Hop!

Wellington has a new friend. (That's the series I'm writing on the True Story of the Easter Bunny).

Dr Dowty and his wife Debbie stopped by yesterday to give Henry and Huey had their annual check-up and shots. I asked Debbie how their own pets were doing and she got a sheepish look on her face as she pointed to a cardboard box on the floor of their mobile clinic. I peeked inside to see the tiniest bunny I have seen in a LONG time. I say that because my first cat, Poo aka as Christine, brought home two baby bunnies once years ago and we tried to save them but they died after a few days.

Debbie's bunny was just as tiny. They found him on the farm and he was so tiny his eyes were not even open. They could not find the litter or the mom. Probably victim's to a fox they reasoned. Don told Debbie the baby would probably die but they could try to save him. She bottle fed him every few hours for the first few days and kept him by her side all the time.

After they left, I lamented not getting a picture of him/her (too early to tell) and so this morning I called her to see if they could stop by Friday on their next trip in from the farm. She called back a bit later to say they were in town today for their clinic inspection and if I wanted I could come over and get some photos today.

I dashed over and to my amazement the little guy (until we know differently, we are calling him a he) has already grown! He posed more or less for his portrait and I even got to hold him.

He has imprinted on Debbie so well that she had to put her shirt in his box to settle him down yesterday evening. But that was not for the night. No, at night he sleeps right beside her.

You need a pouch for daytime I suggested. She grinned and agreed.

His name is Hop and he will be in the Wellington books. He'll just hop right into the story line.

Happy Day, Earth

The blooms on this red tip wanna be a tree bush in our yard could almost pass for white lilacs, one of my favorite spring flowers. On my walks from school in Ohio I would pass a small yard with purple lilac trees blooming in full glory, their branches truly laden almost to the ground with sweet scented lavender blossoms. They lined the street side boundary of this modest yard and I would pick an armful of the fragrant flowers to take home to Mom. The owner might mind you doing this it was suggested and so I refrained from the picking but never the admiring.

We do have that promised rain today but it is rather pleasant and maybe an end to the drought.

Today being Earth Day the newspaper is full of articles on the subject. One features the pros and cons of different types of diapers. I don't know that any one out weighs the other as the conservation winner. Statistics are not much help for, as someone once pointed out to us, that number game can be spun to favor any point of view.

Raising five babies, we actually went through the entire litany of diaper choices. With Emily we used cloth which we washed and sun dried. (Donny needs to blog about the one that got away and clogged the septic system in a most unfortunate spot for recovery.) For Donald we switched to paper. Then with Stephen & Andrew we tried cloth via diaper service. And finally for Lewis a wool snap diaper holder that did not need to be washed with every use. It had a cloth liner that could be replaced, so there was less daily washing involved. The seemingly inevitable rashes happened with every single system, therefore my real choice in the summer time when we were home was au natural.

The best we can do is what works for us without forgetting our planet. So perhaps today we can make an Earth Day pledge to make good choices for all types of consumption for ourselves and for our first mother, Earth!

Budding Talent

Friend Anna Lee won 3rd place in her school's art competition. There were a lot of quality entries in all sorts of media. She's got her grandpa's, fellow RPI art school graduate, talent.

Our weather forcast for the next THREE days is rain, rain, rain. I am reminded of my second year at RPI when one spring it rained endless Tuesdays in a row. I was considering changing majors from art to aquatics.

I lifted the following YouTube link from Dooce. It's not new but it sure is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

We have sequestered the two black cats to be ready for their vet visit tomorrow. It's shot day. And Huey will not be touched by human hands so cleverness is required to catch him. We lured him inside (they live outside on our covered non-screened in porch as we choose not to deal with a litter box and also Sarah breaths better without cat dander around) with promises of tuna (delivered) and brought Henry along too as he often neglects to show up for meals choosing to dine out instead.

So we put them in the downstairs new room with their needed amenities and thought no more until I heard the door that separates the downstairs from the upstairs jiggle. In all my nakedness as I am about to hop in the bath and am finishing up a phone conversation with Emily, I scream for Donny to see who is at the door.

Everything is locked below he replies still coming to my aid from his upstairs office and then notices the door is slightly open. The pull down handle has been wrangled by (beat) the cats.

Oh so smart they are.

Showering

Stephen & Sarah
Originally uploaded by wellingtonrabbit

Pat, Laurie and Jenn gave Stephen & Sarah a baby shower last Saturday and it was well attended by family and friends of all ages.

The weather which threatened all day off and on was perfect and the cookout part by Orren a yummy success.

S&S got lots of really nice gifts from baby clothes to furniture. Lydia even gave Baby Ball one of her favorite personal baby toys.

After the party Em, the kids, AJ, Donny & myself went to S&S's house to see the new bamboo floors and the ready and waiting nursery complete with comfy glider chair.

We visited a while and then it was time to go to AJ's for sleeping.

"You are dragging us from house to house to house," moaned Martin, our family member that lacks a transition gene. But he survived and even got a chance to school Andrew on Lego Stars Wars the next morning. Schooling Andrew on anything is a coup, the wealth of knowledge that he is.

Baby Ball #1 is due in about six weeks!!

Stephen is already planning the first basketball game.