Baroquen x Whiskey Mac has 4 beautiful babies. 3 torts (one is broken) and a broken black. Cool. Proves her as another non-extension carrier. I am definitely set for tort. When I first pulled them out I thought they were all solids which would have been a drag. Pattern is so heavy there's very little white on the topside. Not what I expected from her, but I'll take it. This is Baroquen's 2nd attempt so she's doing a fine job. Didn't pull much fur but it's so warm, it wasn't necessary. Do does know that sometimes? I added a little from the bag of fur to soften the nest under them.
Still waiting on Flashdance. She's nested but hasn't pulled fur yet. If she's successful, I'll update this blog entry.
In other news:
I made a big mistake and tried to release the guinea keets. They should have been big enough and I think they were. But they couldn't defend themselves against the forces in the yard. That being Tanner and maybe Abby the cat.
It's a longer story and I won't go into it here, but Tanner was kicked out of the house to spend all his time outside with Whipper. I've been so frustrated. He is so damn smart and eager to please, but he can be sooo bad! Anything left out where he can get to it is forfeit. And he knows he's bad. I don't even have to say anything. If there's something out of place and chewed, he slinks off with a guilty look as soon as I see it. I've tried to fix it so he can't get to things and he still manages to do it. The problem is that he only does it at night when I can't catch him. They both hole up during the heat of the day, and become active at night. That's always been Whipper's thing, it's his night job.
Back to the guineas. I needed to move them out of the Summer House. With all the chickens in there, it was getting too crowded and smelly. Guineas can smell really bad, way worse than chickens. So out they went. I also released the white Japanese roo to see how he does free-range. What a disaster!
The first thing I saw when I looked out the window at sunup was a rabbit that had been culled to yard bunny and a blue keet dead in the grass. Dammit. Some of the keets were hanging around the poultry pen. Just 5. 2 blues and 3 purples. I found the feathers from the other purple but no sign of the other 2 blues. The other yard bunny was hopping around in the front yard safely out of the fence. I saw white feathers and assumed the Jap roo was history as well. Then I heard him. He was hiding deep in a garden. He came out and followed me when I went out to feed in the Summer House. He looked rough. Most of his tail feathers are gone and he was dirty and wet. I herded all of them back into the Summer House.
I have to blame Tanner. Abby might have killed and eaten one of the keets, but she doesn't usually bother anything that big, and I doubt she would have eaten more than one. I should have known how risky this was. I've corrected Tanner when he went after the adult guineas and I thought he understood. Wrong.
So now what do I do? I'm so tired of being mad at him. I had to rehome a Sheltie that was too prey driven, but I'm not willing to give up on Tanner. He just has too much going for him. He so smart, he learns commands in 2 or 3 tries. When he's good, he's very good. He responds so well, and I love that. My only option is to confine him when I can't watch him. That was a problem. I couldn't tie him up and didn't want to anyways. There's no good place to tether him. A dog run was an option but expensive and again, no good place to put it.
I looked around online and found a small dog run that might fit on the porch. Kinda pricey but I kept it in mind. Then I looked at crates. Lo and behold, saw one pictured with a Great Dane standing in it. That might work. I didn't want a normal house-breaking size crate. He has to spend the whole night and anytime I'm gone in it. I wanted him to have plenty of room to stand and stretch. It would fit on the porch and in the house during winter. I figured out the size I needed and priced some online. Found it at TSC (their biggest crate) and for less than $100. Beat the heck out of everybody else for price. I had just got a 10% off coupon for TSC, too. Called them as soon as they opened and they had just one. Mine!
He spent his first night in it last night and so far so good. He didn't fuss. Except he's not used to having to control himself at night and there was a mess to clean up. No biggy, just hosed the tray out. I think (hope) he'll eventually get it. He has to by winter when I bring the crate inside. I was going to get another dog house for him, but this way I won't have to. It has the housebreaking divider that I can use if necessary. I gave him a water pail, but now I'll save that for when he has to spend a longer time in it. Not drinking water should help him control his bladder at night. He's fed early in the day so there shouldn't be that much effort to control his bowels at night. Just gotta keep him from eating anything late in the day. Like birds.
