Thursday, May 6, 2010

Bunnyrats, Bees and Gypsy

I want rabbits. Where I am at "livestock are prohibited" but rabbits I do believe escape that clause. Judging from my lawn... anything that loves dandelions would be a welcome addition.

I want bees too, but that is just asking for trouble. I do ask for trouble on a daily basis... but knowing my dog's love for chomping at any insect flying in the air... a hive is a doggy death wish.

Someone around here I think has a hive as I saw a few honeybees today. Plump fuzzy and cute, I have trays of water out so they can get a drink. I am a big enough geek to give them a rock landing and change the water daily. One landed on my arm, and it was nice to look at it very closely. Not much out yet for it to forage on... but in the near future there will be plenty.

We don't treat our yards with any chemicals. That's probably why we have bugs galore... which attracts birds aplenty... all of which are welcome. There is a mob of birds that visit almost daily. They sweep the yard for bugs for several hours before leaving. I love it. When we first moved in here the lawn would move like ripples across water with all of the grasshoppers moving. It was enough to make you motion sick. In February the dang grasshoppers were out already... but when the birds arrived the grasshopper population took a massive nosedive. Now if only I could train them to crap in the compost heap...

Our cat, Gypsy, is acting very odd. Ever since we found her in the street as a super dinky kitten... she was always aloof. Crabass was what she was almost named. Hiss hiss growl moan whine petme...whatthehellareyoudoingpettingme? She escaped the week before her vet appt. to get fixed. Surprise surprise... the huge monster orange tabby named Taz raped her. Taz thankfully had bad aim and only 1 kitten came about from that encounter.

The kitten was given to my husband's cousin, and they named him Wesley. White with orange markings.. they gave a relatively whimpy name to a kitten that grew very large with an attitude to match. Compensating for the name I guess... he is king of his turf just like how his dad was. He is a big lovey mush to people... so very unlike his Mom.

Gypsy out of the blue decided my husband is the greatest thing ever. She's almost 8 and suddenly now she likes someone in the family. We knew she was slow... but 8 years slow is rather impressive (possible mid life crisis). So she tries to snuggle with him every chance she gets. The cat who does not like affection is actively seeking it out now. The only attention she would lavish on anyone ever used to be only when my daughter was getting sick.

So the attention is a good thing... and yet a bad thing. You see my husband dumped extra coffee grounds near her catnip patch. So after hitting up the nip she took a major roll in the grounds, then proceeded to go inside and snuggle up on his side of the bed. Coffee grounds all over the white down comforter... all over the sheets I just changed that morning. Whee.

I want bunnies. They are soft and cute and tasty to boot. I don't think I could kill one. Actually I know I couldn't, not a possibility. After a hunting encounter and several slaughterhouse videos I was a vegetarian for many years. My husband, despite the fact he is Dr. Doolittle, has no such qualms. Skinning.. fine butchering meat... fine snuffing a critter... so not up my alley.

They work very well into my scheme of things. They aren't noisy enough to bother neighbors, there are many cover crops that are good forage for them, manure for the garden, don't require a ton of space... perfect fit. Multi taskers that would fit right in.

First things first... hang trapeeze in bedroom and then talk husband into making bunny hutches.


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