DENTIST AND BUNNIES

It's 55 degrees, cool and rainy here in Lovely LAconia. Perfect for a trip to the dentist. I needed a crown re-glued after it lost its battle with toffee. It was sugarless toffee. Sweetie also went to get a filling. Bastard. This man neglects his teeth something fierce. He hasn't seen a dentist for 16 years. He seldom brushes and never flosses. Today the dentist tells him "You have great teeth! No plaque, no gum problems. Whatever you're doing, keep it up." Double bastard.

My teeth are a hillbilly train wreck. But I come by them honestly as both my parents had dentures by the time I was seven. I have been intimately acquainted with a periodontist. I have several crowns and enough filling material that I could start a metal scrap yard. My teeth are brittle, chalky and prone to shattering or just suddenly going loose and falling out. I brush and floss regularly. Bastard. But this dentist doesn't shame or scold me and I love her for that.

The porch bunnies are unhappy as they haven't yard time for a few days because of the rain. Stubby, the little Lionhead, gets out the most often. I put his cage within a fence so he can come and go at his pleasure. He likes to play racetrack round and round and round. Looks like crop circles.

Heizen is a big ol' boy, a rescue from an allergic owner and has always been a house bunny until this spring. Now, he gets to run loose in the yard (under adult supervision, of course.) After about 10 minutes, he's exhausted and hops back into his cage.

Percy is a crazy teenager and has to watched like a hawk or he'll be off like a shot.

Rabbit wrangling. That's how I spend my days.

The barn bunnies are doing well and all the babies are thriving!!! I am delighted! Spot got into a fist fight with Yoshimi (I suspect) while I was away. It's always something. Spot's ear has a huge slice in it but I'm doctoring it along and she has been placed in protective custody. Here she is as a baby and last week. She is magnificent!





Fuzzarelly's babies are due Monday. She and Groovy checked into the Honeymoon Hotel almost four weeks ago. Two days after that, Precious and Caspar did their thing. These were both planned pregnancies. Kelly Bob, on the other hand, sprang Hippie from his cage one night. I have never planned to breed her and this is her third litter! Crap. I'm acquiring a bunch of new cages tomorrow and there will be changes made, let me tell you!

YOU KNOW, PEE! RATS!

HOME FROM MARYLAND

What a long long weekend! But fun was included, and excellent friends, and good food, and good story material was created. Never apologize for good story material. You know. Cheese. Curds.

I tell you, the goddesses in the Friendship Spinners have saved my life more than once and I sincerely believe that they are the best people on earth. Betty Bob and Mark L. are so wonderful and I thank them for their hospitality. Theresa, the quiet one, the Republican, is so sweet and dear. Her fifth graders are some lucky kids. Nancy R., the Scheduler Supreme and Mini owner is the one person I would want to have around in any emergency and for any party. Thanks for the bourbon! (See "saved my life.") And Kathy. My goodness, you little pee rat, what are we going to do with you??? Because of her, we drove nine hours home from Maryland with not one, but TWO lambs on the floor of her Suburban. Nine. Hours. Two lambs in Pampers. Fun!

I didn't know what to expect at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It was certainly large, with tons of vendors, lots of food, and a fiber art exhibit. I met the author and purchased the book HAND FELTED JEWELRY AND BEADS by Carol Huber Cypher available at Interweave Press. I had also wanted to get a support spindle and ended up with two - one is wooden and the other is ceramic. And I succumbed to the lure of self patterning sock yarn and bought a skein of Trekking from Germany.

As promised, here are the obligatory blog photos of socks in progress.







A visit to Frederick, Maryland would not be complete without a mess o' seafood from May's Restaurant.


I am exhausted. The Sweetie took excellent care of the bunnies, who are all still alive. More later once I can gather my wit.

IT'S A FREE COUNTRY...

...which means a person can be as stupid and misquided as a mutant cucumber.

There is a story in this week's local newspaper, The Corydon Democrat about a woman that wants to ban the showing of "The DaVinci Code because it is "a slap in the face of Jesus" . Methinks the nice lady needs to learn the distinction betwixt fiction and non-fiction.

But being a free country, it also means that I can gather with my friends and crown Crones every December. Ain't they cute?!!!

SAFARI, SO GOODIE...

It's been hard work around here at Fuzzarelly's place, but baby bunny health is on the rebound! (Touch wood, quick!)

While the meds didn't save the one that went to the vet, it does seem to be doing the trick on another two. It's day 4 for one and day 3 for the other and they are STILL ALIVE!! Yahoo! And Sweetie is coming home tonight. It's all good.

Thanks for all the great emails, friends, and for your concern for me and the babies. I am doing better now that the kids are, too. Sorry, Kitty, about the iced tea spew. Should I place a warning like, oh, Caution - Silly Humor Ahead?

I do knit(!) and spin(!!) and at some point I promise to have the obligatory sock-in-progress shots. There's a pair started out of some really nice but not-my-color boucle cotton from Cherry Tree Hill. The colorway is called Spring Frost, a muted grey/peach/green that looks like cat yak next to my skin. That poor yarn has been knit and ripped four times as I try to find some pattern, some garment to make out of it. I have 6 skeins, 4 ounces and 170 yards each. In spite of being so rudely handled by me, the yarn has held up beautifully! So, maybe socks will be the answer.