Oh and another little trick he came up with. I can't imagine why it would even occur to him to do this! A few nights ago, after I went to bed, I heard an odd noise but just assumed it was Whipper and Tanner romping on the porch. My bedroom wall is right there. Then I heard water running. WTH? The last time I heard that, a pipe had broken under the house. Crap. Took the flashlight out to see what I could see. He had been chewing on the outside faucet's handle. That was the noise I heard. It's covered with hard plastic, and it only takes a slight turn to open the tap full blast. Water was running out the hose. My quick fix for that was to attach some scrap cage wire over the handle with "spikes" sticking out. Now I have to be careful I don't get stabbed when I turn on the water.
Jeez!
tnt
Monday, June 27, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Heat, AC, and Rabbits
A dear friend just lost a devastating number of valuable rabbits to heat stroke in an air-conditioned barn. I won't give details. That's hers to tell to the ones she chooses to know it. I will say it wasn't due to loss of electricity. I'm writing to bring awareness of the risks to others who have or are considering air-conditioning.
I know some who rely on AC in their rabbit barns also have back-ups for it. Generator for power outage, or some sort of system in place to get notification of a power outage if not at home when it happens. But these only help if AC failure was due to loss of electricity. There can be other causes, and if there is no one on site to act quickly, it will be a disaster.
The main thing to remember about AC is the basic requirement for it to be efficient. That being a tightly sealed and insulated space to keep cool air in and hot air out. This is why AC failure will become so devastating. There is no air exchange and the space will heat up very quickly. Imagine being in a sealed box when it's 80 degrees or more outside. The inside of the box will be much hotter than the outside air. If the box is exposed to the sun...well, you get the picture.
Is AC in the rabbitry necessary or even advised? It depends. A hot climate may make it necessary. The breed may require it. I have the smallest breed and they have normal fur. Dwarfs can take the heat better than larger or wooled breeds. A long-eared breed can take it better than short furry ears. Rabbits vent some heat through the blood vessels in their ears. If there is no other option to keep your rabbits from over-heating, you may need AC.
BUT. A whole bunch of buts here. Have a back-up system for power outages. If you don't have that, you should only rely on AC if there is someone at home most of the time. Have a plan to deal with AC failure quickly. If you can't do any of those things, you might want to think of something else.
As I said, my little rabbits handle heat pretty well. Of course they wouldn't in a sealed space, but they get by without AC. I tried it the first summer I had the shed. Hated it. My barn isn't insulated, and the window size would only accept the smallest of AC units. The barn was fully exposed to the sun all day long. At the time, I had stackers and pans, and the smell was awful. There just wasn't enough moving air. And that little unit barely kept the barn the same temperature as the outside, let alone cooler. About all it did was lower the humidity. Not to mention the electric bill. Hated it. It didn't last long.
Here are some things I did to keep the bunnies safe. My shed was ordered with southern summer in mind. There's a window on 3 sides. I keep the door open during the day and there is air flow from all sides. It has light colored siding and roofing to reflect solar heat. I planted the west side with a garden that included shade trees. Those trees are mature now and I can really see the difference. I wanted to plant the south (door) side but haven't figured out the best way to do it without it being in my way. I hung shade cloth in that opening, as well as blinds on the sunny side windows. When I had stackers and pans, I cleaned more often. Manure and urine generate a lot of heat, and that heat is directly under the rabbits. And of course, fans. The barn is wired for electricity so I can run fans or heaters. I use oscillating fans. This seems to work better than a fixed position fan to keep the air moving around all the cages.
