Bunny Sunday

Best Bunny Buddy Butts:

Nutmeg and Patches are inseparable.  Wherever you find one you will find the other.  They love to lounge around like this, stretched out next to each other.  I never get tired of seeing it, such cuteness!

Patches is twice the size of Nutmeg, but Nutmeg is definitely the boss.  Whatever she says goes.  Or else.

And you do NOT want to face the wrath of Nutty Brown...

Bad Hair Day

This is Piper's Just-Rolled-Out-Of-Bed look:

Pretty cute, I have to admit.  But take a closer look at that mane of hers:

Ugh!  She started rubbing her mane on the corral panels AGAIN and now there is a huge chunk right in the middle GONE... right down to the skin in a few spots.  She has such a pretty mane.... when it's all there.  Now it's just a wreck.  It's not like she is a show horse or I'm all that fussy about grooming, but this is just a pet peeve of mine!

She did this previously back at the beginning of the year.  Someone recommended I use MTG, which I did.  Once a week I rubbed it into her bald spot and by mid-April it had almost caught up to the rest of her mane.  It was looking really good!  Now this...

Anyone have any other suggestions?  It's really not feasible to put something on the fence panels to keep her from putting her head through and rubbing.  What I really want is to find something to treat the cause of the itching.  I've tried all kinds of crazy ideas --- including baby diaper rash cream and witch hazel.  She gets de-wormed on a regular schedule, so that shouldn't be the problem. 

Oh Pipey, what am I gonna do about you?  Help me out cowgirls...

Our New Neighbor

I looked out the front window the other evening to see our new neighbor coming down the driveway with her horse.  I snatched up my camera and went outside to greet them. 

Look at this little guy!

His name is Rebel.  Could he be any cuter?  I wasn't sure at first if he was a pony or a mini-horse, turns out he is a mini. 

I was immediately smitten.  He was perfectly sweet and friendly.  I had visions of him pulling a cart.... full of bunnies.  Can't you see it now?

And look at this mane!

And these itty bitty hooves!

Yep, I want one.

The other horses were not so sure what to think of him, though.  Piper and Sassy snorted and ran off to the other side of their pen.  Silly girls. 

Phoenix, being the old patriarch that he is, positioned himself in between to let him know that those are HIS mares.

Know your place little guy...

Bunny Sunday

Little Cactus Rose is still confused about whether she is a kitty or a bunny.  We don't have any other cats, so her role models are bunnies.  She likes to hang out with Nutmeg and Patches in their condo and nap in the hay in their litter box.

Patches is not so sure about the feline interloper.  "Mom, could you help us out here???"

There's just not enough room for the 3 of us bunnies in this 2-bunny condo...

Cactus Rose:  "We'll see about that, Bunzilla."

No Lack of Treats Around this Place

I'm sitting here thinking about how spoiled all of these animals are around this place!  At one point or another today, everyone had a treat.  Here's how it went:

Bunnies - fresh carrot tops from the garden
Horses - apples from my neighbor's tree
Goats - butternut squash vine from the garden (I trimmed it back a little, hoping it will get some new life for the fall)
Chickens - peaches from my neighbor's tree (the bruised ones that had fallen on the ground)
Tortoises - fresh herbs and petunia flowers from the garden
Snuffy - Frosty Paws frozen treat (from the grocery store!)

The only one who didn't get a treat was Cactus Rose.  She is a picky little kitty and I haven't found any treats that she likes. 

I've been so busy catering to everyone else, I think I'll give MYSELF a treat.

One of my favorite treats in the summertime are Fruit Chillers.  They are a frozen fruit sorbet in a tube.  They remind me of Otter Pops, only better.  Cold and yummy and only 55 calories.  Heck, I might even have 2...

Bunny Sunday

I have been trying all afternoon to load another video of the bunnies, but it's just not happening today.  I love the internet, but my internet connection is another story somedays...

