RABBIT FEVER

We can NOT WAIT to see this! =)

Jacob's Wildlife Camera

My oldest, Jacob, is a bit of a wildlife nut. He loves learning about  animals, and recently purchased a wildlife camera to see what he could catch on it. Since he loves the outdoors and taking pictures, this is the best of both worlds for him!
A few days ago, he lost one of his Havana rabbits (natural causes) and decided that this would be a perfect time to "bait" his wildlife camera to see what would come around.

Very interesting results!!

This is Black Beard. The resident farm cat. =)

An ugly opossum.

Mr. Coyote. Doesn't that just give you goosebumps?

Coming in trying to find the bait, but it's already been snagged.. He/She must be eating well...it looks pretty plump.

And the most exciting:

  A BOBCAT!

WOW!! How's that for some nice shots of an animal you don't see everyday?? 

And perhaps the most disturbing creatures that were caught on camera:

Pretty scary stuff! ;-)

I'm loving that J is taking such an interest in world around him!  And I won't be going out into the woods at the farm for a long, long, LONG time!!

Cooties

 Tristen officially had cooties Saturday. I heard him wake up and start up the stairs--(Does anyone else get an overwhelming sense of dread when their kids come into their rooms in the middle of the night? At our house, it's never good, and usually means vomit.)
He had thrown up. I mean, he had THROWN UP. I  had to call D to come down and help.  The only thing he was upset about? Not that he was sick, but that he was suppose to show his new bunnies, and do showmanship  for the very first time at a clinic in Wichita. =(

Dan and Jake still took off for the show, with Dan feeling very guilty about leaving us behind, and T upset he wasn't in the car with them.

He got sicker and sicker through out the day.  He only threw up once, but his fever would go way up and then down, and then back up again.  His head hurt so bad, and he cried because his eyes hurt. =(  I panic when my  boys have fevers.  When I was 15 or so and my sister was a baby, she was sick, and mom told me to put her in the bathtub while she ran to town to get her some Tylenol.  Mom left, and Michelle had a febrile seizure. It's something I can still see in my mind, and scares the bajeebies out of me anytime a kid has a fever. 
BUT--he was up and raiding the kitchen cabinets the next morning. So thankful it didn't last long.

J did well at the show, not winning anything big, but still getting blues on the bunnies he did take. (It was a 4-H show, and qualified the bunnies he took for the State Fair.)  and got a blue on the judging contest. He had chosen not to do showmanship this time because he just hasn't had the time to practice.

Back when he first got into Havanas, he was ONLY going to have blacks.  Then he had a litter that had 2 chocolates in it, and he fell in love with them. Recently, he'd talked to friend of ours about picking up a blue Havana buck and I told him he was only missing the broken variety, so he might as well  get one of those too...I was mostly joking. Well, he came home  with 2 baby blue Havana bucks, and a broken doe, who is expecting a litter in a week or two. I guess that's what I get for opening my mouth. ;)  I'm telling you EVERY TIME we go to that show, we came home with more animals than we left with. Last year at that show is where we brought home Mr Guinea Pig.

SO FAR...KNOCKING ON WOOD...that's the only sickness we've had for a while. It seems really bad this year, and I'm really REALLY looking forward to spring!

SNOW!

Our big snowstorm wasn't quiet as big as we thought it was, but we did get enough to cause school delays and early dismissals.
I'm not good with the cold.  It makes my bones hurt, and my shoes get all wet, and the my feet get cold, and I hate that feeling when your hands are so cold they hurt, and my nose runs,  my ears sting, and...well, basically, I'm a baby.

For this storm they were calling for dangerous wind chills, not just snow, so we had to make sure all the bunnies were bunkered down,and the cows were up close to the barn.  Dan moved the bale into the lot so they wouldn't have to go far for food, but they were all back out in the pasture grazing when we checked on them.  

