Monday Picture Bunday

Amelia measures a Chicory leaf using the earometer method.

The Spots inspect this years pumpkin harvest, we hope to get a few good winter meals from these nutritious globe-like vegetables.

Sydney imitates the frog.

Amelia looking in from the other side.

Monday Bunday

Rabbits3 seem to be making slow, through steady progress. We would all like to acknowledge Sydney for venturing outside. Amelia likes to go out pretty much any time and at night will wait by the door so she can go out and look at the night. Tyler prefers daytime forays. And Dear Syd, is just getting used to the whole concept. It's not about what a bun can do, I tell her, it's about how hard a bun tries.

Sydney only just barely outside using the basil not for food but for cover.

On the bonding front spaces between rabbits continue to close up, and retreats from aggression shorten. Amelia, who in the very beginning could get aggressive, is still just retreating. Syndey is much more likely to go for fur, though Tyler was guilty of one incident. Only very small amounts of actual fur have been removed from anybun (it is hard to tell whose fur it is without a DNA check). Amelia is more and more standing her ground with head down asking for grooming, she and Tyler have had a few almost grooms.....

At home with Rabbits3; typical domestic scene.

I have noticed Sydney and Amelia playing a game I will call "Trading Places". I know, you thought this was a reality TV show, but it a trickster rabbit game. Bandit introduced this game to me. First when she was an only rabbit she would establish a pattern of places she would be at set times. When she thought I'd gotten the hang of it she would switch it all up and have a good laugh into her dewlap. When she got a companion, Biscuit, the waves of of silent lagomorphic laughter were palpable when I walked into their room one morning and they had switched beds. This was made even more amusing by the fact that Bandit, being a big girl, did overflow Biscuit's Bed and little Biscuit was almost swallowed by Bandit's bed. Sydney and Amelia are just in the beginning stages of "Trading Places" and so the switch was fairly rudimentary. Amelia had established under the chair as her habitual area, and Sydney often planted herself where Amelia's pellet bowl would be, in hopes I might forget that she shouldn't have free fed alfalfa pellets. Then a couple days ago they switched. Sydney has never lounged under the chair, but there she was, doing a fair Amelia imitation.

Sydney and Amelia choose to share a dish.

Notice their ears are exactly the same:

right ear lightly back and left is out to the side.

I've started putting the greens in three bowls (all the same amounts, mind you) and placing the bowls an equidistant triangle. For a while the Spots would run Amelia off under the chair and return to eating, she would stay under the chair and I would put a bowl there for her. Lately she has been returning to the triangle. Last night she and Sydney were sharing a bowl for what seemed like quite a long time until Sydney took a little lunge at her. Within 10 seconds they had re-configured and Tyler and Syndey were sharing a bowl and Amelia was back at her original place.

Then Tyler and Sydney share a dish,

when there is enough to eat,

eating is a non-competitive social activity.

Have a great week everybun.

LOL SP TCC

That would be Laugh Out Loud Self Promotion for Tai Chi Class. Awhile back one of my patients asked if I knew anyone who taught Tai Chi. Having done this 3 times already with varying degrees of success, I did not immediately offer my services, but rather offered those of my teacher. Conversation continued and I could see that that connection wasn't going to work, so in an undertone I said I could do it if she got 4 or 5 other people to commit to the class. I left it at that, thinking I'd done my part to offer . Imagine my surprise when she did get 4 other people eager to take Tai Chi. OK, so where? it is going to rain soon. I asked my teacher if we could use the Martial Arts studio feeling sure he would say no as he had in the past to other people. But no, he said yes, that that would be a completely appropriate use to the studio. I know I am sounding reluctant about all this, but having had lucky breaks in the past that that didn't pan out in any way, or that turned sour I am wary. In addition when trying to create something, a class, a career etc...even if I I've done everything "right", nothing will come of it, or there will be unpredicted results......Anyway I thought I'd better at least try to get a few more people into the class lest attrition leave us with just 2 or 3, which is just not enough; there has to be enough students that we can learn from each other's mistakes without feeling singled out. I sent out the following as an Email to almost everyone I know. Here is what I sent out, though the layout was different (Blogger layout capabilities seem so limited). As you can see I've taken a more casual narrative tone. I am so tired to reading similar promo bits that sound like ads or a text book or, worst yet, both.

First Meeting Sunday 9/27/09

Tai Chi

With Diana Moll, L.Ac.

Sunday mornings 9 a.m.

Academy for Marital Arts

1570 Soquel Ave.

Santa Cruz CA 95062

Donation TBA

I have found Tai Chi enhances health in innumerable and wonderful ways. One of my patients expressed the desire to to learn Tai Chi. After offering her some alternatives, I said I could do it, if she could get together at least 4 people. And she did, she got 5!. Sunday Morning Tai Chi is still its seed stage and I am accepting more students. If you too would like to learn Tai Chi come to the first planning/introductory class (9/27/09). At that time we will decide which style of Tai Chi ( Chen or Yang) is best suited to the needs of the group. Also if enough people show up who prefer a 10 o'clock start time, I can add that second class. Once the logistics are approved we'll do some Tai Chi.