I added the carport Summer House which doesn't even need a fan to keep the bunnies comfortable. Heck, I'm very comfortable out there. It's like being under a shady tree. I realize this isn't something everyone can do, but any open-air pavilion-style structure will work nicely, like a tent canopy or even a covered porch. The winds I get here required a sturdier structure than a temporary canopy, so I went with the metal carport. It was cost-efficient as well. At the time the 12 x 20 carport was installed for less than $700. They're probably a little more now, but still cheap enough to make them worth looking into. I know of rabbitries in climates hotter than mine using this type of open air setup and it works very well.
Moving as many rabbits as possible to the Summer House meant less body heat in the shed. I only keep working does in there during the summer. There are plenty of empty holes so I can arrange them in lower tiers where the air is cooler.
That brings up a related subject. If every inch of the barn is packed with cages, and every hole is occupied, you have no options. You can't arrange the rabbits so they can benefit from wherever the coolest air is. The closest I came to losing one to heat stroke was when I was in that situation. She was in the top of 4 tiers, and the stack was tightly fitted in the corner farthest from the door. The air stagnated and heated up there. I caught it just in time to save her. I didn't have very many empty holes at the time, and the best I could do was vacate the top holes in as many vulnerable stacks as possible. So it's wise to keep your options open going into summer, and I'm afraid that means keeping fewer rabbits.
I want to talk about another aspect of raising rabbits in AC, and it's one I wonder if some breeders consider. Where they go when they leave your possession. I've seen more than one seller state that their rabbits are raised in AC and won't fare well in heat. Anyone who doesn't have climate control is taking a big risk buying from that breeder. Those same breeders avoid shows that don't have air-conditioned facilities. Their rabbits couldn't take it if the building heated up enough to make humans uncomfortable. My bunnies acclimate to the heat as do their offspring. I see they're hot and uncomfortable (so am I), but they handle it with what I'm able to do for them. We can do summer shows.
If you are considering AC in the barn, look at all the pros and cons. If the cons outweigh the benefit, look into other options. There are more ways to cool a barn without AC, even more than I've done for my rabbitry. It isn't necessary to keep a barn at "room temperature" at all times. It's ok if they are hot sometimes. You actually make it harder for them to get through heat if they never experience change. The main thing is that your bunnies be safe at all times, even when you aren't there. If AC can't guarantee that, think of another way.
tnt
I know some who rely on AC in their rabbit barns also have back-ups for it. Generator for power outage, or some sort of system in place to get notification of a power outage if not at home when it happens. But these only help if AC failure was due to loss of electricity. There can be other causes, and if there is no one on site to act quickly, it will be a disaster.
The main thing to remember about AC is the basic requirement for it to be efficient. That being a tightly sealed and insulated space to keep cool air in and hot air out. This is why AC failure will become so devastating. There is no air exchange and the space will heat up very quickly. Imagine being in a sealed box when it's 80 degrees or more outside. The inside of the box will be much hotter than the outside air. If the box is exposed to the sun...well, you get the picture.
Is AC in the rabbitry necessary or even advised? It depends. A hot climate may make it necessary. The breed may require it. I have the smallest breed and they have normal fur. Dwarfs can take the heat better than larger or wooled breeds. A long-eared breed can take it better than short furry ears. Rabbits vent some heat through the blood vessels in their ears. If there is no other option to keep your rabbits from over-heating, you may need AC.
BUT. A whole bunch of buts here. Have a back-up system for power outages. If you don't have that, you should only rely on AC if there is someone at home most of the time. Have a plan to deal with AC failure quickly. If you can't do any of those things, you might want to think of something else.
As I said, my little rabbits handle heat pretty well. Of course they wouldn't in a sealed space, but they get by without AC. I tried it the first summer I had the shed. Hated it. My barn isn't insulated, and the window size would only accept the smallest of AC units. The barn was fully exposed to the sun all day long. At the time, I had stackers and pans, and the smell was awful. There just wasn't enough moving air. And that little unit barely kept the barn the same temperature as the outside, let alone cooler. About all it did was lower the humidity. Not to mention the electric bill. Hated it. It didn't last long.
