easily distracted by furry critters...

I think I'll miss her but I think O'Reilly is REALLY going to miss her... and that's hard. You can't explain to a dog what you are doing, that you are helping another dog but she won't stay forever.

They have been practically inseparable.

I am so thankful to have found the woman who will take Betsy. It is going to be a great home for her. She does live close by so that's cool. I met her friend at the dog park and that's how I found her. Betsy will have a playmate and get to go camping and to a mountain cabin.

A dog that had a sucky start and was in danger of being euthanized is getting her life redeemed in a great way. That makes it all worth it.

Reservoir Dogs

So the deal with yesterday's post...

A friend told me about this place that's a 3 mile walk around and takes you to some reservoirs where they let the water out from the dam. Pretty cool

I took the kids on Saturday. O'Reilly wades out but Betsy hits the edge of the water and just starts swimming like it's what she was meant to do! It was so cool to watch.

Sunday we went back WITH CAMERA! and a friend and her dog too!

Saturday Betsy was pretty reserved. She swam and played a little but it was too new to totally let loose!

Sunday she was uncorked! She was jumping in the water, running in it, loping, it was so fun. Pulling O'Reilly in and chasing!

We all had a great time.

Oh Boy! It's Swimming Time

Betsy and O'Reilly playing - she's a natural born swimmer and he'll go along with anyone who will play with him!

She's Playing!!!

a dog's life...

Veteran's Day

Take time to thank a vet for his service for our freedom

picture from icanhascheezburger.com

spoiled

Not me, of course, but my puppy! But that's ok, I like it when they are spoiled. Janay, my awesome friend who is the rescue coordinator for the Ridgeback Rescue where O'Reilly came from, gave him a treat toy. It's like a giant die that you put treats in and it has to be flipped around to get them out. OR was going NUTS cuz he couldn't get it in his mouth to get it outside! Silly puppy. He loves his new toy! Thanks Aunt Janay!

Adopt a Ridgeback! It's a great weight loss program - you HAVE TO exercise them and they wear you out!

What is it?

Katie and Puddy gave mine and Archi Ann's blog an award.

Pretty cool. So I'm passing it on to My Sis Lisa to help her jump start her blog.

The fires haven't gotten close to us, but were bordering my friend in Highland, CA. The voluntary evacuation was just lifted for them tonight. So we are just going nuts from the smoke. The dog park is closed, as it is in Highland and the smoke there is horrible. So it goes without saying that O'Reilly has MAJOR CABIN FEVER! I can't walk him until it clears up.

Pray for rain!

Don't Look

So I gave O'Reilly his other toy from his Aunt Debbie last Friday morning when I was doing my morning devotions. I was sitting in bed writing and had him next to me. It's a ball that you stuff a treat in and then they have to work to get it out.

I kind of wanted to supervise to make sure he wouldn't rip the toy to shreds (it's made so dogs shouldn't be able to but he's very determined). So at first I made him stay on the bed with it.

He found this rather confining and finally left for outside. He really didn't like me watching him while he was working on it. It was rather funny the way he would look up at me as if to say, "What? Leave me alone, it's mine and you can't have it so quit watching!" So I took pictures with just the camera sticking out the front door.

My silly puppy. He loves his toy.

O'Reilly's new toy

O'Reilly's Aunt Debbie spoiled him and Lakota! She bought them 2 new toys. One is a ball within a ball that he can grab, toss, chase and play fetch (or keep away) with. Because there's a ball in there it kinda goes in different directions. She thought he would have fun with it with me and on his own he can toss it around. She's so cool!

Oh and this is cute, he just came in from outside while I'm writing this and brought the ball with him. Then the dogs outside started barking so he needed to check it out... but he had to take his ball with him! I think he LOVES his new toy!




Tomorrow I'll let them check out the other new toy, a ball that you can stuff treats in that they have to work to get out and it also has a tug handle for playing with.

I feel so spoiled! I love my pups so Debbie giving them toys means a lot to me!

fun new find...

You may have heard of The Dangerous Book for Boys. I heard of it because a friend has it. It's a really cool book with all the things a boy needs to know in life. Backyard games, experiments, facts and lots of other fun stuff...

Well tonight I was in Target getting milkbones etc and found this:


The Dangerous Book for Dogs

What fun! It's a parody. I had to get it. It was only 12 bucks and I needed something fun to read!

So with that said... cya! I gots some reading to do!

muddy waters

It doesn't matter where the water is, even a muddy puddle in the down under where I flushed out one Riena bunny, O'Reilly MUST PLAY IN IT.

