Score!

Whenever something unexpected but desirable occurs Andrew and I shout-"SCORE".  When I left this morning to go to the Ohio state rabbit convention to attend the UARC Angora Specialty Show I was annoyed that I had been fussing with and pruning my rabbits coats since November and they all shed in February and March leaving me with limited show prospects.  LH Blackberry, who was in prime coat at New Year's eve, had shed and grown her coat back since but its length and density was not where I wanted it to be.  I blew her coat out and took her anyway (my one entry) - happy that I would be getting together with my rabbit friends and not worrying about a win.  I had a great time visiting and the specialty show was well organized and a lot of fun.  And guess what? Blackberry won Best of Breed in Satin Angoras after all and I got the awesome apron that I am wearing in the photo below! Click here to see show photos.

 The lilacs are blooming at Lilac Haven!

Grand Champion Lilac Haven's Blackberry

A Week on the Beach...

...is sure a nice way to recharge the old batteries. Especially when it's 80 and sunny there and 50 with clouds and rain here. We camped, rode our bikes, shell picked, cooked sea food over the fire and photographed wildlife in the salt marsh for 5 wonderful days. Of notable interest we saw a painted bunting, a scarlet tanager, several species of warblers, lots of skinks (which give me the creeps) and a 8 foot + black rat snake. On the way home we took a side trip to see the Angel Oak, the largest tree in the eastern United States, located on John's Island, SC and stopped to see my uncle at Badin Lake, NC where we enjoyed beverages and seafood on the deck.  I'm still sorting 500+ photos. Here's a few of my favorites.

A starfish, a big shark's tooth, and a fozzilized deer antler were among the finds.

 Bicycling on the beach. Daisy was a hit in her basket.

 Anole

 Creepy but colorful skink

 Sunset walk

 Beautiful sky

 Scallops & shrimp a cookin'

 Canoe trip out into the sound.

Daisy loves to canoe!

Our campsite in the live oaks

The famous Angel Oak tree

Oink

My friend Becky over at A. Little Mountain Pleasure is raising miniature tea cup pigs. A litter of four was born in mid March on their farm.  Apparently they are quite the rage these days as they are very trainable and only obtain a maximum weight of 30 pounds. You have to admit, this one, named Pansy is darling!

Easter Greetings

All of us at Lilac Haven wish you a Happy Easter and a wonderful day!

Apropos!

My mom found this darling card and sent it to me and Andrew for Easter. Isn't it perfect for us?

Snowshoe Hares

My good friend Sharon, who lives in North Dakota, where yes they still have lots of snow and more on the way, had to one up me on the backyard bunny photos. Snowshoe hares, which inhabit the northern areas of the United States, are dark brown during the warmer months and white with brownish tips on their back and ears during the winter. The photos below were taken in her back yard earlier this week.

A Big Easter Greeting

Here's another wonderful vintage Easter card. This one is in mint condition and it's a Gibson Greeting out of Cincinnati, OH-probably circa 1950.  The dealer wanted $ 3 for it.  They just don't make cards like this anymore. Isn't it lovely? The dark line at the top is a result of it being scanned. The card is about 8 inches tall.

Whoopie Pies

My friend Dianna, who works for dining services on campus, always calls over to our department to let us know when the chef has made Whoopie Pies.  We love 'um.  Last week she called and said the Dispatch printed the recipe.  I whipped up a batch yesterday. Like I need to be eating these things but boy are they good.

Kumquat Stamps

Ok I take back some, but not all of the bad things, I said about the kumquat stamps that the U.S. postal service released to celebrate the lunar new year. Apparently, kumquats, such as those depicted in the stamp art, are given as gifts and eaten for luck at this time (the new year) of renewed hope for the future. My mom got me the full sheet of commemorative stamps and I have since researched and found out that this is set 4 of a total of 12 sets to be released to commemorate the lunar new years. On the left side of the page you can see that the rabbit is embossed in white to highlight the fact that this is the year-the Year of the Rabbit is being commemorated (because you can't tell otherwise-right)? Last year the stamp featured a narcissus flower for Year of the Tiger so this isn't the first year that some weird something or other was used instead of an image of the animal.

It's a Blustery Day Winnie the Poo

Andrew got a very nice portrait lens for his camera last year and I really enjoy using it to photograph the rabbits.  Today the wind was blowing at about 30 mph sustained so I took advantage of the effect as it blew Evan Almighty's long coat all about and took a few photos. He reminded me of a high payed model with fans going around to achieve just the right look of the hair style. Of course he obliged while I clicked off 50 + images.  Love digital!

If Dumbo can do it I think I could too!