Here are some things I did to keep the bunnies safe. My shed was ordered with southern summer in mind. There's a window on 3 sides. I keep the door open during the day and there is air flow from all sides. It has light colored siding and roofing to reflect solar heat. I planted the west side with a garden that included shade trees. Those trees are mature now and I can really see the difference. I wanted to plant the south (door) side but haven't figured out the best way to do it without it being in my way. I hung shade cloth in that opening, as well as blinds on the sunny side windows. When I had stackers and pans, I cleaned more often. Manure and urine generate a lot of heat, and that heat is directly under the rabbits. And of course, fans. The barn is wired for electricity so I can run fans or heaters. I use oscillating fans. This seems to work better than a fixed position fan to keep the air moving around all the cages.
I added the carport Summer House which doesn't even need a fan to keep the bunnies comfortable. Heck, I'm very comfortable out there. It's like being under a shady tree. I realize this isn't something everyone can do, but any open-air pavilion-style structure will work nicely, like a tent canopy or even a covered porch. The winds I get here required a sturdier structure than a temporary canopy, so I went with the metal carport. It was cost-efficient as well. At the time the 12 x 20 carport was installed for less than $700. They're probably a little more now, but still cheap enough to make them worth looking into. I know of rabbitries in climates hotter than mine using this type of open air setup and it works very well.
Moving as many rabbits as possible to the Summer House meant less body heat in the shed. I only keep working does in there during the summer. There are plenty of empty holes so I can arrange them in lower tiers where the air is cooler.
That brings up a related subject. If every inch of the barn is packed with cages, and every hole is occupied, you have no options. You can't arrange the rabbits so they can benefit from wherever the coolest air is. The closest I came to losing one to heat stroke was when I was in that situation. She was in the top of 4 tiers, and the stack was tightly fitted in the corner farthest from the door. The air stagnated and heated up there. I caught it just in time to save her. I didn't have very many empty holes at the time, and the best I could do was vacate the top holes in as many vulnerable stacks as possible. So it's wise to keep your options open going into summer, and I'm afraid that means keeping fewer rabbits.
I want to talk about another aspect of raising rabbits in AC, and it's one I wonder if some breeders consider. Where they go when they leave your possession. I've seen more than one seller state that their rabbits are raised in AC and won't fare well in heat. Anyone who doesn't have climate control is taking a big risk buying from that breeder. Those same breeders avoid shows that don't have air-conditioned facilities. Their rabbits couldn't take it if the building heated up enough to make humans uncomfortable. My bunnies acclimate to the heat as do their offspring. I see they're hot and uncomfortable (so am I), but they handle it with what I'm able to do for them. We can do summer shows.
If you are considering AC in the barn, look at all the pros and cons. If the cons outweigh the benefit, look into other options. There are more ways to cool a barn without AC, even more than I've done for my rabbitry. It isn't necessary to keep a barn at "room temperature" at all times. It's ok if they are hot sometimes. You actually make it harder for them to get through heat if they never experience change. The main thing is that your bunnies be safe at all times, even when you aren't there. If AC can't guarantee that, think of another way.
tnt
Sunday, June 12, 2011
6.12.11
Yesterday was our Southeastern Dwarf Fanciers Rendezvous & club meeting. As always, a really nice day of education, socializing, and good food. Weather was great, not too hot, and under the Smiths' trees it was just right. Lucked out that an afternoon downpour didn't happen until we were packed up and leaving.
Just in case, I brought a carrier. I came home with a new buck for the brokens. Remember (those of you who attended) the black in "You Be The Judge"? Yep, he's visiting Spring Creek for a while. Boy's got a bod! Thank you, Gary! I was willing to buy him, but Gary didn't want to sell him. He's never been shown because he's never in coat at the right time, but Gary feels he's the best black he's ever had. He's out of a multi-legged otter pedigree.