And he's real happy about it!

figgering this thing out

Ok now i think i've got it! I can now post to this as ME and not my silly rabbit friend without losing all my prior posts like I did before trying to create a new blog! I'm so blond!

i'm pretty whipped right now. yesterday i took O'Reilly, who is probably about 7 months old now, to the doggie park. I met with the rescue coordinator from the Ridgeback Rescue that helped me adopt him and her 2 dogs. We were evaluating his energy level, and if I am a good fit for him. I was thinking i wasn't. She thinks I'm doing fine and gave me a couple pointers on what O'Reilly needs to be successful - boundaries and outlets.

He loves to play with Lakota and she with him. But he gets more and more amped as he plays and then gets too rough. I didn't know how to deal with it. She said to immediately put him on a leash and make him sit/stay or down/stay so he realizes he's getting too rough and it's causing him to have to be put in a time out. That will hopefully give him the boundaries he needs.

And once or twice a week I should take him to the dog park to play with other dogs. That will help with giving him outlets for his energy. (That's on top of daily walks and leash/command training of course.) He really had a blast there. He did really well but did start to get too rough which she saw happening so she put him on lead and walked him around the area. . It was neat to watch her work with him and I learned a ton from her in that time we spent. I felt a lot better afterward.

The thing I haven't wanted to blog about... he's the reason Luther is gone and it's been really hard. Sunday night I put Luther and Riena in the outdoor enclosure that I had made for Archi. They were caged inside which I hate but it was the only way to keep them safe from the puppy. Archi has never gotten out of the enclosure but Luther is quite a digger. He found a spot where he was able to dig around the chicken wire and get out. He and Riena are impossible to catch. But I knew they'd be somewhat safe because they spend most of their time hiding under the shed.

Monday night Luther came out to forage and O'Reilly apparently caught him. He didn't try to hurt him but just in either catching him or stepping on him he broke Luther's back. He was paralyzed in his back legs. Otherwise he was alert and eating the next day after it happened. That night I took him to my vet. She showed me the X-Ray and the fracture was high up on the spine and the nerves would be damaged permanently. If it had been closer to the back end the nerves leave the spine for the back legs and there would have been a chance for recovery and regaining use.

As of right now I have been unable to catch Riena and get her back inside but I'll keep trying.

It's been quite a week, a long one, I'm glad for the weekend that's for sure!

wow - a vacation

My best friend said it best last Wednesday at BSF - I don't get out of mentone much...

couldn't believe this sight - in Big Rapids, MI:


So it was quite a thing to go on a real vacation! Last year I went to Hawaii with my family, a Christmas gift from our folks. Everyone was shocked by that. This year I got to go to Illinois and Michigan with my Dad!

Dad's mum (yeah that would be my grandma) lives in Michigan and I've never met her! Dad and Mum took me in when I was almost 16. And they legally adopted me a month before my 26th birthday. I just never got to Michigan to meet Gram and she visited once but it was after I'd already moved here to California.

So I drove to Tucson and met up with my Dad. we flew to Chicago and stayed with his eldest brother and wife. I've meet them and they're great! Then we drove over to Michigan to spend the week with Gram.

It was really a cool trip.

Here's a few pics:

First, a house in Elgin, Il - this is the home I spent my first 5 years. I'd not seen it since. It was very surreal, I couldn't believe I was there... though I remember it being much bigger! But maybe I was just a lot smaller!

My sister has a slideshow on her blog of all the pics I shot in Elgin. I have 3 older sisters from my biological family.

Notice I'm wearing my Disapproving Rabbit T-shirt - a little nod to Cinnamon while traveling! Buy her book

go now... i'll wait...




ok, now that you have ordered Cinnamon's book, we can continue...

Uncle Mike and Aunt Maria live in a beautiful city called Highland Park and have a beautiful home. It was neat to meet them there, I've seen them when they were in Tucson but never saw their home.

I especially liked their patio out back - great place to read and do Bible study and just enjoy sitting and visiting with them...


Being from Tucson, AZ and then Southern California I am not used to the vast number of trees and green things. Yes, So. Cal. has some green but NOT LIKE THIS!

On to Michigan to meet my Gram.

It was amazing - when we got there the colors were just turning but by the end of the week they had changed quite a bit - beauty!

Gram was extra surprised because my younger brother came with his 10 month old girl that he and his wife are trying to adopt. We didn't tell Gram he was coming. (I have 2 younger brothers and a sister in my adopted family.) I had not even gotten to see his daughter so we all had a great time playing with her. I'm so proud of him - he's a great dad!

Gram kept us busy with things she needed around the house and I always enjoy helping my dad with stuff. I didn't do as much as I should have but it was fun to kick in where I could.


I never thought I'd get a chance to meet her so I was really blessed that my Dad gave me the trip. And I got to spend lots of time with him and that was cool.

Gram lives on a property that is vast and in the middle of Po-Dunk Michigan. We couldn't even get cell phone service. That was actually quite nice. Although I did go thru email and blogging withdrawals!

Here's a picture, at the end of the week, of the field her house in on - The colors were exquisite!

