My Heart's on Fire for Elvira

[whitelop]

No it would not be good if she bit someone! haha. You're right Chris, I can just put her food and water bowl down in the run area. That will be much easier than them fighting her to stay in the cabinet. Because by like day two of being in there she's going to go nuts and just escape from there and they won't be able to catch her. haha.

I'm just going to say that I wish it was the 60s again. I feel like things were a little easier back then. They got to smoke everywhere, they drank all day long. Things were way different and I think it made life a little more easy. haha. I've been watching Mad Men and it probably makes everything look more glamorous back then. He just shoved his wife and I had to laugh, because it was so funny to see! There are funny things in here, the men are so sexist and I think its hilarious. But mostly I like the way they dress. As society evolves our lack of dressing like adults and dressing like professionals has devolved. They used to wear suits to do everything. The woman used to dress up just to go to the market. Now, you can even get some people out of their pyjama's to go to the store, its ridiculous. The skirts no a-days are too short and woman have to pride in appearance, no one wears hats or gloves anymore. Men don't take their hats off inside anymore. Men don't hold the door for you and people are rude in elevators. Things are just different and sometimes the world seems very scary and back then, you didn't hear about the crazy stuff that was going on like that, so the world didn't seem like such a scary place. Other than the Cuban Missile Crisis and JFK's death.

Sorry, its been a weird day. I've been sitting on the couch all day and I just realized that its like 5pm and I have done nothing all day, except one load of clothes. hahaha. Thankfully I cleaned my kitchen last night and there's not much to be done. I did get my list made for the things that my parents need to do for the animals. Thats something! :thumbup

 

[Chrisdoc]

Morgan, I sometimes long for the old days when things were much easier and much safer. You´re right, i remember when we used to dress up to go to work, suit or skirt and jacket and heels. And we used to have our Sunday best to go to church or somewhere special and kids used to respect adults and people were well mannered and I never minded someone opening the door for me, I still get mad when younger men let it slam in your face. And I love the old films where they have their gloves and hats and look so clean and nice.

Everyone dresses like we used to dress to sit about the house and we live our lives in sweat pants or leggings and trainers and baggy t shirts or sweatshirts.

Progress is great but I miss the old days and that makes me feel older as well.

 

[PaGal]

Unfortunately, a lot of things have changed for the worst. Some things such as medicine have improved. As far as clothing. It makes me want to scream. I would wear sundresses around the house and all if I could find some to wear, It think some dresses and skirts are just more comfy. I wear some pretty ratty clothes at home but that's mostly do to some of the work. It doesn't pay to dress nice in a garage. All it takes is one trip out there and I've stained it with grease or something. I do dress nicer to leave home even if it is just nice jeans. My hubby does take his hat off to eat and opens doors. I actually had to train myself to allow him to. Up north no man holds a door but at least here in the south some still do.

The whole thing with wearing your pants by your knees is ridiculous. I heard that started in prison and was the way prisoners that didn't mind dropping the soap let the other prisoners know that. I can't stand seeing a person in their pj's at the store especially grown women. It's bad enough when the teen girls do it. OMG and the cussing. I can cuss up a storm when it is necessary but I get tired of hearing people talk when evry other word is cussing and they're not even upset.

Ok, I'll shut up now, shouldn't start when the head hurts because then everything is annoying.

You could stuff toilet paper rolls with hay. That's what I do for Thumper. I have rolls of hay all over if we have to go away. One less thing for his bun sitter to take care of.

 

[whitelop]

Denise that's a good idea with the hay stuff TP rolls. She would like to play with them and it would make it easier for her to get the hay. I'm still going to have them put hay in her boxes, but I think hay in the rolls would be good too.

I cuss like a sailor, at home. I don't cuss like that in public though, because there are kids around and some people don't cuss around their kids. I can't stand when I hear people talking like that around other kids and my kid. I just saw a girl in walmart in her pyjama's last night, it makes me insane. I also hate seeing grown women dressed like that. Its gross. I love yoga pants, like a lot. I wear the out, but I don't wear my christmas pants out in July to the store. haha. I also dress like a bum in the house, mens plaid shirts, yoga pants, tank tops. Yes, it happens everyday all day. But I'm normally surrounded by my kid and my animals, so they don't judge. haha.

