Easter Card

Clovie and I are wishing you and your "peeps" a Happy Easter!

Vet Day with Chia and Clovis

I was looking forward to my monthly trip to the vet for Clovie's tooth trim.  It is always so entertaining. Clovis doesn't feel the same way, however, it's got to feel pretty darn good to get the two front uppers trimmed.  

Today, one of the receptionists had something special to show me, a one week old pup she is fostering. So cute! She and her five one day old siblings were abandoned at the local Safeway, lucky to have been rescued in time.

Her name is Chia, no idea what kind of dog she is. She was very active and and really looking for something to suck.  When I left she was getting her bottle.  If you turn up your volume you can hear her sweet little puppy noises.

Clovis was, of course, very good for his tooth trim.  If you watch and hear our conversation, we certainly meant no offense to anyone who lives in Oklahoma...

Grunts and Growls

I don't know if you would call it a grunt or a growl but I never knew rabbits would do that. (Or a scream for that matter. What a horrible sound.) The first time I heard Clovie growl it really scared me and he usually accompanies his growls with a lunge as if he were going to attack. Or he may scratch at me with his front paws. I learned early on that you don't want to go near the crock when he's eating his pellets. That's serious. And he doesn't like it when I reach for him head on.  Better to approach from the side. 


Another thing that he really doesn't like is when you "walk" your fingers toward him. Must be pretty scary. My daughter's finger ended up in the gap between his front teeth and the molars when she did that. No harm done but lesson learned.

Clovis Goes Green

Lipped, that is. The parsley will do it to you every time.

 Clovie and I took our monthly drive to the Country Animal Hospital this morning.  The air was crisp, the sun was out, and the trees were gorgeous.  I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road and the speedometer.  We had a lovely chat with Dr. Heather who told us about sugar shacks and maple syrup, the smells and memories of her childhood in Ohio.

When we got back I brought in our uncarved pumpkins and set them down in Clovie's room thinking I might get some cute pictures. 

A lot of thumping and periscoping ensued.  Apparently we do not like pumpkins in our room.

A Moment

It's a foggy Saturday morning, and I am laying near Clovie's window, enjoying the cool marine air. It will be hot again today. It is quiet in my neighborhood and I am concentrating on being in the moment; calm, relaxed, not thinking about what needs to done, and knowing there is nowhere I have to be. Sweet Clovis is laying close behind me and I reach back to pet him. Is he in the moment too? I bury my hand in his soft, soft fur. It is heaven.

Then here it comes...the list! Cleaners, groceries, laundry, what should I write about today?  I need to do this, I need to do that.  I try to repress and go back to being in the moment. With a start, Clovie gets up and races to his box of hay. Was he reading my thoughts?  My moment is gone but I am saving the memory.

Sheers

When second daughter redecorated her bedroom we hung white sheers and purple panels.  They were much too long for the window but we decided to let them "pool" on the floor like you see sometimes in decorating magazines. (The truth is we were too lazy to hem them.)

Well, guess who really likes the curtains.  I couldn't find him one afternoon when he was out bunning around until I saw the curtains move.  He likes to go behind the sheers and push the fabric around on the floor.  I think he's chewing on the sheers too.

Clovie, you make me laugh...

Hey, Buddy Boy! Do NOT eat the curtains!

Back in November 2010, Lisa out there in bunny blogland, Little Bun in the City, wrote about how much her bunnies enjoyed the willow wreaths she ordered from BinkyBunny.com.  I hopped over to the website and, of course, they were out of stock.  So I said, "email me when you have some", and last month they finally did. 

A week ago I gave one to Clovis...

Today...

"Can I have another?"

Glad I ordered three.

The Old Mission Oak Rocker

 Under the old mission oak rocker is a great place to hang out from time to time.

Perfect location for a good scratch...

 A little cleaning up...

And a little snooze in the sun. 

Plus, if you feel like it, you can sharpen your teeth on the wood.

Something Amiss and a Mess

Something is amiss and a mess here.  In the past month or more I have been dealing with Clovis' uneaten cecotropes. This disturbs me since they are loaded with important nutrition that he is not getting, and they also make a mess! Especially when they get stepped on or slept on. The other issue that concerns me is Clovis isn't really cleaning himself up, and that's unusual. 

We went to see Dr. Heather last weekend and she checked him over. She ruled out anything physical that might be preventing him from reaching the cecotropes or cleaning his back end, like a tumor or injury.  His weight is always the same, give or take a few ounces so he's not overweight. And everything else, appetite, activity, is normal. At her suggestion I cut back on fruit, pellets, and the bunny byte treats.  (Well, I didn't cut back much on the pellets because he loves them so much...) And I gave his little bunny butt a sponge bath. Next course of action would be blood work and x-ray.

I think things have improved but we are not quite there yet.  I've done a little Internet searching and one possibility I noted is overproduction of cecotropes due to diet.

I was wondering if any of you have had a similar experience?

Dear Okrah

Dear Okrah,

No, Clovie. It's O P R A H, not O K R A. Okra is food.


Oh. Do I eat okra? Does Oprah?

No, you haven't had okra. Oprah probably has.

Maybe I should. Put that on your shopping list.

Uh, okay...Back to your letter?


Dear O P R A H,


I heard you decided to throw in the towel after 25 years. I've never seen your show but I have been listening to it from another room off and on for almost 5 years. It must have been good because sometimes when a commercial came on my owner would run in to clean my litter box and run back out when the commercial was over so she wouldn't miss anything.


