Worlds away - the Silversong Farm blog

[DeniseJP]

I have to find a camera or see if we are purchasing a new one...I hate having things stolen... Andy might have my old one at college but I have to see if I can get a memory card for it...

Denise

 

[Wabbitdad12]

That sucks having your camera stolen.

 

[DeniseJP]

OK... my long awaited update...

Mercy did her telethon and two people called in donations of 3,000 and 2,000 US dollars to help our humane society because of her. She was so good giving kisses to people for a $1.00 or more donation and when my blood sugar dipped to a low of 42, she accompanied me to the food area where her body guard (aka the farm manager at the humane society) held her and I grabbed a sugary soda and some really good oatmeal cookies.

Juno's kits have been sold - all but Jemima, who is going to be a show bunny.

Roxanne and Remy's kits are at 5... one blue sport (or solid) doe, a marked blue doe, one marked black buck (the runt who almost expired due to the cold), one marked black doe and the 5th I have not been able to get my hands on. They are a source of joy for me with their youthful exuberance. Sadly, the large black self or sport buck died this week... but around me spring is happening... new bunnies impending... the return of the redwinged blackbirds on March 10th (one day late) and the song sparrows last weekend.

Segal is my heart bunny... he knows he is handsome and does everything he can to get my attention short of spraying me... today he hopped up to the door carrying his favorite toy... a rabbit safe rabbit rattle with wooden carrots on it. I just love this guy!

A show this Saturday... actually two shows in one. I am excited!

A trip to CT a week from today...going to have Easter with my sister and her family. My stepdad is not doing well - he hurt his knee, which keeps him from the gym, where he was going every day. He has lost a lot of weight from the cancer and his diabetes... I am looking forward to giving him what could be a last hug.

Benn did not get into the state school and we are looking at a private college we cannot afford... if the funding is there, maybe it will happen. If not, we may need to get creative.

Andy had a great spring break here with Greg, who was also on spring break... just like old times.

Had a great assembly at school today - if you Google "Jared Campbell" you will find his Blue Project presentation. It was a moving presentation to let kids know that they need to find "their blue" (a inspiration when he was walking on a cloudy day...and saw a small patch of blue sky and he got to thinking about how the sky is that blue beyond the grey cloud cover... and how that relays to life and those who see beyond the clouds and find their blue find inner peace and happiness) - and his songs are very inspirational. I almost cried during the song "In My Heart" about a boy named Michael who died from cancer... it made me think of my stepdad and what he is facing knowing he is dying. I leave a week from today... hopefully at this time next week I can get computer access and post from Connecticut.

And life is evolving for my senior son Benn and my seniors at school - all of a sudden they are thinking they did not order a cap and gown and this is my gift to them - I get their heights and place the order as they don't think about the ceremony... but I do as it is part of my job description. It is such a rite of passage and I love being involved.

Tomorrow I am playing in a kickball game against students with a team of teachers that I am old enough to be some of their moms... the Student Council adviser took my team name and is using it - "Granny (me) and the Brat Pack." Haven't played kick ball since I was 13... and I am 45, almost 46... LOL.... In any case I will provide comedic humor and maybe even get a chance to sprint the bases....

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

Survived kickball and surprised the kids and younger teachers that "Granny" can kick a ball and run like heck! Game was tied 1-1... thanks to a home run by a younger math teacher.

Oh, and it was about 32 degrees Fahrenheit and I was outside in a T-shirt and shorts... menopause is a benefit with the hot flashes as I had my own internal heat source working quite well while the youngsters and my boss were huddled in layers of sweats... even donated my coat to the student council advisor who was freezing even being bundled up!

Getting ready for tomorrow's show... carriers are ready... directions ready, truck fueled up... practiced posing for the Hollands and running for the Checkered Giants... and got Roxanne's kits on the table to run them for practice and they were champs!

Grace was the only CG rabbit ready to run... Calliope, Jared and Remy needed encouragement... it might be another embarrassing show for me in the Checkered Giant department but I figure, practice makes perfect! It is my second attempt showing this breed. No scratches or bite marks, either!

Of Roxanne and Remy's litter I have two marked black does, one marked black buck, one marked blue doe and a self doe.... I am so grateful and hope they continue to thrive.

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

Good show today - a post on the Rabbitry and Show Room area gives the update.

Too tired to even think now - early AMs before rabbit shows involves caring for the horses and I am ready to crash... but first dinner with the whole family - Benn home from work, Greg visiting and Andy home. Andy was happy his rabbit Jared was BOB twice and even carried the heavy carriers to the barn for me! I was happy in the competitive Holland Lop world for Segal to get a Best Opposite of Breed...

