Sunday, August 30, 2009

Bunny Sunday

Meet Digger. Usually we call him Diggy, or Diggy-Do. As a baby, he liked to dig on everything...rugs, towels, in the litter box, on your lap. So, that is how he got his name. Not too original, I suppose, but it fit!Diggy has some VERY big ears compared to his brothers and sisters. We call him our jackrabbit bunny.
See what I mean? Diggy, what are you doing outside??? Oh wait, that's not him, just one of his wild cousins.
We could have also named him Flopper. He is the king of the bunny flop around our house. Here he is as a little bitty bun. He waited for all of the others to snuggle up to sleep and did a huge flop onto the pile.
The bunny flop is a sure sign of a bunny that is comfortable in their surroundings. I'd say he is pretty darn comfortable here. (Excuse the bunny poops...they didn't have the whole litter box concept down yet)
I can put Diggy into a "bunny trance" in a matter of seconds. He will stay like this comfortably for as long as I hold him.
You are getting sleepy, VERY sleepy. Diggy has the right idea. I think I'll head on over to the couch now and grab myself a Sunday afternoon nap....

Thursday, August 27, 2009

How do you top a pig post?

I'm having a hard time this week trying to think of something to top my weekend piggy posts. That little porker was pretty darn popular!

I finally decided that it's not about popularity, anyway. I went outside this morning with camera in hand, looking for something blog worthy, and here were these two... "Hi mom! What's for breakfast?"
By the way, Valentine has been behaving herself much better lately. She has yet to tear down the new goat house, so that is a plus. Gerty has thankfully recovered from the dog attack back in February with no problems. Both are fat and happy as, well,.... pigs.

Life is good when you are a goat around this place (or any other animal for that matter).

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Piggy Sunday

Bunny Sunday has been interrupted to bring you this important piggy update (but will return next Sunday at it's regularly scheduled time):

This series of pics tells the whole story...

Extra dirty pig nose close-up: Ahhhhhhhh........... life at the pig sitter's is good.

(Be sure to check out yesterday's post for more pics of this adorable little guy)

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Weekend Visitor

Meet Haiden, a 3 month old mini-pot bellied pig. He is staying the weekend with us while his owners are out of town.
He only weighs about 10 lbs. So cute. (Look at those itty bitty hooves!)He had a little bit of separation anxiety when his mom and dad left... and did some pretty loud squealing. But then he settled down on his blankie and went to sleep. (I cracked myself up last night - "Look! A pig in a blanket")After a short nap, he introduced himself to Patches. She didn't know quite what to think about this newcomer. She finally lost interest and hopped back to her cage. This morning he met Angel through the screen. Lots of grunting going on. I've never been around a pig before, it's pretty entertaining!Here he is eating breakfast on the patio. What they say about eating like a pig? So true. Look at the mess! Butt shot. (this seems to be a theme in my posts lately. ???)
You have to admit. That is a cute little pig butt!
Stay tuned for more pig posts. Happy Saturday!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Early Morning Walk

The 100+ degree heat is still on us here in Arizona. But, the mornings are nice and cool with just a hint of fall to them. We've been heading out with the dogs lately for early morning walks.

Angel takes the lead at the beginning of the walk... Hey, wait up for us!
(Look closely here...doesn't it look like a winged heart on her butt???)Snuffy and Angel take time to explore a little. Same trail as yesterday but so many new smells! I often wonder what it would be like to have their heightened sense of smell.
If you're wondering why this is the only pic with Snuffy in it, it's because the rest of the time on the walk he is crashing through the desert exploring, sniffing and chasing old scent trails of bunny rabbits and other critters.
Angel stops to take in the view... Or, more likely, she sniffed something else new.. On the way home, she always brings up the rear. Hey, wait up for ME!
Till tomorrow!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Raffle Update

I have extended the drawing date for the raffle for the Cowgirl Cuff (proceeds to benefit Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary). The new drawing date will be September 15th (vs. August 31st as previously stated). Hang in there everyone who has already purchased tickets! Equine Voices mails out a quarterly newsletter and the next one is due to be mailed any day. In order to have the raffle information included in the newsletter and allow people enough time to purchase their tickets, Piper made the decision to extend the drawing date. :) Response to the raffle has been great! Piper and I are very excited to draw the winner and to present Equine Voices with the proceeds from the raffle. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. (If you'd like to buy a ticket to help a great cause, the link is on the left sidebar).

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

More Cowgirl Wisdom

What good advice!It's easy to give too much of yourself - to your family, your animals, your work, your friends, your volunteer groups... Cowgirls have big hearts and we love to give of ourselves. It's what we do. But don't give so much that you don't have anything left for yourself. In the end, it's up to us to make ourselves happy!

