Uh Oh

Twinkie caught in the act

(you know you want to click on the photos to enlarge and see the whole Twink)

photos by Number One Son

Dog

I don't give the dogs enough coverage on the blog. Dixie is a sweetie and Bo is too smart for his own good.

Dixie with her favorite old toy

Bo relaxing after being hard at work playing

Bo definitely has the tongue-rolling gene

Hmm...been into something

Another Beloved Pet RIP

PetCat   1998-2012

 

He came to us in July 1999, a nine-month old kitten. He had belonged to John's dad who had passed away then. He was a farm kitty. Loved to be outside except during thunderstorms when he would beg to come in and hide or curl up near one of us. These last few years, as he got older, he did enjoy being inside more during the coldest weather. The rest of the time he was outside chasing leaves, bugs, sleeping in the sun on the porch.

 He crossed the Bridge sometime after midnight last night (11/5/12). Not sick. The victim of a predator.  Coyote or maybe a big hawk or owl.  He just would not stay in the house. I last saw him, petted, and talked to him sometime around midnight when I went out to do my routine late-night check. Please guard your beloved pets. 

Our little Pester, who has to be forced to come in the house, is also missing at this time. I don't know if she is also a victim or if she' s hiding out, but at least I haven't found any remains, so I'm guardedly hopeful at this time (Tuesday afternoon). Her tortoise shell coloring makes it easy for her to hide, so I can't always see her. She isn't in the shelter. Whatever got PetCat could have frightened her sufficiently to keep her away for a while. She's younger and agile and fast. I hope she's safe.

Pester update (Tuesday night): She's here. All curled up in her little shelter on the front porch. I might just have to go out there and drag her in shortly. Don't want whatever got PetCat to come back tonight--or ever.

Sweet old PetCat, you will be missed.

scroll down the right sidebar for two additional photos

What We Have Here

is Yogi in full molt. I comb and comb and comb and comb. The other two buns make molting rather easy on me. Not so with Mr. Rexie. It brings back memories of all the years I saved Periwinkle's fur and blended it with wool for spinning. I called it Winkle Wool. Rex fur works like Angora, but is shorter. I believe that Yogi is producing a bumper crop of Yogi Wool.

"Hey!!"

Yogi says  "What's a bun gotta do around here to get some fresh grub and a treat or two? And how 'bout some housekeeping while you're at it? "

(the electrical outlet on the wall is not as close to his enclosure as it appears in the photo; with the angle of the shot, it looks like his pen is about a foot wide, but it's actually about 5' x 2')

Yogi is doing well. He and Pants amuse themselves by playing a bit of tag when Yog's door is open. Pants passes a good bit of time reclining beside the enclosure and ventures inside when  the door is open if Yogi will allow it. I think they might become buddies.

The girls are coming along, but are still not quite themselves since the loss of Mopsy. Matilda is nipping ankles less and is interacting with the cats a bit more. Today she stopped by Yogi's enclosure and had some dialogue with him that consisted mostly of grumping at each other through the wire.

Gabby's progress is somewhat slower. She is still shy and a bit grumpy. She keeps to herself and quickly runs back into her space whenever any folk approach, buns and humans alike.

They all seem to get along better with one another outside where they are less territorial. Unfortunately, it has been either too hot for the buns to go outside or it's been raining. I guess things are just going to take time. In the meantime, I'd better go refresh everyone's hay, bring out the treats, and tidy up.

Yogi Update

Yogi is such a sweetie! He seems to be settling in and getting used to us. I know he misses his previous family, especially Ms. Ava, who was as good at spoiling buns as the rest of us. As he becomes more accustomed to his new home, his personality is coming out more. He is also beginning to cultivate a relationship with our big tabby cat, Pants (Pascal). Pants is still not quite sure what rabbits are and even though he weighs about 20 pounds, he is a little afraid of them. This has led to some humorous moments between him and Yogi, especially yesterday when Yogi hopped out of his enclosure and right onto the middle of Pants, who was sleeping belly-up beside the entrance.

I am still keeping Yogi separated from the girls. Since Mopsy died, Matilda and Gabby have not been themselves. Even though they were not what I would really call  bonded, Mopsy's absence has affected the behavior of the other two. The three of them were a bit grumpy when in close quarters, so they did not share living quarters, but they did enjoy being out in the playpens, both inside and out, where they had more space to hop around, socialize if they felt like it, or get away from each other. Now, Gabby has become very quiet and withdrawn, quite unlike her usual behavior. Matilda has become aggressive and belligerent, reverting to her old biting, boxing, and grumping actions and has bitten me on both hands and on one foot. Not nips, but honest-to-goodness bites which hasn't happened for a number of years. I have quite a bite on the fleshy part of the thumb of my left hand. I have been trying to give them extra attention, but I think it is just going to take time. I would have thought that maybe part of this is due to Yogi's presence, but they seem to mostly ignore him initially and are not housed in the same room with him at this time. Until their behavior gets a little more back to normal, I am not going to try to force anything.