A new buck changes everything. I wasn't going to breed for a couple months, but now I'll be taking the broken does on the sale page off the market. He'll get himi does as well so I can restart the himi/self program. Stay tuned.
I took the camera with me when I went out to the barns so I could catch this.
That's a lot of chickens! Ok, not all chickens, and not even all of them. Some had already got their fill and left the feeding station. There's 9 guinea keets in there. Yeah, they're already as big as the older bantams. Can you spot them? Hint: 5 are the same color as the Blue OEs, and 4 are brown.
One of the Mottled Cochins hopped up for a close-up. Not sure yet, but I think one is a roo. There's still 3 Cochin chicks in the transition cage. 1 Silver-Laced and 2 Mottled. For some reason, they've been slower to grow so it will be a while before they can join the flock.
Spiffy again. Every now and then, I pick him up and set him on my arm which he seems to enjoy. How lucky I had the camera! He totally surprised me by flying up on his own! I wasn't even looking at him. Now I'm trying to train him to do it on command. I can tell he likes this high and mighty view of the flock, he crows when he's up here.
In other observations. I now believe the 3 Cochins that I thought might be Gold-Laced at first are Mottled Buff Columbians. Very pretty! One of the solid buffs has earned the name Pants. It's shaped differently with longer legs and incredibly fluffy "pantaloons" covering the entire length of the legs. I wasn't able to get a good shot of these birds, but I will try.
Another observation. It seems that like likes like. Even though they're the same age and were brooded together, the different breeds and colors tend to segregate. The 2 oldest Mottled Cochins are a pair, the 2 older reds (Rhode Island Reds?) are a pair, the 2 sets of buff-colored Cochins stick with their look-a-likes, the 3 Blue OEs are a trio. Then the singletons (1 buff unknown breed hen, 1 younger red, the white Japanese roo) just go their own way. Oh yeah, and then there's Spiffy. He's bonded to me, and I think because he's the only one crowing, he's the overlord.
I've talked before about how wild guineas are out of the egg compared to the calmness of chicks. The latest issue of Backyard Poultry had a couple good articles on guineas. I could have written one of them, the author talked about the things I've learned about them. One of the articles gave a tip for calmer guinea hatchlings. Time incubation so guineas and chicks hatch at the same time. It's a good week longer for guineas. Then brood them together. Apparently this makes for less insane keets. I'll remember that if ever I have both to hatch at the same time. I might even see if a broody hen (if I ever get one of those) can raise calmer keets.
As I said, it rained hard in NC, but here, I came home to just a 1/4" or so in the rain gauge. We can use a lot more. It hasn't rained since the tornadoes last month and it's been so hot.
tnt
Just in case, I brought a carrier. I came home with a new buck for the brokens. Remember (those of you who attended) the black in "You Be The Judge"? Yep, he's visiting Spring Creek for a while. Boy's got a bod! Thank you, Gary! I was willing to buy him, but Gary didn't want to sell him. He's never been shown because he's never in coat at the right time, but Gary feels he's the best black he's ever had. He's out of a multi-legged otter pedigree.
A new buck changes everything. I wasn't going to breed for a couple months, but now I'll be taking the broken does on the sale page off the market. He'll get himi does as well so I can restart the himi/self program. Stay tuned.
I took the camera with me when I went out to the barns so I could catch this.
That's a lot of chickens! Ok, not all chickens, and not even all of them. Some had already got their fill and left the feeding station. There's 9 guinea keets in there. Yeah, they're already as big as the older bantams. Can you spot them? Hint: 5 are the same color as the Blue OEs, and 4 are brown.
One of the Mottled Cochins hopped up for a close-up. Not sure yet, but I think one is a roo. There's still 3 Cochin chicks in the transition cage. 1 Silver-Laced and 2 Mottled. For some reason, they've been slower to grow so it will be a while before they can join the flock.
