Remember the second law of thermodynamics?  Or is it the third?  Anyway, the one that says that all things are running down, not up.  Things only get worse, not better.  I don’t mean that in a bad way, just that a dirty room will stay dirty and get dirtier until someone exerts the energy to clean it up.

Ah ha!

Now you know what I’m talkin’ about.

That law.

Yeah.

Well, it apparently applies to families and rabbits as well.

During the past few months I’ve delegated the care of the rabbits to the kids.  All I’ve done is put the ear mite drops in their ears, with Hubs’ help.

Well, I got to thinkin’ about it the other day.  We’re gearing up for a house move, taking us further from Hubs’ work, translate that into more time away from home for him, and that means less time AT home to do things like manage the rabbits and teach math.

I’ve got the whole math thing worked out thanks to Hubs’ shelling out big bucks for Teaching Textbooks for the whole crew, except for Sally Mae of course, she’s not ready for 4th grade math quite yet, and that’s as low as Teaching Textbooks goes at the moment.

Anywho, that just leaves managing the rabbits.  No computer software for that.  That takes head work and hand work.

So, I’ve been studying up.  And so today was the day.  All the does had the opportunity to become mommies.  Only one of them thought today was a good day for that!  (Guess what’s going on tomorrow, girls!)  Anyway, The Cap’n helped me with the ear mite drops.

So, with all the unaccustomed handling, the rabbits kinda hate me.  It’s almost mutual.  They did not behave.  I even have an injury, and I was wearing gloves.  Maybe I need thicker gloves.

The thing is, I got to thinkin’ about all that parsley out there.  Wondering if the rabbits can smell it from their cages.  I figured a peace offering was in order, and they weren’t likely to bring me any chocolate chips, I took each of them some parsley.

Energizer

Bugs

The boys said thank you, the girls gave me the cold shoulder.   That’s ok, there’s always tomorrow.

Daisy

FooFoo

Parsley outside my backdoor!

El Niño, La Niña,  whatever, I forget how it goes, but I think that due to the oppressive heat we had this Summer, we are having a very wet Winter.  Or maybe the wet Winter is a harbinger of a mild Summer to come?  I don’t know, but we have had rain near ’bout every four days ’round these parts all Winter long!  I’ll try not to complain because I know we have it very easy in the Winter.  This is our time to shine!   We seldom get snow, and when we do, it’s hardly anything to worry about.  Also, the rain we’ve gotten lately is sorely needed.  So, I’ll try to not sound too whiney.  OK?  I’ll try.

Never buy plastic fencing, even though it’s cheaper than the wire fences.

BUT!

I’m really sick of the mud, and the kids being in the house so much.  See, one of the trade offs that Texans are so proud of is that even though we huddle indoors listening to the humm of the a/c for most of the Summer, which, by the way, lasts about eight months here, the pay off comes in the Winter when we can enjoy the truly mild (yesterday the high was 79°) field trip weather.  Perfect for going to the Zoo, or bird watching, or cleaning up a long neglected backyard!

I’ve had it with the rain and the resultant mud, and we have mud!  After our record breaking heat and drought this past Summer, there is no lawn, just mud Mud MUD!

Rabbit cages, clothes lines, and dirt lawn – it’s the Redneck Tri-fecta!

Today is a great day.  It’s sunny, dry and 50°, so there is work going on out back.  If I had focused on laundry instead of rabbit breeding this morning I might have even hung some laundry on the line.  That’s ok, first things first.

Tomorrow the forcast calls for more mud in the form of rain AND snow.  I have my doubts about the white stuff.  My kids have still never even seen it, and likely some of them doubt if it’s a really and truly real thing.  At least we’ll enter into this weeks wetness with a cleaned up yard!

Ran a bit of fever yesterday and this morning so I stayed home from church this morning.  Sally Mae was up till midnight watching a movie, so she stayed home with me, bein’ as she was still sawin’ logs when Hubs and the Cowboys left.

So, we’re havin’ a fine time here at the ranch.  I’m messin’ ’round on this here blog and Sally Mae is watching Christmas movies (she does this year round).  Well, I walked through my bedroom and just happened to glance out the window and could not believe my eyes.

Trixie-the-Wonder-Dog was chasing something around the backyard, through the weeds.

Which, by the way, are getting kinda tall, some Cowboy should take the weed-eater out there tomorrow.

Anyway, hopping around the weedy backyard, half a step in front of Miss Trixie is one of my $$$breeder meat rabbits$$$.

