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:

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Debbie Doos Newbie Party

Homemade Mondays with Erin of Home Savvy A to Z

Nifty Thrify Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Tragedy

It was totally my fault.  I fed them some timothy hay last night, in the dark, and the latch must not have caught properly.  Pearl got out.  Sharkey got Pearl.

Of course, I do not blame the dog.  I love my dog, and I loved my rabbit.  What happened was a result of my doing.  And the dog was honestly not eating my rabbit.  She was playing with her...a little too rough for the bunny to withstand.  Boxers are high energy dogs and love to play, play, play. 

When you have lots of critters, there's a higher chance for losing your critters.  Eventually, in a way, you become a little desensitized to it.  I feel bad that I didn't cry.  I was more angry with myself that I hadn't closed the latch properly.  We have lost so many pets in the last few years.  We lost a chicken two months ago, and I'm pretty sure it was the one my son took to show and tell.  I've read that they don't always do so well with crowds and germs.  We lost our two dogs of ten years last year, which we felt terribly about, and then adopted a shelter dog which went after my baby girl...and he had to go back.  I felt bad about that, too.  Not so much good luck with pets lately.

And so, Pearl lies in our flower garden.  Smokey, my other Angora, will have to be alone for awhile until I can locate another.  I don't want her to be alone forever.