Carrots all around!

Denise

 

[Wabbitdad12]

I am glad you survived the kickball game. I am glad you had a good time at the show. They can make for a long day, but the fun while you are there is great.

 

[DeniseJP]

Wabbitdad12 wrote:

I am glad you survived the kickball game. I am glad you had a good time at the show. They can make for a long day, but the fun while you are there is great.

And two days later after kickball I walk with a limp... it will take some horse liniment to get me moving normally again... gotta remember, I am not eighteen, I am not eighteen... I am not eighteen... :biggrin2:

Denise

 

[Wabbitdad12]

I know what you mean, I am soon to be 48 and I am already getting stuff from AARP.

 

[DeniseJP]

Wabbitdad12 wrote:

I know what you mean, I am soon to be 48 and I am already getting stuff from AARP.

Almost 46 here and while I haven't seen the AARP stuff yet the insurance companies are sending me a lot of junk on life insurance and leaving funds behind for my loved ones and oh, they will give me a great rate for a limited time because I am getting older.:shock: I was not planning on going anywhere....LOL

Yesterday Segal was not happy with the farrier and the hay farmer visiting the barn without going over to see him... he stomped his foot several times, and then raced about his cage letting centrifigal force take over as he raced the walls...

Had some quiet time in the barn with everyone after the farrier and farmer left and got to say... I always go back in the house with a smile on my face after an hour or two in the barn.

Waiting to hear on a well-known rescue rabbit who might be coming to live with me - if the transport can be coordinated to me, it is going to be a great weekend! It is going to be a great excuse to go to Petco for Yogies and rabbit toys....

Denise

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

Well, it is going to be a lonely ride home for me... no news from the owners of the rescue bunny but at least the weather is nice for the long drive home.

Went to Misquamicut (Rhode Island) yesterday and went up to my knees in the ocean... cold but was so refreshing... the sand is starting to warm up and the smells of summer were emanating from the sand and surf.

Had a great visit with my stepdad - he has lost a lot of weight but is almost 6 months into his diagnosis and he said he is still here and I love his attitude. He taught me how to play dice at the casino and we spent an hour on a poker slot machine playing a game - and we played with a coupon the casino gave him. We also had a good lunch.

My nieces love when I visit as I clean their chicken coop for them... I love taking care of the 20 hens they have and gathering still-warm eggs. We celebratedmy nieces' birthday over the weekend and I have an assembly at their school before I head home.

There is nothing like New England where I am staying - miles of stone fences...fields... and ocean nearby. It was a good break to have before I find myself tomorrow morning at my desk, back at work.

Andy and Benn reported the rabbits and horses are well - can't wait to see how big the Checkered Giant babies have gotten in the 5 days that I have been away.

I also missed two 90 degree Fahrenheit days being down here... that is way too hot for me!

While I was away, I had a man call who wanted a Holland Lop rabbit for Easter and he "wanted to get it on Saturday." Talk about desperation in his voice (although the drive to my farm would have deterred him and I was not home anyway) and thinking about Easter rabbits that might be forgotten in a week I was glad to say "No, I do not have any for sale." Hope he made it chocolate for his kids.

Happy (Hoppy) Monday!

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

Home again as of Monday...

Checkered Giant babies have grown immensely...

In contact with owner of rescue bunny and hoping he gets transport to me... there is a lot of love going on here in my barn and there is always room for one more in the house....

Rough day at work... actually rough week at work. Took a gentle "reaming" to heart as a call to go beyond what I do to make sure I am always striving for excellence but I am still feeling the sting...

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

And the song sparrows have been singing around the barn... cup & saucer magnolias in bloom - tulips threatening to bloom... bunnies are all doing well... Segal is greeting me with his rattle... Brielle presses her nose to the bars and asks to be let out... she is a rabbit that likes to do the "bunny flop."

Roxanne's kits are growing still - they make me laugh as they will stand still and erupt into a series of binkies and jumps that pop into the air as if a firecracker popped under their tails - they get that much height.

Another show planned for May 8th if all is well with my stepdad... he has kidney failure now and got into an accident - nobody else was hurt and he damaged only his car but I am wondering if he will now let my sister take him places instead...it stinks not being close enough so I could help him.

Going to ride Weatherly - hoping she feels like getting out and being a good girl today...

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

Good, quiet ride yesterday to make sure the "gas pedal" on Weatherly worked and it did - she is remembering how to steer and walk when asked to... so going to try again before the weather goes downhill.

And, I have some time for bunnies... just me and the dogs and the horses and rabbits for a few more hours.

