The Nature Trail Rabbitry BLOG
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Stand Back
A couple of friends told me a great story at the rabbit show last weekend. That had taken a vacation and had a room in a high-rise hotel. Once they got settled into their room, they decided to take in the view from their balcony. All was well and good until they looked into the parking lot and spotted their car - with his wallet on the roof! I'm sure his vacation money, credit cards, and personal identity all flashed before his eyes. He screamed to his wife to keep her eye on the wallet, though she wondered what she could possibly do from eight floors up had she seen anything. He didn't stop for the elevator but rather ran down eight stories to recover the wallet.
I don't think it was ROLAIDS that spelled relief that day. I'm pretty sure it was reaching the wallet before anyone else noticed!
Now you are wondering how I'm going to tie this story in with rabbits, aren't you?
Well, you know for certain that at one point he was much closer to his wallet than he had been on the balcony. But he was busy with trying to get their luggage out of the car. HIs mind probably went to something else right after he placed his wallet, temporarily he thought, on the roof. Being too close, taking care of routine matters, having seen the roof of his car empty a thousand times, and having his mind on other events made the wallet quite invisible to him.
Isn't that how things go in our barns sometimes? Sometimes we're too close to notice what's going on. Sometimes we're too busy with the routine maintenance to see a particular bunny. Sometimes our minds are on the rest of our lives. Sometimes we've just seen the same rabbits too often to take a fresh look. Whatever the case, we become barn blind.
I have a broken doe that I loved from the time she was small. I liked her better than her sister, that I was able to grand with no trouble. This broken doe didn't do as well on the table, so I decided to sell her. Number one problem: never let judges cull your rabbits for you. I should know better. But I get impatient for results and I doubt my own observations too often. I took her to Convention and was ready to sell her when a friend walked by. He has a good touch with rabbits. I asked him to look at her. He really liked her. That's when my "I do, too!" came back. I just needed some validation on her. I thought I had been too close to the situation, having loved her mother and having seen the resemblance. So I kept her and as I reported on Sunday, she won a leg under a judge whose opinion I respect.
The question is, how do we step back and take an objective view of our barns? How do we clear our minds of preconceptions and see things anew?
I think the ideal is to have some breeder whose opinions you respect come to your barn and go through your animals with you. But for most of us, that's a pipedream. We all tend to live hours from the next breeder of our own breed and that doesn't necessarily mean that the next breeder over would have the time or would be willing - or would have the skills needed for the job.
On the other end of the spectrum, invite someone relatively new to your barn to go over your rabbits with you. You learn more when you teach. To have to verbally describe each rabbit as you show it and answer quesitons can be really revealing.
Taking rabbits to a show just to be examined by competent breeders may be the best bet. I think that many breeders enjoy looking at and evaluating rabbits. Don't be afraid to ask. All they can say is "no."
I also think you might want to consider entering all of your senior bucks into a show with a judge known for being a good handler/poser of your breed. You might hear some comments that you appreciate, but being able to sit back and evaluate your own rabbits from a couple of feet back is a treat. To be able to see them all within a relatively short timeframe handled in the same way can really help you see and compare your rabbits.
We miss so much when we are standing right over our rabbits. You are lucky if you have some that will pose all day for you so you can stand back and get a good look at them, but half or more of mine are always interested in the table or are nervous and feel exposed in the open.
Now, if there are any experienced Holland Lop breeders who are willing to come to my barn and go over my bunnies with me, I'd be thrilled to have you. Or if you are just learning and want to go over bunnies with me, that's great, too. I'm barn blind and I know it. And it's bad enough to be blind, but then to second guess yourself when you are right because you are AFRAID you are blind, is even worse!
Laurie ¶ 10:33 AM 0 comments links to this post
I don't think it was ROLAIDS that spelled relief that day. I'm pretty sure it was reaching the wallet before anyone else noticed!
Now you are wondering how I'm going to tie this story in with rabbits, aren't you?
Well, you know for certain that at one point he was much closer to his wallet than he had been on the balcony. But he was busy with trying to get their luggage out of the car. HIs mind probably went to something else right after he placed his wallet, temporarily he thought, on the roof. Being too close, taking care of routine matters, having seen the roof of his car empty a thousand times, and having his mind on other events made the wallet quite invisible to him.
Isn't that how things go in our barns sometimes? Sometimes we're too close to notice what's going on. Sometimes we're too busy with the routine maintenance to see a particular bunny. Sometimes our minds are on the rest of our lives. Sometimes we've just seen the same rabbits too often to take a fresh look. Whatever the case, we become barn blind.
I have a broken doe that I loved from the time she was small. I liked her better than her sister, that I was able to grand with no trouble. This broken doe didn't do as well on the table, so I decided to sell her. Number one problem: never let judges cull your rabbits for you. I should know better. But I get impatient for results and I doubt my own observations too often. I took her to Convention and was ready to sell her when a friend walked by. He has a good touch with rabbits. I asked him to look at her. He really liked her. That's when my "I do, too!" came back. I just needed some validation on her. I thought I had been too close to the situation, having loved her mother and having seen the resemblance. So I kept her and as I reported on Sunday, she won a leg under a judge whose opinion I respect.
The question is, how do we step back and take an objective view of our barns? How do we clear our minds of preconceptions and see things anew?
I think the ideal is to have some breeder whose opinions you respect come to your barn and go through your animals with you. But for most of us, that's a pipedream. We all tend to live hours from the next breeder of our own breed and that doesn't necessarily mean that the next breeder over would have the time or would be willing - or would have the skills needed for the job.
On the other end of the spectrum, invite someone relatively new to your barn to go over your rabbits with you. You learn more when you teach. To have to verbally describe each rabbit as you show it and answer quesitons can be really revealing.
Taking rabbits to a show just to be examined by competent breeders may be the best bet. I think that many breeders enjoy looking at and evaluating rabbits. Don't be afraid to ask. All they can say is "no."
I also think you might want to consider entering all of your senior bucks into a show with a judge known for being a good handler/poser of your breed. You might hear some comments that you appreciate, but being able to sit back and evaluate your own rabbits from a couple of feet back is a treat. To be able to see them all within a relatively short timeframe handled in the same way can really help you see and compare your rabbits.
We miss so much when we are standing right over our rabbits. You are lucky if you have some that will pose all day for you so you can stand back and get a good look at them, but half or more of mine are always interested in the table or are nervous and feel exposed in the open.
Now, if there are any experienced Holland Lop breeders who are willing to come to my barn and go over my bunnies with me, I'd be thrilled to have you. Or if you are just learning and want to go over bunnies with me, that's great, too. I'm barn blind and I know it. And it's bad enough to be blind, but then to second guess yourself when you are right because you are AFRAID you are blind, is even worse!
Laurie ¶ 10:33 AM 0 comments links to this post
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
We Want To Be Heard
I think it's human nature to want to be heard, to want to be understood, and to want to be given your due consideration. So I shouldn't be shocked that a number of people who have joined the new Yahoo! Group for rabbit polls have expressed their desire to be heard.
In just a little over 24 hours, we have 70 members to the new group, with more arriving every few minutes. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rabbit-surveys/
I promised to respect the time of each individual who participates in the polls by following through on my end. That means writing a powerful proposal.
So now I need to think in terms of how people get heard. What types of arguments get the best response?
Here are some thoughts:
In just a little over 24 hours, we have 70 members to the new group, with more arriving every few minutes. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rabbit-surveys/
I promised to respect the time of each individual who participates in the polls by following through on my end. That means writing a powerful proposal.
So now I need to think in terms of how people get heard. What types of arguments get the best response?
Here are some thoughts:
- People who have established themselves as credible - level-headed with good ideas - are more likely to be heard
- People who keep their tempers, do not resort to sarcasm or hyperbole are more likely to be heard
- People who have gathered the support of others and represent a larger number of people are more likely to be taken seriously
- People who lay out the problem and solution concisely with valid arguments are more likely to be accepted
- People who do not violate the rules of logic are more likely to be taken seriously
- People who look at the problem from all different angles (financial, logistical, social, scientific) are more likely to be successful
- People who use facts and statistics are more convincing
- People who acknowledge the other person/group's point of view and then make valid arguments against them will be more successful
That doesn't sound so bad. I think I can do those. Of course, it may take 100 rewrites to get there!
I think I will use this model to write my proposal:
- Introduction
- Strongest argument
- Weakest arguments
- Second strongest argument at the end, and a transition to the other side
- The other side
- Conclusion
I will attach the actual methods and findings from the polls as an appendix and just pull from it what I need to support my arguments.
It's exciting to be working on this project. I look forward to the final product and hopefully some changes at ARBA. Only time will tell about that. But no matter the outcome, I think that we will be heard.
Laurie
¶ 11:54 AM 0 comments links to this post
Monday, October 29, 2007
How Things Change
Have you ever been to a meeting where a subject was discussed around and around and around, but nothing was ever decided and nothing was ever done about it? I'm sure you have. What those meetings often need is some hard data to break the loop of opinion and indecision.
So I'm going to attempt to gather some data. I will need your help for this.
For years, ARBA has been discussing what constitutes a show entry at Convention. This year, multiple announcements were made that if a rabbit were scratched, it had to be removed from the showroom. It was very disconcerting to many people. Folks were afraid to write scratch on the coops of rabbits for fear they might be ejected. I have no idea how many rabbits went before judges that might not have otherwise.
