to seat 15 in my tiny house is pretty amazing! The food and company were good and there were no fistfights - what more could you ask for?

Tomorrow we're having my family for snacks and dessert in the late afternoon. We'll also finally get around to exchanging gifts. Then we can put away all the Xmas clutter and get back to our routines.

Each year at Christmas and Easter I exchange greeting cards with other members of the Petbunny List. Most all of the cards have a bunny on them and some people even make their own cards and include photos. This year, because I never got around to making cards, I bought them from A Rabbitt in Paradise. Lots of great bunny-themed items at that site and beautiful artwork on the cards!

We usually receive about 35 cards from the PB Swap and I use them to decorate on the porch where the bunnies live. The bunnies receive more cards than my DH and I do! I wonder what the mailman thinks of all the cards addressed to Miss Buns, Freckles, Boomer and Cricket, and Dora the Explorer!

This is a photo of some of the cards displayed on Dora's cage. Because they're hung on the very top outside of her cage, she can't nibble on them the way the other bunnies do. My favorite of the ones you can see here is the second from the left sent by Mary, G.T., Herman and Freckles. It was made by the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society and shows a bunny meeting its reflection in a Xmas ball. Very cute! Kathy B. made a beautiful handmade card that you can't see because it's hanging on the other side of the cage - I can only imagine the time she spends making these. Just gorgeous!

This next photo is of the cards in Boomer and Cricket's pen. Please ignore the bunnies gorging themselves at the bottom of the pic - I had just giving them their pellets before I took the photo.

Many beautiful cards there! I try to give everybunny an equal number of cards to display (so nobunny gets jealous!) but Boomer and Cricket have the most, just because they are such big bunnies and their pen is the largest and has the most display space.

Lastly is a pic of Miss Buns and Freckles' cards. These two love to nibble their cards and toss them around the pen so I have to be careful of the material the cards are made of - no photo cards or anything with glitter, etc. Missy loves to sit in her pooty box and chomp on her cards rather than the hay she should be nibbling on. She is such a little devil! Not sure that it is visible in these tiny pics, but a few cards on the right have been *decorated* by Miss Buns already.


Monday, December 19, 2005

Buddy gets festive

Buddy is just exhausted with all the holiday preparations - poor old boy! I took this photo a week or so ago while we were "camping out" in the living room for a few days while the DH was re-painting the bedroom. We've since re-painted the living room, dining room, and bathroom. DH is now working on the kitchen. This work has needed to be done for a long time, but he hates painting so has put it off till a week before Christmas when the whole family will be here for dinner. We haven't even bought an Xmas tree yet, so I don't know how we'll ever finish in time!

Buddy had a day at the *spa* this past Saturday - we sent him for the first time to the vet for a medicated bath, ear cleaning, and nail trim. He came home with a shiny coat and at least 5 pounds less fur. I'm amazed (still after 10 years) with how much he sheds! The vet staff said that he behaved well which was a surprise considering how fearful he is at the vet.

Anyway, we have an assortment of Xmas hats, scarves, antlers, and bandanas that we torture him with around the holidays. He takes it all in stride - he's such a good boy!

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

A favorite bunny blog


My friend Charlotte's bunny, George, has outdone himself today in The Hay Diaries.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Local Wonders and this reader's wish list for Xmas

This poem about a barn owl on the Birdchick Blog led me to explore our Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser, and this collection of his essays. I just started reading it yesterday, as my school workload is finally easing up, and have really enjoyed what I've read thus far.

I will be sooo glad when the semester ends and I don't have to *play teacher* for a month and will have time to read. Hopefully, I'll get lots of books for Christmas and will be able to take full advantage of the extra time.

Here's my wishlist:

The Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Bedside Book of Birds by Graeme Gibson
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
The Ardent Birdwatcher: On the Craft of Birdwatching by Todd Newberry

Thursday, December 01, 2005

The cheese house and other bunny toys


This photo of Freckles in her *cheese house* makes me smile anytime I come across it. The cheese house is not a very popular toy here (the inside is too slippery) so mostly it collects dust. The favorite bunny toy was the cardboard castle - the bunnies loved to play in it and climb to the top, but the Flemmies caused a fatal collapse - those things just are not made for big bunnies! Another favorite during the summer months is their sandbox - oh how they love to dig and *do donuts* in it. Dora loves to chew stuff and is currently demolishing a tent tunnel from Busy Bunny - I'll need to order another before she starts taking apart my furniture!