It Was A Good Summer

It was a good summer...

Everyday I felt glad that we had a yard for us & the buns.

Hay In A Micro-Sanctuary

When the pandemic hit, our hay supplier was completely honest with us

and told us that he was having a hard time keeping up with his customers hay demands

and was also concerned with what was going to happen with the supply chain later on...

We appreciated that info, as the buns can go a spell without veggies & pellets etc

but they must have hay every single day, period.

So this is what $600 of top quality hay looks like!

We spend about $1400 at least on hay alone a year for 9 buns because we also supplement

this main kind here with other smaller bags of botanical, oat, alfalfa etc to liven up their options.

With 9 rabbits we go through 50 pounds of hay easily in about a month, sometimes more.

So we wanted at least a 6 month supply and

if any of our local bunny friends needed any we were able to share a little too.

We ordered only 2 boxes at a time about 2 weeks apart in consideration of the poor post carrier!

(Luckily our normal guy laughs and jokes with us when he brings these 50 pound boxes to the door).

We also got lucky in that the ladies at the store put bags of our usual Oxbow pellets aside for us too,

as apparently those flew off the shelves at the very beginning of this whole mess too.

We are staying on top of things, 6 month in, we still think there's going to another lock down!

It was scary at first, the ideal of not getting food for the babies and it was truthfully squirrely

for about 2 weeks at the beginning regarding fresh veg but we've managed...thankfully...phew!!!

Snow Play

Some snow fun at the end of winter...

I always admire the buns adaptability.

Yuuji & Leisel

Hey, did I ever tell you guys that Yuuji and Leisel bonded???
It's been quite awhile now but I don't know if I ever announced it.
When we decided to adopt Leisel, we knew she had behavioral issues to work out
but Yuuji had lost Teela, his best friend and he's such a sturdy steadfast patient guy,
we really felt like if anyone would be a good match for Leisel it would be him...
so we divided the bedroom in half so we could bring Leisel (a special needs adoption) home.
Truthfully, it's far from easy bringing new buns home, it's a pretty intense process
because we are a home for so many other buns but we are used to it by now to know that whiles
things are hectic for a bit (and definitely inconvenient with gates etc!) things always settle down.

It took a year before we were able to start bonding them.
We don't usually start the bonding process until they show certain behavior at the bonding gates.
When they stop trying to bite each other, when they stop getting worked up when the other one moves along the gates, when they start throwing themselves over near one another, it's than time.
We were starting to wonder if Leisel would ever calm down enough for us to see if they wanted to be buddies but sure enough almost right at her 1 year adoption anniversary, they both started to show the signs that they were ready for face to faces and a few weeks after applying all of our bonding tricks with a whole whack of patience, they bonded...
It's always one of the most satisfying things for us, when we get to remove gates separating buns!
They aren't the closest pairing we've ever had but they really like each other
and being near Yuuji has been nothing but good for our poor messed up Leisel.
Aren't they gorgeous together though.

Suffering With Sweetness

Leisel, otherwise known as our marshmallow wrapped in a razor blade! seems to be my sentient.

Teela, my beloved departed used to be my ever trusty watcher,

before her it was our lovely Ella-Luna who took on the job

....always seems to be a female bun that's my watcher.

When I am laying in the bed Leisel comes and checks on me almost hourly,

sometimes she waits and watches me from the end of the bed...

If I don't move for awhile she keeps nudging me until I do move and say "I am okay baby".

It's really really very very touching and sweet, especially coming from our broken Leisel,

even when my head is feeling like it's going to split open, the utter sweetness of it isn't lost on me.

On these days another sweet lovely thing are lovely large sweet soy lattes with a big hit of

coconut whipping cream! (I know I know 'the sugar' but my sugar intake is otherwise low).

Sometimes the hit of strong caffeine with a dose of codeine helps me out a bit pain wise so I see it

as medicinal in a way ha ha! But they do truly feel needed, well deserved & certainly appreciated too!