Those rabbits that were brought for sale and never were really intended to compete required a runner to bring them, the ramrod to keep track of them, the judge to evaluate them and comment on them, the writer to record repsonses, the breed chair to record their "no place," and someone from the hostclub to enter that piece of data.
Conventions are getting huge, so having a percentage of unnecessary work can really add up.
I wrote to Eric Stewart about my concerns. He replied that I should write a formal proposal. I'm not going to write a proposal just based on my own opinion, though. That's just more of the same. I want to collect information from a significant number of ARBA members and base my proposal on the views of the members.
I have created a Yahoo! Group just for the purpose of collecting information. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rabbit-surveys/. I am asking all ARBA members who have ever attended a Convention or who ever plan to, to join and answer the questions. They are multiple choice, so it's just a matter of reading the question, clicking on your answer, and then going back to the "Poll" section to answer the next question.
Please email all of the ARBA members in your address book and ask them to join and pass the word on. Take a few minutes to answer the questions.
You will need to provide your ARBA number in order to join. I will endeavor to approve memberships as quickly as possible.
In the future, if this endeavor is successful, I would like to use the polls to collect other information. Individual ARBA members are a wealth of information. We just need to collect and organize that information to the benefit of all ARBA members.
Laurie ¶ 11:19 AM 0 comments links to this post
So I'm going to attempt to gather some data. I will need your help for this.
For years, ARBA has been discussing what constitutes a show entry at Convention. This year, multiple announcements were made that if a rabbit were scratched, it had to be removed from the showroom. It was very disconcerting to many people. Folks were afraid to write scratch on the coops of rabbits for fear they might be ejected. I have no idea how many rabbits went before judges that might not have otherwise.
Those rabbits that were brought for sale and never were really intended to compete required a runner to bring them, the ramrod to keep track of them, the judge to evaluate them and comment on them, the writer to record repsonses, the breed chair to record their "no place," and someone from the hostclub to enter that piece of data.
Conventions are getting huge, so having a percentage of unnecessary work can really add up.
I wrote to Eric Stewart about my concerns. He replied that I should write a formal proposal. I'm not going to write a proposal just based on my own opinion, though. That's just more of the same. I want to collect information from a significant number of ARBA members and base my proposal on the views of the members.
I have created a Yahoo! Group just for the purpose of collecting information. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rabbit-surveys/. I am asking all ARBA members who have ever attended a Convention or who ever plan to, to join and answer the questions. They are multiple choice, so it's just a matter of reading the question, clicking on your answer, and then going back to the "Poll" section to answer the next question.
Please email all of the ARBA members in your address book and ask them to join and pass the word on. Take a few minutes to answer the questions.
You will need to provide your ARBA number in order to join. I will endeavor to approve memberships as quickly as possible.
In the future, if this endeavor is successful, I would like to use the polls to collect other information. Individual ARBA members are a wealth of information. We just need to collect and organize that information to the benefit of all ARBA members.
Laurie ¶ 11:19 AM 0 comments links to this post
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Classy Country Hollanders show October 27, 2007
I went on a fishing expedition, hoping to catch some legs for rabbits that still need to grand. To that end, I only took one grand chamipion with me, and took my chances with rabbits that have less of a proven track record.
By and large, I feel that the day was successful. I showed in five classes. I granded Jocasta under Josh Humphries with a BOS. Gary & Susan Smith were BOB. Kerry got his first leg, under Brian Hartzel. That broke his second-place-or-first-place-with-four-rabbits curse. Kazia got a leg under Brian as well. Thank you, Peter, for posing her for me at Convention. I nearly sold her for next to nothing. Her lower hindquarter has filled out now that they're on a feed they like. That was a close one. Kazia is definitely my Hilary replacement doe. I've already granded her solid sister, but it's Kazia that looks more like Hilary.
Lord picked up another leg as well. In the specials competition, Lord lost out to Pandora Allen's gorgeous black otter junior buck. Brian had to pick between the 16th place solid junior buck and the 17th place solid senior buck from the recent ARBA Convention! I don't mind at all losing to such a nice animal. Way to go, Pandora! Pandora was both BOB and BOS under Brian.
I also had some second place rabbits that thrilled me. I've been holding on to a sable point doe that is linebred to Rio. She should be a perfect match for him. She's smaller and shorter, with no glaring faults. The fact that she came in second under Brian, who appears to be quite color blind, by the way, made me feel that I was on the right track.
I had planned to breed her to Rio to make the third generation, but Brian suggests doing it four times. So I hope that Evita will produce a daughter worthy of linebreeding. Maybe I'll get a Rio, just shorter and smaller. I'd like that.
In all, I showed nine rabbits. Two were my convention purchases that I brought for comments. Four earned a leg each, two came in second, and one placed fourth, but with good comments. Brian said he liked her and she'd definitely be worth breeding. I think I'm satisfied.
We had a quick meeting for the Virginia Highlands Rabbit Club at lunch. Things went well. We hope to have a show Thanksgiving weekend, 2008.
It was a bittersweet day for me. Camelot's Merlin went to live permanently with my good friend Dani Cole. I hated saying good-bye to Merlin. He has such as sweet, sweet personality. Dani promised me that she would take good care of him. I told her than she wouldn't have gotten him if I didn't know she would! He's a very special rabbit.
And Jocasta, Merlin's double great-granddaughter, went to live with Janice Jones. Her generation is precisely why I finally decided to sell Merlin. He has grand champion children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren in my barn. He's done his work here and can help someone else out now.
On a totally different note, my daughter Sarah turned 18 yesterday. Happy Birthday, Sarah. Now you can buy lottery tickets!
Laurie
¶ 10:52 AM 1 comments links to this post
By and large, I feel that the day was successful. I showed in five classes. I granded Jocasta under Josh Humphries with a BOS. Gary & Susan Smith were BOB. Kerry got his first leg, under Brian Hartzel. That broke his second-place-or-first-place-with-four-rabbits curse. Kazia got a leg under Brian as well. Thank you, Peter, for posing her for me at Convention. I nearly sold her for next to nothing. Her lower hindquarter has filled out now that they're on a feed they like. That was a close one. Kazia is definitely my Hilary replacement doe. I've already granded her solid sister, but it's Kazia that looks more like Hilary.
Lord picked up another leg as well. In the specials competition, Lord lost out to Pandora Allen's gorgeous black otter junior buck. Brian had to pick between the 16th place solid junior buck and the 17th place solid senior buck from the recent ARBA Convention! I don't mind at all losing to such a nice animal. Way to go, Pandora! Pandora was both BOB and BOS under Brian.
I also had some second place rabbits that thrilled me. I've been holding on to a sable point doe that is linebred to Rio. She should be a perfect match for him. She's smaller and shorter, with no glaring faults. The fact that she came in second under Brian, who appears to be quite color blind, by the way, made me feel that I was on the right track.
I had planned to breed her to Rio to make the third generation, but Brian suggests doing it four times. So I hope that Evita will produce a daughter worthy of linebreeding. Maybe I'll get a Rio, just shorter and smaller. I'd like that.
In all, I showed nine rabbits. Two were my convention purchases that I brought for comments. Four earned a leg each, two came in second, and one placed fourth, but with good comments. Brian said he liked her and she'd definitely be worth breeding. I think I'm satisfied.
We had a quick meeting for the Virginia Highlands Rabbit Club at lunch. Things went well. We hope to have a show Thanksgiving weekend, 2008.
It was a bittersweet day for me. Camelot's Merlin went to live permanently with my good friend Dani Cole. I hated saying good-bye to Merlin. He has such as sweet, sweet personality. Dani promised me that she would take good care of him. I told her than she wouldn't have gotten him if I didn't know she would! He's a very special rabbit.
And Jocasta, Merlin's double great-granddaughter, went to live with Janice Jones. Her generation is precisely why I finally decided to sell Merlin. He has grand champion children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren in my barn. He's done his work here and can help someone else out now.
On a totally different note, my daughter Sarah turned 18 yesterday. Happy Birthday, Sarah. Now you can buy lottery tickets!
Laurie
¶ 10:52 AM 1 comments links to this post
Friday, October 26, 2007
Your Representatives
How many of us have ever contacted our representatives about any issue? You have a representative for each specialty club you belong to. You have an ARBA representative, too. In some cases, it is appropriate to contact the members of a particular committee with your concerns.
And you have concerns, I'm sure. Just go to any rabbit show and you can hear folks voicing their concerns. The problem is, just rehearsing our concerns to each other doesn't get the job done. The concerns need to be voiced to those who have the power to present to boards and committees who have the power to actually change things.
One of the biggest complaints I've heard among those serving is that they don't hear anything from anyone. Or they hear frequently from just a few people.
A good representative is capable of presenting the views of the district even if they are not his or her own views. So don't hesitate from voicing your opinions, even if you know that your representative doesn't agree with them.
If you decide to write to your representative, make sure you state the concern clearly. Use examples, if you can to bring the concern to life. They can be given without naming names. Then make a suggestion for how things could improve. Be respectful and non-demanding.
Representatives need to get the pulse of their district. It may be that yours is the only communication of its kind. That might not generate much response. But what if a representative gets dozens of emails on the same topic? Then it is hard for him or her not to take the concern to the board or committee.
Yes, you are just one person. You cannot hope to make huge changes by yourself. But if many of us get into the habit of chiming in with our opinions, our representatives will have so much more information to go on and more to bring to the table at their next meeting.