Dan also spent a good part of one day closing up the barn. When you have rabbits inside a building you have to have a lot of ventilation, therefore one side of the barn has a partial wall, and the door is just screen, so a breeze can get through. But with dangerous wind chills, Dan closed it all up and they are all warm and happy.  They are also loving the extra food they've been getting, as they use more energy staying warm and need a bit extra in cold weather.  Hopefully we can open it all back up middle of this week! I'm sure they would love to see the sun again...I'm afraid with it being so dim in there it will throw our does into permanent menopause. ;) 
(Rabbits will breed better when they have more hours of sunlight. In the wild a doe knows that a litter born in the winter will usually not go well.) 

But I've been impressed with our ol' sad garage turned bunny barn.  We only found one place in the roof that let snow come in, and that was just in a walkway, not on any buns, and it's been10 degrees warmer inside for them.

Can you believe I AM STILL NOT DONE WITH THOSE STINKIN PATCHES?? UGH!  I WILL get them done today!

Stay warm!!

My Dreaded Task

I can NOT stand

 downright DESPISE

  ABSOLUTELY LOATHE

 WILL do ANYTHING to get out of..

..sewing patches on the boys show coats!!! 

Both have aquired new club and breed club patches over the past year, and would like to have them on for a clinic they have next weekend.
I'm wishing I hadn't have put if off. Only 5 more to go.  BLAH

Letting Go

~Let Go and Let God~

I've a worrier. No, really. I don't think people really get how MUCH I worry or some of the funny things I worry ABOUT.
This morning, at 3am, I was wide awake, thinking about what would happen if we added on to our kitchen. No, that's not really true. Ok..here goes. I was worried about what would happen if we added on to our kitchen and we didn't get it all sealed up and mice were able to come in.  Now we have TALKED about, and DAYDREAMED about adding on, but have no  plans to do this anytime soon, but I was wide awake, worried about mice.
Now, I don't think MICE are what I am REALLY worried about. I seem to just take off with random stuff like this when I have added stress or issues going on in my life, and there is a lot on my mind right now.

So this morning I just "happened" to find this.

Letting Go

To “Let Go” does not mean to stop caring, it means I can’t do it for someone else.

To “Let Go” is not to cut myself off, it’s the realization I can’t control another. 

To “Let Go” is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.

To “Let Go” is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To “Let Go” is not to try to change or blame another, it’s to make the most of myself.

To “Let Go” is not to care for, but to care about.

To “Let Go” is not to fix, but to be supportive.

 To “Let Go” is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

 To “Let Go” is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own destinies.

 To “Let Go” is not to be protective, it is to permit another to face reality.

To “Let Go” is not to deny, but to accept.

To “Let Go” is not to nag, scold or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.

To “Let Go” is not to adjust everything to my desires but to take each day as it comes, and cherish myself in it.

 To “Let Go” is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.

To “Let Go” is to fear less and love more. – Unknown.

I'm working on this. 

I wish I knew why I obsess and worry about things I have absolutely NO control over.  

My husband, is a laid back, total non-worrier. In fact, he always tells me, "I don't HAVE to worry about anything, because YOU worry enough for the two of us."

It's not fun, being a worrier!   To worry about things you have no control over, or choices that other people have made.

Hoping I can get better at this! I'm sure my family..and my stomach...would thank me! 

Goodbye to 2010

Our 2010 included many exciting and wonderful things!! A look back included:

A vacation that was MUCH needed, enjoyed, and missed!!

A very successful bunny year, as this guy walked away with 2 Best In Show wins, numerous Best of Breeds and Best Opposite Sexes as well as awards for judging and showmanship! (BTW- these pictures were taken only 6 months apart. He seems much more grown up in the 2nd picture to me.)

 Sports, sports and more sports!

A garden that pretty much totally flopped due to these nasty monsters mowing it down in a matter of days.

  The arrival of a new niece and two nephews/cousins to play with and spoil!

 I've always loved gardening and flowers, but it really took off this year! We cleaned up shrubs and took out trees, and planted lots of new things!!

This past year I saw a lot of personal growth and development in each of us. We seem to be learning more how to slow down and enjoy the little things, whether it be the cute little birds at the feeder, or just sitting at the farm in the trees, waiting to see what kind of wildlife sneaks by, rock hunting or Geo-caching.

Welcome 2011...I hope your as good to us as 2010 was!