(as usual, click on the photos if parts are cut off)

Mopsy April 2002 - July 1, 2012

Mopsy, the retired museum bun. Five years spent at Burritt Museum educating school kids and general museum visitors about the relationship between domesticated animals and humans, then the last five here at the Huntsville Bunstead being spoiled and loved. Natural causes. She will be missed.

(click photos for full frame)

Introducing Yogi

What a handsome gentlebun has come to live at the Huntsville Bunstead. This is Yogi. He was the bun half of the bun and Guinea pig pair, Yogi and Boo Boo, who had been together for a number of years since 2006. Boo Boo departed this world some time ago, leaving Yogi with just his humans.

I had not planned to take anyone else's buns until we had less than three of our own, but Yogi's owners' children are all grown and in college or married with new grandbabies expected in August and October. Yogi's family mom is not going to be around much, so back in December we decided that he would come to live with us sometime before the new babies are born, especially since he no longer had Boo Boo for company.

He is a 6-year old neutered male Rex. Such a friendly bun, too, but a little shy right now. Reminds me so much of our beloved Periwinkle. I do hope he and I become special buddies. For right now, life is a little different for him with the new surroundings, the ladies, the cats, so we are taking it slow and trying to get him adjusted. He does enjoy the time outside in the playpens, a new experience for him.

(Now don't anyone be making comments about what a fat bunloaf he is--we're going to be working on that. Besides, back when I was a kid, gentlemen of his physique were called "portly.")

(as usual, click for full photo)

If...Then

When you eat too much Father's Day dinner you lie down on the sofa.

When you lie down on the sofa you fall asleep.

When you fall asleep on the sofa you wake up with a cat in your face.

Don't wake up with a cat in your face.

(click on the photo for full size--if you dare)

Afternoon at the Bun Cottage

A few photos of the girls enjoying the fresh air and the old Cottontail Cottage.

I can never be sure of the order in which the photos will show up when doing this from my iPhone. Haven't figured out how to space them with the phone, either, so I'll just say a little about them and then we'll figure it out from there.

One photo is of Matilda doing guard duty at the back door. She was a snoozy bunny and I was intrigued by the length of her lashes, so I did an Instagram closeup version. The other two photos are of Gabby schooched up in the side door and dear old Dutchie Mopsy taking up all the space just inside the front door.

Silly bunnies.

(as usual, click to get the full photo until I get this iPhone thing figured out)

What a lazy bunny!

These pleasant days have been great for the bunnies to enjoy some time outside in the playpen. Gabby has really made herself comfortable stretching out in the shade. Yesterday I caught her sprawled out on her bunny belly and munching on the grass at the same time. Here she is chowing down while lying down. I guess I should say she's just multi-tasking.

Ah, Yes...

So nice to have Twink back at work

Back to Work

Issues were finally resolved between Miss Twinkie and the management of Lehman House of Couture, so it's back to the salt mines for the whole staff. As you can see, I don't exactly run a sweatshop.

Some days I wonder how I would ever get anything done without such good workers.

Lacking in the Art of Persuasion

As a result of her unacceptable sewing room behavior, Sewing Assistant Twinkie has asked for mediation with the Head Seamstress to try to reinstate Twinkie's position as an assistant at Lehman House of Couture.






Unfortunately, Miss Twinkie lost control while presenting her side of the argument.

To make matters worse, she is unwilling to accept advice from Counsel.

This has resulted in a delay the negotiations. At this point, things are at a standstill. The mediation process and treats are on hold until Miss Twinkie can behave in a more acceptable manner.

Lehman House of Couture Assistant Position in Jeopardy

Miss Twinkie caught in the act!


Using fabric and thread for recreational purposes.



click on photos for full frame






Then tried to disavow any knowledge of alleged offenses.

Assistant Twinkie is officially on notice and cat treats will be withheld until behavior is modified.

Yep.

Sewing Assistants or My Cat Hair Has Fabric on It

I'm back to sewing living history costumes for a couple of friends at the museum where I used to work.

It has been a long time since I've done any machine sewing at all. The two younger cats, Pants (the big tabby) and Twinkie (the little calico), are fascinated by the machines and love all the piles of fabric surrounding them. They also seem to think it is their duty to keep me company while I toil away in isolation in the sewing room.

They are good helpers. Here are some photos of them hard at work. Click to enlarge if the right edge of the photo is cut off

(I'm still trying to figure out the intricacies of posting from my iPhone. Some things elude me, such as photo spacing.)

How would I ever manage to get any sewing done without the help and companionship of these two furballs?

Gabby's Turn

Miss Gabby has a bit of a cranky disposition, so she tends to get less coverage in the blog. Today is her day.

I didn't plan to cut off her nose in the photo below. Again, it's a case of the iPhone format being larger than the blog allows (I guess...). Anyway, click on the photo to enlarge it and you'll get the whole Gabby.

The Mop

Some shots of Mopsy out in the playpen on a recent sunny day. Mopsy is ten years old this month. Beginning in 2002 she worked for five years as a barnyard bunny in the living history park at the museum where I was a living history interpreter. When I left my job at the museum, they let me bring Mopsy home with me because I had donated her and her sister when the barnyard first opened. Now she is a retired bun, getting up there in years, but still spunky.