I never did hear you talk about the mistreatment of bunnies, or what great pets bunnies make.  That would have been a good show. My 20 followers would have really enjoyed it. Now that you have more time on your hands, you and Steadman might want to consider adopting a few of us.  We're cute, smart, very soft and quiet, we don't slobber like your dogs and most of us use a litter box. 

I heard you tell people they should find their passion and follow it.  My have found my passion and it is FOOD!  If you have something sweet in your hand I will follow it ANYWHERE!  So that's good advice. You also said we are all WORTHY.  My owner says I am alot of work but I'm WORTH it.  So I guess that's true. 

My owner says you are an extraordinary woman living an extraordinary life and you have done a lot of good for people.  You could probably do alot for bunnies too. I could help you spread the word if you want. Have your people contact my people.  Let's do lunch. I'll have salad.

Well, I guess that's about it. Good job and good luck!

Bunny Licks and Kisses,
Clovis 

The Ears are Always the First to Go...

Have a wonderful Easter!

From Clovie and Sue

Easter 2010

"Hide the Eggs, not you"

Easter 2009

"Easter Eggs"

Clovis and friends 

Easter 2008

"Easter Bunny"

All cards are available on my Etsy site.

Snack Monster

I think I have created a monster. A snack monster. One day as I was leaving for work I made the mistake of giving Clovis a little snack. Now, without fail, every morning as I leave he runs, no CHARGES up to the door for his little something special before I go.  Well, as we all know we cannot resist cuteness...

Just the slightest bit of rustling of the brown paper bag of willow twigs or bunny bites has him running in circles, frantic to get his little teeth on his treat.  And while he is preoccupied with eating, I toss a bunny bite on the top floor of his cardboard condo for later, wish he and Minnie a good day, and head for work. 

I found Clovie's favorites, willow twigs, bunny bites, and dried fruit at bunspace.com.  

Bellagio Bunnies

I just love it when my friends see bunny stuff and they think of me. My friend Rachel is in Las Vegas and sent me these photos from the Bellagio Hotel. They have this huge room where they create a themed garden; this one for the Year of the Rabbit.

Wish I could see it for myself! 

 

 



True Grit

We saw True Grit this weekend and really liked it.

Col. G. Stonehill:  "Rabbit Cogburn. How did you light on that greasy vagabond?"

Mattie Ross:   "They say he has grit. I wanted a man with grit."


Col. G. Stonehill:  "Well, I suppose he has that. He's a notorious thumper."

Art Exhibition

For the first time, I entered the Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, DC International Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature.  I submitted these two pieces, Venetian Kittens and Broken Rex, along with the portrait of Lauren I posted in August.  I'm pleased to say all of my work was accepted.





 

The show runs from November 21st through December 30th.

Bunny Mission

Attention:  Private First Class - Clovie Boy

Your Mission:  To engage the Civilian in non-combat activity.

Your Orders: (Repeat daily until further notification.) 

• At approximately 2100 hours, be on the alert and maintain surveillance on barracks at all times.
• When Civilian enters barracks for nightly prep, run the perimeter of barracks and duck into cardboard condo for shelter. 
• While Civilian removes latrine from cage for cleaning, stand guard in front of the hay box in prone position.  
• When Civilian approaches hay box for cleaning, flatten body and look as cute as possible.
• Cuteness engages Civilian in lots of really great petting, head massage, ear tugs and other miscellaneous enjoyable non-combat activity.
• Ahhhh!  Mission accomplished!  Dismissed!
• A little R and R and a bedtime reward for a job well done. 

Many thanks to the Veterans who have served our country.

Halloween Costume

 I've been working on my Halloween card. This year's card features Clovis dressed in his skeleton costume.


Last year Clovis went as a ghost.

Both cards are available for purchase on my Etsy site.

Fair Day

The Western Washington Fair, which is located in the city I live in, opened today.  It's a big fair and people around here have grown up with it and love it.  The fair kicks off with a parade and cattle drive through our downtown. (Last year we had some cattle detour into a convenience store. It made national news.) The fair employs a lot of locals for its 17 day run and people that live near the fairgrounds turn their yards into parking lots to make a few extra dollars. 

At the bank where I work, it's a tradition that someone goes early on the first day of the fair to buy scones for the employees.  They probably sell more scones than anything else at the fair. They're very good, except I think they give me heartburn.

I entered 5 rabbit drawings in the fair's juried Fine Art Show and all were accepted.  This one, "French Angora" is a miniature, measuring 1 7/8" by 2 7/8".

Three Star Day

I think Clovis turned four this week. I bought him at Scamps for $39.98. I know, I know, I could have adopted a nice little bunny from a shelter, but in my mind I rescued him from some little kid who would have cared less a month after he brought him home.

As usual I sat with Clovis this Saturday morning; he with his breakfast and me with my coffee and paper. I read him his horoscope. (He's a Leo.) It's a three star day for Clovis:

"Clear out errands, and take time to go to the gym or exercise.  A partner, close friend or loved one could surprise you.  Before you know it, you could be entertaining, which you do well.  Go with spontaneity and relax."

It's true, he entertains very well...

Mr. Clean

Clovis is forever grooming himself. I call him Mr. Clean. I praise him and tell him how nice he looks and what a good boy he is.  Maybe that's why he cleans so much. When I come home from work and I start fixing his dinner he's in his room cleaning. Is he cleaning up for dinner?

I'm always entertained by the positions he can twist his body into to get those hard to reach places.  It's a fine balancing act. Sometimes he makes a squeaky noise, he's squished his body up so much.  When he was little his balance wasn't so good and he'd tip over. 

I'm starting a series of drawings of his grooming poses I hope to post at some point.  I just need to spend more time at the drawing board instead of the keyboard...