Sunday, September 4, 2011

Bentwood Rocker and a Bunny Blow-out

You all know how hard it can be to maintain a blog, work a full time job, and be an active parent.  Sometimes time just slips away and we don't know where it went, but we really value that Saturday morning when you can sleep in and get an unheard of ten-hour stretch of catch-up of sleep.  Unless, you have an appointment to keep or a soccer game to get kids ready for.  Anyway, I have LOTS to post about this week.  My dear friend Emily of Lovely Beasts sent me a beautiful gift this week which I will feature in a post all of its own!  Also, I have some sweet praire doves we have been working on at home that I would love to share as well. 

Recently, on a visit to a favorite local park with the kids, my husband scored...

........ this bentwood rocker out on the curb!





Honestly, people who follow this blog must think I am the biggest liar on the blog-network with all the junque we find, but I swear, I'm not lying.  I was raised to believe that lying was one of the worst things I could ever ever do.  To this day, I will not lie about anything, not even if I am in BIG trouble.  But then again, I have nothing to lie about, because I live a very truthful and honest life.


So, to continue, Dan finds this awesome prairie dove sittin' on the corner waitin' for a caller.  He knows that I just saw one a month ago for $50 that was at a sidewalk sale that I adoringly stared at..... and ended up walking away from.


She was so worn and weathered she didn't even need to be primed.


All she needed was a little paint...





...some distressing with the orbital sander,







...and voila!  A beautiful, cleaned up vintage bentwood rocker, ready for rockin'!








In other news, Smokey, my lone Angora rabbit (since the tragic end of Pearl last week), has been alone now and hasn't been doing so good.  She just can't regain her appetite, but who can really blame her after what happened.  Who knows exactly what she saw or witnessed before I intervened.






We spent some time cleaning out the hutch today.  It really needs it every so often, a good hosing and scraping, some fresh pine chips, etc. 


Smokey is a black Angora rabbot.  Her fur is a combo of black and grey, and since Angoras are so fluffy, it appears as if she's smokin'.






Did you know Angora rabbits are very large and fluffy?  Their fur is harvested to make a fine angora wool.  The rabbits are not harmed in this process.  The hair is merely combed off and stored until it is carded and spun.  It can be used in its natural state, or dyed as a form of fiber art. 

I have a strong interest in pursuing this artform, but have yet to get past the giant bag of stored hair part.  (You all know how THAT goes).  BUT, I do have intentions and I am not giving up on them.  It's just that we need to take care of some major things around the house first before I can really get serious about experimenting with fiber.  SO, for now, we just enjoy the bunnies and I continue to read, research, and build up my knowledge base on them.






This photo is of my beautiful son, holding Smoke.  She's covered in wood chips, here, we were spreading them on the ground to go under her hutch when we were moving it.  He was assisting with her today.






Angoras are surprisingly friendly.  Mine are fed a diet of pellets, fresh broccoli, a variety of lettuce heads, an occasional banana to prevent wool-block (they have so much fur that it can become ingested and cause intestinal problems), and a rich supply of timothy hay which aids in keeping their teeth in good condition.





When it's really hot out, we just cut the rabbits down to their hide so they can be comfortable out in the heat.  Recently, however, the heat cranked up again, and I didn't want to cut them down because fall is almost upon us.  So, using an outdoor extension cord, I plugged in a fan.  The bunnies LOVED the breeze and cuddled as close to the cage wall as they could get to be by the fan.  When you are wearing a fur coat, you know you're sweating.  Well, the fan REALLY pumped up the volume on the hides!  Just as if they got teased and blown-out with a hair blow dryer!


I think I will be breaking down soon to find another companion for Smokey.  I have been looking for Angoras online, but they are extremely hard to find locally.  These two in particular I had purchased from a lady in Indiana.  The closest I can find right now is a breeder in Michigan.  Chances are the companion bunny may not be Angora, she may just be bunny.  We will keep you posted on any new additions.


Wishing you all a blessed Labor Day weekend.  Let us all honor those who labor and work for the protection of laborers' rights.  It seems all collective bargaining rights are under attack in the press these days and our family depends on our constitutional right and ability to organize.   We are a family of workers and we were born from workers.  Any silver spoons we have or had we found!  God bless!


Linking up this week with:
(please see side bars for icon links)

Debbie Doos Newbie Party
Homemade Mondays with Erin of Home Savvy A to Z
Nifty Thrify Tuesday at Coastal Charm

9 comments:

Pam Kessler said...

Smokey's so pretty and fluffy. Sorry about the other bunny. I used to have a Dwarf Polish Rabbit when I was a kid and he was pretty much part of the family. I'd love to get one now.

Katie @ Wildwood Creek said...

Great makeover on the rocker! What a great find.

Mona Kay Gorman said...

Smokey s so beautiful!! Good luck & keep us posted in the hunt for a companion!!

Love the chair, too!

SImple and Serene Living said...

Love the rocker. I used to have one I rocked my babies in. Hope you find a new bunny. (your son is adorable)

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

The rocker has been given beautiful new life. I'm in love with Smokey! I have a very soft spot for animals and she reminds me of long-haired guinea pigs I used to have. Okay, she's much prettier, but still....

Carol-Anne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carol-Anne said...

LOVE the rocker, but even more excited to learn what TIMOTHY HAY is! My wall colour (by Benjamin Moore) is called 'Timothy Hay' and I had no idea what it looked like until today! Thanks for this!
(I'm a city girl!)

Raindrops and Daisies said...

Fantastic job done on the rocker, wow!

Smokey is so cute and fluffy and cuddly!

Happy Monday.

Terriea Kwong said...

Fluffy Smokey. At first sight I thought it's a cat. So cute and lovely hairy ball.

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