My husbands grandmother, told me when we were there 2 years ago. That when she was a kid, when they went into the actual city of Pittsburgh they would dress in their Sunday best to go into town. They would wear their hats and gloves and dress to the nines. They had to, because it was the...40's and thats just the way it was. They came from a poor mining town, so when they went into the city it was a big thing. But she said when they came back, they would be covered in black soot because of the steel mills on the river. Their gloves would be black from touching things and everything had soot on it. But they still dressed up every time they went.
Back then I think it had a lot to do with the way you looked, for women. But your beauty didn't necessarily depend on your weight like it does now. Now to be considered "beautiful" you have to thin and a size 0. Its BS. We've all been worn down to something thats totally unrealistic. Google, Catherine Hendricks or Kat Dennings, they're not a size 0 but they're two very beautiful girls!

I agree with the medicine, we've come a long way. But sometimes ignorance is bliss! Not really, but somethings, its like just live your life and die when you die and lets not worry that you have some kind of gene that carries cancer and you know now that you're going to get it and probably die. That kind of thing totally puts a damper on everything! LOL
Modern technology is a great thing, but its taken the human out of humanity. We don't carry on real conversations anymore. We don't have the joy of written word anymore, we have text messages and emails. Now that stuff is totally convenient but it makes people awkward when they're in real social situations. It makes people unable to do regular tasks without the help of something more advanced that we are. I don't know, it makes life easier and harder at the same time...if that makes sense. It makes people less like people and more like robots and it makes people care less about what goes on outside and care less about their neighbors and whatever. It changes the way people do things, it changes how people ARE people.
Take my husband for example. He just got a temp worker today to work in his area at his work. So the guy is in his early 30s and he can't read or write. He is literally illiterate. I thought my husband was kidding when he told me this, but he told me that the guy couldn't fill out the time card the temp service sends because he couldn't write it out. He could only sign his name. Tell me that is not one of the saddest things you guys have ever heard? He did graduate school, but that tells me that they just pushed him through, either because they wanted to get rid of him or they didn't care. Its sad. My hub said he is a really nice guy and a hard worker, but the things that my husband does requires him to be able to read a form and stamp the disc's according to the forms. So unfortunately it might be the end of this guys temp job because he can't read or write. I'm sad for this guy, it makes me so mad and sad.
I don't know why I really shared that, other than because it just makes me sad.

 

[whitelop]

So I have to share about my outside cat. I feel weird throwing away meat scraps. I used to give them to the dog but now we don't have a dog. SO I've started giving scraps to my outside cat and I LOVE IT! haha. There is something wrong with me, I get this weird gratification seeing my cat so happy gnawing into a left over hunk of london broil. haha. I feed the left over veggies to my chickens and they love them, especially peas. The rooster LOVES peas. But I've been giving my cat meat and I totally think(this is where we go to the crazy place) I could have a lion. No, seriously I think I could. I just saw this thing on pinterest about Tippy Headren, she started a lion and tiger sanctuary, they got a lion that couldn't be with other lions because it had been raised solely with people. So they either had to put it to sleep or it had to live with someone. Well a family decided to take it on as a pet. A HOUSE LION! And people think we're nuts for having house rabbits. But this lion would lay in the kitchen like a cat, in the middle of the floor. It would sprawl in the husband's office, it would play with the kids while they were swimming. It was amazing! He never hurt anyone and lived out his house lion life with them! I could totally do that! If I had a bigger house, I would totally have a house lion. Not. Even. Kidding.

Well, I'll wait for my husband to get home and then I'll run out and take some pictures of the chicks. They're so big! But there are some real beauties in there! There is one white hen that is almost totally white and she has the nicest little feathers. The two baby blues are really good looking too. But there is one black hen that has this rusty color on her wings and its not supposed to be rusty, its supposed to be green. So I don't know how the rust came about, but its weird. There is also a white baby with a black feather with a rusty tint to it too. Strange. But they're all doing really well!