Spiffy again. Every now and then, I pick him up and set him on my arm which he seems to enjoy. How lucky I had the camera! He totally surprised me by flying up on his own! I wasn't even looking at him. Now I'm trying to train him to do it on command. I can tell he likes this high and mighty view of the flock, he crows when he's up here.
In other observations. I now believe the 3 Cochins that I thought might be Gold-Laced at first are Mottled Buff Columbians. Very pretty! One of the solid buffs has earned the name Pants. It's shaped differently with longer legs and incredibly fluffy "pantaloons" covering the entire length of the legs. I wasn't able to get a good shot of these birds, but I will try.
Another observation. It seems that like likes like. Even though they're the same age and were brooded together, the different breeds and colors tend to segregate. The 2 oldest Mottled Cochins are a pair, the 2 older reds (Rhode Island Reds?) are a pair, the 2 sets of buff-colored Cochins stick with their look-a-likes, the 3 Blue OEs are a trio. Then the singletons (1 buff unknown breed hen, 1 younger red, the white Japanese roo) just go their own way. Oh yeah, and then there's Spiffy. He's bonded to me, and I think because he's the only one crowing, he's the overlord.
I've talked before about how wild guineas are out of the egg compared to the calmness of chicks. The latest issue of Backyard Poultry had a couple good articles on guineas. I could have written one of them, the author talked about the things I've learned about them. One of the articles gave a tip for calmer guinea hatchlings. Time incubation so guineas and chicks hatch at the same time. It's a good week longer for guineas. Then brood them together. Apparently this makes for less insane keets. I'll remember that if ever I have both to hatch at the same time. I might even see if a broody hen (if I ever get one of those) can raise calmer keets.
As I said, it rained hard in NC, but here, I came home to just a 1/4" or so in the rain gauge. We can use a lot more. It hasn't rained since the tornadoes last month and it's been so hot.
tnt
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Website vs Facebook
I've said it before, I'll say it again. Facebook is not an effective substitute for a website. In fact, it's a downright lousy substitute for a website. It's so sad that breeders spend more time on Facebook at the expense of their websites. I might want to see what's for sale, but the site appears to be dead because it's been so long since it was updated. Sale lists are posted to FB instead, but if I'm not a "friend", I won't see it.
FB is not static. Anything that was posted 2 days ago is off my feed page...forgotten. On a busy FB day, I might not see it because it went off the page so fast.
Websites are static...they stay put. They get added to my bookmarks and I can easily visit the site at any time to see what's new. The first thing I do is go to a FB info page to find their website. Guess what? When I go there, it's usually dead. This might affect my decision on whether or not to accept a friend request. I won't have current info available anytime I want it, so what's the point?
Most FB photo albums are so disorganized. Thanks to mobile uploads from phones, things go up willynilly, and the FBer doesn't bother going back to organize it. You can do that, you know! It also annoys me when FBers don't caption photos so I know what the hell I'm looking at.
Points in your favor: I especially enjoy captions that tell the story of what is happening in that string of related photos. Points against: 5 photos of 1 rabbit in the same pose. What does this shot show that that one doesn't? Just pick one good shot for each view. That's all we need. If it's not telling a story, it's just wasting time.
Websites organize photos and info for easy and quick navigation. Or at least they do if the site owner has any sense.
What a FBer can do is coordinate website updates with Facebook. Just post that the site was updated and the link to it, and you'll get a lot of visitors, even some new ones who didn't know your site existed.
Warning. Here comes a new FB rant.
What is the deal with all the "repost this if you agree" things? Didn't have anything else to post that day so you thought you'd fill up friends' feed pages with pointless stuff that you picked up from someone else? And since the FB sheep will follow, my feed is cluttered over and over again with the same useless thing. If you don't have anything real to say, why say anything? What, you say? This raises awareness. You know what, most of us are already aware of these things. The thing that really irks me about this kind of posting is that the only entity that benefits from the constant reposting is Facebook itself.