Sign For A Better Canada....Sign For Millions Of Animals...

Hi ya, sorry for the sporadic posting, truth be told, I need a blogging break, so I'll be away till August.

BUT before I go can I please please implore all of my fellow animal lovers out there to

send a message to the Canadian government that we want and need to see the end of animal testing...

(Just click on Henries beautiful picture or hit the link found below)

Millions of animals are tortured for product testing every year, no soul should go through what they do and it's time to get better as a society and a country and STOP this monstrous activity.

Click right here to sign the petition

to tell the Canadian government that we care about animals

& that we want Canada to be a better kinder country.  Thank You XO.

Bonded

Well we've had way too much sadness around here the past year with 3 losses in about 8 months,

it has truly been too hard on us but we've had one very good thing happen amidst all that...

Yuuji & Leisel have FINALLY decided they like each other & to bond.  It makes life just a bit easier.

They aren't a kissy huggy pair but they are happier, Yuuji is more active and Leisel is much calmer.

Pishner Toppingale Started

I have to be able to work in all kinds of corners of the house...

wherever a bunny needs company is where I have to be able to get some kind of artwork done...
On top of getting up every 10 minutes to see what a rambunctious bunny is up to
I also move between my work areas scattered throughout the house ALOT!

It's proven to be the only way to mix my two passions of bunnies & art
(with a life of debilitating chronic pain!)

For example, in Jaks room, I have several pieces going, coloured pencils, mixed medias & weaving's.
Whiles 'Florin Blue' is being done in the living room for the evening bunny rotation.
In my downstairs studio I have 3 lino cuts in progress, pastels, sketches, computer stuff etc
and than in Higgins area I have sketchbooks and a desk set up for when feltwork/stitchery strikes me.
Whiles in a corner of Misa's rooms, on a teeny desk, I just conjured up this new bird character...
it's my way of having 9 buns & still getting lots done, it works...most days, when the pain isn't bad! 

My Big Boy On Blue

My Big Boy Henrie...

I am so glad I get to be his Mama.

Betty-Loo & Henrie Sitting In A Tree...

We've been trying to bond Misa & Henrie for a year now

and Henrie at first liked Misa & she loved him and Elsie

BUT Elsie for whatever reason decided that she didn't like poor Misa

& it seems that once Elsie said no, Henrie followed suit &

he was always quite mean to the poor little girl, espeacially after Elsie died

(which I just never got because Misa is just too adorable and perfect!)

BUT when Betty-Loo came home she was put into a large section of Henri's room

and we were hoping because he did look lonely, but we know better by now than to expect anything!

But right from the start they liked each other, they didn't fight once, not one single time!

They would smoosh up together, against the gate separating them...

So, we went for our usual first time bonding drive in the Jeep about a month ago,

no fighting still at all, they just sought each other for company & kissed right away...

We put them in the landing, no fighting, just more kisses & snuggles...

so we let them into the living room, good as gold once again...

So we increased the size of the area more & more & they just kissed & hugged & played together

so we brought them down to Henries room, expecting a bit of a tussle down there but nope

thick as thieves and totally smitten with each other.  It's amazing to see after Henries been so alone

and after knowing that Betty-Loo had a hard time at the shelter & lost her own sibling too.

We unfortunately have to still separate them over night because her teeth are still so bad,

it takes her all night to get any of her veggies in and

Henrie is well, a piggie, for lack of a better word, ha ha.

But every morning we lift her out of her area and into Henries and they run together like

they've been apart forever and they do a lap or two side by side around the room...

it's perfection & utter sweetness

and I know if Elsie is looking down she'll approve of this new union.

Just Around The Corner

Psssstttt...A little soul is waiting to change your life

at a shelter just around the corner nearest you!!!  XOXO.

Sweet Saturdays

I LOVE these freezing cold winter Saturdays (as we rest up from a big scare with Yuuji this week)

you know the ones that are just drenched in sunlight

where it's too damn cold to go out anywhere...

where you stay inside all happy as clams...all warm and snug...