:biggrin2::jumpforjoy:

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

Off to the barn in a minute to find that peaceful place away from life...

It is tough contemplating the death of a loved one. Farm life is comforting to me as things grow in the spring, grow to potential in the summer, are harvested in the fall and die or rest beneath snow in winter to be reborn again in spring. It is a good rhythm to living.

Working at a school provides that same rhythm... September you get started... persevere to the December break... work through it without getting bitter that the boat still needs to be rowed while the rest of the crew (teachers and kids) gets a much needed break...January brings midterms, then second semester, February break (still rowing the boat while others get a break), the long month of March, then April and April break (still rowing here to keep the boat moving)...then the final sprint to the finish line of finals, graduation and then the prep for September again... and I take a vacation here...

The year is frought with seniors suffering from senioritis... some drop out, some pull themselves together... the death of two former students that graduated the same year as Andy (2008) when they decided to go canoeing at 1:30AM on a tempetuous lake last weekend... teachers and other loved staff members retiring and new ones taking their places...some getting laid off due to budget cuts... yet time marches on and we get to the end of the year, to plan for next year. We have no idea what it holds in store for us so we get each day with a smile and forge onward as life continues onward.

But the rhythms cycle through. Bad farming years involve lost or destroyed crops due to weather, lost horses, lost baby rabbits and we still persevere because spring always comes and there is that wonderful renewal. I wander the fields in search of coltsfoot - which sends up a little yellow flower when snow can still fall... for the sound of redwinged blackbirds that arrive around March 9th here... for farmers plowing fields... for their spreading a winter's worth of manure to turn under with the plows... the sight of winter wheat growing green and proliferating under the springtime sun... crocuses bloom and fade to be replaced by daffodils, to be replaced by tulips then irises and the wisteria... by then the veggie and flower garden is trying to grow to maturity for another season, despite drought, hail or too much rain.

I am hoping my stepdad finds peace from the pancreatic cancer that altered all our lives so drastically but I am grateful that I have had the time to call him and tell him I love him... to visit... the poor parents of those deceased boys had no warning and had to wait days for recovery.

In the nestbox that Lenka has are three beautiful kits by Segal - two torts and a broken tort... we lost Juno's three and Trisa's four... but Lenka's three survived. In a neighboring cage are Roxanne's five kits that bring a smile to my face. There were losses in the litter but five faces greet me daily.

So, while my stepdad's life here is fading, I know he will be reborn to something better... I just told him that when he gets his wings, to make sure he checks in from time to time.

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

A better day for stepdad - new meds took care of the pain and the stomach problems so he was able to relax and sleep and was able to see his sister, his nephew and his neighbor at my sister's yesterday.

Cold here today with that 4 letter "s" word falling from the sky on my way to work - it is still cool out now. Off to spend time with the rabbits in the barn.

Denise

 

[hartleybun]

in reply to your post 20 april - what a poignant piece yet so true. i found it very touching. i like to think that my mum and grandparents 'look in' every so often. a very moving blog entry.

on a lighter note - we actually have sunshine

 

[DeniseJP]

hartleybun wrote:

in reply to your post 20 april - what a poignant piece yet so true. i found it very touching. i like to think that my mum and grandparents 'look in' every so often. a very moving blog entry.

on a lighter note - we actually have sunshine

Sunshine is so good!!! I am enjoying it through a window right now until I get to the barn in a moment!

Without sounding "touched" or "creepy" I "see" my grandparents often - especially when times are tough for me. I was very close to them and my sons have identified a being they saw in their rooms as my grandma. It is comforting and lets me know there is life beyond... makes the impending situation with dad more bearable... and his friends have reported seeing his mom and sister who died within days of each other... which he told me about. I tell him when he "gets his wings" to make sure he visits!!!

I had a psychic reading done and confirmed I have many relatives who have passed on about me - some I know and others who passed before me, that try to bolster me. I was also encouraged to see a Reiki master for further teaching and the little I have read has me interested. There is so much out there we don't know about and my mind is open.

My sister (masters in psychology - licensed social worker in her state) read a book that put her at ease about dad's situation and after reading it, I was hooked - life is intertwined and repeats so we learn lessons - a far cry from my teachings in the Catholic Church but I am looking beyond those teachings as mere men do not know the mysteries of the universe... some may have insight yet one law runs deep and my grandpa always said it to me - Treat others as you would like to be treated.

My other rule is "What goes around, comes around." Hence, I try to greet all with a smile and want to help as best I can... what you send forth comes back threefold.

