And now for something completely different...

...an *almost* rabbit-free post.

Unless you're a friend of mine on Facebook or you've clicked on that link to the right that says "my crochet stuff on FB", you might not know that one of my hobbies is crocheting. I'm by no means an expert; I tend to stick to simple stitches and stitch combos and less complicated projects such as shawls/wraps/ponchos, afghans/throws/blankets, scarves and the occasional hat or bag. I usually go with other people's patterns from books or yarn labels, although I do occasionally come up with my own stuff. I'm very proud of my work, though, so I do like to show it off from time to time.

I recently finished three blankets for the next grandchild-to-be (my oldest stepdaughter is expecting a baby boy on or around Dec. 5th), although I had to wait until after her baby shower today to post this on the off chance that my stepdaughter reads this blog.

Blanket #1: My own design, "Yankees Pinstripes"--done in the NY Yankees colors of navy and white. Since my stepson-in-law is a Yankees fan like me, I had to encourage passing on the tradition. The yarn is TLC Cotton Plus, a cotton/acrylic blend (and let me say that trying to find navy cotton yarn suitable for a baby blanket at a reasonable price is a near impossibility--come on, yarn makers, what's the deal there?)

A closeup shot of the details: the bobble stitches are supposed to represent baseballs. If I'd had more time (and more skill), I would have tried to add the interlocking NY logo to the border, but just didn't feel up to the task this time. I'm definitely going to work on that when I get the chance.

Blanket #2: "Cauliflower"--this is a pattern from a book of baby blankets, and is one of the hardest patterns I've ever worked on. The pattern itself is relatively simple; figuring out what the heck the designer wants you to do is the hard part. I swear these patterns are written in Sanskrit sometimes.

Closeup of the details: the yarn is Bernat Cottontots in white. I love the softness of this particular yarn, so it's one of my favorite yarns for projects like this.

Blanket #3: "Striped Blanket" (that's the name of the pattern, not the description) --another pattern I purchased, although I used a different border than the original and chose to use one color instead of going with stripes. The funky stripe in the middle is what happens when you use variegated-color yarn and the pattern of the yarn colors is slightly off on one or two skeins. I had no idea that this had happened until I finished the blanket and was spreading it out to take a picture of it. Needless to say, I was not thrilled (and actually wish the funky stripe pattern was on the entire blanket), but what can you do?

A closeup of the funky stripe: The yarn is Bernat Cottontots in Sweet Dreams. This is a super-easy pattern, so it's great when I've got a last-minute gift to do. I want to do a full-sized version someday, it's a super-comfy blanket.

I'm currently working on creating a bunny square to use for a blanket, but it's not coming out as easy as I thought it would. I'll have more details in a future post.

I was planning on making this a completely rabbit-free post, btw, but Mr. Mick surprised me today while I was giving him his afternoon meal. Every day, I crumble up a couple of papaya tablets in his pellet mix. Many times when he's sticking his nose in my way and looking to get treats even after he's gotten his share, I'll offer him a whole tablet before it gets crumbled up. His usual response is to give it a sniff, then turn away, although he will eat the tablets once they've been crumbled into the mix.

Today, he's doing his usual poke-poke-nudge-nudge-c'mon, where's the treats? routine, so I hold out my hand with the two papaya tablets in it. To my surprise, he snags one and goes back into his cage, munching away. When he poked his nose out again, I offered him the other one, but that one was rejected. I guess any treat will do in a pinch if you're a desperate bun.

A few goodies

The mailman left this on my doorstep today:

One look at the sender and you'll know how excited I was to see it:

For those of you who do not know Michelle of The Raspberry Rabbits  (and if you don't, shame on you! you just click on that link there and go check her out, then you can come back and read the rest of this.), she is a marvelous textile artist who makes some very lovely bunny-themed items with the help of her assistants, Sugie, Sir Harrington and the recently-departed-but-still-very-missed Razzy. When I saw one of her more recent creations, I knew I had to have it--and somehow, I was lucky enough to see it still available once I got home from our trip.

I immediately got out my scissors and with great care and trepidation, I opened all the carefully-wrapped packaging. I should have taken more pics during the process, because Shell had wrapped it up so lovingly, just like a present with patterned tissue paper and a gorgeous ribbon (and even added a little extra bonus packet of tea and a Ghiradelli chocolate), but I was so excited to get my hands on it, I just tore into it without thinking.

And there it was:

*SQUEE!*

Isn't it gorgeous?! It's going up in my bedroom just as soon as hubby can install the little brackets that came with it so I can hang it up. I LOVE it, Shell, it's beautiful--and I will be having that tea tonight (hubby snagged the chocolate as his "installation fee").

I wasn't the only one getting something today; I finally gave Mickey his present from our trip:

It's a magnet I found at an army/navy surplus store, so of course there was only one place for it:

His Majesty was suitably impressed with the offering. Don't let that sweet face fool you; he is an attack rabbit--he attacks his food, he attacks his toys, he attacks cardboard...oh yes, and he'll hump your leg if he likes you enough, but that's a story for another post. ;)

We're home!

