Back when I was single and living alone in an apartment in Boston, I really needed a pet. My Then-BF and I went out to a rabbit farm and found a $3 bunny for me- he even had to lend me the money. He was all black, scared to death, and I loved him immediately. He lived under my couch to start, and it took days to lure him out to be friends, but once he accepted me, I was his property and no one could get near me.
Br'er would dance across the room on his hind legs for a chocolate chip (probably imitating me!) but would eat only one brand of rabbit pellets that I had to bring home on the subway in 50# bags from a farm store. He would play hide 'n seek- not easy in a studio apartment, and would meet me at the door when I got home from work every evening. He was the best pet I ever had and lived happily in a series of apartments for years. He traveled with me in a wicker bag and was content to be anywhere I was. His favorite sleeping place was stretched out fully on the glass coffee table. He was house trained to a litter box and never had a cage.
The more unfortunate parts were that he shredded every electrical cord, he rounded the sharp corners off every piece of furniture, and a week after my wedding, he ate a 4 foot hole the front of my wedding dress when he inadvertently got locked in the hall closet. So much for heirlooms. After the wedding he would lay in wait under the bed and ATTACK TY's hand as he tried to tie a shoe. This got old quick and we ran out of bandaids, but I re-trained TY to not sit on the bed to put on socks and shoes. His big threat was he was going to make a slipper out of him. The rabbit would have none of him living there.
Eventually we had a baby and he would follow her around the floor as she learned to creep and try to steal her apple juice. He ate bigger holes through all her bottle nipples and it took me a long time to figure out why the poor kid was always covered with juice until I caught him in the act. I have a great photo of my daughter offering him the bottle as she sits on the floor! No wonder he followed her around so diligently.
So, here are a collection of sites I found about rabbits. Br'er wasn't a fancy breed, just a mutt rabbit, but they come in all sorts of varieties you will see here. I cannot emphesize enough what a great indoor pet a rabbit can be. And if you get a fluffy angora you can spin it's fur and make a mitten!
House Rabbit Site
Daily Bunny
All Things Rabbity
Rabbit Hypnosis aka IMMOBILIZING CATATONIA:
The Lab Reports
Hypnosis
This rabbit looks just like Br'er
Rabbit vs Rabbit Fight:
Rabbit vs Dog fight:
Rabbit vs Kitten fight:
Rabbit vs Snake fight:
Chicken Referees:
Screaming Bunny:
Rabbit vs Gorilla Fight:
And that's the end of Today's Rabbit Report. Thanks for your indulgence.
More serious Art-Related part:
A little something appeared in my Richard Gens 'Painters Keys' newsletter the other day. It's aimed at painting but is important for all artists. Quiltmakers and Fiber Artists are always up against the same issues, and here the issue is plagerism, or more nicely put, copying:
In 1890 Paul Gauguin noted, "Out in the sun, painters are lined up. The first is copying nature, the second is copying the first, the third is copying the second." Nowadays painters actually take printed reference, even shaded laptops with popular images, out into the sun. The lines between copying and research lie in the shade. "Paintings are but research," said Pablo Picasso. For both little and big name artists, research
an turn into plagiarism. Andy Warhol made a big success of proliferating prints from someone else's copyright photos of Marilyn. And Picasso had something to say about that too: "Success is dangerous," he said. "One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility."
"Every conceivable aspect of painting has its roots in copying. Painters are by nature copyists." Leonard Niles
Esoterica: Good luck to Mary Jones should she enter a copy of a well known photo from the National Geographic. Come to think of it, people break the speed limit every day, and only a few are noticed, let alone caught and fined. These days we aspire to justice, idealism and the rights of individuals to private ownership. We just don't enforce them very well. Maybe we can't, because the nature of art demands freedom. These days we honour freedom and abhor control. "Art," said Marshall McLuhan, "is what you can get away with."
2 comments :
Dear Rabbit Expert,
Do you have any nice crock pot recipes for Hasenpfeffer?
We live on a busy road and have access to fresh rabbit.
Dear Anonymous, I live near a busy road too that is a constant source of fresh armadillo. I would be glad to send you some so you can eat something else besides bunny.
Armadillo in Cream Sauce
1/4 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed (optional)
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 med. onion, sliced thin
1 armadillo, 2#, cleaned and cut into serving pieces
1 1/4 cups light cream
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Mix all ingredients of marinade and add armadillo. Marinate about 8 hrs., turning meat occasionally. Remove armadillo and reserve marinade.
Melt butter in deep skillet and brown armadillo pieces. Pour in marinade and bring to a boil. Stir in seasoning, cover and simmer until tender (about 1 - 1 1/4 hours.) Remove skillet from the fire and place armadillo pieces on a warmed platter.
Mix mustard and cornstarch, then mix in cream. Return skillet to low heat and stir in this mixture a little at a time. Stir sauce until hot, but not boiling, and thickened. Pour sauce over armadillo. Serve with steamed rice.
Sandy again, with a hot tip: If you freeze the cooked mixture, add some chocolate chips, it becomes Rocky Road Armadillo Ice Cream, for very special occasions.
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