Ellie is mad at me. She is flopped in her box in her cabinet and I think she's pissed because I haven't been letting her out as much. She's a bad rabbit when I let her out! haha. She'll get over it. I have to clean her cabinet out tomorrow, so she'll get some out of cabinet time tomorrow. I might do it tonight so she can be out. I do still let her out everyday, but only for limited times. I just hate when she pees on the floor! haha.

 

[Chrisdoc]

So much on there Morgan. I can´t believe there are younger people who can´t read and write. You learn that at school when you´re little so hard to grasp these days and can´t understand why he wouldn´t have tried to do so as he got older as he must have found it seriously limiting.

I agree with everything you´ve said, technology is great but it takes so much away from us and you´re right, people don´t talk any more or discuss issues or life in general. Everyone has their head down in their mobile phone, I sometimes just feel like making them all disappear just for a day.

I love seeing old photos of my mom and her sisters as that´s how used to dress in the 40´s and 50´s when they were young. Always a hat, gloves, make up and they always looked so glam. Bit like the movies of that time, such lovely women and so well dressed.

I could just see you with a lion in your back garden. Í saw a documentary about her a while ago and it´s fascinating how tame they are but I´d still be scared it might see me as the next meal....

Poor Ellie, missing her free time. Hope she behaves when you clean the cabinet..I´m sure she´ll catch on that if she´s naughty, she doesn´t get out although maybe she´ll just be naughty anyway to see what you do....I just love that bunny lol.

 

[PaGal]

Well we don't cuss around the kids and don't like it when others do so. That's one of the reasons why kids act the way they do, they see it in their parents. I will admit it's really hard when I'm driving at times. That's when I usually need to the most. I love, love, love my yoga pants. They are so comfy but yet look better than sweats. I'm actually wearing a pair now. It's too cold for it but I'm so darn tired of being bundled up. I want short sleeves and flip flops. I have jeans I wear around the house with grease stains, holes in them and paint stains. But I'd never wear them out. I wear flip flops in the garden. No matter what I wear I always get dirt in my shoes or boots so now I just wear those. When I'm done I just hose my feet and legs off. I get cleaned and cooled off at the same time.

I don't think I would want to have to dress to the nines every time I went somewhere but I do like to. I've even thrown on a dress just to go to a program at the kids school. But like I said, I would love to have some light dresses and skirts I could just wear at home for working in. I think it's more than just a persons size that the problem. The problem is all of the beautiful women on tv. If we had the right hair dresser, make up artist, perfect lighting, etc. we could look that good as well. I don't have people calling me beautiful and I actually do where a size 0. Ha Anywhere from there to size 3. What's with that? Why are sizes so different depending on who makes the clothes. I think everything on tv and in movies just has way too much sex appeal. It's not realistic. Pick a show or movie and start adding up how many of the women are attractive and how many of the men are just ordinary. But enough of that rant.

Well like I said things have improved in some ways. It drives me crazy that people won't talk anymore, they just text and you just cannot carry on a real conversation that way. Also, a lot is lost when you are just typing. You miss out on the expression and the sound of the voice and it makes it so easy for what someone says to come out the complete opposite to the person on the other end. I also think in some ways we have got too dependent on medicine. People just don't let their bodies take care of them any more. We have the ability to survive so much without running to the doctor every time we sneeze. Yes, if it's possibly something major you could not survive without medical help or if you are in a lot of pain. But otherwise just cowboy up!

But at the same time without it we would not be doing what we are right now. Thumper would not be as spoiled as he is. Although he would have been fed well and had a good home we probably would be giving him carrots every day and things like that.

I feel bad for that man as well. His parents and his teachers let him down. His parents should have realized there was a problem and done something about it whether it was to work with him themselves or hire a tutor or whatever, schools should also not pass kids that are in that situation. But now he needs to do what he has to and get the help he needs. I can't imagine being illiterate in this day and age. How difficult things might be for him and how much he misses out on.

HaHa...you might want to run the lion idea past the hubby, see what he thinks!

