2006 Lewis Pumpkins

My "Classic" Jack O Latern

Doug's "Cyclops" Jack O Latern

Morgan's "Evil" Jack O Lantern

"Poor Poor Pitiful Me"

Poor little Steve. His feather plucking got worse as you can see. The vet says he is a healthy sweet little bird, no apparant health issues. He gave us some meds to put in his water in case it is some digestive thing whose name escapes me at the moment. He said in birds it can cause itching rather than the normal digestive upset you see in other animals and humans. Dr. K said that the abx are kind of broad and pretty harmless so it was worth at least treating just in case.

The plucking has been progressive from the base of the tail, then his chest, and then he started in on his wings. Dr. K said the fact that it was so symmetrical indicated behyavior rather than illness - but that his little oil gland seemed a little swollen and I am supposed to put warm compresses on it several times a day - this sounds much easier than it really is. He was worried that Steve might begin to bite himself and get and infection and then we would be in real trouble so he made this collar for him. Oh yeah, Steve is thrilled. Actually he has settled down with it a bit, the first day I was terrified he was going to kill himself flailing about. Dr. K also felt that perhaps with the collar we could break the cycle before it became ingrained behavior.

It is very hard thing to deal with and no real answers. Another possibility is Steve is in love with Doug and is *ahem* frustrated - I feel bad for Steve but this concept strikes me as laugh out loud funny. Some birds never stop, Dr. K says he has plenty of healthy happy bald birdie patients. I would rather not have an uncooked chicken wing on a stick for a pet, but we love Steve and if he never gets his feathers back we will deal with it.

Toodles meets Da Boyz

Lots of territorial pooties.

Not an aggressive bone in her body and Jack is smitten

Paul has to think about it but hey, she is kinda cute...

I know, she's not supposed to stay........ Shaddup. I am still looking for a home for her......................Oh Susan...............

Help! Birdie Issues!

Steve has done this in 24 hours. What the heck? I know that feather plucking is a sign of stress or illness but Steve has been acting fine. Happy as a clam.

I got up this morning to find feathers everywhere, and I thought "man he's molting like crazy" until this evening when I got him out and realized he is bald under his wings. Bald birds are not pretty. But even Doug agreed this was not so yesterday, Steve has done this today. What is up?????

Vet city here we come...................

Share??? What is this word share????

Excuse the pooties - I didn't vaccuum yesterday.

French Lops are all about the food. This is Tinkerbell in her normal position everynight after I feed her and Chopper their pellets. She will dig and drag one bowl over to her and lay on the other one. Saving it for later I suppose. Chopper will be in mid bite and Tink will grab the bowl and pull it away from him to her. I have even caught her laying across the salad plate. And this is a rabbit that has never missed a meal in her life. No idea where she gets this hoarding behavior from.

I spoke with my friend Eileen tonight who also has a frenchie and she said that Benny Bunny (who looks just like Chopper only he's bigger than Tinkerbell) does a similarly greedy thing to his mate - he will keep his big ole head in the food bowl so his wife cannot get any pellets.

None of my other rabbits have issues with sharing (though they do each have other ish-yooz) so I find it interesting that my experience has been that it is a trait of the French Lop.

Tinka Da Stinka. What a hoot she is.

"Word Play"

My brother may taunt me that I don't move forward and enjoy new artists, but I do. It just takes more than one song for me to like them - like Jason Mraz. I first saw him on the Ellen show a couple years ago and thought he was very cool.

You will get few - and I mean few - political / media oriented posts from me, and poor Doug who doesn't pay attention to the words never gets songs until I try to explain them to him - but this song "Too Much Food" says it all for me when it comes to politics (pardon some of the references - we watched Lewis Black tonight so I was in a mood, that guy is funny!!!!):

You can say that I'm one curly fry in the box of the regular

Messing with the flavor oh the flavor that you savor

Saving me for last but you better not eat me at all

Living in a fast food bag making friends with the ketchup and salt

People say that I'm crazy for not moving on to better things

Instead I'm sitting around trash talking with the onion rings

But it's much too soon to leave this easy life

Pass me the spoon.

Pass the analytical knife

Cause your about to get cut and get cut down

It's all about the wordplay all about the sound in the tone of my voice

You gotta let me make my choice alone before my food gets cold

Better shut up or get shot down.

It s all about the know how all just a matter of taste

Stop telling me the way I gotta play.

Too much food on my plate.

