Speed Grooming

LJ Contessa sits patiently.

Shepherds Amber Pearl is dozing.

What's that blur?

Just me, little LJ Kaolin trying to avoid both the brush and the camera.

You have to take advantage of any little drop in temperature to get the bunnies groomed. My front porch serves as the shaded, usually breezy, grooming area. It is still not cool enough so I quickly speed groom the tops and work on the bottoms inside in the "cold storage " area. It has truly been the hottest summer that I can ever remember. It is amazing that any rabbits have any coats on what so ever. This show season should be interesting as so many people are ranting that every bunny they have has molted. Who is to blame them? If I had any fur, I would certainly shed it off. It is hard to even have clothes on as I sit here at 9 PM and it is still 84* out. Most of my retired angoras are clipped down in May and this will keep them cool and they will have a coat on in time for Fall. The year, I am already clipping them down again for a second time in order to keep them cool. In 20 years of raising rabbits, there has never been a second clip in summer. Every single person I meet says they can't wait for winter, just picture last winter though, do we really want that again? I guess humans are never happy.

Mothra

Looked dead to me.

Starts to flutter.

It's Alive.

Coming through the long hallway to work, I looked down to see this huge moth on the ground. It was as big as my whole hand and was not moving. I thought it came in the dark cool hallway to rest and must be dead. It was so beautiful sitting against the dark blue wall, I had to take some photos. When I leaned over to take the picture, it started to flutter. I was glad to see it was alive. By the time I left work later, it was gone. I guess it came in to enjoy the air conditioning and then went back to it's regular habitat. Every creature must be feeling the heat and this one learned how to adapt pretty well. This proves that you can enjoy nature anywhere, at any time.

Hitting the Sauce

Waiting patiently.

What's that gooey looking stuff?

I think I'll try some.

Not too bad!

Tuesdays are my favorite day of the week. It is my babysitting day with my Grandson, Liam. We have a very special bond and he is a joy to be around. Only 5 months old, he is very smart, loves books and is really interested in everything around him. What a good baby and very easy to take care of. I'm not just saying all this because I am his Grandmother, it's true. He is adorable and has a great sense of humor even at a young age. We laughed and laughed at a big piece of my hair in front of my face. He is also very tickleish and loves his Mom to blow raspberries on his belly. Liam makes all your troubles seem very unimportant. He thinks applesauce is pretty yummy, too.

Too Hot to Bother

GC PP's Bellisima

GC Shepherds Divine

GC Shepherds Hydrangea

It is so hot here, I can hardly make my brain work. Everyone I know has been working so hard to keep all of their animals cool. Many people I know have suffered lost animals from the heat. I have just tried to leave them alone as much as possible but they still need to be groomed. It seems like all the Jersey Woolies molted at once so the other morning, when it was a cool 82*, I got a few out to brush off the loose wool. It was fast work in front of the fan and I don't think they were too happy about it. They looked better afterwards and these are the few that still have coats left. When the Jerseys molt, it seems to be all at once. This can be a little shocking to new owners, one day a fluffy rabbit, the next day a pile of wool on the cage floor and a somewhat baldish looking bunny. Stay cool everyone and hopefully my brain will kick into gear, now that it is a little cooler, and I can come up with some interesting blogs.

Bye-Bye Nelly

We adopted Nelly from a shelter in 1994. I had gone there to look for a cat but saw this adorable mixture of dog with a blob of pooh on her head. I was smitten. She was supposed to be part sheep dog and part shepherd but alway seem to have some afghan hound in her along with it. They didn't want to adopt her out because she had been abused and was an ankle biter but we wouldn't give up. She was the best dog ever and never caused a bit of trouble. She loved the big yard and guarded the kids and household pets alike. I had photos of her on my computer and on my stolen camera but don't have them anymore. I do have photos of her all around the house so she will not be forgot. She died in my arms yesterday morning. She will be missed by everyone that knew and loved her. Bye-Bye sweet Nelly. We love you.

New Arrivals

Liberty Junction Kaolin

What a face!

GC Liberty Junction Contessa

What I do for bunnies, I can't believe it. My friend Lori White is cutting down her herd of beautiful English Angoras. So, last Saturday morning I got up at 5 AM and drove to Scranton, Pa. to pick up two cuties from her. Scranton is a 3 hour drive one way and I had to work the closing shift at work that day so it had to be a trip up and back. It was all worth it when I saw those cute faces. The broken tort doe, I was planning on showing for exibition during my regular show season. I hope to get support for the second broken presentation at the ARBA Convention this Fall. She is adorable and has a wonderful coat. Contessa also has a beautiful coat and should last into the Fall show season. The last time I purchased a bunny from Lori he won a BIS a few weeks before his senior show. Countryside LJ Wyatt has gone on to produce many Grand Champion off spring. I will have a few bucks from him for sale soon. I will look forward to showing these little cuties and thank Lori for trusting me with her beautiful babies.

For the Love of White

Shepherds Avery

GC Shepherds Aegis

GC Shepherds Angel Cake

It took me many years to fall in love with the red-eyed white English Angora. The red eyes kind of spooked me. It wasn't until I grew rabbits with heavy furnishings to cover up the eyes. Then I didn't mind so much. They also had the best wool along with the torts and blend in well with almost any color. Of course, breeding white to white will only get you white. I see the white as a hidden color with a white sheet over it. This can give you a rainbow of colors most times. Once I bred a white to a black and got 9 white babies. That was the Fall when all I had to show was 11 whites and one black rabbit. It was pretty funny. I have been trying to breed for whites and they have not taken. The two new litters that popped out were color to color and color to white. Not really expecting it, each gave me a white baby. They will probably be all bucks as I usually have a bunch of white bucks living here. Surprise!