What kind of status posting do I enjoy? Interesting. Amusing. Informative. Useful. Social. And website updates! You will have my attention and respect. Post junk and you lose it.
Oh yeah, and let's talk about "friends" for a minute. I'm selective about who I accept as friends. I will visit your profile to find out a few things about you first. You have to be a rabbit breeder, and it helps if I know your name in the rabbit world. Your state or country is a good thing to include. I will look at your wall to see what you do on FB. If I see mostly junk, you probably won't be accepted. I will look for your website to see how that rates. Lastly, I note how many friends you have and who we have in common. 2,983 friends (mostly having nothing to do with rabbits) is a very good reason to be wary of accepting the request. To me, that means you don't have enough sense to discriminate. Someone in this large collection of friends may damage my account or computer. This is how hackers and virus-runners do their thing. They also do it when you repost links and stuff, and your sheep friends repost, and so on and so on. Eventually it finds its way to a vulnerable computer.
Facebook has its uses, but it has to be used effectively and wisely. Otherwise, it's just junk. An up-to-date website is still the best way to get your name out there. Everyone, friend or not, will have access to it.
tnt
FB is not static. Anything that was posted 2 days ago is off my feed page...forgotten. On a busy FB day, I might not see it because it went off the page so fast.
Websites are static...they stay put. They get added to my bookmarks and I can easily visit the site at any time to see what's new. The first thing I do is go to a FB info page to find their website. Guess what? When I go there, it's usually dead. This might affect my decision on whether or not to accept a friend request. I won't have current info available anytime I want it, so what's the point?
Most FB photo albums are so disorganized. Thanks to mobile uploads from phones, things go up willynilly, and the FBer doesn't bother going back to organize it. You can do that, you know! It also annoys me when FBers don't caption photos so I know what the hell I'm looking at.
Points in your favor: I especially enjoy captions that tell the story of what is happening in that string of related photos. Points against: 5 photos of 1 rabbit in the same pose. What does this shot show that that one doesn't? Just pick one good shot for each view. That's all we need. If it's not telling a story, it's just wasting time.
Websites organize photos and info for easy and quick navigation. Or at least they do if the site owner has any sense.
What a FBer can do is coordinate website updates with Facebook. Just post that the site was updated and the link to it, and you'll get a lot of visitors, even some new ones who didn't know your site existed.
Warning. Here comes a new FB rant.
What is the deal with all the "repost this if you agree" things? Didn't have anything else to post that day so you thought you'd fill up friends' feed pages with pointless stuff that you picked up from someone else? And since the FB sheep will follow, my feed is cluttered over and over again with the same useless thing. If you don't have anything real to say, why say anything? What, you say? This raises awareness. You know what, most of us are already aware of these things. The thing that really irks me about this kind of posting is that the only entity that benefits from the constant reposting is Facebook itself.
What kind of status posting do I enjoy? Interesting. Amusing. Informative. Useful. Social. And website updates! You will have my attention and respect. Post junk and you lose it.
Oh yeah, and let's talk about "friends" for a minute. I'm selective about who I accept as friends. I will visit your profile to find out a few things about you first. You have to be a rabbit breeder, and it helps if I know your name in the rabbit world. Your state or country is a good thing to include. I will look at your wall to see what you do on FB. If I see mostly junk, you probably won't be accepted. I will look for your website to see how that rates. Lastly, I note how many friends you have and who we have in common. 2,983 friends (mostly having nothing to do with rabbits) is a very good reason to be wary of accepting the request. To me, that means you don't have enough sense to discriminate. Someone in this large collection of friends may damage my account or computer. This is how hackers and virus-runners do their thing. They also do it when you repost links and stuff, and your sheep friends repost, and so on and so on. Eventually it finds its way to a vulnerable computer.
Facebook has its uses, but it has to be used effectively and wisely. Otherwise, it's just junk. An up-to-date website is still the best way to get your name out there. Everyone, friend or not, will have access to it.
tnt
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Procrastinating....