Have a great day everyone. :)

Friday, August 14, 2009

Happy Friday!

Hi everyone! Piper here. I'm the guest blogger this morning.Just wanted to remind everyone about the raffle to benefit Equine Voices. Tickets are still available and are only $2 each! If you missed the original post about the raffle, you can check it out here (or click the link on the left sidebar near the top). Thanks to everyone who has already bought their tickets to help my friends at Equine Voices!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

MMMMMMM.... Peaches!

Fresh from my neighbor Barbara's tree. Thanks neighbor! Nothing better than fresh peaches... Unless it's peach pie! I added a crumb topping to this one. DELICIOUS! I could barely wait for it to cool off enough to eat it. In fact, I didn't. You know how you eat something that is a "little" bit too hot and end up burning the roof of your mouth? Yeah....

But it was worth it. I couldn't agree more with the motto: Life is short, eat dessert first!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Mornin'

Already???? Sassy looks like she could use a good strong cup of coffee this morning. Bring me one while you're at it Sassy...

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Bunny Sunday

Today's featured bunny is Sandie. Also known as Big Daddy (and a lot of other really silly nicknames). He is the only one of the bunch that has no white markings. He is also the biggest of the bunch at 5 lbs.But he wasn't always big! Look at this little hamster sized bunny... When they were this little it was hard to resist picking them up every chance I could. Just a little handful o'bunny.Sandie is the big brother to all of the other bunnies and also serves as the patriarch. All of the other bunnies have to pay homage to him by grooming him. Even the chickens feel the need (see them in the background?)

Sandie is a special bunny. He took over as head of the family when we lost our mama bunny last year.
It's really interesting to see the family dynamics at work in this group. There really is a hierarchy and Sandie is definitely at the top. No one messes with Big Daddy!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Road Trip!

Well, sort of....

The dogs LOVE to ride in the back of the truck. This is not something we allow normally, but driving to the mailbox is the exception.

The mailbox is out on the "main" road. We have a mile of dirt road from our house to there. I usually like to walk and get some exercise, but Angel (the rottie) is getting a little older and gets too tired on the way back... Snuffy, the lab, could probably go back and forth about 5 times before he'd even think about getting tired. (Oh, and by the way, he was named by his prior owners, not us! We usually just call him Cuji-man).
I wish I could have gotten a better pic of Angel's ears flapping in the wind. Not a care in the world, lovin' life...

We should all take a tip from our dogs... find excitement and adventure wherever we can and enjoy the ride!
*A quick reminder - raffle tickets are still available for the Cowgirl Cuff, all proceeds to benefit Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary. Purchase your tickets through the link on the left sidebar. Thanks!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Cowgirl Wisdom

Yep. I really am.
I'm not always great at everything. I'm not perfect. Sometimes I'm impatient. Hell, sometimes I even cuss! ;)
But... I can bake up a storm, cook a decent meal, clean stalls, fix things, train my little filly, bike ride with my nephew, act silly, walk with my dogs, create things, tend to a garden and care for and nurture animals.
Yep. That's who I want to be. Be who you want to be today cowgirls (and cowboys)!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Bunny Sunday

My love affair with bunnies began long before I ever brought Nutmeg (the original bunny) home to live with us. I always WANTED a bunny and knew it was just a matter of time and finding the right bunny (or more like the right bunny finding me).


I found this one on a walk with the dogs one day. I looked down on the trail and there it was, a perfect sitting bunny! (I love looking for odd shaped rocks and have an entire collection of heart rocks...)


This bunny was a thrift store find. I saw it in the glass case (you know, where the really good thrift store finds are) and just knew I had to have it. When the lady handed it to me I almost dropped it on the top of the glass. Turns out, this guy is made of cast iron. Even better! I had no idea what I was going to do with him, but something told me I should buy him. When I brought him home, I came in the gate to the courtyard (the gate that doesn't stay open unless you prop it open with a rock) and he found his new home. It was fate.

So now this little metal bunny has a friend. I really love this guy's big jack rabbit ears! His butt has a hinged door that opens and you can put a tea light inside. Too cute to pass up.
Inside the house, the bunny obsession continues...
This little easel (made by my dad) sits on my work table right next to my computer where I can flip to a different little work of art every day. ... These bunnies should look familiar....




And you didn't think I'd get through Bunny Sunday without posting a pic of a real live bunny, did you??? Turbo knows she is adorable... she's not worried about all of the imposters around this place!