I did write two emails today. I wrote one to Eric Stewart, ARBA District 9 representative, about the rule that scratched rabbits had to be removed from the Convention Show room. I want to see sales as a legitimate activity of Convention. I'd like to see sale coops handled separately so that comment cards are not generated for sale rabbits. It would save a lot of work for judges, runners, and ramrods. It would keep convention class numbers from being so artificially inflated.
I also wrote to Todd Naragon today because he is on the Holland Lop standards committee. I wanted to suggest that "massive" be changed to "massive relative to the size of the rabbit." And I wanted to encourage the recovery of the description for Madagascar. I understand it used to be in there. When we have more points on color, then Madagascars could get severely cut for not having bright orange over the back as stated in the tort standard.
So when you have a concern, think about it, jot down your ideas, and then email or write to your representatives. Maybe you'll be surprised and help make a positive change in our hobby.
Laurie
¶ 10:39 AM 0 comments links to this post
And you have concerns, I'm sure. Just go to any rabbit show and you can hear folks voicing their concerns. The problem is, just rehearsing our concerns to each other doesn't get the job done. The concerns need to be voiced to those who have the power to present to boards and committees who have the power to actually change things.
One of the biggest complaints I've heard among those serving is that they don't hear anything from anyone. Or they hear frequently from just a few people.
A good representative is capable of presenting the views of the district even if they are not his or her own views. So don't hesitate from voicing your opinions, even if you know that your representative doesn't agree with them.
If you decide to write to your representative, make sure you state the concern clearly. Use examples, if you can to bring the concern to life. They can be given without naming names. Then make a suggestion for how things could improve. Be respectful and non-demanding.
Representatives need to get the pulse of their district. It may be that yours is the only communication of its kind. That might not generate much response. But what if a representative gets dozens of emails on the same topic? Then it is hard for him or her not to take the concern to the board or committee.
Yes, you are just one person. You cannot hope to make huge changes by yourself. But if many of us get into the habit of chiming in with our opinions, our representatives will have so much more information to go on and more to bring to the table at their next meeting.
I did write two emails today. I wrote one to Eric Stewart, ARBA District 9 representative, about the rule that scratched rabbits had to be removed from the Convention Show room. I want to see sales as a legitimate activity of Convention. I'd like to see sale coops handled separately so that comment cards are not generated for sale rabbits. It would save a lot of work for judges, runners, and ramrods. It would keep convention class numbers from being so artificially inflated.
I also wrote to Todd Naragon today because he is on the Holland Lop standards committee. I wanted to suggest that "massive" be changed to "massive relative to the size of the rabbit." And I wanted to encourage the recovery of the description for Madagascar. I understand it used to be in there. When we have more points on color, then Madagascars could get severely cut for not having bright orange over the back as stated in the tort standard.
So when you have a concern, think about it, jot down your ideas, and then email or write to your representatives. Maybe you'll be surprised and help make a positive change in our hobby.
Laurie
¶ 10:39 AM 0 comments links to this post
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The Rest of Belle's Story
You may recall that I had made a plan about using oxytocin to try to get babies from GC The Nature Trail's Belle, who had only produced two live kits from nearly 20 breedings. If not, you can read about it here: The Nature Trail Rabbitry BLOG: Keeping Records.
On day 30, I felt there was just one kit, so I decided to give the oxytocin that day, not wanting the singleton to get any bigger. So I gave the injection waited to see whether the kit would be born dead or alive. I knew it would arrive within 15 to 20 minutes, one way or the other.
Wrongo.
While it seemed there was some activity, after 30 minutes she was resting again and nothing had happened. So then I thought maybe she had a mummy or a tumor. I had been mistaken.
The next day, day 31, I had planned to take my Convention rabbits to the vet for health certificates anyway, so I brought Belle along. (I decided to do the health certificates just to put minds at rest after the horrible summer I had.) My vet said he believed there was one kit also, and he administered oxytocin again.
Again, there was some huffing and puffing, and some clear contractions, but no baby. My vet palpated her again and said that the kit had moved forward, but that was all we got from the second dose. He said the uterus muscles were fatiqued and nothing else would happen until they were rested again.
The next day I left for Convention. As I gave Andrew final instructions, I slipped in the part about having to give Belle another dose of oxytocin. He was not thrilled, to say the least.
After I arrived in Grand Rapids, he called to get the dosage again. I thought, well since he waited all day to do it, the kit is surely dead.
Apparently I didn't emphasize the part about watching her for 20 minutes after the injection. He checked back later and found the baby on the wire.
However, it was still alive. Luckily, Andrew is well versed in reviving chilled kits. He got it warmed up and gave it to Padme, the only nursing doe in the barn.
Padme's kit was already a week old and clearly overfed. Andrew checked the kit the next day. It was alive, but not full of milk. But by the next day, it was quite chubby and I was satisfied that things would work out.
Now, when the kit is nearly two weeks old, I'm a little concerned again. The first kit looks to be three weeks older than Belle's, having gotten that huge jumpstart from overfeeding. It is on the wire and hopping in and out of the box. Sometimes it looks like Belle's baby is going to be crushed by its snuggles. I just hope that Padme continues to visit the nest box and doesn't start feeding her own on the wire. Belle's baby needs to make it a few more days before going to the wire.
I'm extremely excited to have had this little success. I want to breed Belle again as soon as I have a couple of does to breed with her, in case she fails to make a nest again (she's been a good mother in the past). It would be wonderful to have another broken senior doe in production, especially one with such nice fur and such a fabulous hindquarter.
I will try very hard not to let the use of oxytocin get out of hand. I think that overuse would eventually cost me the life of a doe. I will save the oxytocin for very special occasions and will be careful not to breed a line that is dependent on oxytocin for successful motherhood.
Laurie ¶ 9:46 AM 0 comments links to this post
On day 30, I felt there was just one kit, so I decided to give the oxytocin that day, not wanting the singleton to get any bigger. So I gave the injection waited to see whether the kit would be born dead or alive. I knew it would arrive within 15 to 20 minutes, one way or the other.
Wrongo.
While it seemed there was some activity, after 30 minutes she was resting again and nothing had happened. So then I thought maybe she had a mummy or a tumor. I had been mistaken.
The next day, day 31, I had planned to take my Convention rabbits to the vet for health certificates anyway, so I brought Belle along. (I decided to do the health certificates just to put minds at rest after the horrible summer I had.) My vet said he believed there was one kit also, and he administered oxytocin again.
Again, there was some huffing and puffing, and some clear contractions, but no baby. My vet palpated her again and said that the kit had moved forward, but that was all we got from the second dose. He said the uterus muscles were fatiqued and nothing else would happen until they were rested again.
The next day I left for Convention. As I gave Andrew final instructions, I slipped in the part about having to give Belle another dose of oxytocin. He was not thrilled, to say the least.
After I arrived in Grand Rapids, he called to get the dosage again. I thought, well since he waited all day to do it, the kit is surely dead.
Apparently I didn't emphasize the part about watching her for 20 minutes after the injection. He checked back later and found the baby on the wire.
However, it was still alive. Luckily, Andrew is well versed in reviving chilled kits. He got it warmed up and gave it to Padme, the only nursing doe in the barn.
Padme's kit was already a week old and clearly overfed. Andrew checked the kit the next day. It was alive, but not full of milk. But by the next day, it was quite chubby and I was satisfied that things would work out.
Now, when the kit is nearly two weeks old, I'm a little concerned again. The first kit looks to be three weeks older than Belle's, having gotten that huge jumpstart from overfeeding. It is on the wire and hopping in and out of the box. Sometimes it looks like Belle's baby is going to be crushed by its snuggles. I just hope that Padme continues to visit the nest box and doesn't start feeding her own on the wire. Belle's baby needs to make it a few more days before going to the wire.
I'm extremely excited to have had this little success. I want to breed Belle again as soon as I have a couple of does to breed with her, in case she fails to make a nest again (she's been a good mother in the past). It would be wonderful to have another broken senior doe in production, especially one with such nice fur and such a fabulous hindquarter.
I will try very hard not to let the use of oxytocin get out of hand. I think that overuse would eventually cost me the life of a doe. I will save the oxytocin for very special occasions and will be careful not to breed a line that is dependent on oxytocin for successful motherhood.
Laurie ¶ 9:46 AM 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Convention Bashing
Yes, I do have my own personal complaints about Convention. The parking was outrageous. If they couldn't do anything about the parking, then I would have liked warning, at least. The announcement that all scratched rabbits had to leave the building was troublesome. People were afraid to write "scratch" on their coops, so many rabbits came to the table that normally wouldn't have. And Dwayne Scott was run to death checking out each and every locked or empty coop (how nice if the judging card had just been pulled in advance). You've probably already heard a lot about checkout, which was a disaster. And I was very uncomfortable leaving without my show report and leg.
But how many of us took time to think of the hundreds of things that went right?
The aisles were wide and roomy. There was just a little mixup with the coop cards in youth, but when we got there, the cages were set up, labeled, with shavings in each one. There was a plan for unloading - we did get free parking for that. They had a person at the street directing us to the right bay door.
Everything in our packets was right, except for one of Anna's coop numbers. But since we had good instructions when we picked up the packet, we were able to correct that with no problem.
The Best In Show competition was reportedly the best ever. It was my first, so I can't compare. But a magician entertained us during the inevitable waiting. Each person got to introduce themselves and tell what their breed was. There were two large screens so that we could see the judging up close and personal. It was wonderful.
The meeting rooms were very nice. I wasn't aware of any mix-up there. I would encourage future shows to make sure that the Netherland Dwarfs and Holland Lops don't have their meeting at the same time. We have crossover breeders.