...can come back and bite ya.
I had to run errands yesterday. So I just fed the animals and watered as needed from jugs that I keep filled. I'll do a full watering when I get back, I said to self.
The road commission has been cleaning up the storm debris at the end of the road. All the downed trees, etc. They had a big rig and hauled the wood away in a dump truck. They were at it for several days. The road is so narrow, we had to wait until the rig could maneuver and give us room to get by. I'm surprised they got to it this soon since this dead-end road isn't really a priority. I guess they were caught up with the more important damage.
When I came back yesterday afternoon, there was a fast stream of water running down the road. Oh no. Was the creek diverted by their digging? Or was it the water main? Then I saw the water utility pickup at the beginning of the stream. Yep...water main. The road commish broke it while digging out the stumps. They were nowhere around, but had left the backhoe. The utility guy wasn't happy because they hadn't called it in. I wasn't happy...that's my water. All I could think was how long will this take and do I have enough water in jugs to wait it out? Not really. The full watering would have included refilling all the jugs, and there were only 2 full ones and a couple mostly empty. The rest were empty. I did have a couple in the house so I could wash hands, brush teeth, and make a pot of coffee.
I keep quite a few gallon jugs in both the shed and Summer House, and the ones in the house. I can fill water bottles that empty faster and still have plenty left for emergency (or procrastinating). Also a large 5 gallon jug on the porch so I can fill the bowls scattered around the yard for the dogs and guineas. I usually drag the hose out every couple days to top off everything. But this day, I had let it go too long. The utility company is good! They had it fixed in within 4 hours. Yay!
Moral of the story: Don't put it off, and always keep enough emergency water to get through a few days.
Oh yeah, and the road is much better, too. It's narrow to begin with and all the debris made it even narrower. Sure did make it brighter! The woods came right up to the road. Now the 1/4 mile or so at the end is open to the sky. Still looks strange to me when I go through there. I was used to it being so shady.
tnt
I had to run errands yesterday. So I just fed the animals and watered as needed from jugs that I keep filled. I'll do a full watering when I get back, I said to self.
The road commission has been cleaning up the storm debris at the end of the road. All the downed trees, etc. They had a big rig and hauled the wood away in a dump truck. They were at it for several days. The road is so narrow, we had to wait until the rig could maneuver and give us room to get by. I'm surprised they got to it this soon since this dead-end road isn't really a priority. I guess they were caught up with the more important damage.
When I came back yesterday afternoon, there was a fast stream of water running down the road. Oh no. Was the creek diverted by their digging? Or was it the water main? Then I saw the water utility pickup at the beginning of the stream. Yep...water main. The road commish broke it while digging out the stumps. They were nowhere around, but had left the backhoe. The utility guy wasn't happy because they hadn't called it in. I wasn't happy...that's my water. All I could think was how long will this take and do I have enough water in jugs to wait it out? Not really. The full watering would have included refilling all the jugs, and there were only 2 full ones and a couple mostly empty. The rest were empty. I did have a couple in the house so I could wash hands, brush teeth, and make a pot of coffee.
I keep quite a few gallon jugs in both the shed and Summer House, and the ones in the house. I can fill water bottles that empty faster and still have plenty left for emergency (or procrastinating). Also a large 5 gallon jug on the porch so I can fill the bowls scattered around the yard for the dogs and guineas. I usually drag the hose out every couple days to top off everything. But this day, I had let it go too long. The utility company is good! They had it fixed in within 4 hours. Yay!
Moral of the story: Don't put it off, and always keep enough emergency water to get through a few days.
Oh yeah, and the road is much better, too. It's narrow to begin with and all the debris made it even narrower. Sure did make it brighter! The woods came right up to the road. Now the 1/4 mile or so at the end is open to the sky. Still looks strange to me when I go through there. I was used to it being so shady.
tnt
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