Believe it or not I super sized my sights on the surprise in the cereal box

My stomachs smaller than my eyes so I went to see the doctor and he said "turn your head and then cough"

I didn't listen to what he said instead I couldn't wait to get off

He said I can have this but I cant have that

That I should keep wishing I was living the life of a cat becauseI ain't the one whose gonna be missing the feast

Just like you aint the one who seems to be calming the beast

Now your about to get cut and get cut down

It's all about the wordplay all about the sound in the tone of my voice

You gotta let me make my choice alone before my food gets cold

Better shut up or get shot down.

It s all about the know how all just a matter of taste

Stop telling me the way I gotta play.

Too much food on my plate.

Well if you are what you eat in my case I'll be sweet so come and get some

I'm so over it.

Now your about to get cut and get cut downIt s all about the know how all just a matter of taste

Stop telling me the way I gotta play.

Too much food on my plate.(Get up and get some)there's too much food on my plate

The **Look**

I spent some time over at the "Disapproving Rabbits" webiste today. It just cracks me up. It also inspired me to aggravate Tinkerbell and Chopper with the camera :)

Auntie Jane had a good laugh when I described Tinkerbell's **look** she gives as "Man, I can't believe you're still here". She said it was the same look Maggie gives her. Tinkerbell can be a love bug, but she can give some nasty glares too. She cracked me up last night because she had been eating hay and hopped out of the box and had a piece that stuck to her forehead right between her eyes and she was shaking her head and acting all goofy trying to get it off. Mean mommy that I am I giggled at her a bit before I helped her out. She was less than amused.

Of course, Chopper is a sweetie pie but he can give some evil sassy looks too - here he's annoyed that I am after him with the camera. It must be so frustrating to be so danged cute that it's impossible for anyone to take you seriously when you are trying to be "in a mood" LOL. Gotta luv da bunnies!

An Interesting Experience

I don't have any pictures to go with this post but thought I would share a rather pleasant experience that I had yesterday. I received my first acupuncture treatment to relieve stress and anxiety as well as help with sleep. Even though I had experience with it because we had taken Hazel (bunny rabbit) for treatments for her arthritis, I was still a little apprehensive as to what it would feel like. I was definitely open to the effectiveness of acupuncture as I had seen the results from Hazel and obviously a rabbit is not going to be subjective to or skeptical of the treatment - it either works or it doesn't if you know what I mean.

Anywho, they placed 4 pins in each ear and it felt a bit like putting an earring in (not getting your ears pierced but kind of just a little pressure) and left them in for about 40 minutes. I felt sort of calm and meditative during this time and afterwards was just in general a bit more relaxed. And then, AND THEN!!! last night I got one of the best nights sleep I have had in quite some time :))))) I will be going back tomorrow for another round, it's sort of a cumulative process where you go frequently at first then taper off to a maintenance kind fo situation. I am very pleased that I gave it a shot, chalk that up to another lesson from Hazel!!

Good Friends, Good Times

Auntie Jane left today. I won't try to explain the whole Petbunny relationship that we share. It is a large online community that share a lot more than bunnies but we have that common bond. I have had the pleasure of meeting 3 PB people in person and it has always been a wonderful experience. I would highly recommend that if you have the opportunity to do so, meeting people you feel a connection with online is a really extraordinary experience.

Auntie Jane was so much fun and I think I will think of her giggle everytime I read a post from her. We were delighted to share our home with her and I know Morgan will miss her tremendously. Peyton has already started to look neglected without his pal :)

It is a small world and the internet makes it even smaller. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed Jane's visit. Bunny people / animal lovers are a special sort and really are an experience. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to meet Jane.

More Maters

Impulse gets the better of me sometimes. I went to the grocery store yesterday and they had these cherry tomato plants. Okay fine, gimmicks get me everytime. I told Morgan and Auntie Jane that we would see how long it takes me to kill the tomato plant. It does seem like a neat concept though doesn't it? A mater plant in the fall? Hey, the fly trap is still hanging in there, so we can try.......

I Spy With My Little Eye...

I promise you there is a pond in there. I have been awful this latter par of summer at keeping up with my yard and pond. Soon it will be time to cut everything back and put up the netting. I miss my koi and am having a hard time enjoying my pond without them.

Steve-A-Reee-No Gets His Wings Clipped

I finally took Steve to get his wings clipped Monday. My Dad came down from DC to spend the day and he ran errands with me. One of which was to take Steve in. I had to laugh at my Dad holding Steve's carrier up to the window in the car so he could see out.