Poor Ellie. Even in buns the females get the short end of the stick.

 

[whitelop]

Hahah. I did run the lion idea passed him last night. He said no. Too bad, I bet I could give a lion a really great home. I have plenty of chicken for him to eat! I kid, I kid. LOL
I know they're still wild animals and all and I would never get a baby lion. But if the need arose and a tame house lion needed a home, I would be jumping up and down with my hand up saying "he can live with me! ME! ME!" haha. Then my husband would punch himself in the face and learn to accept it, the way he learned to accept the foster dogs and the rabbit and the chickens and the bad cats. Well, the dogs was a little ridiculous, we had 4 at one time and it was hard.
But I do think it would be great if someone asked "what kind of pets do you have?" And I would be like "oh well, I have cats and chickens and a house rabbit and a house lion." They would be like, "oh thats cool...wait...what? A HOUSE LION?! THATS AWESOME!" hahaha. It would amazing!
That just proves how much of a nutter I am. I just dream of house lions. LOL

 

[agnesthelion]

Where do I start!?

Hahaha I'm catching up on blogs man so many topics covered!

Morgan I know what you mean about leaving on vacation. I have anxiety about it too but once I get there (like now in DC!) I'm fine.

As far as who would take the buns, that's hard too. I think my mom and sis would because they know how much they mean to me. And yes, when you have a kid it's even more difficult. Ironically hubby and I just bought a bigger life insurance policy and also working on a will because it's important to have if you have a child. It was not even a question if something happened to one of us the other would raise our son. But we are having a difficult time deciding who would take him if something happened to both of us.

I do also like the old days and look back on them with fondness. I also love the clothes and such. We've seen so much history being in DC ironically But also, I think "bad things"happened back then too. We are naive to think they didn't. Things were just hidden better, not talked about, etc. Except school shootings....those are just too scary!!

But it's been humbling to see/remember all that our country has accomplished. We are so young (compared to countries across the world) yet thanks to progressive thinkers we have come very far and now we are the most powerful in the world. Pretty amazing. So while it would seem appealing to live "back then" I'm glad we don't. I wouldn't want to go back to slavery, women not able to vote, no interracial or inter-religion marriages were allowed, African Americans didn't have the same rights as whites, etc. Times are definitely better now.

That's funny about the lion! I see that stuff on TV all the time. I feel bad for these wild animals that people think they can have as pets. Same as those monkeys. Then you here about these awful tragedies where the animal turns on the owner....well yeah, that's because it's a wild animal!

I think you should leave Ellie out with an xpen when you go. Then she can have some free run. But do you think she would pee all over? If someone can let her out for some free run time that could work too. Oh and hey, what did you decide to do with her spay?

Oh and btw I like your new avatar picture. Ellie looks like quite the queen in that picture. I think she's your "house lion" she's got such a big personality and all

 

[Chrisdoc]

Yes, progress is a hard one. It´s the way everything develops but some things we like and some not so much. Things have changed tremendously in the last hundred years and we should all be proud of how much better life is for most people.

Love the avatar photo, she such a pretty girl anyway.

I´ve already said I think the xpen would be great, that way, she have some space to move about maybe put an extra litter tray in there as well as in her cabinet. It would be great if she could have some out time but maybe it´s not practical.

 

[whitelop]

I do plan on having her spayed. I think that I'm going to wait until after I sell most of the chicks off then I'll be able to help my husband pay for it. I think he's scared to have it done because of Foo and I'm scared too. But I think the worst part of it is, we still had to pay for the spay because she died after the spay not during, so the surgery was complete. So that was $190 that we spent on bring my rabbit home to bury. My husband was not happy that we had to pay, but its part of it. I'm worried but it needs to be done, its the only way for her to stop pooping in my floor. I NEED her to stop pooping in the floor. haha.

