Hot*Hot*Hot!

After wondering if summer was ever going to bless us with her presence, she has shown up.  And she is yelling loudly that she is here!  I am happy because this is finally making my garden grow.  I was starting to get a little bummed about planting so much food, and counting on it to feed us!

With the hot weather comes good things, but also bad.  Our animals need to stay cooled down.  Rabbits are especially susceptible to heat stroke.  So I have been concerned about Eliza most as she seems to be most affected by the heat.  Peter Pan the Rabbit (yes, that's his name) seems to do better, but we still watch him carefully.  

We have frozen gallon jugs that we put in their cages.  They like this because it's cold and they can lick the water off it.  

                                                                    Eliza cooling off

Fresh mint is also great for cooling them down.  We also have a circulating fan on them, Eliza would sit on it if she could.  Silly rabbit.  

                                                        Peter Pan the Rabbit enjoying his newly cleaned cage

I found this really great article on heat stroke-- prevention, signs and how to deal with it on ehow.com.  If you have rabbits, it's a great read!

Red Flags

• 1. Lethargy. If your rabbit doesn't want to move as much as usual, or can't be tempted to move by its usual motivators, continue to assess its health.

  2. Slow movements. If the rabbit doesn't move at its usual speed, but pads sleepily along, keep looking.

  3. Lack of appetite. One early sign of heat stroke is less-than-usual consumption of rabbit chow, or no eating at all.

  4. Panting. Is the rabbit working hard to breathe without exercising, or panting? He could be trying to cool himself down.

  5. Dehydration. Dry mouth, dull eyes and strong, concentrated urine are signs of this condition.

  6. Reddening of the ears. Check the concave, normally pink side of the bunny ears. If it's red, it's a sure sign that it's trying to cool itself.

  7. Excessive Salivation. If your rabbit has drool on his chin, he's salivating too much.

  8. Poor coordination. The movements will not be synchronized, leading to clumsiness.

  9. Confusion. The rabbit's behavior will not be logical or usual.

  10. Seizures. This will look like severe, violent shaking. It is a veterinary emergency.

  11. Unresponsiveness. The rabbit will not try to defend itself even from uncomfortable or painful stimuli. This is also a veterinary emergency.

Emergency Stabilization

• 1. Move the rabbit to a cooler away from the sun. The basement is a good choice.

  2. Mist the pink (red) sides of the ears with cool water.

  3. As an alternative, cool the ears with an ice cube that's been wrapped in a thin cloth.

  4. Bathe the rabbit in room temperature, not cold, water only up to the neck. Do not submerge it.

  5. Feed wet vegetables, if the bunny will eat, and supply cold water.

  6. Blow a fan near the rabbit, but not directly on it.

  7. Call your veterinarian immediately.

Prevention

• 1. Groom the rabbit regularly to remove loose fur.

  2. Keep the rabbit away from sunlight and out of hot areas.

  3. Provide fresh, clean water at all times.

  4. Run a fan in the area but not directly blowing on the rabbit.

  5. Supervise him in warm weather.

  6. Freeze water in an empty soda bottle and lay it in the cage. The bunny will cool itself next to it.

On my mind.......

This is a Friday photo feature that anyone with a blog can join. It opens the door to us sharing our lives through these photos and gives us all a new way to discover each other, and maybe form new friendships. Your photo should show something at home that you're thinking about TODAY. If you're in another country you should join in when you read this, even if it's still Thursday.

To take part, all you have to do is post a photo on your own blog, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to here. Please write a new post, don't link to an older one. When your photo is published, go to down---to---earth and add a comment below, with a link to your blog photo so we can all find you. Please visit all the blogs that appeal to you and leave a comment. Slow down, take the time to cruise around and enjoy your cyber visits.

Thank you Rhonda Jean!

Today what's on my mind is my fresh gallon of cow's milk I got this morning.  I am seriously addicted. The order comes with two jars like this.  I didn't take a picture of both because the other is already half empty.  I just got it about 2 hours ago!  Told ya I am addicted.  

Dreaming of the coming months going by and our sweet girls, Bluebelle and Clover will be providing us with goat milk!  

Oakparkhatesveggies Petition, please sign!