They made a concerted effort to follow ARBA rules. Some people may have been annoyed that auctions were stopped during the ARBA general membership meeting, but that was definitely the right thing to do. It was my first time to attend and I'm ashamed of myself for not making the time before. The decisions at ARBA are indeed made by a relatively small handful of members.
The location was very good. Folks joked about all of the exercise they got walking the sky walk back and forth to their hotels, but it was really nice to have that long hallway instead of having to go down to the street. And there were many nice places to eat. The location was easy on and easy off the major highways. Clean bathrooms with no waiting. Very nice.
I recently read a comment that the people that complain the most are often the ones who don't help out. I don't know whether that's true, but it seems to be. I know that once I participated in putting a Nationals together and have served in various capacities putting on shows, that my patience with shows went way up. I'm much more realistic about what it takes and how easy it is for things to go south.
And I appreciate all of the work that goes into making a show go smoothly.
I hope that the Kentucky folks had their eyes and ears open and will use Grand Rapids' experiences to help put on an even better show. I hope that the Grand Rapids folks know how much we appreciate all of the work they did so that we could have a Convention.
A show that size will never be perfect. And nothing would be worse than not having a Convention at all.
I hope that each one of us will be gracious to show hosts, helping out where we can and never unnecessarily adding to their problems.
Laurie ¶ 8:46 AM 0 comments links to this post
But how many of us took time to think of the hundreds of things that went right?
The aisles were wide and roomy. There was just a little mixup with the coop cards in youth, but when we got there, the cages were set up, labeled, with shavings in each one. There was a plan for unloading - we did get free parking for that. They had a person at the street directing us to the right bay door.
Everything in our packets was right, except for one of Anna's coop numbers. But since we had good instructions when we picked up the packet, we were able to correct that with no problem.
The Best In Show competition was reportedly the best ever. It was my first, so I can't compare. But a magician entertained us during the inevitable waiting. Each person got to introduce themselves and tell what their breed was. There were two large screens so that we could see the judging up close and personal. It was wonderful.
The meeting rooms were very nice. I wasn't aware of any mix-up there. I would encourage future shows to make sure that the Netherland Dwarfs and Holland Lops don't have their meeting at the same time. We have crossover breeders.
They made a concerted effort to follow ARBA rules. Some people may have been annoyed that auctions were stopped during the ARBA general membership meeting, but that was definitely the right thing to do. It was my first time to attend and I'm ashamed of myself for not making the time before. The decisions at ARBA are indeed made by a relatively small handful of members.
The location was very good. Folks joked about all of the exercise they got walking the sky walk back and forth to their hotels, but it was really nice to have that long hallway instead of having to go down to the street. And there were many nice places to eat. The location was easy on and easy off the major highways. Clean bathrooms with no waiting. Very nice.
I recently read a comment that the people that complain the most are often the ones who don't help out. I don't know whether that's true, but it seems to be. I know that once I participated in putting a Nationals together and have served in various capacities putting on shows, that my patience with shows went way up. I'm much more realistic about what it takes and how easy it is for things to go south.
And I appreciate all of the work that goes into making a show go smoothly.
I hope that the Kentucky folks had their eyes and ears open and will use Grand Rapids' experiences to help put on an even better show. I hope that the Grand Rapids folks know how much we appreciate all of the work they did so that we could have a Convention.
A show that size will never be perfect. And nothing would be worse than not having a Convention at all.
I hope that each one of us will be gracious to show hosts, helping out where we can and never unnecessarily adding to their problems.
Laurie ¶ 8:46 AM 0 comments links to this post
Monday, October 22, 2007
Convention Security
Sure, there were problems with checkout at Convention this year, but you have to give them credit for trying to enforce the usual security measures to help protect breeders and their rabbits. Of the four Conventions I've attended, this was probably the tightest security that I've seen. And I appreciate the effort..
It's too bad that all of that effort is really in vain. You see, the basic procedure is so flawed that a child could figure out how to get around it with no trouble.
A few years ago, a breeder I know took a rabbit to Convention. The new owner was supposed to pick it up upon arrival, so the animal was not entered into Convention and did not have a coop. As it turned out, the new buyer could not come and the breeder was stuck with a rabbit with no coop and a hotel room that did not allow rabbits. So, she searched around for someone who had a coop they weren't using and housed it there. When it came time to check out, she simply got a friend to write a sales slip for the bunny, and out the door she went with it.
In this case, she owned the rabbit. You might argue, no harm, no foul. But it pointed out to me how easy it would be to get a rabbit out if it weren't yours. In fact, a Holland breeder did have a rabbit stolen that year. Someone walked out with a rabbit not his.
This year, a couple had to get on the road immediately after Convention, which was a problem since the checkout packets were late. So he sold all of his rabbits to his wife, wrote out sales slips, and checked out with their rabbits. Again, these were their rabbits, but how easy it would be to fake the slips. No breed chair could know the name of every potential seller of rabbits at the Convention. And forget about them recognizing each signature on the fly.
When I checked out, my breed chair checked off the rabbits from my list of rabbits. Then she added the two rabbits I had sales slips for. She handed me my form, zipped my rabbits up, and I was done. Now just stop for a moment. What if she had crossed out the rabbits I didn't have, had me sign it, signed it herself, then kept the form and my sales receipts. Now we have a record of which rabbits I took out of the building. The breed chair could keep the forms for 6 months (or, heck, 6 weeks) and then toss them if no problem arises.
If someone were missing a Holland Lop senior buck with the ear number "CODY," then you'd know who had him.
One of the problems with our current system is that once you walk out the door, no one knows who took what.
Of course, even tightening up on this part of the security won't solve everything. I know a breeder who took a junior to the Convention because she believed she had a buyer. Things didn't work out and she was stuck with a rabbit inside that had not been entered. She just waited until Wednesday, put it into a small lunch box, and walked out.
To have real security, containers big enough to hide a junior Netherland Dwarf or cavy would have to be subject to search. Random searches would be less time-consuming and could still really help curtail rabbit sneaking. Sure, in this case, the rabbit belonged to the sneaker, but how easily could a rabbit be sneaked out that was not the owner's?
There is, unfortunately, another type of theft at Convention - breeding thieves. A breeder that I know had this happen to him this year. When he came in one morning, his feed and water dishes had been removed from the cage and thrown inside. The feeders had been attached on the outside in such a way that the rabbits could not have done this themselves. When he checked his buck, he showed very clear signs of having been bred. Had the sneak thief not left a calling card, he may not have noticed. I wonder how many bucks have been bred at Convention without permission. No one may ever know.
The only protection here is a padlock. Sure, it's possible to lift cages, but that does draw more attention than just opening a door or clipping a zip tie. I know they cost more and are heavy, but I think they are worth it.
To make the cage even more secure, use risers. Then you can zip the riser to the cage in the back and sides. When the row is lifted, the riser goes up and contains the rabbit. Sure, they can snip the ties while holding up the cages (unless you used another padlock), but they risk letting all of the rabbits on that row go and causing a bigger scene.
I teased our friend Roman for not having locks on his cages. I told him that valuable rabbits should be locked up. He replied quite humbly that he hadn't realized they were so valuable. He was second place for Best Display points this year, and bred and owned the BOG bunny! The moral is that any nice rabbit can be a target. Your rabbit may do better than you dreamed and become highly desirable. Don't take chances.
We all show at our own risk. There's no way to make showing rabbits risk-free. But I think we can take certain steps, both individually and as a national club, to limit the risks as much as possible.
Laurie
¶ 10:16 PM 0 comments links to this post
It's too bad that all of that effort is really in vain. You see, the basic procedure is so flawed that a child could figure out how to get around it with no trouble.
A few years ago, a breeder I know took a rabbit to Convention. The new owner was supposed to pick it up upon arrival, so the animal was not entered into Convention and did not have a coop. As it turned out, the new buyer could not come and the breeder was stuck with a rabbit with no coop and a hotel room that did not allow rabbits. So, she searched around for someone who had a coop they weren't using and housed it there. When it came time to check out, she simply got a friend to write a sales slip for the bunny, and out the door she went with it.
In this case, she owned the rabbit. You might argue, no harm, no foul. But it pointed out to me how easy it would be to get a rabbit out if it weren't yours. In fact, a Holland breeder did have a rabbit stolen that year. Someone walked out with a rabbit not his.
This year, a couple had to get on the road immediately after Convention, which was a problem since the checkout packets were late. So he sold all of his rabbits to his wife, wrote out sales slips, and checked out with their rabbits. Again, these were their rabbits, but how easy it would be to fake the slips. No breed chair could know the name of every potential seller of rabbits at the Convention. And forget about them recognizing each signature on the fly.
When I checked out, my breed chair checked off the rabbits from my list of rabbits. Then she added the two rabbits I had sales slips for. She handed me my form, zipped my rabbits up, and I was done. Now just stop for a moment. What if she had crossed out the rabbits I didn't have, had me sign it, signed it herself, then kept the form and my sales receipts. Now we have a record of which rabbits I took out of the building. The breed chair could keep the forms for 6 months (or, heck, 6 weeks) and then toss them if no problem arises.
If someone were missing a Holland Lop senior buck with the ear number "CODY," then you'd know who had him.
One of the problems with our current system is that once you walk out the door, no one knows who took what.
Of course, even tightening up on this part of the security won't solve everything. I know a breeder who took a junior to the Convention because she believed she had a buyer. Things didn't work out and she was stuck with a rabbit inside that had not been entered. She just waited until Wednesday, put it into a small lunch box, and walked out.
