Baby bunnies.... THAT'S how I view life....

Last week as I rushed to complete one last work out, get the final planks of the deck screwed down, a shower and off to the dentist by 9:45 a.m. I heard the all too familiar squeals of new born bunnies in distress.

As I looked around for the sound I spotted Abbey gingerly carrying something in her mouth, with that, "dang, I'm going to get in trouble" look in her eyes. I told her to drop them, which she did and ran to pick them up... they seemed mostly unhurt... just full of dog drool...

But this left me with a dilemma. I didn't know from where she got them.

I held them close to keep them warm and watched Abbey. She's not to bright sometimes... she went right back to the scene of the crime!!! There she mouthed a fourth baby bunny. This one was not as lucky. It had a few lacerations and a chunk of its tiny little ear missing and bleeding.

They required attention... medically, to clean up their wounds and physically, to block off the hutch from Abbey but keep it accessible to the mommy bunny when she, hopefully, would return at night as usual.

With a handful of bunny babies I hustled into my (soon to be vet student) son's bedroom to rouse him and get his help.

When I first showed him my handful of bunnies he thought I was holding baby birds and asked if I intended to chew up food and spit it back out for them to eat and teach them how to fly. He then rolled back over, attempting to go back to sleep.

I promptly informed him that they were not baby birds and that he needed to get up and help me!! He rolled back in my direction, asked what they were then, took a look and said, "Damn, now I've got to get up... cute factor."



As he rose from his bed he provided me with a verbal list of all the medical supplies and instruments he would need (tweezers, small sharp scissors, cotton balls, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment), grabbed his new stethoscope (a requirement for class), filled a hot water bottle, swiped a towel and prompted me to follow him to the kitchen table.

There he covered the hot water bottle with the towel and laid out the bunny babies to keep them warm while he worked on them. After I delivered the required supplies, I attended to the enclosure.

I had to work fast. I still needed to get to the dentist... the planks and shower would have to wait until I got back.

Fortunately, the bunny hutch was under one of my benches which is basically wooden planks that slide into two concrete ends, so I could screw nailers into the cross planks and then attach horizontal boards to box them in.... the mommy bunny could get in through a hole in the side of the concrete ends...

Must work quickly... only have 25 minutes....

Bang nails out of old deck boards which I had held onto to make bird houses(why didn't I do this when I meant to?), measure, cut(dang, the wood is dry it's splitting), predrill so they don't split, screw in the nailers(dropped a screw where did it go?), attach the planks (doesn't matter if they aren't perfectly straight or centered)... only five more minutes before I HAVE to leave... done.... double check work... dang, the planks come down to close to the hutch. Abbey will be able to dig at them and get them back out... (think)...(attach more naiers? build it out?) ah! Move bench!!! (Can't, too heavy... sunk into ground).... Ben!!!! Lift together, move bench, hutch safely in middle... dang... now the bench is higher from being moved.. the planks need to be unscrewed and lowered or Abbey will just go under them.... but I'm beyond out of time... I really have to leave and Abbey will get to them before I can get back....



So, I asked Benjamin to please unscrew the planks and lower them. Now, had I not pulled him from his warm bed and sound slumber in the first place I'm sure his response would have been different, but he gave me a line about not doing it, that, "whatever happens, happens".... "if it is meant to be, it will be"....

That's when my "pressed-for-time-frustrations" came out and I snapped at him a bit to get him to comply... but it was at that moment that I realized it wasn't just being pressed for time that was driving me... it was much deeper than that....

I realize that these baby bunnies might end up food for hawks, foxes or a passing feral cat.... but I had committed my time and energies to do whatever I could to right what my dog had made wrong, and wanted to do it to the best of my ability.

Why would I go through all the efforts and just stop/give up when I hit a bump in the road? Why would I go this far and then not take the final step which could make success possible, but without, would assure failure?

As is with anything I do in life. If I'm not going to give it my all... 100% of me... then why even bother getting involved in the first place. Do a job... do it well... And make the best outcome, possible.

*****

Just five days later...I had to know... so I checked today.... best outcome possible.







Oh... and MAJOR cute factor!

One Awesome Bear....

I thought perhaps I was finished writing about bears, but it seems that the longer I am away from them, the more I think about them and reflect upon my experiences with them. They have so much to teach and I have so much to learn.

I honestly wish I could drive over for a few days and work on photographing them all... updating records and generating new entries. I could easily see that as being my work and spending countless hours doing it well.

There was one particular bear, a large impressive male named Schwynn that seems to capture the hearts of all who view him. He is handsome and respected. When he walks out into the field all the other males seem to part way for him and never challenge his presence.

Schwynn is a three-legged bear. He lost his front left paw when he was three... probably to a trap, but no one really knows for sure. He is now 13.



Some believe that the other males pay him no attention because with only three legs, they do not view him as a threat.



I tend to think that the ladies look at him and think, "Dang, with all that he's got going against him... he still commands the respect of all the other males and survives... he must have some pretty awesome genes!!! And he's cute too!"




Personally, to me he is an inspiration. He is a survivor. He overcomes adversity. I would hope that I would have the strength to chew off my own leg, if caught in a trap, in order to survive. He also had to tend to his own wound without the aid of doctors or antibiotics and scour for food to regain and maintain his strength... while not becoming prey to the ever present wolves and coyotes. And he is gentle, calm and seemingly very appreciative of all the "extra" treats put out for him. He has both strength and character.

I look at and/or think about him and wonder, "How could I possibly ever complain about anything?"

Yep, I definitely think Schwynn is getting a lot more action than the other big boys think.

Shadows of Confusion...

When first I returned home I would wake in the middle of the night feeling lost and confused. While I was gone the birds had planted sunflower seeds outside my bedroom window, which grew tall and the moon light would cast shadows making my bedroom look like a forest...

Well, my beautiful little goldfinches now return with the morning's sun to reap what they have sown. And, I, have the delight of capturing them on film, albeit through window and screen.

Their morning song brings a smile to my face and the confidence that I know exactly where I am!!!















ps. I have no idea why there is a phantom photo on this posting.

Mouse + Rat = Pergola Progress (part 3)

While the mouse was away, the rat came to play and left a list of things for the mouse to do upon her return!!! It's been a busy week.

Random Snap Shots for Grins and Giggles...

Enjoy!