I normally don't ask for people to sign petitions on my blog, or get political, but I am going to today because I think this is REALLY important.  You may have read my post about the Bass family and their battle with Oak Park, MI to let them keep their front yard garden.  Julie is now facing 93 days in jail, yes folks you read that right.....93 days in jail for having a garden in her yard.  Jail!  Seriously?  I thought jail was for criminals, not moms growing a garden to produce organic foods for their family!  Anyway, there is now a petition and we need you to sign it.  Every signature counts.  Every single one.  So please, it takes a brief moment, you can be anonymous if it makes you feel better.  Here is a quick link for you Stop the Prosecution of the Bass Family and let them keep their garden!

Thank you friends!  

This week around the garden.......

This has been such a strange gardening season.  We are finally getting summer (meaning hot sun!) which is really helping the garden out.  Things are finally starting to grow and finally producing fruit and veggies.

Here are a few of the tons of pears we are getting.  There are a couple of trees and they are loaded!  We have to walk under one of the trees to get to the goat pen and every time I walk under it I conk my head with a couple of low hanging pears.  It makes me happy!  :)

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Our Roo (the white bird) and some of his women.  I may be partial, but I think he is shaping up to be a mighty fine looking bird!  He is sweet too!  You can cradle him like a baby and rub his belly and he doesn't seem to care!

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Oh, lovely little red buds!  I can not wait for you to turn into pomegranates!  We have never grown them before, so this is a new, exciting adventure.  We pruned the tree before we moved in here and are hoping we did it justice!

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Zucchini and squash!  We harvested some Goldbar Squash last week to eat with dinner.

It was FANTASTIC!  Looking forward to a lot more!  And by the looks of our bushes, we

will be eating it for awhile!

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Bluebelle and Clover are settling in very nicely!  They love being next to the fig trees!

Bluebelle (the white one) has a mad crush on Chris.  Which is really funny because this 

happens often with Chris.  We have had several female animals that crush on him.  I keep telling him

he has "animal magnetism".  Yes, I crack myself up sometimes!

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Some hidden yard gems.........

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And Maggie standing next to the "quail bush".  We call it the quail bush because

there are a bunch of newborn Quail in it.  The mama and papa have been feasting

on my strawberries, and I have let them.  Now we get to enjoy watching their sweet little babies 

walking around.  They are so itty-bitty!

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We have already harvested potatoes, onions, squash, lettuce, kale, peas and lots of different herbs.  I am eagerly waiting for our tomatoes and cucumbers.  The cukes have lots of flowers (that I see our honeybees on all the time!) and the tomatoes either have lots of flowers or fruit that is finally turning red.  Our garden has been such a rewarding experience.  I am so thankful for the ability to do this!

Oak Park Hates Veggies

It's always interesting to find stories like this around this time of year when we are celebrating our independence and freedom.  But here it is folks, a story about a woman who is facing a lot of trouble with Oak Park, Michigan. Apparently the city has issues with Julie Bass growing a vegetable garden on her property.  In her front yard.  If you click on the link above it is a news story with video.  Check out her small garden boxes.  What is wrong with this being in your front yard?

From what I gather from reading her blog, this all started because of the city.  Apparently they planted trees at the front walk way when the houses were being built.  As the trees grew, their roots got bigger, stronger.  Eventually they grew so much that they broke the water lines to the Bass' home and they had to dig up their entire front yard.  Not only that, but there was also damage to her home as well that they (the Bass') had to clean up, pay for, etc.  So while in this transition, they decided that since their yard was a mess from the work they would grow vegetables for their family.  Funny thing was, Julie called the city every step of the way and made sure there were no laws against it.  Once she found out everything was fine, a planting she went!

I am appalled that tax money is being spent on this issue.  It is about the most ridiculous "crime" I have ever heard of!  What happened to freedom?  With the leaders of this country crying out about childhood obesity, more diseases being more prevalent, with a organic garden being grown at the White House, how on earth can this be a crime?  Does Oak Park, Michigan not have anything better to do?

If you find this to be as crazy as I do, please stop by Oak Park Hates Veggies and give her some bloggy love.  Also, if you are on Facebook, stop by and "like" the page her friend has going for her.  Any support she can get would be encouraging!

We still live in free America, let's worry about the REAL crimes and stop harassing Julie Bass and her family!