To have real security, containers big enough to hide a junior Netherland Dwarf or cavy would have to be subject to search. Random searches would be less time-consuming and could still really help curtail rabbit sneaking. Sure, in this case, the rabbit belonged to the sneaker, but how easily could a rabbit be sneaked out that was not the owner's?
There is, unfortunately, another type of theft at Convention - breeding thieves. A breeder that I know had this happen to him this year. When he came in one morning, his feed and water dishes had been removed from the cage and thrown inside. The feeders had been attached on the outside in such a way that the rabbits could not have done this themselves. When he checked his buck, he showed very clear signs of having been bred. Had the sneak thief not left a calling card, he may not have noticed. I wonder how many bucks have been bred at Convention without permission. No one may ever know.
The only protection here is a padlock. Sure, it's possible to lift cages, but that does draw more attention than just opening a door or clipping a zip tie. I know they cost more and are heavy, but I think they are worth it.
To make the cage even more secure, use risers. Then you can zip the riser to the cage in the back and sides. When the row is lifted, the riser goes up and contains the rabbit. Sure, they can snip the ties while holding up the cages (unless you used another padlock), but they risk letting all of the rabbits on that row go and causing a bigger scene.
I teased our friend Roman for not having locks on his cages. I told him that valuable rabbits should be locked up. He replied quite humbly that he hadn't realized they were so valuable. He was second place for Best Display points this year, and bred and owned the BOG bunny! The moral is that any nice rabbit can be a target. Your rabbit may do better than you dreamed and become highly desirable. Don't take chances.
We all show at our own risk. There's no way to make showing rabbits risk-free. But I think we can take certain steps, both individually and as a national club, to limit the risks as much as possible.
Laurie
¶ 10:16 PM 0 comments links to this post
Friday, October 19, 2007
My Take On The Meetings
I went to both the Holland Lop and the ARBA general membership meetings. Here are the points that I thought were important and as I perceived them.
Holland Lop General Membership Meeting
Holland Lop General Membership Meeting
- The 2010 nationals was awarded to a group, I think Hollands and Friends, for Colorado.
- Membership is growing; we had 1300 last year and 1600 this year (makes the top 100 look even better, doesn't it?).
- We had 1300+ open entries at Convention and 500+ youth entries this year.
- They are working on gettng the sweepstakes points posted in a more timely manner. The first step will be to write up a set of expectations for the sweeps chair position and then to discuss the expectations with the chair to see what is attainable and what is unreasonable.
- The standards committee is hard at work on our standard. The standard is revised with the printing of the Standards of Perfection and also five years later. I plan to talk to my nearest committee member (Todd Naragon) about changing the terminology to "massive relative to the size of the rabbit" instead of just massive. It is my opinion that too many judges read that as bigger is better (and I have been told that by more than one judge). The wording is to be changed to emphasize balance over just big, anyway, but I hope they will put in writing the concept of massiveness being relative; even a tiny rabbit can project a larger image.
- They plan to reduce the wording so that it is easier to read the standard and understand what we are working towards and what our rabbits are to be judged by.
- Color folks got good news and bad. First, the question of splitting into color groups with this standard update is off of the table. Their research showed that no breed with so few color points is shown by color. So the first step will be to increase color to 10 points. Chris Zemny mentioned taking 2 points from fur, 2 from head, and 2 from body. They don't want to upset the balance between the head and the body. Several folks voiced the attitude that they are against splitting the colors because that would allow lesser quality rabbits to get legs (those that can't compete with torts). Others mentioned the prejudice that some judges have against colors and the discouragement that breeders have trying to get started in colors.
- Someone suggested holding a color seminar at the next Convention. The suggestion was met with positive responses. The problems of seeing color examples by computer monitor were discussed. While you can see the general color and definitely the patterns of rabbits, the exact color would change from monitor to monitor. Chris Zemny suggested that Holland breeders purchase the dwarf color guide as the most economical answer.
- Chris was also asked whether there would be any chance of getting blue point back and she said they would be pursuing that.
- Charlene started her new job as treasurer and Marianne Leichty is taking over as supply chair.
- Future Convention judges were voted on. There were three spaces available for 2010. Next year's convention judges are the Coverts, Molly and Doug, and the Dappers, Anna and Ruth. (A fifth judge was added for this year, that could happen again if the numbers stay high.)
- Henry Sabetti was announced as the District 9 representative. His district was the only one that held an election.
- Dwayne Scott starts another two years, having won by acclaimation.
- The silver marten Hollands did not pass the Holland committee and were not presented.
- Discussions will be underway about using space more efficiently in the Hollander and getting the website updated more timely. Also, Nationals hosts will get a free one-page ad for nationals in the fall and winter issues preceding their Nationals.
[Update: on the topic of getting the website updated more timely, the following is an excerpt from an email that I received from Christine Feld. She had hoped that this information would be presented at the meeting.
I've been very accomodating the past year + about late reports, but now feel I can no longer do this. I have been taking a hit over the late publication for many months now.....Mostly because I'm waiting on one or several key reports....... I am working full time and need to plan the Hollander production around the deadlines.....Late reports translate into long nights for me, working to get it completed in a timely manner......Also, please bear in mind (and relate to your zone members) that once the Hollander leaves my hands, it is out of my control and it faces several more processes before hitting mailboxes.....I cannot control the production process of the printer, how many other publications they are currently working on, etc......When we miss our timeline with them, we move to the "back of the line" for the printing process..... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.....Send me your reports on or before the deadline......From here forward, any late or missing reports will go in as "No Report Received".......Mark your calendars, put a post-it on your computer monitor.....Do whatever it takes to get them in on time.......The deadlines are located on page 3 of the Hollander...... Also, another item that came up at Convention and I would like to address here is the situation with the reporting of sweepstakes......Members have e-mailed me as to why the Hollander (and the website) reflect points only from the beginning of the year...... Linda instituted a new system back in spring 2006 (please see the page 61 of the spring 2006 Hollander)...... "These are the show reports for October, November and December only (and some late ones from July, August and September, which came in too late to be in the last reports). This is the way I will be doing it from now on, in hopes that there is less confusion as to what reports are in. I am also enclosing a list which covers all of the reports missing from July, August and September, as those should all have been in by now. Next issue will include show reports from January, February and March and there will be late reports listed for October, November and December. I will continue on this way throughout the sweeps season. Since the show season will conclude in December of 2006, I will put one final list of missing shows at the end of the season and will allow 3 months from the time it is printed for members to take care of corrections.
~Linda"
There is a 3 month "lag time" for the cut-off, no longer are reports factored in right up to the Hollander deadline.......I post the sweepstakes on the website WHEN THE HOLLANDER HAS BEEN MAILED OUT, per the request of Linda, due to some issues we had with members a few years back......So, what this translates to is......Late reports = Late publication = Late posting of sweepstakes on website.......We just need to be clear here as to why we are so far behind with sweepstakes on the website..... Sorry to sound negative, but I need your help to make this publication work......This is a team effort and we all make it a success.....]
ARBA General Membership Meeting
- Financials were read and commented on. They will be published in the DR. There were unusual expenses in the computer area because of updating the office and in the convention coop line due to the purchase of many more juding coops.
- New district representatives were installed. The new treasurer was introduced.
- Many youth and their parents/leaders attended the meeting because of a comment made that the youth ID and other activities should be trimmed. Although there was no official business open on the topic, many people gave their opinions. There was some concern that teams had been made across state lines. Those folks wanted to know that if there was a Michigan team, for example, the members were all from Michigan. The opposing view was that youth would be shut out if there were not enough in their state to make a team and that combining (only when there are insufficient numbers) allowed more participation and was a good thing. The board mentioned that they needed to look into ways of streamlining the contests but that they were aware of the value of the activities for the youth and that they did not want to limit participation.
- There were three rule changes before the membership for vote. The ones regarding the treasure/executive director position were defeated. The executive director and treasurer positions willl not be combined.
- The following rule was passed:
New revision of ARBA Show Rule 11 (A): Section 11 (a): Animals winning an award at any competitive level that leave the show prior to the picking of a higher award shall retain their placement, but not be considered for any higher award. The prior placement of the departed animal shall not be considered when picking the next higher award. No animal is to be moved up to fill the placement of a departed animal.
- 2009 Convention will be in San Diego, California. There was discussion about taking bids for three or more years out. Some of the largest convention centers are not available sooner than three to five years from now. The problem mentioned by the board is that in the past they had three years out, but that the original team is general not intact by the time the Convention rolls around. There is about a 60 to 70 percent turnover rate in rabbit breeders.
- There was discussion of resuming the veterinary meeting at Convention. The idea was met with positive feedback. In the past, they'd had problems with speakers not showing up or talking about rabbits more as pets rather than about herd management. Wendy Feaga offered to be the speaker and to present Power Point presentations for a future veterinary/rabbit health meeting. Discussion followed about when a meeting could be held that might be well attended.
- We heard from Gary Moore, the equipment manager for ARBA. He is suggesting that Convention be shortened by a day with judging commencing on Sunday. The set up and break down team is at Convention for a full two weeks and there is a lot of pressure to get out before the next event starts moving in. Now that we're having 23,000+ rabbits at Conventions on a regular basis, breakdown is taking longer and longer. There were several positive comments about this potential change. There is no official business on the table about that, however. It's just at the idea phase.
