| June 15 - 22 Page 11 |
| I'm growing up and getting bigger every day! My feathers are starting to come in, and I can fly! Well....for a little bit! I still stay close to my mom! There's a lot to learn about being a chicken! |  |
| Yep! 'Nother day on the farm! Each time I wake up on this side of the grass...is a good day! My belly is full, so I'll just chill here 'till she finishes feeding the boys. I always get fed first because I'm the oldest one here. It's a respect thing...and that's ok with me! I earned it! |  |
| Aw...come on Donk E...I just wanna eat my breakfast in peace! |  |
Ouch! Hey...stop that! Solly, isn't this what you do to me? Ha Ha....take that! Learned well...didn't I Oh, come on boys....chill, will ya? I think it's time Dottie got some of those Solly drops for the Donk! |  |
| Here ya go! Can you get behind my ears, please? |  |
Oh! Yes! Right there...now back a little! You know...I have to stand up to Solly. He's been a bully from day 1! He's two years old now, and he's done growing! Now I'm catching up to him! I just do back to him, what he's done to me! Is that so wrong? |  |
| I like my ears rubbed! I like my head rubbed! I like my back scratched! Life is good outside the bunny home! I never knew the world was so big! I grew up in a bunny cage for the first two years of my life! I never even got to feel the ground beneath my feet! But here...I can run and jump and visit around! Dig holes and eat! Life is good! |  |
Charlie and Joe came back for another visit! Charlies feeding me some fresh cut. Joes scratching my itcky spots! Boy...did I train them well! |  |
| I heard the carrot bag rusteling. Where's the goodies? Come on, Donk...get out of the way...she's all mine! |  |
These carrots are mine! Stay away or I'll git you! |  |
Hay...come on...behave...we have guest! Solly...you know what's gonna happen when you're bad like that...don't cha? |  |
| Hmmmp! Back in the time out pen. This stinks! Now I get nothing. No carrots...no lovings....bummer. |  |
| This is sooooooo unfair! Look at Donk E. just sucking it all up! Wait till I get out of here! |  |
| Hey Sweetie! How 'bout one of my famous Donk E kisses! |  |
| Okay! Brace yourself! Here comes my famous Donk E hug! |  |
| What do you mean....these carrots are for Baaart? |  |
| Well that's not fair! I thought they were my carrots....for me! |  |
Yes...I would like a carrot. Mmmmmm...baby ones....my favorate! Hey, Joe! What about me? I'd like another carrot! Down here...hey... |  |
| Joe...Joe...he already got one! It's my turn! Come on, buddy! |  |
| Is it my turn now? Hunh...hunh? You have one left for me? |  |
| She's so mean to me! Just because I chased everyone away from the carrots....I mean.... from you and Charlie...she put me in the bad boy pen. All by myself. I'm so all alone. |  |
Woe is poor little ole me. (Oh boy...it's working...she's coming over, too! ) Cool...double lovings! Do I have these guys number or what! |  |
Ha-ha...pouty face get's them every time! Oh I need lovings. I'm up here all by myself... Can I have a carrot before you go? |  |
Aw...do you have to go? I was just getting warmed up! Thank you for the goodies! Sure you don't want just one more Donk E hug? |  |
Joe and Dottie went to Maine for a couple of days! They saw 7 moose! Joe said they call the moose up there "Swamp Donkeys". Do I look like a moose? |  |
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This is at Lubeck Harbor. Usually you can watch the seals play, but it was too foggy!