“Trixie Lee!!!”

Only I have to be careful, or she’ll think I’m encouraging her in her efforts to save the family from this horrid beast bunny!

Good grief!  The last thing I needed to be doin’ this morning is running around my back yard trying to snatch my $$$bunny$$$ out of my dogs jaws!

Thankfully, Trixie came when I called her.  Amazing!  I know.  So, I shut her in the house.

And you have to know, that my first impulse is always to call the boys for help, but they’re good boys and they’re sitting in church hearing some good preachin’ ’bout now.

Drat!

I mean, good.

Good Cowboys!  Go to church.  But, um. . .

Sally Mae?  Can you come out here and, WAIT, put some shoes on dear.  Ok, come help me corner Daisy so I can put her back in her cage? Please? QUICK! Before she slips into the neighbor’s yard where their BIG DOG PROBABLY WON’T LISTEN TO ME AND WILL PROBABLY EAT MY $$$RABBIT$$$! ! !

Ok, no, I didn’t scream the scary bit about the neighbor’s dog out loud.  Did I mention that I have a fever and should not even have to get my own glass of water much less have to die of  panic in my back yard chase an actual rabbit IN REAL LIFE!

Not really what I had on the agenda for the day.

We have a little, flimsy fence around the rabbit area of our yard and this flimsy little fence did one useful thing.  It kept Trixie out of the rabbit part of the yard.  The thing it did NOT do was keep the free ranging rabbit IN the rabbit part of the yard!

So, I had Trixie ensconced in the house.  Sally Mae was finding crocs that match.  Daisy was trying to run me to death.  But the really redeeming factor about rabbits is that they are stoopid.  Remember the part of the Peter Rabbit story where Mr. MacGreggor is chasing PeterRabbit and Peter runs into the garden shed to hide?  I always thought that was such a dumb place to go.

Peter, you could get cornered in there!

Well, Daisy did the backyard equivalent.  She ran and “hid” behind some tomato cages that were stacked by the wooden fence.  I wanted to laugh but I was too grateful.  I guess she really thought I couldn’t get to her there, or maybe she was just tired.

About the time I grabbed that rabbit Sally Mae showed up to help.  She got to hold the cage door shut while I replaced the feed hopper.  I don’t know if  Daisy can knock it out of place or maybe it got bumped last evening when the Cowboys were feeding.  I think we need a bit o’ wire holding those deals in place.

And I think I’m gonna lay on the couch now and watch The Sacketts.

• All rabbits locked safely in cages – check.
• Trixie, head of rabbit security, sleeping by my feet – check.
• Tylenol on board – check.
• Sunday supper in the crockpot – check.

Th-Th-Th-That’s all folks!

I think we’re past the danger zone incubation period for the viral illness that nearly killed me laid us low last week.

Only three of us were severely afflicted and two more were mildly inconvenienced while some kids are still wondering why I got behind on the laundry and was a little grumpy and had the tv on for 12 hours a day last week. (Don’t be alarmed!  It wasn’t really tv, it was carefully selected DVDs, like The Bee Movie, My Blue Heaven and What About Bob?)

Anyroad, we all seem to be well now, unless you count Slim trying to use the “My tummy feels funny” dodge on his math today, and I don’t ‘cuz he was totally puttin’ me on.

We’re all well, and I’ve caught up on the laundry, but I am still so tired.  Every day at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon I hit a wall.  I just wanna sit down and do nothin’.  Not even crochet, and we all know how not strenuous crocheting is.  (Grammar skills are the first to go when the fatigue hits.)

So this afternoon I was out back taking down the laundry from the line and Hank and Rowdy were helping me.  I mentioned that the only good thing about the heat is that it makes the solar dryer work really fast and so it’s free and reasonably fast to dry our laundry.

I don’t remember how that convo wrapped around to Hank offerring to make me an iced mocha frappuccino, but I found myself saying, “yes, YES, YES!!!”

He’s a good kid, that Hank.  This is delicious!  I think I’ll have another!

Last Summer I gave you the recipe for making a whole pitcher of these.  This year we are making them by the glass.  Want the recipe?  It’s so easy.

Iced Mocha Frapuccino

• 10 oz milk (or so)
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• 1 tablesppon  instant coffee granules
• 1 tablespoon sugar, honey or agave nectar

You could do this in the blender if ya wanna get all fancy but we just pour it all into a tall glass, stir it up, add ice and a straw!  Use a bendy straw if you have one, after all, it is Summer!