I am going to put an x-pen around her cabinet door and put a litter box in the pen for her along with the one in her cabinet. I think she should be okay with pottying on the floor, I think that she'll go in her litter box because she'll only have a small area and not the whole kitchen. I'm going to put the tarp down in the pen part so even if she does go potty on the floor, it will be on the tarp and not my floor.
I think she'll be alright in the pen, I just won't be able to have anyone stay here long enough for her to be out for a while. She's a bad bun and she isn't easy to get back into the cabinet. haha. My dad is coming in the morning and my mom is coming in the evening, but neither one will want to stay for long enough to let her out. So the x-pen is fine for her. I'll make it big enough for her to be able to run around and have fun. Also it will be easier for them to feed her, since she is on her way to being cage aggressive. haha. I'll put her food bowls in the pen so they only have to reach over. Plus with two litter boxes, she'll have enough hay and they'll be able to put most of the hay in the bigger box in the pen. So I think its pretty much a win win for all those involved. LOL She'll be fine though. I'm not as worried about leaving her as I am about leaving the chickens.
I have to finish mending the fence tomorrow so the babies won't be able to get out of the bigger grade and they'll be able to stay in the big coop rather than the small kennel. Since they've been in the small kennel, I've been letting them out for a few hours a day so they can stretch and they're easier to feed. But with no one being here, I don't want my parents to let them out or when my mom gets here in the evening them not being in the kennel and her having to wait or leave them with the door open at night.

Why are my animals so difficult?

 

[Chrisdoc]

It´s so difficult with animals and all their needs but we love them all and that´s what we have to deal with.

You´re lucky in some ways cos you´ve got family over there. I can´t go anywhere at the moment as I haven´t really got anyone I´d trust with them right now so I´ll just have to stay around here for the time being.

I think she´ll do fine with her xpen and her space and it will be easier for them to feed her in that setup.

It´s difficult for you with the spay considering what happened to Foo but I think it would solve a lot of our Little Ellie´s potty issues and hormonal behaviour. She´s a healthy little girl, you take the decisión finally when you can afford to have it done.

I was thinking of your chicks today as I was watching how they work on an ostrich farm and wow, are those eggs big lol. It really made me laugh cos when they´ve all the eggs that are fertilised, they check them daily and smell them to make sure they´re OK. When the chicks hatched, they were so cute, big but cute.

 

[whitelop]

Ostrich eggs are HUGE! haha. I would love to have large birds like that, but emu's and ostriches are SO aggressive. Plus you have to have special fencing for them because they're so tall. So I think I'll stick with my giant chickens, at least they don't need 15 foot tall fencing. haha. But I still like emu's, the babies are really cute and they're so funny to watch.

I know, the spay is the only thing that will solve her problems. haha. Too bad she didn't stay a wonderful rabbit like she was when she was a baby baby.
I think she'll be okay during the spay, but I still worry. I think that her being young is on her side and hopefully internally very healthy. I think Foo maybe wasn't so healthy and she was older, but not old. I don't know. Its still so scary. So hopefully in the next few months she'll be going for the spay! haha. I take my chicks to sell in May and thats not that far off. So hopefully I'll make enough money to at least help with half of the spay, I think my husband would be okay with that. We have the money to pay for it, but I think it would be nice if I could help since it is my rabbit. I would just like to help him, he does so much for us and pays for everything. So a surgery that I'm choosing to do, I can at least help with that! haha. You guys know what I mean? I just hope my baby bunny does well!

 

[agnesthelion]

......

 

[PaGal]

Morgan...I just got a mental picture of you (which is my own made up mental picture of you because I haven't seen you except for your hand (roo attack) and one of your feets (bun pic)). running down a road through the country next to a pea green farm house being chased by an ostrich. It was actually pretty funny, not that I'd really want it to happen but it was more like watching the same thing in a movie, funny because you know it's not real and that person isn't about to get the crap beat out of them by an ostrich.

I can understand feeling like you want to help out with the cost, I work plenty hard at home, do what I can to save us money (and I do) but sometimes it's so nice when you feel like you contribute financially. Same way I felt when I stripped the neighbors beds for them to give to their daughter.

Too bad we didn't live near each other we could babysit each others animals when either of us went out of town. I guess with your roo I could wear my hubby's welding helmet, gloves, apron, my steel toed boots and arm myself with a cattle prod and mace. Ha!