- The airlines committee chair has asked that ARBA pay for a lobbyist or somehow make the position more official. She noted that airlines won't even sit down with her at table because she's not an official of ARBA. Her frustrations include PETA having lobbyists who have lumped our rabbits in with pets and have influenced the tightening of regulations. We heard from a traveler who had a really hard time getting his rabbits to Convention. He was 5 minutes late to pick up his rabbits due to a late flight and his rabbits had to stay locked up from 5:00 p.m. with no food or fresh water until the cargo office opened the next morning. Carriers were not allowed to be combined. Many travelers paid $150 per carrier each way to fly to convention. One airline was sued because their rabbit quit eating after the flight. Our own choices and behavior at airlines have also caused problems with flying rabbits.
- Brad Boyce reported that memberships were down slightly, but that sometimes in the past the number has been counted before a monthly purge of records and sometimes after. They will be sampling at the same relative time in the future so that better comparisons can be made.
- If your household is receiving two copies of the DR because of indiviudal memberships, you can call the office and ask that the key records be changed so that you do not receive more than you need. This must be done manually since the current set up does not automatically screen for duplicates. [However, you are entitled to one for each separate membership (families being one membership for magazine subscriptions, for example). If you have more than you need, then think about taking it to a rabbit show to help encourage those who have not yet joined to do so.]
Laurie
¶ 11:37 AM 1 comments links to this post
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Best In Show
The youth group winners were English Angora, Dutch, French Angora, and Champagne D'Argent. The open group winners were Satin, Dutch, Havana, and Mini Satin.
The BIS for youth was the English Angora shown by Collin Burns. The BIS for open was the Mini Satin shown by Rob & Amanda Waupner.
Laurie
¶ 9:32 PM 0 comments links to this post
The BIS for youth was the English Angora shown by Collin Burns. The BIS for open was the Mini Satin shown by Rob & Amanda Waupner.
Laurie
¶ 9:32 PM 0 comments links to this post
Monday, October 15, 2007
And The Winners Are . . .
I'm totally exhausted tonight after 10 hours of ramrodding, so this will be brief:
Solid Senior Buck - Tracy Lukeman/Jenna Buchenauer - BOB
Solid Senior Doe - Jennifer Poprawski
Solid Junior Buck - Tiffany Schwandt
Solid Junior Doe - Ardis Hartwig & Tim Waddell - BOS
Broken Senior Buck - Jennifer Poprawski (yes, it was Spanky again)
Broken Senior Doe - Laurie Stroupe - BOSG (it was May!)
Broken Junior Buck - Roman Kulesza - BOG
Broken Junior Doe - Bonnie Norton
Congratulations to all of the winners!
I'm very proud of May. Last year, she was 3rd at Convention and the year before, she was 7th. She's produced 31 kits, including 7 grand champions.
May's daughter GC Hope placed 5th in the broken senior doe class. May's granddaughter Jocasta was 3rd placed solid senior doe. GC Lord, a May son, was 17th out of 200+ solid senior bucks.
I showed 11 rabbits in four classes this year.
Laurie
¶ 8:25 PM 0 comments links to this post
Solid Senior Buck - Tracy Lukeman/Jenna Buchenauer - BOB
Solid Senior Doe - Jennifer Poprawski
Solid Junior Buck - Tiffany Schwandt
Solid Junior Doe - Ardis Hartwig & Tim Waddell - BOS
Broken Senior Buck - Jennifer Poprawski (yes, it was Spanky again)
Broken Senior Doe - Laurie Stroupe - BOSG (it was May!)
Broken Junior Buck - Roman Kulesza - BOG
Broken Junior Doe - Bonnie Norton
Congratulations to all of the winners!
I'm very proud of May. Last year, she was 3rd at Convention and the year before, she was 7th. She's produced 31 kits, including 7 grand champions.
May's daughter GC Hope placed 5th in the broken senior doe class. May's granddaughter Jocasta was 3rd placed solid senior doe. GC Lord, a May son, was 17th out of 200+ solid senior bucks.
I showed 11 rabbits in four classes this year.
Laurie
¶ 8:25 PM 0 comments links to this post
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Pre-Convention Life
Except for registering our rabbits, Convention really hasn't started for us. So why am I already exhausted? I'll tell you.
After packing for four days, including making risers until nearly midnight on Thursday night, we finally pulled out of the driveway at 7:15 a.m. We had a really good trip until we hit Ann Arbor, Michigan - at rush hour.
We crept past three wrecks and were slowed by some road construction. I could have read a book while we were there, we were making so little progress.
So, our 11 hour trip turned into 13. We finally arrived at DeVos Place to unload the bunnies.
After about 3 hours of unpacking, we finally had them all settled in . Around midnight, we headed for our motel room.
What a dump! While getting my key for the night, a street person wandered in and the clerk yelled at him, "Can't you see I'm taking care of a customer!" We had to drag our stuff up a long set of steps - no elevator. There was a cigarette butt in the toilet - in our non-smoking room, which was equipped with an ash tray. Dirt was piled in the corners of the bathroom and wall paper was falling off of the walls.
When I sat on the bed, it sunk down to within 15 inches of the floor - maybe less.
My description doesn't really do it justice. I was totally creeped out. However, exhaustion won out and we settled in for the only night we would stay there.
The room had been a comfortable temperature when we hit the hay, but we woke up freezing in the middle of the night. That was my fault. We got the heat turned on and put both blankets on one bed. Anna was shivering, she was so cold.
We overslept in the morning, but checked out just after 11:15. We drove 1/2 block and pulled into a hotel with a huge sign that reads, "NOW OPEN." It was twice the price of the other place. Yikes! So I told my story and asked if there was anything she could do for the rate. She knocked off $10 per night. Then, when she realized we would be staying 5 nights, she knocked off another $5. Thank goodness.
I was never so happy to settle into a hotel room in my life. I occasionally still shivered every time I thought about the place we had passed the previous night. But I think I'm over that now.
After that, we located the Wal-mart to pick up the things we had forgotten. I got the oil changed because we passed the 3000 mile mark on the way up. I've never had such good service in my life. We were offered a bottle of water, cup of coffee, and free popcorn while we waited in the car. We got a great free car wash that was closer to a ride at Six Flags. Things were looking up.
Back at the show room, we ran into friends and got caught up a bit. We gave the bunnies a chunk of banana (May LOVED hers), some parsley, and fresh feed and water. We also finished our changes to our entries and wrote the coop numbers in the right ear of each bunny.
I missed every person buying or pickinjg up a rabbit from me. I hope to catch up with each of them today.
We had dinner with friends Gary & Susan Smith. Anna got a full rack of ribs. I barely got one from her. She has a really good appetite. I think Gary & Susan were quite amazed!
We just finished breakfast at our nice, new, clean hotel and are heading back to the Convention hall. Today, I hope to go to the judge's conference (the part that is open to all) and finish up rabbit sales business.
I think going to Convention must be a lot like having a baby. We've just been through the labor part and are totally exhausted from it. We are wondering a lot why we do this. I can't imagine ever doing it again. But if history repeats itself, we will have such a good time that by Thursday, we'll be ready to do it again next year!
Check back again. I'll blog as often as I am able.
Laurie
¶ 9:14 AM 0 comments links to this post
After packing for four days, including making risers until nearly midnight on Thursday night, we finally pulled out of the driveway at 7:15 a.m. We had a really good trip until we hit Ann Arbor, Michigan - at rush hour.
We crept past three wrecks and were slowed by some road construction. I could have read a book while we were there, we were making so little progress.
So, our 11 hour trip turned into 13. We finally arrived at DeVos Place to unload the bunnies.
After about 3 hours of unpacking, we finally had them all settled in . Around midnight, we headed for our motel room.
What a dump! While getting my key for the night, a street person wandered in and the clerk yelled at him, "Can't you see I'm taking care of a customer!" We had to drag our stuff up a long set of steps - no elevator. There was a cigarette butt in the toilet - in our non-smoking room, which was equipped with an ash tray. Dirt was piled in the corners of the bathroom and wall paper was falling off of the walls.
When I sat on the bed, it sunk down to within 15 inches of the floor - maybe less.
My description doesn't really do it justice. I was totally creeped out. However, exhaustion won out and we settled in for the only night we would stay there.
The room had been a comfortable temperature when we hit the hay, but we woke up freezing in the middle of the night. That was my fault. We got the heat turned on and put both blankets on one bed. Anna was shivering, she was so cold.
We overslept in the morning, but checked out just after 11:15. We drove 1/2 block and pulled into a hotel with a huge sign that reads, "NOW OPEN." It was twice the price of the other place. Yikes! So I told my story and asked if there was anything she could do for the rate. She knocked off $10 per night. Then, when she realized we would be staying 5 nights, she knocked off another $5. Thank goodness.
I was never so happy to settle into a hotel room in my life. I occasionally still shivered every time I thought about the place we had passed the previous night. But I think I'm over that now.
After that, we located the Wal-mart to pick up the things we had forgotten. I got the oil changed because we passed the 3000 mile mark on the way up. I've never had such good service in my life. We were offered a bottle of water, cup of coffee, and free popcorn while we waited in the car. We got a great free car wash that was closer to a ride at Six Flags. Things were looking up.
Back at the show room, we ran into friends and got caught up a bit. We gave the bunnies a chunk of banana (May LOVED hers), some parsley, and fresh feed and water. We also finished our changes to our entries and wrote the coop numbers in the right ear of each bunny.
I missed every person buying or pickinjg up a rabbit from me. I hope to catch up with each of them today.