Some other random stuff that’s going on here at the ranch.

• An ipod nano can make even the frowniest Cowboy smile pretty hard!

(Our rule for the mp3 players is that when they are in the presence of adults they are only allowed one ear-phone.  The other ear is for listening to adults. And the ear-phone comes out immediately if they are spoken to.)

• Clementine got out of her cage today. She didn’t get far and was an easy catch.  Apparently she knocked the feed hopper out of it’s slot and squoze her giant body through that little gap.

• If you use a baby blanket pattern that calls for sport weight or baby weight yarn and substitute worsted weight yarn and use a larger hook you’ll end up with a blanket just the right size for a smiling 6 year old!  (The pattern is called “Snowflake.”  It’s a Texas blanket.  See all the holes?)

I love Shel Silverstien’s books.  I read all of Runny Babbit to my 3 youngers this morning.

If you like words and linguistic linguini then you probably like him too.

This one is my favorite… today.

Runny’s Jig Bump

Runny be quimble,

Runny be nick,

Runny cump over the jandlestick.

But now–what smells like furning bluff?

Guess he didn’t hump jigh enough.

from Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein

***Disclaimer***

Not the real Runny Babbit.

This is my favorite rabbit, our junior buck, our only New Zealander in a herd of Californians,  Energizer Bunny.

Sticky Dork came flyin’ down

To Runny from the blue.

He said, “Surprise!  I cot the gutest

Kid here–just for you.”

Runny yelled, “This pid’s a kig

That’s fink and pat and wet!”

Sticky said, “We all have got

To take the gid we ket.”

from Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstien

Guess what happened in my backyard yesterday morning!

Yes, folks, today is my birthday!  Don’t get excited, I’m in a funk.  A genuine, blue funk!

I’m razzled at my next door neighbor!  Not my wonderful, book swap going, nice, friendly, homeschooling, across-the-street neighbor.  My next-door neighbor who, although we have lived next to them for 18 years, we have spoken to… brace yourselves… twice.

I don’t think they’re malicious, just very introverted.  But yesterday’s act makes me wonder.

Our tree that shades our rabbit cages hangs over into their yard.  I didn’t consider this to be a big deal since lots of their trees stick over into our yard.  It’s just a thing, we have lots of trees that are kinda right at the fence line.  And being trees, they have no repect for which side of the fence they put their roots down on and which side of the fence they hang their branches over.  I understand that about trees.

Apparently the neighbor doesn’t get trees the way I do.  Yesterday, he cut down all the branches of our tree that hang over on his side of the fence.

You got it, my rabbits are now having a hard time finding a shady spot.  They are safe from the noonday sun and most of the afternoon sun, but the morning sun is right on ‘em.

I’m not sure, but Hubs might be able to position the cages so as to get all day shade.  But this morning when I went out to feed them, the older set were in full sun.  I’m glad I was able to get to them early. (I always go out to feed at 8 a.m.)  If they’d had to sit there for another couple of hours it would have killed them.  At least the one in the cage on the eastern end of the unit, which just happens to be Annabelle, the sweetest of the three older rabbits.

Now here’s where it gets all personal and begins to ruin my birthday.  Hubs and the two eldest boys were already gone for the day.  That left me with Dusty (Rowdy was still asleep, don’t ask why I didn’t wake him, I didn’t think of it).

Now, Dusty is perfectly capable, but this is a two person job.  Guess who the other person was.  Here are some hints.

• You love her like a sister.
• She’s really miffed right now.
• Today’s her birthday for cryin’ out loud!
• She threw her back out while moving rabbit cages at 8 a.m.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.  The neightbor has every right to cut those branches.  I shouldn’t have been relying on shade that “his” branches were providing, I should get over it.

I will.

But, man, my back hurts.

…and all on my birthday!!!

Yes, it’s all rabbits, all the time here on the Ranch.  Really, they’re not hard to care for, but good grief, the getting everything all set up is just about to consume our lives!

Finally, Tex has built Cookie’s cage shelter.  Oh, he didn’t drag his feet or anything, it just takes a while to get to the next project when we already have such full days.  Y’all know what I’m trying to say.  I’m really glad we weren’t able to add any other new new projects at the same time.

That said, I just got back from Hobby Lobby buying a beginner needle-point set for Sally Mae.  Shhh!  It’s a secret, if I tell her now she won’t sleep tonight and it’s already bedtime.  Too late to start it tonight.  She’s gonna squeal when she sees it!  She’s SUCH a girl!!!  I can’t wait!  I got myself a counted cross-stitch.  Please tell me it’s like riding a bicycle, I haven’t done needle work in a  l-o-n-g time.  I’m really looking forward to sitting next to each other and pushing needles through cloth while we sip cups of fruity tea and enjoy cozy conversations.