On that note, there was a post I commented on on another thread that was closed that I will share my insight on.

We are the stewards of the animals in our care and we must do what is best for them. After much consideration, I placed my pot belly pigs with a coworker with a larger herd as I felt here they were not living to their potential... and they are doing very well. It was tough but I felt their needs and tried to deliver. The reports I am getting is that they are thriving and interacting - better than I was doing for them and I felt that from them, even though they doubted it at first.

Animals will tell us what they need... my rabbits, horses, dogs, pheasants, cats and snake remind me of what they need in their worlds. I am blessed that I want to learn, yet wise enough to know I am not and never will be an expert. Anyone who professes themselves to be an expert has much to learn... life with animals is an ongoing lesson... sometimes sweet, other times bittersweet, and other times it... pardon my American English... it sucks... but life is always a lesson to be learned from.

Mercy will be doing "Farm Day" at our local humane society tomorrow... learning to speak horse she taught me over the years - how to interact with people of different abilities - how to be gentle with some and eager with others... as my rabbits try to educate me each day...even 15 day old kits have opinions I have had to question when they started venturing out at 10 days with eyes still sealed and no nestbox eye...but when it was below 32F here today, even they were nestled in the nest box. The eyes opened at 14 days... oh, the experience of living and "seeing" for the first time...

Always, in my humble opinion...and grateful to be a student of life in all its forms....

Denise

 

[hartleybun]

another post that strikes a chord with me. after years of the doctrine of the catholic church that i was brought up in, i too started opening my mind. the final straw was being told that the reason i couldnt carry a child to term was because i had married a protestant.:banghead

over the years i've learnt to open my eyes and mind chris has said that i ought to move toglastonburyim beginning to think that animals have entered my life for a reason - they certainly are great teachers

good luck to mercy - hope the fame doesnt go to her head!

 

[DeniseJP]

hartleybun wrote:

another post that strikes a chord with me. after years of the doctrine of the catholic church that i was brought up in, i too started opening my mind. the final straw was being told that the reason i couldnt carry a child to term was because i had married a protestant.:banghead

over the years i've learnt to open my eyes and mind chris has said that i ought to move toglastonburyim beginning to think that animals have entered my life for a reason - they certainly are great teachers

good luck to mercy - hope the fame doesnt go to her head!

Animals are the best teachers as they do see more than we are capable of. Watching Mercy analyze people in a split second and coming forward, maybe kissing someone on the hand if they were tentative, and absolutely kissing others all over their faces... and then being reserved with others.... I just take my cues from her.

I married a Protestant as well and that made me "going to Hell" according to some relatives. I said, well, in my married years I have been faithful (unlike the one hurling stones at me), I will let God decide when I get to meet him - after all, He is in charge, not a bunch of egotistical people down here. :whistling

The more I study and learn, what I realize is thatlife is about love. It is a universal feeling and energy.

Mercy likes the cameras and attention but she came home today after painting pictures and giving kisses to people of all ages and she immediately found a dusty spot to roll in.

A young lady and her mom came up to us - they were filmed in our Animal Planet video back in 2003... and they remembered... and I remembered them. Amazing the lives Mercy has touched.

Oh, and the bunnies up for adoption... there was a cute dwarf cross... broken tort... and a Dutch... and an agouti of some type... thank goodness all my cages are spoken for!!!!

Today was a great day...and any day that Mercy and I get to spend together and converse to the amazement of people watching, I hope lets them know that animals are intelligent, are capable of conversing with us, and are a wonderful gift.

Mercy will not "mess" in public and even though she had a stall for potty breaks, she chose not to use it as people watched her in the stall. At the end of our day, when the crowds tapered off, she found a corner... but she "held it" from 10:30AM to 3:30PM...because she will not mess in public or if she feels she is being "watched." I did not train her this way... just a quirk of nature, I guess.

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

And as things are growing and blooming all around me, I lost Remy, the blue Checkered Giant senior buck some time during the night - he was flopped on his side, the cage not disturbed, no blood, no diarrhea, normal poops... the nature of rabbits is they are here for a little bit and they touch our lives and then they get their wings.

I will let my stepdad know about Remy... if a big marked blue rabbit with huge ears is there at his "getting his wings" ceremony, that he is there from me... he is already waiting to see his elderly cat that had to be PTS a month ago - the cat made it to the age of 18.

I do have Remy's brother Jared and Remy & Roxanne's kits (four does and a buck) and Calliope is expecting a Jared litter...

It is raining lightly here but signs of spring are all around - sad to lose those we love, even when they have long ears, whiskers and twitchy noses.

Binky free Remy...

Denise