My pic does not do it justice at all!

So that was my trip. Sure there was a lot in between, like seeing Sulphur Shelf in the wild, something I'd till then only heard of from The Birdchick. That was cool. I met a frog that didn't want me to catch him, I don't understand why. But he was kind enough to pose for pictures while I tried to learn all the cool features on my camera...


But everytime I went to catch him he dove back into the stream... silly Frog.

It was a great week.

Movies

DKM had a fun idea so I'm joining in... put a comment in if you join in on your blog!

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
Lots! The Mighty, Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, the Incredibles, Walk the Line, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Matrix (just the first one), Luther (the newer version with Joseph Fiennes) and on and on...

2. Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater.
I'll have to think about this - know i have but not recently so can't remember!

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Vincent D'onofrio, Kevin Spacey, John Cusack

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Tom Cruise

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Ahhhh that's no ordinary rabbit -that's the most foul cruel and bad tempered rodent you ever set eyes on ... Super Models, hah, nothing super about them - spoiled stupid little stick figures with poofy lips who think only about themselves! I used to design for gods! ... why don't you make your point, you're making me tired all over ... i'm jack's colon, i get cancer, i kill jack ... it was freak that told me about king arthur, it was freak that told me everything; you see, i never had a brain till freak came along and let me borrow his for a while

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
Sound of music, paint your wagon

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
Got a dream, boy, got a song? paint your wagon, and come along!

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
The Mighty, I Am David, Luther

9. Name a movie that you own.
too many to name.

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
Mark and Donny Wahlberg - I actually think Donny is a better actor but of course Mark is the hunk so he gets the big roles!

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
Used to do that as kids - can't remember the movies but it was fun

12. Ever made out in a movie?
nope

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it.
i can't remember ... that's why i haven't gotten around to it yet :-)

14. Ever walked out of a movie?
I've stopped videos that were lame but don't know i've ever paid for a movie that was that bad.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
The most recent was Reign over me - you gotta see that flick - tis awesome. Also recently was the nativity.

16. Popcorn?
Large with butter and diet coke of course - they cancel each other out! it's a physics thing

17. How often do you go to the movies?
Not too often

18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
Reign over me - last friday - opening day

19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
depends on mood so just about any except gore/horror

20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
I know there were before this but ET is the first i remember

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
Fight Club - it's not really "weird" but not the kind of movie i would expect to like...

23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?
The Exorcism of Emily Rose - it was scary but I highly recommend it. It wasn't gory horror - was actually very challenging.

24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?
In the theater seeing Rat Race I don't think I've ever laughed so hard - went with my sister for her birthday and we were dying.

One Must Stay Sober...

not always, but most of the time
- Clarence Day

answer: Rich Mullins

i am starting with an easy post - i teach high school sunday school. one question i often ask is "What's in your CD player" ... why? because it says everything about what you're thinking about, where your focus is, what your heart is set on... especially in the majority of teens.

Yesterday i made a decision prompted by the Holy Spirit, to turn, to confess and repent and come home. i was living a very dry life for the past few months, really having a difficult time hearing God or speaking to Him. unconfessed sin dries the ground. i was not growing and therefore i was, by default, receding. yet God in His great mercy has given me a heart for Him so even in this time i was desiring to come home into fellowship.

i prayed with a dear friend and prayer partner of mine. a woman after God's own heart that i can trust with the depths of mine. we lived James 5:16-18 for a few moments after BSF was over. The lecture had taken me to Mt Transfiguration where i saw Jesus and longed to be with him and our prayer was my following the command of the man to take up his mat and walk. (Jn 5:5-9a)

when i spend my mornings in my bible study and then my evenings in reading and renewing the mind i find i am alive. and when the "background noise" my ADD nature needs as i work is more than reruns of old tv shows on DVD i find i have more hope. i don't get frustrated and sucked into the banality of life that is when you live without God, without a purpose greater than self.

so right now, in my cd player/DVD player actually is Rich Mullins. if you are looking for Christian music with ideas that dance and melody that enlarges that soul he is your guy. there are very few artists that write with such a depth and seeking of God, the center and heart of Him.

There is a dvd/cd set called Here in America. You need that DVD.

"I always find it interesting all the people that read the Bible so they can find answers and just about every time in my life i've ever found an answer if I went back and read the Bible it would blow it out of the water. So I've given up trying to find answers in the Bible and am learning to look in there for the weirdest character of all of em and that would be God Almighty Himself. who is a... bizarre from our whole point of view that someone could be so totally Other and so completely by Himself yet He could want us badly enough that He would become like us in order to help us become like Him. If you want a religion that makes sense I suggest something other than Christianity but if you want a religion that makes life then I think this is the one." - rich, intro to Our God is an Awesome God

it's about time

if my genius rabbit who plans to take over the world can have a blog i should put something up ... so here goes nuthin :-)