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What they did see was an Eagle, sitting on the jetty, looking for breakfast! |  |
| These things are so easy to tip over! This morning I tipped it over just itching myself against it! It was full too! Well....not when I got done with it! |  |
| Come on, Donk E....Don't do it. Dottie thinks I'm the one who tipped it over. |  |
Ha ha....Solly get's blamed for everything! She'll never think it was me! That's not fair Donk E. So...what are you gonna do? Tell? |  |
Don't tempt me, Donk E. You won't tell because you'll get punished for tatteling! |  |
| Dottie! Donk E's gonna tip over the wheelbarrel.....Again! |  |
Great! Now we both have to go into the time out pen. |  |
| Let me tell you about the time out pen! I got put in here for picking on Solly. It's not fun in here because I have no one to pick on. Oh my God...I sound just like Solly! |  |
| That's ok...I'll just eat some hay...and wait till she's not looking... |  |
| ........and I'm out of here! |  |
| Today I got my hoofs trimmed! It's my third time, and I did way better than the last time! Well, it did help that Brian brought a friend to entertain me while it was getting done! He kept telling me how sweet I was! I like to hear that! |  |
| Brian is cleaning out my hoof. He uses this curved tool to get all the sand and dirt out that gets packed in my hoof. It's kinda like getting the dirt out from under your fingernails! I gave him a little bit of trouble when I kept trying to pull my leg back. He was gentle, but stronger than me, so I stopped being fiesty, and let him do his thing! The last time I had it done...I fought him the whole time! Solly called me a baby, and teased me for a week! This time...I showed him! I was a big boy! |  |
| Now he's using a nipper on my hoof. This tool cuts through my hoof to take off the extra hoof I grew since the last time I saw him. If my hoofs get too long, they will start to curl at the toe and make me walk funny. If they grow too long, my feet will hurt. So Dottie makes sure they are done every 8 to 10 weeks. |  |
| Now he's using a rasp (kinda like a big file). He files the bottom of my hoof so that it's nice and flat and even, all the way around. Then he files a little around the outside to make sure it's round and pretty! It doesn't hurt at all! It's just like you filing your fingernail! |  |
| Now he's "nipping" my other back hoof. He has a good grip on me so I can't pull it away even if I tried! I know...because I tried! I even tried to wrap my tail around him....but he was way to strong! So I settled down and let him get done. Besides...I didn't want Solly tease me again! |  |
| Now for the finishing touches! Wa -la! New set of feet! All done! It took about 15 minutes to do all four of my feet! That wasn't so bad! And it didn't hurt at all! Next time, I'll be real good, and he might get them done even faster! |  |
Up here we have a pretty good view of Donk E getting his feet trimmed! Come on, Sweetie, snuggle in! Do we get our feet trimmed, Momma? Not us, darling...but everyone else on the farm has it done. Even the Bunnies? The goat? What about those lurking kitties? Do they get their feet done, too??? Yes they do! And the dog...even the alpaca does! Why...come to think about it...so do the humans! They even get their hands done, too! |  |
| This is my very own space! Dottie just cleaned it for me and gave me some nice fresh hay to sleep on! And fresh hay in my feeder! I have my own entrance so I can do a walk about in the yard on the nice days, whenever I want! Yes...I'm special! I get to come and go as I please! That's why I get to be the official greeter! |  |
| The black bars you see here? That keeps the boys out of my room. They try to eat my bedding! I have a window, too! In the winter...it lets the sun in to warm me up! In the summer...the keep it covered with the barn door, so it's nice and cool! How special is that! |  |
You know....even though I have a full hay bin of my own... Like they say...the hay is always better on the other side of the fence! |  |
| Hey Dottie...the flying, biting, itchy bugs are getting bad...how about brushing some of this bug stuff on us! Do me first, please! |  |
A daisy for me?!! That's so special, Romeo! Thank you! So how are you doing, honey bunny? How's the kids? We're all fine! We miss you! I'm right here for you, honey! Do you think she'll let me back in there with you? Not if she finds our newest litter of babies! I have them hidden in the hay! |  |
| Dottie's been working with me a lot lately. She doesn't take pictures because she needs both hands for this training! If I want my grain...she has to touch me first. If I let her ...I get to eat. If I move away...she does too...and she has the food bowl! So I get my courage up and brace myself. She'll say "touch" first, just to let me know wht to expect. Then she rubs my shoulders and back, and scratches my neck. When I'm good... I get offered the food bowl and I get to eat some more! It does actually feels rather good! I like having our own special time together. We work in my stall, away from the other guys. It's just her and me...just the way I like it! |  |
It's raining out... and we got bored... so Dottie broke out the bowling game! |  |
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  | Ah-Ha! Beat that! Three strikes! Who's up next? Galahad...you gonna try? Come on...it's fun! |
| Okay...let me show you how! All you have to do is roll the ball down the hill, and knock over the white things! Then Dottie claps and gets all happy....and you get a carrot! |  |
  | Hey...Gal...you got a strike on your first try! They call that beginners luck! Good job! |
| Did someone say carrots? Out of my way! It's my turn now! |  |
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Oh come on, Donk...don't be a sore looser!
I'm just gonna take this net...and go home! |  |
Mabey she'll let me back in because it's Fathers' Day! Happy day to all you Dads out there! |  |
| Hello! Hello! We are two of the four "surprises"! Dottie's gonna make a sign saying "Bunnies for sale...$10 apiece or TWO FOR FREE! |  |
| Yep! We're the other two new surprises! It was funny because Dottie was cleaning our home, and reached into our nest without even knowing we were in it! She didn't know what she touched till we hopped out! She wasn't expecting us because she thought she got dad out in time. Not! |  |
| Hi! I'm Butterscotch...remember me? I was a cute little bunny once. Now I'm growing into becoming a rabbit! I sit up here and help Mom watch the little ones. Aren't they cute? |  |
Oh boy! New project! Hey! Let me give you a hoof with that! |  |
You cut this board three times....and it's still too short! Want me to get the board stretcher? |  |
Want me to plug this in for you? |  |
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