I’m still here!
Yes, I’ve been away from blogging… but I have good excuses. One, I’m feeling uninspired. The only subject I can really think to write about is how unhappy I am at work, but who wants to read about that? Nobody, that’s who.
Second, I have a sick bunny. Hazel had surgery almost 3 years ago to open his floppy, loppy ear canals to combat recurring ear infections, but somehow he managed to develop one in the last month that caused some facial nerve damage, leaving him unable to chew properly. He got to the point where he would eat a soft mush on his own, but in the last few days he’s having a harder time with that so I’m syringe-feeding him again. He doesn’t mind it, but it’s just a lot of extra work. Life is much easier when he eats on his own, and fortunately he seems to be back to it as of yesterday.
Third, I’ve been landscaping! I started Thursday night by spreading 18 bags of topsoil on the flowerbed. Naturally it rained on Friday, so I spent the day driving around buying plants and more dirt. It doesn’t sound like I did much those two days, but when I think about the fact that I, personally, moved almost 2000 lbs. of dirt… it’s a wonder I’m still standing! Saturday I got up early and added cow manure and peat to the flowerbed, then turned it all under. The soil here is such heavy clay, it really needs a lot of work. I also bought mulch, and then spread some of it around some existing spots. Sunday was D-Day… I spent the entire day adding another 22 bags of topsoil to the flowerbed, raking it smooth, putting down landscape fabric, planting all but 5 plants, and mulching. I finished at 8:30… just 1/2 an hour before sunset. Phew! My goal was to get it done over the weekend, and it is mostly done. I have a few more plants coming from White Flower Farm, and I’ll be visiting Soules Garden in a couple of weeks to pick out some daylilies to fill in the big bare space. I’m planting all perennials, and most of them are not mature plants, so I’m excited to see how it looks in the next couple of years.
I may join NaBloPoMo for June… just waiting to hear what the theme is. I’m hoping it’s something I can be creative with, but I can say for certain that it’s a lot easier for me to post when I have to… it’s easier having a reminder of sorts.
Filed under blog, dream house, rabbits, work | Comments (3)Friday Foster - Hilo
This is Hilo (pronounced HEE-lo), our own little half-pint. She’s just a little bit of bunny, but don’t tell her that. Hilo was adopted out to what we hoped would be her forever family several months ago, and was returned after a pretty short time because the family got a dog and no longer had the time for a wee little bunny. Granted, she’s a wee little bunny with lots of attitude, and they were basically letting her run roughshod all over the place, but still… it always saddens me when we spend time and make the effort to provide education and set realistic expectations about life with a house rabbit only to turn around and have it go all wrong.
Anyway, Hilo now lives at my house, where she is relearning the fine art of being a well-behaved lady rabbit instead of an utter heathen. For the first couple of months she was here she lived in a little smaller cage with the cage closure in the front, and that did NOT go well. She had become very aggressive about hands reaching in for her, and caring for her on a daily basis was definitely not fun. I’ve had aggressive rabbits here before, but not like her. I count five scars on my right hand alone… all from the Tiny Teeth of Terror. Last month after my rabbit, Angus, passed away I moved her down to the bottom of a 2-story Bunny Abode. She hasn’t been the same rabbit since. No more lunging, no more attacking, she lets me stick my hands and arms into her condo without any trouble at all. It’s so amazing and wonderful to earn their trust, and to see such a big change in such a short time, with so little effort! This is one of the primary reasons I enjoy rescue.
Hilo was originally found by one of our volunteers just hopping around a neighborhood all by her lonesome. She loves to be petted, and will sit by you and lift her little nose to have it rubbed for as long as you’ll rub it. She’s really fun to watch, and as long as you approach on her terms, she’s happy to have you around. I will be excited when she finds her real forever home, and hope she finds a person to appreciate her for the spirited little bit that she is.
If you’re interested in adopting Hilo or any of our other adoptable rabbits, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You’ll find a list of upcoming events we’ll be participating in, as well.
Filed under friday foster, rabbits | Comment (0)Friday Foster - Greta
Greta is a sweet little Dutch bunny, rescued from the Lousiville Metro Animal Shelter after she and many other rabbits - mostly Dutches, like her - were confiscated from a neglectful breeder. These rabbits were lucky to survive; many of them were in horrible condition, having been kept in terribly small cages all their lives and only worth their next litter to the breeder.
This adorable girl didn’t know what it meant to be loved and cared for until she came to Indiana HRS. She now lives in the lap of luxury with a great foster mom, and is learning what it’s like to have enough food, enough attention, and enough hay to simply toss around! Greta needs a home where her people will be patient with her, because she’s still very fearful of hands - to her, a hand reaching for her means she’s going to be shoved into a box to breed, but she’s coming around to the fact that hands can mean good things.
As you can see, Greta is looking and looking for her forever home. She’s a potential candidate for pairing with another altered rabbit - she did very well on a recent bunny date, although it was clear that she just wasn’t that into him, she behaved like a lady the entire time. If you’re interested in adopting Greta, or any of our other adoptable rabbits, please visit our website at www.indianahrs.org. You’ll find a list of upcoming events we’ll be participating in, as well.
