Progress with the Garden Shed

I wrote this a few weeks ago and forgot to post it.  Busy brain syndrome!
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This past summer, my helpful local builder built a floor for my metal garden shed, and then he and his brother constructed the shed, which I purchased as a kit.  Once the shed was in place, I was using it for its primary purpose, which is the storage of hay bales for the sheep and goat.  However, the shed had a secondary purpose, which was to store my gardening tools and requirements, so they were not taking up space in the garage, which is Marc's domain.

I didn't have time to deal with the garden tools until this weekend, when I was finally able to install the tool hook racks that I bought, as well as some shelving.  Now things are finally looking a bit more organized.  The long-handled tools are installed on a partial wood wall that my builder also made for me.  Then I have two racks for the short-handled tools on the right side.  The sheep leads are hanging from the roof bracket at the far end.  Now I will be able to find things next spring when I want to do some garden work.

The other side of the shed has pallets on the floor and then hay and straw stored on them.  The straw is really for bedding in the chicken coop or the barn.  The metal garbage bins will be for storing feed for both sheep and chickens.  They have tight fitting lids so the raccoons and other critters will not be getting into the feed.

I'm really pleased with the utility of the shed now and I feel happier that this year I will not have to haul hay bales from the garage to the sheep and goat area - rather, I just have to take them out of this shed, which is right next to the fenced area.  So much easier in the snow!

Bunday Blog Business

It's me, Pippin!  Today, we are going to talk about an important subject.  Well, I only ever talk about important subjects, but today the subject is sharing.  We have to talk about this because I need my fellow rabbits to understand that sometimes, sharing is the route of least resistance.

Buns and Bunettes, I'm talking about your potential roommate, the cat.  Do you have one?  Here is a little flow chart I made to help you figure out if you have a cat.  There may be exceptions to these rules, but this is a general approach.

I'm still doing a little research on the squirrel part of the chart.  But basically, you should be able to figure out if you have a cat.  If it's not a cat, more research may be needed.

So if you have a cat, as I do (and really, what were the hoomin beans thinking when they got that thing?), you have to deal with the potential matter of sharing.  First of all, there may be fun toys laying around the house.  Some of them might be full of little bits of green stuff that smells nice and herbal.  I'm telling you, the cat gets really weird around the herbal stuff.  Only play with the toys when the cat is not in the vicinity.  I think they might hallucinate a bit with that green stuff.  But it tastes good and it won't make you hallucinate, so no worries there.

Some cats, like mine, think they need your hay.  I know, I know....you're going to tell me that cats don't eat hay and they're not ruminants and all that, which is totally correct.  But here's the thing. Cats are kind of stupid.  If you have something, they think they want it, whether they really want it or not.

So here I am, all comfy in my hay feeder, chowing down on the latest batch of fresh hay.  And who's sitting there staring at me?  Yep, the cat.  He freaks me out, but I just go about my business, because I'm all about the business of eating hay.

So then you see....you see how he's leaning in there?  All kind of nonchalant, like he thinks I don't see him ogling my hay.

I turn around for one second!  One second, to check my tail is still attached, as you do, and then he's into it.  He's taking my hay.

Then look at him!  He's totally giving me the hairy eyeball.  I see the look on his face...what the heck am I doing in his hay feeder?  The nerve!  It's MY hay feeder.  So I leave a few poops in the litter box, and go watch from across the room.

He's not deterred by poops....see him licking his chops?

And there you have it folks, the hay-eating cat.  Look at those fangs!

The point is, my fellow lagomorphs....you just have to let it be.  It's better to let the stupid cat have a few pieces of hay, which he just chews on like it's a piece of rawhide or something, and later he spits it out and plays with it on the floor.  Share the hay and you'll avoid getting a swat.  Besides, maybe the cat won't be watching so you can go eat the green stuff in his cat toy.

Don't sweat the small stuff.  Lay on your rug, chill out, and know that you, my furry friend, will get the majority of that hay, and the cat will probably throw it up in a hairball later.  Then who gets the lovin' from the hoomin beans?  Yep, all yours.  See you next week, and keep cleaning those ears!