I had some good laughs over the comments to last week's Bunny Sunday pic (appropriately dubbed by one person as "Bunny Sled Team") .  There was a question about how I get them to line up by that.  I wish I could say I trained them to do it, but not so.  There is a hierarchy that these bunnies follow and this little sled team ritual is something they do all on their own.  First, Sandie lies down, then Digger, Ginger, Bully and Turbo.  9 times out of 10 it is in that order. 

And no one dares lie down until Sandie does first.  If they do, they get nipped in the butt and moved from the spot until the appropriate order is established.  So, there you have it - bunny clan dynamics 101.

Peach Cobbler Anyone?

I made yummy peach cobbler for dessert last night and thought I'd share the recipe.  Just imagine I'm giving you one of those cute little recipe cards with "From the Kitchen of Heart of a Cowgirl" at the top....

In addition to being sinfully delicious, this recipe has the added benefit of being super easy.  I found the recipe at Epicurious.com several years ago and have been using it ever since.

First, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Cut 6 large peaches into thin wedges (to make this recipe even easier, I leave the skin on the peaches.  I like the added flavor and texture, but feel free to peel them).  Toss with 1/4 c. sugar, 1 T. fresh lemon juice and 1 t. cornstarch in a 2-qt. baking dish and bake in middle of oven for 10 minutes.

Make topping while peaches bake:  Stir together 1 c. all purpose flour, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 t. baking powder and 1/2 t. salt.  Blend in 3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, using your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Stir in 1/4 c. boiling water until just combined.

Remove peaches from oven and drop spoonfuls of topping over them.  Bake in middle of oven until topping is golden, about 25 minutes (Topping will spread as it bakes).  Serves 4.

The end result:

So good!  And don't forget a dollop of whipped cream on top.  Or better yet, a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Bunny Sunday

All partied out after their bunny birthday week...

(Note the duly chewed birthday presents)  A good time was had by all.  Thanks everyone for stopping by with your birthday wishes!

Garden Birthday Party

To celebrate their birthday today, the bunnies had an early morning party in the garden with much binkying and running around...

Instead of carrot cake, they opted for the all-you-can-eat salad bar:

Turbo: "Hey, that looks like me!"

Followed by a game of bunny hide-n-seek:

Thanks everyone for visiting and sharing our birthday.  Wish you were all here!

XOXO,

Sandie, Digger, Ginger, Bully and Turby

All Bunnies, All Week

As promised!  More "early days" pics of the Fab 5.

Pile o' buns.  They were just starting to open their eyes at around 10 days old.

Little Diggy-Do:

I picked up a portable baby playpen at the thrift store that made the perfect pen for them as babies.  We had it in our living room and used to spend more time watching these little guys than we did the TV! 

Ginger looking for a way to escape:

Napping baby bunnies (Digger, Turbo and Bully).  It was impossible not to pick them up and squeeze them, even when they were sleeping so peacefully! 

Big day tomorrow ~ party time!  I think a carrot cake is in order...

Bunny Sunday - a Day Late

Sorry everyone for the lack of your Bunny Sunday fix yesterday.  The bunnies have been busy getting ready for their big 3rd birthday party this Wednesday, August 4th.  Yes, that's right, these little guys are turning 3.  Seems like only yesterday they were born:

This is what I found the morning they were born when I went outside to clean their mama's litter box.  A little alien-looking, I agree.  It was a COMPLETE surprise to me and it took me a few moments to figure out exactly what I was looking at.  Their mama was a 7 month old bunny I rescued off Craigslist and the "lovely" person I rescued her from didn't bother to tell me she was pregnant, or could even possibly be pregnant.  Oh well, her loss. 

This is their sweet mama bunny.  Sadly, she died about 6 months after they were born.

Little Bully ~ almost a week old. 

Who knew they would become little superstars??? 

In honor of their birthday - it's "all bunnies, all week"!  More pics to come...