I've been feeling the urge to be creative so I decked the halls. I also created a new logo and theme for the main pages. The piece above was the inspiration for the holiday theme. I created this a few years ago as a forum siggy. I love it, and don't think I can top it so I just keep using it. A light bulb went off above my head and the idea to decorate the homepage for the holidays was born. I'll save this page for each December. I'll return to the regularly scheduled homepage after the new year.
Hmmm. For some reason, the piece above isn't displaying right. Blogger limitation? You can see the true display on the site.
Not much happening in the rabbitry. Several does failed in the last few weeks. I have 1 measly litter of 4 himis out of Chevette, now going on 3 weeks. It's too early to tell if there's any keepers. I don't see anything as promising as Chevette was at this age, so not terribly optimistic about this litter. It was also supposed to give some color, but that didn't happen.
So I have several open does and no one will breed! Grrr. The Smith's buck who wouldn't actually wants to now, but now the does don't wanna. Same for the other 2 bucks I'm using (or trying to).
I've been trying to repeat Dreamspinner x Smith's BL4 that gave the 2 jr bucks I really like, but that's been a bust. She missed the 2nd time and dumped a DOA litter this week. 2 were peanuts and 1 of those was the only broken. It also took forever to get her bred because of unstudly BL4.
So feeling kinda discouraged right now, and I'm not sure what to do about it. The plan to get more color in the barn isn't working out very well either. The most colorful litters were the failures. I'll keep trying to get these stubborn does bred, but I find myself not all that fired up about it or shows or anything. I've already cut shows to the closest ones, and even then, I opted out of going to the last one. At this time, Spartanburg is the only concrete date (I'm obligated), but I know I won't be excited about that either. I only have a few jr bucks who will be sr by then. No, I'm not getting out, but I'm not really in right now.
It's been really mild so far this winter, and I hope it's finally going to be the winter I moved down here for...like the 1st 2 years I was here. I'm trying something different this year since it's been so mild. I'm leaving some bucks outside in the Summer House. There's 4 out there now, and I might move the other jr bucks out as well. I can easily keep up with frozen water bottles this way. I'm keeping extras for them in a pail in the barn, and when theirs are frozen, I can just switch them out. We'll see how this goes. It might get tiresome. One reason is that I have the 2 himi bucks out there who don't have great color. I know it's mostly due to their sire, but they are coming back from the summer heat. Keeping them cold might help, and maybe they'll be presentable by Spartanburg. And I have to go out there everyday for the chickens anyways.
The birds are doing fine. So far, I don't think the waterer has frozen, or at least not solid. It's been open by the time I get out there. So that might be ok. I haven't figured out a better way to give them water if it turns out it will freeze too much.
2 of the free range roos went gone. I assume the resident fox got them or maybe a hawk. That leaves Spiffy and REW Roo the Japanese. REW stays in the backyard fence (probably why he's still around) but Spiffy comes and goes as he pleases. That's why the others disappeared...they stayed outside the fence.
Tanner is gone. I couldn't take it anymore. He was just too destructive. The last straw was when he ripped the lattice skirting off the shed. I don't understand why he did these things. He couldn't be bored, he had Whipper who likes to play, lots of room to run, toys of his own, lots of interesting things going on, and plenty of attention from me. He didn't want his toys, just my stuff, and I couldn't break him of it. I'm also positive he was responsible for many of the bird and bunny deaths earlier this year, and I knew they'd never be safe. I tried to get through what I hoped was just his puppy phase, but at over a year and a half old and neutered, saw no sign he'd outgrow it. Whipper was never like this. I literally couldn't take my eyes off him for a minute, and I couldn't take being so pissed all the time any longer. I found him a nice new home, and have been so relieved and serene since he left. I can actually enjoy my porch again. It was a chaos of blocked-off spaces in a futile attempt to keep him out of things, but now it's nice and neat again. I even planted some pansies in a porch pot. I usually have several pots of flowers on the porch which makes it that much more enjoyable, but I couldn't do that with him here. Many things out in the yard had to be blocked, too. Yes, a huge sigh of relief when he left.
Well, this blog is kinda depressing, isn't it? Sorry bout that, but sometimes it feels good to get it out.
Happy Holidays