Vintage Easter

I found several vintage Easter cards at the antique shows we attended this winter. I will be sharing the images over the next week. These two cards have the same rabbit but one has a boy on it and the other a girl. I found them at two unrelated dealers. I liked them because the rabbit looked like a Flemish Giant to me. Feel free to right click and save as on these if you would like to print them out and use them for a project.  I think they would look nice decoupaged (minus the Easter greeting) on a flower pot or wooden box. 

Rabito

Evidently I have had too much time on my hands to have discovered this while surfing the web. I have an iPhone G3 and this only fits the G4. Darn!  Interested?  Search for Rabito on EBay or Google.

Clint Eastwood Likes Bunnies

Being the big Eastwood fan that I am - I had to share this. Please no comments about the SPCA. Focus on Clint and the bunny.  Who can resist the both of them together?

Iron Chef Pizza Smack Down

Our wine group met this evening.  We had a blast. This time around the hostess had pizza crusts and a zillion toppings and we all put together our very own personal pizzas. If you haven't been paying attention or are a new reader - our group ranges in age from 25-83.  We meet every couple months and have a totally great time. Last meeting of the wine group we had a blizzard. Tonight we had a typhoon. LOL

 

Every pizza topping known to man woman.

Load 'um up.

This is too much fun!

 My favorite-14 Hands Merlot

 My good friend Patience

 Courtney - drinking sparkling grape-has a surprise-her 1st baby due in October. :-)

 Lots 'o pizzas in the oven

 Meagan & Jane (granddaughter & grandmother)

Color coordinated

 Chillin'

Here's my recipe:

One plain pizza crust (we used Donatos) lightly brushed with olive oil and covered edge to edge with one tablespoon of apricot preserves. Top with mushrooms, onion, grilled chicken breast, mozzarella, goat cheese and blue cheese. Sprinkle with pepper and fresh basil. Deee-li-cious!!

They're Here!

Love the fringed magnolia blossoms. They sure took their good old time blooming this year. On the up side - since it is going to be cooler outside for the next couple days they should hang around for awhile.

Not Shy

Duke is always happy to oblige when I bring out the camera. He has the cutest expressions.  Saturday was spring cleaning day in the rabbitry. That means all rabbits out, all cages sterilized with fire, all the wood surfaces power washed, all bowls bleached and all trays scrubbed. Takes 5 hours. Smells a lot better afterward. Raining again today. Sigh....

Blood Root

Last year we planted a single bloodroot plant. Must have been the right location for the seeds that dropped from the single head.  This year we got a crop.

Fringed Magnolia

This is my latest batch of yarn. Fifty yards of nubby, chunky yarn.  I don't like to waste a drop of fiber. If it is clean - I will spin it no matter what the length. Sometimes I card it out so that the numbs aren't too fat but either way I use even last ounce.  This is fawn angora from Evan Almightly. It's the same color as the fringed magnolia blooms in the yard. EA had a very thick undercoat this spring and that's what I had to spin. Tomorrow, if the weather holds, is spring cleaning day in the rabbitry.

 Handspun French Angora yarn

 A fringed magnolia bud which hopefully will bloom tomorrow

Evan Almighty says -Hey lady I am ready for spring!

Ah Ha Moment

Pip's been under the deck all winter.  She's the one who has been approaching me for food, she is the one who came in the rabbitry with me one winter morning, and she is the one who jumped up onto the deck.  I looked back through all my notes and photos (which are date stamped) from over the past 5 years, and she has been a year around resident.  This year her coat was very thick and we didn't recognize her because we weren't paying close enough attention-but it makes sense-Pip has an unmistakable side stripe that none of the others have. And she is the only wild rabbit in this yard who has even eaten pellets or jumped on the deck. So for those of you who asked how we are keeping track of them-apparently we aren't...very well.  There is also a male, who looks just like her except for his side marking, and he's been here off and on all winter too but I don't think he lives in our yard because he only shows up on occasion. But since I thought Pip was gone I've been referring to her as Zorro.  But she looks nothing like the original Zorro who was only on the scene for a short period of time two summers ago. Are you confused yet?  In addition there has been a little doe around too for the past couple months. She's been living under the shed and we've named her Hyacinth.  She could be a Pip offspring from this past summer. The two of them along with the male were playing in the yard this evening, chasing each other, grooming themselves and enjoying the advent of spring.  I'm sure both does will be bred soon if they aren't already.  Their little tails were doing the tail tease all evening and they were definitely interested in mating. Watching their antics this evening was way better than anything on TV and we really enjoy having them around even if we can't really keep track of who is who. LOL

 

Hyacinth

 Pip winter 2011

 

 Pip winter 2010