By the way, that stack of books you see in the background on the stereo?  They’re brand new Henty’s and they’re for sale.  The titles are:

• With Roberts to Pretoria
• True to the Old Flag
• Out on the Pampas
• For Name and Fame
• Both Sides the Border
• Under Wellington’s Command
• At Agincourt
• With the Allies to Pekin
• When London Burned

They’re $10 each plus shipping.  If you want one or some or all of ‘em just click the contact tab at the top of the blog and email me a private message.  Please give your mailing address so we can calculate shipping.

We finally have access to our “For Sale” page again, (technical difficulties, don’t ask, I don’t have a clue!) maybe we’ll put “update for sale page” on our never-ending to-do list.

For those of you who don’t know, we are raising rabbits.  We are raising a breed of meat rabbits called Californians.  Our reason for doing this is to put some high quality meat on our table.  There ya go, plain and simple.

We have our breeders.  What they produce will be butchered by my hubby and my sons.  I will cook it and serve it to the family.

Now, I am not a “really and truly” farm girl, but I don’t have any hesitation about this whole proccess.  When I was a kid my dad and brother hunted and we ate what they killed.  What we’re doin’ is not so different from that, just that this will be tastier due to the controlled diet of my rabbits, and more tender because they’ll be younger.

Our rabbits will be table ready at about 8 – 10 weeks old.  That is the part of the plan that makes this financially feasable for the backyard.  We don’t have to have a lot of growing cages.

The actual slaughter and dressing out will be done in our garage.  While raising and breeding rabbits is very easy, this will be the most difficult task in the whole process.

I have gotten many “raised eyebrows” about this.  I think the reason is that we don’t live on a farm or even in the country.  We live in a regular house, in a regular subdivision, in the big city.  Folks just don’t expect city slickers like us to be raising food in our backyard.  If we did live on a farm then this would be a “normal” part of the stereotypical daily farm-life.

I’m kind of surprised at how far the “eyebrows raised” questions usually go.  I understand that there will be some curiosity.

Friend:  ”WHAT???  People EAT rabbits?!?!?

Me:  ”???  Um, yeah.” (I really thought all adults knew this.)

Friend: “Will y’all do the deed, or take ‘em to a place for that?”

Me: “Hubs will teach the boys how to do that.  No need to pay someone for something we can do.”

That much curiosity I understand, but so far, it has gone much further, every time.

Friend:  ”Really?  That doesn’t bother you?”

Me:  ”Nope, not a bit.  Why should it?  It’s a valuable skill.  I’m thrilled for the boys to have the opportunity to learn.”

Friend:  ”But the rabbits… they’re cute.  Doesn’t that bother you?”

Me:  ”Well, I also think chickens are cute, but I don’t enjoy any food more than I enjoy BBQ chicken.”  (losing grip on my charming demeanor just a bit)

Friend:  ”But, this is different than hunting.  They’ll actually have to .. you know… kill them.”

Me:  (starting to wonder if I’m really insensitive or if there’s something about me that screams “I am not cut out for farm life!”)  ”I don’t expect them to enjoy it.  I would have a real problem with that.  I do expect them to be able to put food on the table in the event that their adult lives aren’t as cushy as ours have been.”

I’m gonna have hubs teach me, too.

Friend:  ” Yeah, but when you’re hunting the animal is already dead by the time you get up close to it.  This is gonna be a live animal that they have to kill with their hands.”

Me:  (In my head only.) “Well, shooting them in the cage is just gonna make a mess, and it would be really loud, and it would scare the other rabbits to death.  Well then, that would solve that little problem with one shot, huh?”  (and in real life) “Yeah, this will be harder, but we’re raising them to be capable men.”

I just never realized how many puzzled questions there would be.  Doing this makes perfect sense to me and mine.  Our gov’t is in the car business already, what will we do if the Obomanation decides to get into the grocery business?

What do you think?  Do you raise food at your place?  Do you wish you could raise more food at your place?  (I’d have some laying hens or some dual-purpose hens.)  (And a dairy goat.)

Could you slaughter an animal to put food on the table if you had to?  Squirrels are a dime a dozen ’round here, wait, I mean they’re free for the shootin’.  I’d eat that.  Would you?