Hi all! Just a very quick post to let you know we are home. Had an absolutely lovely trip, will be posting pics and stuff at a later date once I get everything uploaded and organized.

Mr. Mick was very happy to see me. Apparently his caregiver wasn't to his liking; His Majesty just didn't get enough of the spoiling and servitude he has come to expect. The boy was happy to see me as well, especially since he hadn't fed Mickey his morning meal yet, so I could do it for him.

While I was gone, I called and texted home to check on both. One night, this was the message (and accompanying pictures) I got:

The Boy: I set up the webcam so I can keep an eye on the rabbit!

Me: Where is he?

The Boy: In his cage.

A few moments later:

The Boy: He doesn't want to come out. I tried treats, too.

I finally had to take him out.

Me: That's because you're not out there to play with him.

Also, you've got him blocked so he can't leave the kitchen.

The Boy: Feh, he'll be fine. He was getting into too much stuff in the dining room.

Me: That's because you didn't block stuff off like I told you. :p

The Boy: Feh, this is better.

Needless to say, somebunny was not at all pleased and is in dire need of some extended exercise, so I'm off to get the dining room in proper shape and let him out for a good run.

We're still here...

...just haven't really had anything to write about.

A few pics to share, though:

A rare shot of Mr. Mick on his back. I love how his ears are positioned.

Note the "bun-stressed" hole in the T-shirt. The latest in rabbit-ventilated fashion. ;)

His Majesty in his throne, watching TV while I type at the computer.

It's good to be king...hey, can you turn up the volume there?

Watching Top Chef marathons make a bunny hungry, time for a snack.

Ohhhhh, yes...that hits the spot...I'll give you 24 hours to cut that out...

Happiest bunny on earth...at least, for the moment...

I haven't told him yet that hubby and I are going away next weekend for a second honeymoon--at least, assuming that Hurricane Earl leaves Cape Cod in one piece this weekend. Our first honeymoon was 15 years ago next week in Provincetown, and since we haven't been back to P-town since then, I thought it would be nice to celebrate there. This will be the first time we've taken a vacation without the boy since he was born in 1991 (actually, we even vacationed in P-town while I was pregnant with him, so it's even longer), so it's really going to be interesting--doubly so since the boy will be responsible for taking care of Mickey while we're gone. The boy, of course, is less than thrilled with the idea, since he's never had to do it before, but I told him it's only for a weekend, it's not like we're all that far away, and I'll be checking in regularly. He can handle it...I just hope Mickey takes it easy on him. ;)

Back from the vet's

Just got home from the vet's and the news is all good. The vet checked Mickey over inside and out and took x-rays to be sure; there is no hair of any significant amount remaining inside him.

Needless to say, she and I were both thrilled at the results. The big goal now is to get him to eat more hay to keep his system moving normally, but we may not see much action there until after his quarterly tooth grinding at the end of Sept.

As for Mr. Mick, he is currently sitting next to me, stuffing himself silly with dandelion leaves. Either all that tummy prodding certainly stirred up his appetite, or he's figured out that if he wants to avoid a trip to the vet's, he'd better eat. ;)

Thanks so much to everyone for all the well-wishes; it helped more than you could imagine. Hugs to each and every one of you--and a few licks from Mickey, too. :)

In other news...

This little sweetie arrived for me in the mail today, a gift from my friend Laura:

Isn't he precious?

Laura said she thought he was a handsome mahogany version of Mickey. I have to agree, especially because Mickey does pose like that when he's getting his nose stroked (and for Mick, getting his nose stroked is better than even treats--shocking, I know, but it's true).

Look at the detail on this little bun: the artist even etched pawprints on him!

Just too cool, that's all I can say.

Speaking of Mr. Mick, he is doing well; finished all of his meds as of yesterday. We have a follow-up appointment with the vet tomorrow afternoon. At the moment, he is sitting next to me, being loafy-bun in his big litterbox. This has become our afternoon routine now;  while I am on the computer, he sits next to me getting lots of petting, food and the occasional syringe of water or papaya in pineapple juice. That way, I can make sure he's getting enough fluids inside him while still getting things done and he gets all the attention he wants and his afternoon shows on TV (Current faves: the Little League World Series on ESPN, CSI reruns on SpikeTVand Top Chef marathons on Bravo). Later in the evening, he'll get his usual run for exercise (or what passes for exercise in the world of the world's laziest bunneh) and I get the glamourous job of bunny-poop inspector.

Things are looking up

Good news to report: had our follow-up visit with the vet this afternoon and the vet says he is definitely doing much better. She didn't even need to take x-rays, she said she could tell by feeling his belly that he was improving; it was much smaller and there was more poop in his colon. She also liked the quality of the poop he was putting out. She said to finish his course of meds and come back next week for a follow-up unless anything changes for the worse.

Needless to say, I'm relieved. I knew we were pretty much out of the woods considering how much food he's been inhaling, but it's good to know that everything's moving inside him and not sitting there and becoming obstructed.

Now comes the hard part, though; getting His Majesty to accept that he's not going to be getting so many treats anymore. Somebunny is going to be SERIOUSLY grumpy when that sinks in.