Unfortunately it was not a totally pleasant experience. The place I got Steve from has apparantly changed ownership and I was extremely upset by the "new" store. Baby bunnies everywhere, guinea pigs piled high in cages, reptiles, and it smelled awful. None of the bunnies or pigs had any hay or litter boxes. Then, while I was waiting for them to take care of Steve, I walked over to look at the bird supplies (he needs a new hut) and I couldn't believe my eyes. There, in a little "exercise" pen, the 1ft tall ones used for guinea pigs, was a huge French Lop. She did have a litter box but the pen was waaaayyy to small. When I reached to pet her she didn't even move and her eyes were a little crusty. Granted, Frenchies tend to get what I call eye boogers - kind of like sleep in your eyes - but this was a little more than that, not gooey but crusty. And to top it all off, this pen was on the floor between a cage housing a very loud Macaw and a tank housing an extremely large snake that was up a little bit and staring right down at her. I was mortified. Needless to say I will not return there, I will be finding a new place to have Steve's wings clipped. I cannot stomach partonizing a place like that.

At any rate, Steve is back under control. He pouted for the rest of the day after we got home, but now he's his usual loud demanding little self.

Cop - Out Post

I am off to bed, busy day. But I thought I needed to blog something and the mind is not helping tonight. So, here's a giggle:

A woman walks into a vet's waiting room. She's dragging a wet rabbit on a leash. "Sit, Fluffy," she says. Fluffy glares at her, and sopping wet, jumps up on another customer's lap, getting water all over him."I said SIT, now there's a good Fluffy," says the woman, slightly embarrassed. Fluffy, wet already, squats in the middle of the room and pees.The woman, mortally embarrassed, shouts, "FLUFFY!! WILL YOU BE GOOD?!" Fluffy then starts a fight with a Doberman and pursues it out of the office. As the woman leaves to go after it, she turns to the rest of the flabbergasted customers and says: "Pardon me, I've just washed my hare, and I can't do a thing with it!"

Mess? What Mess Mom?

Tater Tot and Mopsy. My little slobs. This is the top shelf in their condo a mere 24 hours after I cleaned it. Mopsy loves to dig in the hay and then just lay in the potty box. I always tease "Hatching an egg there Mopsy?"

I cannot figure out how to make them not make the messes they make. They are my smallest bunnies (5 lbs total between the 2 of them) and they make the biggest mess. Drives me absolutely insane. I am just thankful that all my bunnies are not like this, I cannot imagine trying to keep up if they were as big as Tinkerbell!!!

They are definitley poster bunnies for why rabbits are not for everyone. Shoot, they aren't even that cuddly. Lots of bunnitude in those little bodies. Oh sure, they will snuggle once you catch them but trying to catch a 2lb rabbit that doesn't want to be caught is no small feat! But I adore them, and they make me laugh with their antics and general sassiness and total disregard for anything that resembles a rule.

Artwork Part II

This is a picture that hangs in our dining room. Morgan made it for me when she was in the 3rd grade. She came home from school and showed it to me and I was sooooo impressed. She had drawn it from memory of the metal sculpture that is in the room.

I was so impressed at her memory and creativity. We went to the craft store and I got some antiquing stuff and some matting paper and a frame. We seared the edges and then matted it and glazed it. I came out rather nice and is one of my most favorite pieces in the house :))

A Sense of Accomplishment

Well, after being *grumpy* last weekend, I came down with a nasty cold and have been out of commission. Feeling much better now though :) Just behind on chores and such and with our PB friend Jane coming to stay with us next week there were things that had to be done!

My big project for today was to get this room under control. We call it Morgan's office, but it houses all of our books too. She keeps her arts and crafts stuff in here and well, let's just say I was embarrassed to take a "before" picture. It took me the better part of the afternoon to sort through everything, reorganize the books, and haul out long since used up craft supplies. I can't say much, as my office is in shambles right now too. Files stacked everywhere, piles of paper waiting to be filed or made into a file. I am hoping to tackle some of that tomorrow. I am thankful that none of my business relations ever see my workspace. It would seem total chaos, but I know where everything is!!!!

Off to catch up on reading others blogs now...... Have a good Saturday night all!

Warning: Sappy Post Ahead

" Something To Say"

Toad the Wet Sprocket

(or Frog the Wet Wheel as my Dad used to call them)

I have had a grumpy weekend. So I have not blogged. Though I have wanted to. Just been.....grumpy. But I find blogging to be a bit of a release.

I know I owe Artwork Part II but not tonight. My thoughts have wandered to friends. I am not a very social person so I have few friends. It takes too much effort and time and trust to make them. But I have some long timers that have stuck by me forever and a day. They are the sort of friends that you may not speak to every day, but you know you can call them up out of the blue and they love you no matter what. My bestest pal in the whole wide world I have known since the eigth grade (since I was 13) and he's the kind of friend that knows everything about you and nothing shocks them. Those kind of people are far and few in between. Special people that you will love your whole life. It takes a lot to be that sort of friend, but it is something that if you have you should treasure. Not everyone is that lucky.