I have practiced acupuncture and herbal medicine for a decade and have studied Tai Chen, both Chen and Yang styles, BA Gua and Qi Gong with Sifu Ted Mancuso for 12 years. In addition to the "empty hand" forms I practice Tai Chi sword, Ba Gua broadsword and Elk Horn Knives. I have taught Yang style and Sun style Tai Chi to adults and teenagers. Other teaching experience includes Drawing/Painting to middle and high school Waldorf students.

You can find me at www.theqipapers.blogspot.com and on Facebook, though it's mostly about my rabbits.LOL. You can see my Moku Hanga prints at www.qipapers.etsy.com

If you have questions or want additional inform

ation on Tai Chi, please don't hesitate to contact me by Email or phone. (and of course in the actual Email I have had these listed)

And I asked everyone to pass the Email on. So we shall see just what transpires......at this point it seems great if it happens and fine if it doesn't.

I do need to generate some more income somehow, maybe this will be start. I think I should have put a rabbit picture on the Email flyer.

Late Breaking Photo Entry

Amelia demonstrates the Tai BunChi move called "Lazy Rabbit Glances at Ball". Note she is doing the advanced version with back feet crossed at the ankles; what a talent she is.

Monday Bunday

The Spot at the end of the bunnel.......

Bunny Up Dates

Tyler in a bulb pot, he likes to go out but is still not completely

comfortable with the sky being so big and all....

Last night the gate stayed down until sometime in the very early morning when I got up briefly to replace it and put Amelia's pellet bowl down. One of the issues here being that the Spots, being "mature" rabbits shouldn't eat alfalfa pellets and hay and certainly shouldn't have the unlimited amounts a growing bun like Amelia gets. I usually herd Sydney, she is usually the last Spot in Amelia's room, out when I go to bed, but last night she would not go. She was stubborn and evasive, even when I told her her brother was waiting for her. Rather than ramp up the herding to where it would be upsetting, I let her stay.

The Spots feeling pretty good about all this, especially Tyler

who thinks he owns the world at this moment.

Meanwhile, unconcerned, Amelia naps ZZZZZZZZZZZ

There were NO audible fights or chasings during the night; another small bonding victory. Amelia is still not "allowed" out of her room. Last night she ventured a bit further, almost to the doorway out of the kitchen when suddenly there was a great scrambling and running as she returned to her sanctuary, and Spots thumped away in the next room. Maybe they all startled each other, funneh bunnehs.

Girl Buns chillin'

Overall there is still some chasing, but feelings don't seem to be hurt by this, and there has only been one fur incident (Sydney was caught with a mouthful). The Spots play and relax in Amelia's room in the morning and evenings and nap elsewhere in the afternoon. There is less marking both in the room and at the door. I hope this will completely disappear in time.......

And, yes, Amelia has made it up onto the chair. Here you can see how her marking are changing a bit, either from maturity or for winter. Her nose is darker, her back feet almost totally white, front feet darker and ears almost all silver with a darker band at the base.

Monday Bunday

The Rabbits3 have big indoor picnic twice a day, the lettuces in the garden need eating, lucky rabbits!

The gate is down most of the day. Bun Bonding seems to have reached a sort of plateau, although the Spots mostly tolerate Amelia they are not particularly friendly with her. She is a little interested in sniffing their bums, but they are not reciprocating. There is still come chasing and aggressive behavior, but nothing very serious. Amelia seems to have ceased being the aggressor/protector. Although she may run away from them, it is not far and both parties seem to recover quickly, resuming other activities/projects. In all fairness it is important to add that chasing/aggression between the Spots themselves has increased, though this has not effected snuggle time in the least. It has apparently been made quite clear to Amelia that the Spots may come into her room, but she may not stray into the rest of the house; she stays in her room, venturing only a few feet into the kitchen.

The Spots have taken back their castle, here Tyler examines Amelia's innovative renovations.

They quite interested in her alfalfa pellets and hay which I put out of reach when they come in the room. One day during scheduled bunny nap time I was engrossed in other tasks and the Spots snuck onto Amelia's room and ate all her pellets. They got no pellets for dinner that night, Sydney has to watch her waist line. Even Amelia's regular timothy hay, the same as theirs, is considered desirable.

Queen of her castle keep, Sydney Black Nose.

There are a lot of territorial poops, the towels look like well endowed chocolate cookies. Sydney used to leave urine markings by her litter box, that has stopped and she leaves a puddle (on a towel over plastic) by Amelia's box. There is much marking at the door just outside Amelia's room. Despite the low level animosity none of the rabbits like having the gate up and there will be shaking of the blockage by either side when it is up. Amelia often plants herself next to it, or in sight of it.

Sydney is having a flag designed so she can claim this territory as her very own.

On another behavioral note is that all rabbits seem more affectionate with me. Tyler for the first time ever licked my foot. Amelia will often come and put her paws on my back if I am sitting on the floor and now Tyler is copying this move. Even Sydney has become somewhat more outgoing. Though she has yet to go outside, she loiters purposefully by the open door. I cleared some clothes off the chair thinking a better use of it would be for rabbits and Syd was the first and so far only bun up, what a girl!

Stretched, Amelia awaits.