We had dinner with friends Gary & Susan Smith. Anna got a full rack of ribs. I barely got one from her. She has a really good appetite. I think Gary & Susan were quite amazed!
We just finished breakfast at our nice, new, clean hotel and are heading back to the Convention hall. Today, I hope to go to the judge's conference (the part that is open to all) and finish up rabbit sales business.
I think going to Convention must be a lot like having a baby. We've just been through the labor part and are totally exhausted from it. We are wondering a lot why we do this. I can't imagine ever doing it again. But if history repeats itself, we will have such a good time that by Thursday, we'll be ready to do it again next year!
Check back again. I'll blog as often as I am able.
Laurie
¶ 9:14 AM 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Convention BLOGGING
Just a quick note to say that I won't be posting again until I'm settled in at Convention, assuming I can get an internet connection at a reasonable price while I'm there. I should be able to get my email while I'm there, too.
Got to get back to packing now . . .
Laurie ¶ 8:43 AM 0 comments links to this post
Got to get back to packing now . . .
Laurie ¶ 8:43 AM 0 comments links to this post
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
So Much Time
I'm feeling a lot like Willie Wonka these days: "So much time and so little to do - stop - reverse that."
This would normally be a crunch time anyway, getting ready for Convention. But this year, my situation is much more complicated than that.
A couple of weeks ago, we had the hardwood floors refinished. (By the way, they look great thanks to Bill Jones, husband to my bunny friend Janice.) Of course, that meant painting all of the walls while the furniture was already moved out.
We scheduled four days to do that. Boy! was I wrong in that estimate. We are maybe half finished with that, living out of suitcases between our house and my mom's.
Then last Tuesday, I was called to the hospital emergency room by my crying sister. Her son was there with chest pain, jaw pain, and pain in his left arm. She was scared to death. Luckily, it was not a cardiac event. He's being treated for inflammation of the chest wall.
While we were in the waiting room, we got the news that my grandfather had died. It was no surprise. Mother had called us about an hour before to give us a chance to tell him that we loved him one last time. So, we went to the florist, then I went to the grocery store and bought $100 worth of comfort food, then flew out of town the next morning.
Here I sit, with three days to pack for Convention, with no furniture in the house, lots of painting to do, exhausted from a trip to Texas (well, I was exhausted when I left for Texas), wondering when my life will ever come back together.
And of course, I had a chiropractic appointment yesterday, have an eye appointment this afternoon and have a dental appointment the next day. Note to self: just because the day looks clear on the calendar doesn't mean it's a good day to schedule an appointment!
So here I sit, in the middle of chaos, trying to make a to do list. In a few minutes, I'll be heading to Wytheville to turn in our latest barn water sample (yes, we'll still struggling with that, trying to figure out where the problem lies). Then I have to go to Hillsville to pick up feed. I'm crossing my fingers that they ordered the Purina blue bag because my rabbits HATE the green bag. I'm throwing away half their feed, though some have given in and started eating it all.
I'll make a stop to pick up items for Convention. I'll add to my collection of locks. I started with suitcase locks, which work (barely) and are cheaper. The bigger locks are so expensive that I started with a few and am now adding to the collection. I'll want puppy pads, baby wipes, a new bucket, broom, and brush (which I'll discard at the end of convention). I'll need bottles of water for humans and gallons of spring water for rabbits. I'm not sure that my risers are in good enough condition to make the trip. I may need to pick up wire and spend my evening watching Dancing With The Stars while clipping out new risers.
I try to keep some healthy snacks with me: some nuts, some dried fruit, some string cheese, perhaps.
I should dig out my cage door decorations from last year and make sure that I have enough that are serviceable to use this year. This is a large convention and I don't want to spend too much time wandering up and down the rows, finding my bunnies and trying not to miss any.
After I've shopped, I'll have to make my packing list: scissors, spray bottle for Vanodine, aprons, brush and comb, and so forth. Then I have to make my final list of rabbits to take.
Packing clothes, cleaning out the van (I do it once a year, whether it needs it or not), checking what Anna has packed, making sure I have maps to the showroom and hotel, getting money for the trip, and on and on and on.
And just three days to make sure it is all done right.
Don't be surprised if I'm the one at Convention with clothes that don't match and dark circles under my eyes, sleeping in the corner!
Laurie ¶ 8:19 AM 0 comments links to this post
This would normally be a crunch time anyway, getting ready for Convention. But this year, my situation is much more complicated than that.
A couple of weeks ago, we had the hardwood floors refinished. (By the way, they look great thanks to Bill Jones, husband to my bunny friend Janice.) Of course, that meant painting all of the walls while the furniture was already moved out.
We scheduled four days to do that. Boy! was I wrong in that estimate. We are maybe half finished with that, living out of suitcases between our house and my mom's.
Then last Tuesday, I was called to the hospital emergency room by my crying sister. Her son was there with chest pain, jaw pain, and pain in his left arm. She was scared to death. Luckily, it was not a cardiac event. He's being treated for inflammation of the chest wall.
While we were in the waiting room, we got the news that my grandfather had died. It was no surprise. Mother had called us about an hour before to give us a chance to tell him that we loved him one last time. So, we went to the florist, then I went to the grocery store and bought $100 worth of comfort food, then flew out of town the next morning.
Here I sit, with three days to pack for Convention, with no furniture in the house, lots of painting to do, exhausted from a trip to Texas (well, I was exhausted when I left for Texas), wondering when my life will ever come back together.
And of course, I had a chiropractic appointment yesterday, have an eye appointment this afternoon and have a dental appointment the next day. Note to self: just because the day looks clear on the calendar doesn't mean it's a good day to schedule an appointment!
So here I sit, in the middle of chaos, trying to make a to do list. In a few minutes, I'll be heading to Wytheville to turn in our latest barn water sample (yes, we'll still struggling with that, trying to figure out where the problem lies). Then I have to go to Hillsville to pick up feed. I'm crossing my fingers that they ordered the Purina blue bag because my rabbits HATE the green bag. I'm throwing away half their feed, though some have given in and started eating it all.
I'll make a stop to pick up items for Convention. I'll add to my collection of locks. I started with suitcase locks, which work (barely) and are cheaper. The bigger locks are so expensive that I started with a few and am now adding to the collection. I'll want puppy pads, baby wipes, a new bucket, broom, and brush (which I'll discard at the end of convention). I'll need bottles of water for humans and gallons of spring water for rabbits. I'm not sure that my risers are in good enough condition to make the trip. I may need to pick up wire and spend my evening watching Dancing With The Stars while clipping out new risers.
I try to keep some healthy snacks with me: some nuts, some dried fruit, some string cheese, perhaps.
I should dig out my cage door decorations from last year and make sure that I have enough that are serviceable to use this year. This is a large convention and I don't want to spend too much time wandering up and down the rows, finding my bunnies and trying not to miss any.
After I've shopped, I'll have to make my packing list: scissors, spray bottle for Vanodine, aprons, brush and comb, and so forth. Then I have to make my final list of rabbits to take.
Packing clothes, cleaning out the van (I do it once a year, whether it needs it or not), checking what Anna has packed, making sure I have maps to the showroom and hotel, getting money for the trip, and on and on and on.
And just three days to make sure it is all done right.
Don't be surprised if I'm the one at Convention with clothes that don't match and dark circles under my eyes, sleeping in the corner!
Laurie ¶ 8:19 AM 0 comments links to this post
Monday, October 08, 2007
Celebration Of Life
There are many euphemisms used during a death. The Salvation Army reports a death as "Promotion to Glory." I think that's fitting. Pappa's funeral was called a celebration of life. I assumed that was just another euphemism like saying "falling asleep" instead of dying. But as it turned out, his funeral was definitely a celebration of his life and, indeed, a celebration of life in general.
We were fortunate that so many real friends were able to attend the celebration. At nearly 91, he was lucky to still have so many friends living. Of course, it helped that he had made many, many friends throughout his life from the many places that he lived and served during his lifetime.
The people who spoke at the funeral had known Pappa for a minimum of four decades each. And they had wonderful stories to tell. I had heard many - some were totally new to me. None were surprising, though. I did know my Pappa pretty well after all.
One of the speakers had been friends with Pappa since she was four years old. I estimate that she is now in her late 70's, from the stories she shared. She always considered Pappa to be a big brother to her. (He being the last of 10 children probably enjoyed being an "older brother" for a change.)
She told great stories and described my grandfather as a teenager. She summed up his life in a list of six items. I didn't hear much of the second three because the first three were so familiar: friendship, fun, and fellowship. I suspect the other three were God, service, and family. That would make sense to me, but I was already thinking about those first three. Pappa really knew what life was all about.
If you are a long time reader of this BLOG, then you may remember a post entitled, "Friendship, Fellowship, and Fun" from November 6, 2005. It's the motto of a group of rabbit breeders in the mid-west. It was first introduced to me by Cheri Bushee and it's became a favorite of mine and a reminder to keep my rabbit hobby mostly about friendship, fellowship, and fun. The other three in my case would be bunnies, sharing, and success.
It would be a lie to say that I don't enjoy winning. I do. But success isn't just beating other rabbits. It could be getting rid of long ears or optimizing my rabbit's diet. Sharing includes sharing rabbits and sharing information. And who can forget the appeal of the rabbits themselves?
But I know that once my bunny career ends, which it will one of these days unless I'm promoted to glory in some sudden way, it will be the memories of the friendships, fellowship, and fun that I most fondly recall.
