Baby Bunnies

Thing 2's litter of bunnies died on the 25th. Nothing seemed wrong; the babies seemed perfectly formed, but sometimes death comes along any way. It was a very small litter of two, and there may have been problems we never saw. Thing 2 has stopped searching for them; such a sad thing to watch the puzzlement on her face. Don't think these animals don't have emotions, be they ever so simple. I realize I may be putting my feelings onto another creature, but I stand by it. So life on the farm goes on, as we wait for the rest of the litters due.

Nostalgia

Christmas has gone and New Year's Eve approaches. We set course for where we're heading, but look back to see where we've been. Ah, nostalgia! 

Do you remember:

* the first time you went to a friend's house by yourself?
* the first time you used a telephone?
* your first pet? 
* your first two wheeler bike?
* Saturday morning movies?
* first job? ( I sold shoes)
* graduation (any kind)?
* your first apartment?

Add some firsts of your own, or tell a story about your special  "first"  in honor of the New Year!  I'd love to hear from you folk.

Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas
And all throught the house
Was the sound of the gnawing
Of the resident mouse.

One cat in my armpit,
And three on my lap,
Bon-Bon's in the towel stack,
Taking a nap.

The cats will eat Iams
And swill down the cream.
Catch a rogue house mouse?
You're having a dream!

The porch cats are restless,
The weather is cold,
Striped faces at windows;
"We'll get it," we're told.

"Just open the door, Mom,"
"We'll catch it real quick."
Don't buy it one second;
You know it's a trick.

I've made them a warm tent
With a blanket and chair.
Their outside cat manners
Are hard to forbear.

Five cats in the house
Are enough here for me.
The ones living outside
Don't care where they pee.

I don't care for mopping
The stains left by Kitty.
Boat peed on my lap!
She went out with no pity.

Each time we go outside
Peppy bolts through the door.
We throw her out each time.
This process -- a bore.

Bless Wally the tomcat,
For he knows his place.
Scratch 'round his ears;
There's a smile on his face.

Both in and out Kitties
Are well-fed and dry.
Fillet of fresh mouse
Is a dish they won't try.

I heard mousie exclaim
As she dove out of sight,
"I love living with fat cats
Merry Christmas; good night!"

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

Do you suppose you could push off Christmas another week?I am not ready; I have sewing to finish and a bit more shopping to go.

The chickens want spaghetti for Christmas, with or without sauce. The main thing is that it should be cooked al dente and served warm. It tastes better if the chickens in the opposite pen don't get any and have to watch the lucky chickens eat. Chickens have the holiday spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge before the ghosts came along.

The inside cats ask that the puppy disappears. If they can't get that, then a case of tuna will do. With parsley for garnish. I have to hold my tuna over my head between bites if the fluffy folk aren't locked up. They love it insanely.

Bear, the puppy, wants the inside cats to play with him, preferably sans hissing. He'd also like to be able to eat whatever he finds on the carpet, but that isn't advisable.

Peppy, the porch cat, wants inside permanently.

Wally,our outside tomcat, thinks Peppy should go away with Santa.

Boat, also a porch cat, wants all the cat food, better snacks, and me to hold her for hours and hours.

The rabbits (21 total to date) would like extra fresh vegetables and more twigs to chew on. Six of them want extra hay in their boxes to deliver their litters in (due on Christmas Eve). Buttercup, the crazed rabbit, wants us to disappear, not realizing we bring the food. She's better "turn over a new leaf" by settling down and becoming a good mother, or I'll have rabbit stew for New Years.

The gardens "want" watering and covering every evening.

Art got the puppy he wanted. Thanks.
What do I want? I must be one of the luckiest folk in the world. I can't really think of anything I'm desperate to have. Except that extra time I mentioned earlier? That would do nicely!

Cat Recuperation

The girls are back from their travails at the spay/neuter clinic.  Shaved legs, throats, and bellies are a embarassment. My apologies do no good. Someone must pay!

There's a new puppy here, too. A shepherd/rottweiler mix, has come to live with us as Art's Christmas gift. How does this relate to the cats? He's a palliative.

Cats feel better when the puppy is distressed. The girls have experimented to discover the fastest way to make Bear unhappy. The easy, nearly effortless technique is  extremely suited to the cat lifestyle. They stare at him; he cries.

Bon-Bon likes to hunker down six inches from the pet crate door to glare at him. The team stare across the room occupies Fuzzums and Brighty for minutes at a time. Varmint gives him "the look" as she saunters across the living room, before plopping down on my lap to continue.

Hope the girls feel better soon, the puppy-crying is nerve wracking. I think that's my punishment for taking the girls for their life altering surgery.

Elf Bowling

Let's play a game! I love Elf Bowling! Here's the least troublesome of the free trial offers I've found.

http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/2420/elfbowling-7-1

You'll get an hour, and be sure to read the helps.


Have fun! I can't wait to sling those nasty elves around again, myself!

EEK! Cold!

Weatherperson lied last night, you know. Temp is currently 30 degrees. Low last night predicted as 35. Please let the garden have survived the night.

Hope the furnace repairman comes tomorrow, operating the furnace by breaker box is a drag. I'm afraid of the breaker box, so I let Art do it. At least Matthew got it to go by that method, it was completely off at first. Thanks, Matthew.

One holiday party down and one to go. Getting into the spirit of the season, and am seized by the ghost of shopping. I must remember the budget, I must remember the budget....The Christmas Spirit is


hitting me with an amnesia-whammy. Save meeeeeee!

Weather / November Update

Wow! Even I have to admit it's cold out. There is a 50% chance of snow for Friday. I think I hear Art wailing as he looks for his flannel lined jeans; he doesn't do cold very well. I do prefer cold to the stinking hot summers.

Starting tonite we cover the gardens with sheets and hope for the best. One pumpkin could be picked, but we'll cover the rest, and feed them to the chickens if they freeze. Broccoli , kale, and leaf lettuce should survive, covered.

Heat must be turned on in the porch bathroom, and my philodendron moved there from the porch. Draining the water pipes to the porch or dripping the tap in the porch kitchen are our choices to avoid broken pipes. 

We need to get some hay for the rabbits to hunker down in. They, like me, do better in the cold, but they need a "coat" of hay like I need my jacket. Difference is, they can eat their coat; they won't go hungry if the weather is sloppy and cold, and we're late with the feed.

I'm planning on making a blanket tent for the porch kittens in the comfy desk chair next to the stove. It'll give them shelter and conserve their warmth. A nice warm dinner of table scraps will help, too. You'd think it was going to be below 0, wouldn't you, the way I'm carrying on. No, just 31 or 32, with 29 on Friday night.

I am about to share a treasonous thought, at least as far as Art is concerned. I'm looking forward to seeing snow, and taking pictures of it. Then it can melt, and get us back into the 60's.