Bunny pics & nature walk

Whew, another photo shoot. The Nursery page on our Angora website finally got an update, and [drum roll...] we have a whole photo album with pictures of each of the Angora babies! Woohoo! Take a look...they're CUTE. [grin] (I'm developing another website right now, so keeping the blog and the bunny sites up-to-date have been put on the back burner.)

My loving family-of-the-warm-bodies (see earlier post about warming baby bunnies) threw me out out of the house Sunday. I've been spending a lot of time on the computer lately, so this week I came dangerously close to communicating solely in a series of grunts and burps, wearing animal skins, and putting a bone in my nose. It took a while to pry the mouse out of my cold, stiff fingers, but I'm really glad now that I didn't miss out.

We took a hike with the dogs through the woods behind our pasture. The sun was out, and it was surprisingly warm for a February afternoon. Leaves crunched underfoot, and the birds that haven't flown south were out en masse enjoying this beautiful winter day. To top it off, I even remembered the camera! Attached is a couple of shots, one of pine trees against a winter sky and another of a bird's nest we found along the trail.

An Introduction...

Happy New Year! Thought I'd start this new blog with a little introduction.

My name is Hannah. I raise rabbits. Lots of rabbits, LOL. The bunny barn houses several breeds, although my true passion is Californians and Creme d'Argents. I also have five Angoras and a lonely Silver Fox buck. I show, but the rabbits also help provide food for the family, with a few extras for a local abattoir.

I'm a big fan of heritage breeds and sustainable agriculture. My family and I live on a small farm about 14 miles from the closest city. We've lived here about three years, so we're starting small. Currently, we have ducks, turkeys, and chickens in addition to the bunns. We raise mainly rare breeds. All of the birds are free-ranged.

I also crochet a bit and I'm also having a lot of fun learning how to HAND SPIN!

So how did an otherwise normal person become obsessed with RABBITS? (As if you really wanted to hear more of this, eh?) I picked up a pair of mutt bunnies several years ago, with the idea of raising their offspring for meat. That never happened, of course.

It took a while, but we finally ended up getting a little starter "herd" of four Californian rabbits from a breeder near Richmond, Virginia. Under his influence and that of a dog-eared tome called "Raising Rabbits Successfully", we visited our first show. Two of the new Californian does tagged along...and one won her class, earning a leg toward her grand championship! What a fun hobby!

So, I'm now thoroughly hooked on rabbits. I showed four or five times in 2006, which really isn't a lot, but it allows me to have fun with the rabbits and keep my life SOMEWHAT normal. I'm also on the board of directors for a new local club, but other than having my name on a paper buried somewhere in the ARBA office, I'm not really sure what that means yet. hehehe

Learning about rabbits is an ongoing journey, but I'm looking forward to the trip.

Yours,
Hannah
Verdant Rabbitry