I need to have some small project in hand because I am going to THE MARYLAND SHEEP SHOW this weekend for the Friendship Spinners "Run From the Roses" trip. (That's a reference to the Kentucky Derby, for anyone not from around here.) This will be my first time going and I think I am more excited about the road trip than the actual festival as I have never driven that far east. (They don't let me out much. Except at night.) And I will be with all my dear friends and buddies Nancy, Betty, Lorraine, Kathy, Sandy, Linda and who am I forgetting? Well, Tori ain't going since she HAS to sit in Millionaire's Row and drink mint juleps for the Derby, poor thing. And even though Carol is recovering at the Mayo Clinic, her hat and money are going with us. Carol, we will spend it wisely. (heh heh) (PARTY!) Oh, and thank you Amy for the promise of bail, because ya never know. Let's hope that What Happens in Maryland, Stays in Maryland!

I'll leave you with a picture of a bunny and Sweetie...

FUZZARELLY - NOTARY PUBLIC

Brought to you by the good folks at Lamar's Bait and Switch Shop. Remember, if you need B or S, you need Lamar's Bait and Switch.

Join us now for another internet episode of FUZZARELLY - NOTARY PUBLIC. * Hard boiled, not over easy...

It was a dark and stormy night when my phone rang. "Fuzzarelly here. Whaddya want?"

"I need a notary public to go. And no anchovies."

"Yeah, and so's your old man!"

"What? My kid needs ya! The hospital won't let them go!"

"Who's them?"

"You know, us!"

"Yeah yeah, they're being held hostage, eh? Why ya callin' me? Call the uniforms." I was about ready to hang up.

"No, no," the voice pleaded. "The hospital needs their signatures notarized before the kids can leave with the baby."

"Ah ha! The old need-their-signatures-before-they-can-leave-with-the-baby ploy. eh? Alright, I'll be there tomorrow."

The next morning, I beat feet to the maternity ward.

"Thank goodness, you're here on time!"

"Of course I'm on time, lady - I'm a notary public."

"Would you like to hold the baby?" she asked and before I could say not on your life, a tiny bundle was thrust at me. It promptly filled its diaper.

"Now, where's the paperwork and your IDs? Okay, lady, sign here. And here. And you bub, sign here. And here. And next time, keep it in your pants until you're married, okay? "

My duty complete, I made my way through the rain to the the Blue Moon Saloon to repair my hard shell.

"Give me the usual, Fred."

"Stop calling me Fred! My name's Adolph."



Join us next time for the further adventures of Fuzzarelly - Notary Public.

* apologies to Nick Danger, George Leroy Tirebiter, and Maxwell Smart.

CIRCLE OF LIFE

It's been a rough day here at Fuzzarelly's place. My sweetie has been in Georgia helping out with his very sick mother and I've been here dealing with an outbreak of pasteurella in my bunny herd. This seems to be an extremely virulent type that strikes suddenly and kills quickly. I was totally distraught yesterday - hopeless and in tears. Drove an hour to a vet that examined a sick baby, and gave me meds and encouragement and hope. I thought that sick baby would make it - last night, he seemed well enough, was lively and eating.

This morning, though, pneumonia had set in. That has been the usual course of this outbreak.Pasteurella isn't the primary cause of death - pneumonia is. They drown. I have lost so many babies lately from this and I feel so responsible for all these little lives. I blame myself. I cannot bear their suffering and I don't seem to be able to heal them.

I don't run a "bunny mill." I love all my bunnies and treat them as pets. Their environment is clean and well ventilated, with fresh food and water at all times. It is like a dagger in my heart when they sicken and die and I feel so very powerless.

I am doing all I am able to do, but it isn't enough. I have another one in isolation tonight in the kitchen and I have told him that he WILL LIVE!, DAMMIT! DO NOT DIE OR I WILL KILL YOU!

On the other hand, there is so much life, so many babies, flora and fauna, everywhere this April. It is so beautiful and is my very favorite time of year. I sit on the porch and commune with the house bunnies and the cat and the dogs while I knit or read or zone. I take the long way home from town, down lanes and dirt roads. Dogwoods and redbuds, wildflowers, henbit and dandelions. The atmosphere is vibrant with life emerging. The sky is so clear and blue. Hope springs eternal and all that. It's hard to deal with death amidst so much life.

At 49, maybe it's time to be a grown up but I hope to not lose the wonder - and heartbreak - that this life offers us. I don't really want to grow up. I want to keep that childish hope in the good and beautiful. I want my babies to grow up and have a good life. Just like any other mother.

And now for something completely different, I own fuzzarelly.com! This is through easydot.com. However, there is always a floater in the pool and I am having to deal with not having an up-to-date-enough browser to actually design my pages. Sigh. And my sweetie is far away - my fixer of the computer woes. But soon, I will have my own website so I can hawk my angora, merino, and silk blends to the world. I am selling on eBay now, under - what else, could it be, yes, it is - FUZZARELLY - but with summer upon us and the lousy economy and all, sales have plummeted. Maybe I can _brand_ fuzzarelly and make it hip and trendy and sell the dickens out of it. Or at least make enough $ to pay for the kids feed and meds.