Picking rocks

I've been temping to create just a single farm blog, as most of my daily life seems to involve something more to do with farming at this time. But we'll see, for the most part things are smooth sailing here. Last Sunday, my Dell laptop, with everything I had on it, kicked the bucket. It was a birthday gift from my brother three years ago, but it's untimely death was not terribly welcome. Because I'm become so completely dependent on a computer I was in bad shape. Not only had I lost all my files, but I lost my emails and all contacts, which was hard. I know I had several bunny replies to send and follow up on, and I've been trying to find them all but I'm having trouble of course.

Anyhow, a bright light to everything was I found a new computer. Walmart (of all places) had a decent Toshiba laptop on sale, that very Sunday. Each store was given a handful or two to sell as a promotional event, and my local Walmart (Ware) I guess had no one interested in them that morning. So at 7pm, I made the goofy drive to the store and purchased it. It's nothing fancy, no major bells or whistles but I just need something that works for email, web and website silliness. So hooray!

Bunnies are currently doing quite well. We had a lot of storms this past week so no bunnies went outside in puppy pens to munch on fresh grass and get a good romp, but they are pretty happy I think. Yesterday I sold some of my very beloved bunnies to a friend breeder, it was really hard to see them leave and it's hard to be in the rabbitry and realize they are not there, but I know that once I sort out some larger animal time commitments, that I'll be able to devote more time to bunnies. Right now, I just can't devote enough love and time to everyone and it makes me feel bad. I love petting and playing with them and just hanging out watching them, but horses have really taken over. This is the soul reason why I have many bunnies listed for sale, granted they will only be going to very loving homes I approve of.

After the horrible feed issue of last month, I finally have a couple of babies in the rabbitry! Three litters were born this past week, and although their timing is not great, they are beautiful babies and I hope they all grow up happy and healthy! Crossing fingers here. Holland lops are extremely hard to raise sometimes and rabbits in general are just very fragile creatures. Although they have a high mortality rate, mine tend to do pretty good, but I always hope for a little help from some higher power to make sure they thrive and grow up happy. Now its only a handful of babies but it really lifted my spirit none the less.

The feed company is still "looking into" the feed lots and problems. I somewhat feel they are just hoping I forget about it or let it go. I guess I also feel frustrated as other people that had issues with the feed, did nothing. They did not call and report, they just moved on. It makes me wonder if anyone else even bothered to report it, so the company really has little to fuss over with one breeder nipping at their heels once and a while. Quite a bummer, but I'm learning to move on. I plan to rebreed the parents of that beautiful otter buck I lost (see his photo's on a blog post from last month).

I had a bunny I was bunny sitting go home recently. His owner also adopted another bunny as well. I feel stupid over the entire ordeal though. His owner is having some money issue (college students...I feel the pain too!) so I told her it was okay to pay me at a later time for the bunny and also watching her other bunbun while she was away. She also borrowed two carriers for the ride home. I've not heard from her since.... and I'm a little boggled. She was a lovely girl that called me nearly weekly, if not several times a week about her bunbun and other things. She said she'd call me that evening or the day after. I guess I'm just sad. I feel a little taken advantage of as well.

Granted it's not the first time. I've been listing extra horse supplies and collectibles on craigslist recently (and likely ebay soon...yikes) to try and make some of the funding for my horses veterinary bills. I've had people come and try to swindle deals at me and normal under pressure I cower and just agree. Confrontation of any sort is just not my specialty.

On another note, horses are pretty depressing when it comes down to the basics of it. I bought two breeding's last year for two mares (before the economy went into the bucket). One of the mares has been the very ill mare, the other mare refuses to develop a nice follicle and ovulate at all. After several hundreds of dollars on trying to get the mare with a good follicle, we've reach an end point, it's not happening. No matter the medications or anything, just nothing is going quite right. The breeder has said I can move the breeding's to next year, but the costs of doing that alone is another $500. Basically, it means I spent a few thousands dollars and will be expecting no babies next year and no chance of even thinking of making it back. I know horses do not make money, but it is not suppose to get worse and more difficult each year.

To my original title, if I had some powers to create anything right now, it would be a rock eating critter. Something cute with an uncanny taste for granite and slate. Either that or a school bus load of kids whom collect rocks. I spent the better part of the afternoon clearing a 10' x 12' area of rocks. And not just the handful or larger size, the small ones too. Because although the horses (and people) trip over the bigger ones, the small ones get stuck in shoes and hooves.

It's only 4pm and it means my short brake is over, so hi-ho its back to rock moving I go. :)