 

[whitelop]

We are going to Pittsburgh, for my husbands grandfathers 80th birthday. So its an 8 hour drive.

I know Denise, i wish we did live closer, we could be bunny helpers! Haha. Actually my rooster is only aggressive towards me. He isn't like that to my husband or to strangers. But i think i need that gear to go in the coop, lol.
And who doesn't love an ostrich, they're crazy cool and big and dumb. Haha. My neighbors would kill me, because I'm sure they make terrible noises or what if one got loose? Hahaha.

 

[whitelop]

I was on my phone earlier and I couldn't type out what I wanted to tell you guys about my chicks.
Since the chicks have been separated from the hen for the last few weeks, it was their choice. Anyway, they think I'm mama now! HAHAHAH! I'm the mama! I let them out of their kennel and they follow me around, until I feed them. Then when I walk out my back door and they see me, they come to me! Its so exciting! They're so funny and so big and cute. But there is one rooster who is showing signs of aggression, so he's definitely got to go. LOL

Well my hen is showing signs of a calcium deficiency. Its my fault. They say to feed the hen whatever feed you feed the chicks because its easier and the babies can't have layer mash because its too high in calcium and there isn't enough protein. SO I fed her baby crumbles and now she's showing signs of a calcium deficiency. I started feeding her her regular feed again hoping that that will solve the problem, but I also got her some calcium tablets to dissolve in the water and give to her along with some vitamin D to help her absorb the calcium. Hopefully she'll be back to her old self in no time. She hasn't been laying eggs and when she laid her last egg like a week ago, I think that completely drained her of the calcium because egg shells are like 94% calcium. Poor girl. BUT hopefully I can fix it.

I need to take some picture tomorrow. Someone please remind me! haha. I need to take pictures of Ellie and the chicks. I've been really slack with the pictures.

 

[whitelop]

Here are some pictures of the chicks. They have grown SO much! They're like little chickens now, just on a smaller scale. They have adult feathers and they're little mini giants! haha.

This little white lady and the blue one to her right are staying with me. That little white is the sweetest and prettiest little thing! She is the first to come out and come to me when I open their kennel.

As a group.

So I'm keeping 2 white hens and the two blues. The blacks are going and the rest of the whites are going too. Hopefully someone will want them! haha. They're all so cute and now they're so friendly. They eat out of my hands and its so cute!

 

[Chrisdoc]

OMG I can´t believe how big they´ve grown, you´re right it seems only two minutes ago since they hatched. I love them all.

One thing I noticed is that ostriches make a heck of a lot of noise especially if there is a group of them. They are massive as well, wouldn´t like to bump into one of those in an open field lol.

Hope you´re hen gets all that calcium back and starts laying again, I bet you miss the eggs.

I´ve just bought some papaya tablets today for the boys as Bandy is shedding so much and the other two are always grooming him. Now, I´m checking that they´re Ok to give them. I could only find them in one place, heck it´s really difficult to get hold of these things over here.

 

[PaGal]

We make the trip up to near Pittsburgh ourselves but for us it's about six hours. At least you have someone to look in on the critters although I know it's not the same as having another animal crazy person come in that is as knowledgable as you or that will spend enough time with them.

You should have taken pics of Ellie and the chicks together back when they were smaller, they could have been early easter pics. The chicks really have grown and look just like chickens. It's nice the one pic has part of a chair in it, makes it easier to judge their size.

Yah, the neighbors might not appreciate an ostrich on the loose or the noise. I can't remember ever hearing one at the zoo or on any tv programs but I'm sure they make noise. One of our old neighbors had a peacock and boy could that thing be annoying. It was quiet in the winter but the rest of the year it would just keep calling and calling. I should have turned them in as we weren't even allowed to have chickens in the area and I didn't like them. The man used to work at a vets cleaning and got caught performing surgery on other peoples animals at his home, mostly neuters and spays. I guess the idiot felt he could do it just 'cause he cleaned at a vets. But to get back to my point, if a peacock can make that much noise and a rooster be as loud as it is, I can only imagine the noise an ostrich would make.