My New Year head-pain wise hasn't been off to a cracking start,

I've been having more pain-filled days than not BUT that's okay because in between that crap,

I get all of this too...sun-dappled precious as pie bunnies,

a cozy sweet home and a gorgeous kind sweet vegan man waiting for/helping me. Ahhh Good stuff.

Simple Sketching With Jelly

Some of my happiest days this summer and this Fall were/are just quiet ones...

 ...spent outside with my Jelly & some sketching, his tenacity inspires me so much.

Grass For Flynn

Flynn has his very own deck that he doesn't have to share with any-bun right now

He likes getting out into the yard but he'd rather zoom around the house & hang out on his deck

but that doesn't mean he doesn't love the taste and smell of fresh grass,

So we planted some grass in a low round container just for him out on his deck & he LOVES it.

Hang In There Elsie

We've been having a really stressful time with our Elegant Elsie.

First it looked like a hurt front paw, than a hurt hind-leg,

but than blood test levels were all wonky, just a little but still & they hinted at an infection.

X-rays than showed without a doubt arthritis all over her back end

BUT the worst news was what looked like a huge tumor growing and spreading throughout her chest. Her doctor said he's never really seen a tumor like that so it needed further investigation

which meant sending all the scans to specialists in the States.

Their summary showed a different story possibly,

they saw a lot of air outside of Elsie's lungs which meant a body trauma

which pushed her body into pneumonia!

We haven't faced pneumonia yet in all our years with buns.

I remember seeing her jump off a really high box that she never jumps from and sure enough the day after all these worrisome problems started so it was very possibly that.

But also now and than she gets grumpy with Henrie and she chases him around like a

gremlin at warp speed so it's also possible that she rammed into something than too.

I know I can't put these bun-babes in a bubble but at times like these my

guilt runs high and I sure do wish that I could, ugh!

Apparently even just a jump or fall or bump to the body can cause pneumothorax which is air

outside of the lungs due to an injury to the chest wall and for some reason pneumothorax

can cause pneumonia...SO She was on broad spectrum antibiotics for about month to hopefully cure the pneumonia and it did look like she was getting better BUT after about two weeks off the meds her quick and labored breathing started again, so she's on another protocol and apparently might have to be on meds for up to two months since pneumonia is difficult & long to cure.

The pneumothorax should solve itself over time.

She can also still have a tumor, so we'll have to get more scans done in a couple of weeks.

If it's not a tumor and the pneumonia clears up and goes away we can than look at dealing with

the arthritis which we don't think is bothering her too too much at this point in time.

We at the same time are dealing with hypercalcemia but it's really tricky because she's not eating normally and of course only wants high calcium foods right now

and we must keep her eating as much as possible as she's already lost weight!

Needless to say, if you can, please send our Elsie girl some good strong healing mojo.

Rainy Day Happies

Despite the fact that rainy days are huge triggers for my pain...

I LOVE love love being stuck inside, curling up with sketchbooks, eating, tidying...

 

 

Buns get extra time, the house is extra cozy & the back deck has a cover so we can all go out & snuggle up and listen to the rain...ahhhh loveliness....I hope your embracing a grateful heart too XO.

Bonding Of Bunnies

We've been doing some bonding between Leisel and Yuuji...
Taking it slow...taking our time.
Leisel has been here over 6 months now and her aggression at the gate with Yuuji has gone finally!

Just this past month they seem to not want to leave each others side at the bonding gate
soooo let's cross our fingers & toes that they accept each other and become friends.
They both need it, as do I, I can't take seeing my sweet Yuuji alone without Teela anymore.

Simple Quiet Weekends

We've all been pretty sick the past month so our weekends have been quieter lately...

homemade pizza nights, lots of snuggles with buns & movies in our home theater...

and a bit of time in the studios since my heads been so bad during the weekdays.

How have your weekends been shaping up?  What's your most favorite thing to do??