Yes, my Pappa knew what was important in life. He was very proud of his family. He sought ways to serve others constantly - everything from physically building churches to knocking on doors to invite families to church to mentoring to providing the basic supplies of living to the poor. God was the center of his life since he became a Christian at the age of seven. And he placed a high value on friendship, fellowship, and fun.
Laurie ¶ 10:40 AM 0 comments links to this post
We were fortunate that so many real friends were able to attend the celebration. At nearly 91, he was lucky to still have so many friends living. Of course, it helped that he had made many, many friends throughout his life from the many places that he lived and served during his lifetime.
The people who spoke at the funeral had known Pappa for a minimum of four decades each. And they had wonderful stories to tell. I had heard many - some were totally new to me. None were surprising, though. I did know my Pappa pretty well after all.
One of the speakers had been friends with Pappa since she was four years old. I estimate that she is now in her late 70's, from the stories she shared. She always considered Pappa to be a big brother to her. (He being the last of 10 children probably enjoyed being an "older brother" for a change.)
She told great stories and described my grandfather as a teenager. She summed up his life in a list of six items. I didn't hear much of the second three because the first three were so familiar: friendship, fun, and fellowship. I suspect the other three were God, service, and family. That would make sense to me, but I was already thinking about those first three. Pappa really knew what life was all about.
If you are a long time reader of this BLOG, then you may remember a post entitled, "Friendship, Fellowship, and Fun" from November 6, 2005. It's the motto of a group of rabbit breeders in the mid-west. It was first introduced to me by Cheri Bushee and it's became a favorite of mine and a reminder to keep my rabbit hobby mostly about friendship, fellowship, and fun. The other three in my case would be bunnies, sharing, and success.
It would be a lie to say that I don't enjoy winning. I do. But success isn't just beating other rabbits. It could be getting rid of long ears or optimizing my rabbit's diet. Sharing includes sharing rabbits and sharing information. And who can forget the appeal of the rabbits themselves?
But I know that once my bunny career ends, which it will one of these days unless I'm promoted to glory in some sudden way, it will be the memories of the friendships, fellowship, and fun that I most fondly recall.
Yes, my Pappa knew what was important in life. He was very proud of his family. He sought ways to serve others constantly - everything from physically building churches to knocking on doors to invite families to church to mentoring to providing the basic supplies of living to the poor. God was the center of his life since he became a Christian at the age of seven. And he placed a high value on friendship, fellowship, and fun.
Laurie ¶ 10:40 AM 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
BLOG Break
There will be no BLOGs the rest of the week. I'm heading to Texas this morning and will be back on Sunday afternoon.
Laurie ¶ 6:35 AM 0 comments links to this post
Laurie ¶ 6:35 AM 0 comments links to this post
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Generations
Until Convention, I have GC LL Brendan living with me once again. He's on his way to a new home. I'm loving having him here for a visit.
My middle daughter is thrilled to have LaForge's daddy with us again. LaForge lives in Lydia's room. He's her baby.
This morning, Andrew walked in and said, "Isn't Brendan LaForge's daddy?" And I thought he wasn't paying attention! Apparently he does pick up on a little bunny information from time to time.
Both of their comments made me stop to think about the generations. GC LL Brendan is GC LaForge's father. That we've established. LaForge is GC Lord's father. Lord is GC Padawan's father.
And Padawan may become a father this week. I bred him to two does. One of them, Padme, is busy building and lining a nest. If they are born alive, then I'll have five generations here together at one time! And wouldn't it be great if one of the kits turns out to be a buck that grands?
I really like LL Brendan. He was a buck that worked with whatever doe I bred him to. I like LaForge even better. He was a great producer for me. (Now that he is a dad and grandfather to nice bunnies, he's retired from breeding.) I like LaForge's son Lord better than I like LaForge. And I bet you won't be surprised to learn that I like Padawan better than I like Lord!
In fact, Padawan just beat his father on the show table this past weekend. I'm not the only one that likes Padawan better.
It will be fantastic if Padawan produces a son that I like even better than Padawan himself. But I'm not picky. I'd take a daughter, too!
Laurie ¶ 10:45 AM 0 comments links to this post
My middle daughter is thrilled to have LaForge's daddy with us again. LaForge lives in Lydia's room. He's her baby.
This morning, Andrew walked in and said, "Isn't Brendan LaForge's daddy?" And I thought he wasn't paying attention! Apparently he does pick up on a little bunny information from time to time.
Both of their comments made me stop to think about the generations. GC LL Brendan is GC LaForge's father. That we've established. LaForge is GC Lord's father. Lord is GC Padawan's father.
And Padawan may become a father this week. I bred him to two does. One of them, Padme, is busy building and lining a nest. If they are born alive, then I'll have five generations here together at one time! And wouldn't it be great if one of the kits turns out to be a buck that grands?
I really like LL Brendan. He was a buck that worked with whatever doe I bred him to. I like LaForge even better. He was a great producer for me. (Now that he is a dad and grandfather to nice bunnies, he's retired from breeding.) I like LaForge's son Lord better than I like LaForge. And I bet you won't be surprised to learn that I like Padawan better than I like Lord!
In fact, Padawan just beat his father on the show table this past weekend. I'm not the only one that likes Padawan better.
It will be fantastic if Padawan produces a son that I like even better than Padawan himself. But I'm not picky. I'd take a daughter, too!
Laurie ¶ 10:45 AM 0 comments links to this post
Monday, October 01, 2007
Didn't Know That
My grandfather, a long, tall Texan who spent his career as a Salvation Army minister, had a 65-year marriage, and managed to gain 26 descendents by producing just two children!
Now, he is nearing the end of his life. I will be flying to Texas soon to be with my mother's side of the family. Anna is going with me.
I was really surprised when I found out that she really wanted to go. Anna has a very good sense of what things cost and evaluates whether it is "worth it" or not. When I told her that it would cost over $500 for her to go, she still insisted that she really wanted to go.
I trust her instincts and respect her feelings, so I told her she could go. But later, I asked her to tell me why it was so important that she attend Pappa's funeral. He lives so far away that we haven't seen him much during Anna's lifetime. I didn't think that she had such a strong connection with him.
She said that even though she hadn't seen him much, she wanted to be able to show how much she loved him. So it was very important to her to be there.
One thing I did know about Anna is that she's a person with deep emotions. She still grieves for her dog that died several years ago. I have no doubt that she loves her great grandfather deeply and needs to go to the funeral. I just didn't know it before now.
This revelation, of course, made me stop and think. If my daughter, whom I am very close to, has such thoughts and feelings that totally surprise me, how much more do the people that I know less well have thoughts, beliefs, goals, dreams, and feelings that would really surprise me?
I'm sure if I were privy to some of them, I wouldn't be too happy about them. I suspect some bunny people, for example, wouldn't mind seeing a top breeder with a broken leg, if it meant they got a chance to win.
But more often, I think that we'd find people who really care about things that we had no idea they cared for. Or are hurt by comments that we carelessly toss around. Or are offended by our thoughtlessness. Or are bolstered more than we can imagine by our compliment. Or are challenged by our gentle, but honest evaluation of their rabbit. Or really make good use of the sound advice we give. The list, I'm sure, could go on and on.
I'm sure we're all familiar with the idea that we should live gently up on this earth, taking care of the natural resources that we have. But I need to remind myself to live gently among earth's people, too. Because I don't know how deep people's feeling run, I'm not privy to their secret thoughts and fears, and I don't always realize how much they need a smile, encouragement, or just a little help.
Laurie ¶ 8:31 AM 0 comments links to this post
Now, he is nearing the end of his life. I will be flying to Texas soon to be with my mother's side of the family. Anna is going with me.
I was really surprised when I found out that she really wanted to go. Anna has a very good sense of what things cost and evaluates whether it is "worth it" or not. When I told her that it would cost over $500 for her to go, she still insisted that she really wanted to go.
I trust her instincts and respect her feelings, so I told her she could go. But later, I asked her to tell me why it was so important that she attend Pappa's funeral. He lives so far away that we haven't seen him much during Anna's lifetime. I didn't think that she had such a strong connection with him.
She said that even though she hadn't seen him much, she wanted to be able to show how much she loved him. So it was very important to her to be there.
One thing I did know about Anna is that she's a person with deep emotions. She still grieves for her dog that died several years ago. I have no doubt that she loves her great grandfather deeply and needs to go to the funeral. I just didn't know it before now.
This revelation, of course, made me stop and think. If my daughter, whom I am very close to, has such thoughts and feelings that totally surprise me, how much more do the people that I know less well have thoughts, beliefs, goals, dreams, and feelings that would really surprise me?
I'm sure if I were privy to some of them, I wouldn't be too happy about them. I suspect some bunny people, for example, wouldn't mind seeing a top breeder with a broken leg, if it meant they got a chance to win.
But more often, I think that we'd find people who really care about things that we had no idea they cared for. Or are hurt by comments that we carelessly toss around. Or are offended by our thoughtlessness. Or are bolstered more than we can imagine by our compliment. Or are challenged by our gentle, but honest evaluation of their rabbit. Or really make good use of the sound advice we give. The list, I'm sure, could go on and on.
I'm sure we're all familiar with the idea that we should live gently up on this earth, taking care of the natural resources that we have. But I need to remind myself to live gently among earth's people, too. Because I don't know how deep people's feeling run, I'm not privy to their secret thoughts and fears, and I don't always realize how much they need a smile, encouragement, or just a little help.
Laurie ¶ 8:31 AM 0 comments links to this post