Bunday Blog Business

Pippin here!  I am the home auditor and inspector and in general, I organize everything that happens here.  Today is Bunday.  Naturally, that makes it my most important day of the week.  Sometimes the hoomin (who usually writes this blog) says it wrong - she makes it sound like Sunday.  She probably has something stuck in her teeth.  Everybody knows it is Bunday.

On Bundays, I conduct important business.  Naturally, because I am very important here, I have a lot of business to conduct. All of it is important business, but Bundays are for the most important business of all.  It is the day that I share my wisdom with you.  You do not even have to pay for my wisdom.  If you need wisdom on a certain topic, you can put your paw up and ask a question, and I might help you in a future Bunday Blog Business post.

Today, we consider the age-old question....is the hay box half full or half empty?  Naturally, you should conduct a full audit of your hay box on a regular basis.  Note my correct technique.

However, my dear buns (and hoomin beans, if you have hay boxes)...let me tell you, this is the wrong question.  If there is hay in the box, regardless of how much, it is there to be eaten.

Sometimes, you may find yourself being under the hay.

Sometimes, the hay might follow you out of the box.

Do not be alarmed.  This is a snack for later.  It is good to have your hay liberally spread around, for emergencies and other times when you just need a good piece of hay.

Here are some better questions:

• If a hay bale has 89,752 pieces of hay in it, and the wind is blowing at 33 kilometres an hour, and the temperature is just above freezing, what colour is the sky?
• If I eat hay, and make good poop, and then the poop fertilizes more hay, will the new hay be even better than the original hay that I ate?

These are things to contemplate while you are in your hay box (but not while you are conducting your audit, because then you need to be properly focused on the task at paw.)

Until next time, stay wise, and keep your ears clean.

This blog post is authorized under section 17.2(b), paragraph 5, of the House Rabbit Duties Manual. I, Pippin, approve of this post.

Busy Day: Work, Chickadees, Quiche, and Hay Delivery

It was a busy Monday.  Marc went back to work after having taken his vacation week last week, and my work task list has picked up a few items lately, so I was ready for a busy day.  I started about 9 am and ended my work day with a one-hour conference call at 7 pm.  The good thing about working from home is that I'm able to take breaks during my day to do other things, and I can take breaks according to the time I have available - not limited to a 15-minute break imposed by an employer!

Today I took a break to feed the chickadees, as I usually do.  They were very active today, and I had them eating seeds from my hand, but the "line-up" of waiting birds was taking advantage of all available space, including waiting spots along my arm, on the top of my head, and even on the top of my camera lens.  Unfortunately I can't take pictures of this phenomenon - someone else would have to take the picture of me with birds on my head and arm! When I ran out of seeds, one kept coming back and gripping the front of my sweater and pecking one of my buttons.  Persistent little birds!   Here are a few shots of the chickadees today.

They gave up when I ran out of seeds and reverted to pinecones.

I do love my little feathered friends.

I needed something quick for supper, so I made a variation on the quiche recipe I found at the Broken Teepee blog.  I had done a smoked picnic ham in the slow cooker last week and there were still a few leftovers, so I thought it would be a good recipe to try.  I would like to try the crust recipe from the Broken Teepee blog too sometime, but with my busy day, I opted to use a frozen pie shell.  I pre-baked that, and then cut up some ham.  I don't have fresh corn, but I do have nice frozen corn niblets, so I ran those under hot water for a couple of minutes and used that instead.  I decided to add a few sliced cherry tomatoes.

Quiche recipes are usually fairly flexible and forgiving, so the tomatoes seemed like a good addition. I didn't have cheddar cheese, but I had a blend of edam and mozzarella, so I used that, and poured on the eggs and milk mixture.

I baked it at 375F for 40 minutes.

It came out very nicely and I enjoyed a slice of it before my conference call.  It was very tasty. The sweetness of the corn paired well with the smoky ham, and the tomatoes added extra vitamins!


Just after my piece of quiche and just before my conference call, I had 10 bales of hay delivered.  The goats and sheep really love the hay that I'm getting locally.  It's hay taken off the Tantramar Marsh area and has a great variety of grasses, clover, and other plants as well.  Goats and sheep aren't as finicky as horses when it comes to their hay, but I'm glad my gang really like this stuff!

They still like to eat bark, too.  Crazy critters!