Need Some Bunny to Love?

Two sites where I go to get my daily cuteness!

A Houseful of Rabbits
The Daily Bunny

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What Do Rabbits Do?

Dear Blogosphere,

Today, for about the third time, I was asked, "What do rabbits do?" Each time I've been asked this I've been taken aback. What do rabbits do? What do dogs do? What do fish do? What do potbellied pigs do? For the most part, don't they all just hang out and eat? Isn't that pretty much what humans do too?

So, I thought I would actually describe what Ben does for the blogosphere. Enjoy!

*Ben sleeps from about 2-6 AM and then from 2-6 PM everyday. These restful periods are disrupted by short snacking breaks. You can tell if a rabbit is actually sleeping by looking at his nose. If he is asleep, it will not be moving. He may or may not have his eyes closed.

*Ben does not like to be held. In fact, most rabbits don't like to be held. This makes sense as I would probably not like to be held by an animal famous for eating me.

*Ben eats. A lot. He loves dandelions, roses, trumpet vines, bind weed, cilantro, romaine lettuce, carrots, apples, bananas, Trix, timothy hay, and other things. Coupled with fresh veg, I also feed him "rabbit food" of which he is quite picky and sticks mostly to the seeds and dried carrot.

*If Ben was not neutered, he would be quite territorial. No one would be allowed in his cage or in his corner.

*Ben is house-trained just like a cat! Rabbits are actually very smart. He also has a hearty sense of humor.

*Ben loves to be petted. But hates the smell of human, so quickly after being groomed he will hop away and clean himself up.

*Ben loves to check out any projects I'm up to. If I'm focused on something, he'll get right in the middle of it. Working on a paper? He'll grab sheets of my draft or research articles and playfully steal them. Digging a hole, he'll hop right in unafraid of the shovel. Mowing the lawn? He will actually follow you. If I am just laying about, he will sometimes come try to get a massage from me, but will usually keep himself entertained.

*Rabbits' teeth never stop growing, which means they must grind them down. Unfortunately, Ben has ignored or not figured out, rather, what the toys I got for him are for. He grinds his teeth down on the fence... or on our deck... or on shovels... or on rocks... seems a little painful to me!

*Rabbits have very good hearing. As such, he doesn't enjoy loud music. Soft or moderate music I do think he enjoys. But maybe that's just me projecting. :-)

*Ben is very friendly. Many rabbits don't like children, but Ben loves them. He doesn't bite, scratch, "box," or grunt. He is pretty darn chill. He also likes other rabbits. He loved Hufflepuff.

*Just like humans, Ben is preoccupied with things he cannot have or places he's not allowed, but once those options are opened to him he becomes disinterested. He only cared about my mom's law office when it was closed off to him. And he continues to make bee-lines towards the bedrooms upstairs once he gets inside, in hopes of the doors being open.

*Finally, Ben was adopted from the Humane Society. I saw a listing for him online and fell in love with him at first sight! It took him about a month to get used to our home and finally let his personality out. The owner had to give him and another rabbit up for adoption because of their landlord. Sadness. The next rabbit I adopt I will get at the Humane Society. If you adopt after Easter, they cut the adoption fee in half. Neutering/spaying is free, as well.

Hope you learned something interesting and new about the cutest organisms in the world!

-Nat

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Veggie and Herb Garden!

Dear Blogosphere,

So I have spent the past few days doing a lot of crazy things but the most fun thing I've done is plant my veggie and herb garden! Here are the specimens:

- Red bell pepper

- Green bell pepper

- Eggplant

- Thyme

- Cilantro

- Oregano

- Dill

- Basil

- Parsley

- Grape Tomatoes

- Pear Tomatoes

- Heirloom Tomatoes

- Tomatillos

We'll be planting zucchinis and pumpkins soon! Delicious! And my chives are growing like weeds!

I also found a cute pink mini rose that I got in memory of Hufflepuff. It has been planted in the Hufflepuff Memorial Gardens. :-)

Pictures will be posted sometime in the near future!!

-Natalie

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April Showers Bring Cute Pictures of Ben

Dear Blogosphere,

So I decided to let Ben have a run for a while this evening, thinking he'd keep smart and stay on the deck. Well... he apparently decided to venture out in the rain. I watched for him to come back to our deck. I couldn't help but snap these adorable pictures of him. I did my best to dry him off with a towel but there's still a lot of work to do.

And now you all know about my night owl tendencies....

On an unrelated note, I have decided to go to UC Davis! I'm quite excited and nervous. I just think that this may be the only opportunity to live in California, so I should take it! I can always live in Utah. :-) I'll get to know new people at Davis and with new people comes new knowledge. So while this is a risk, I feel like it will be worth it. I'm single and 21. What better time for an adventure???

It was so hard to decline the U's offer. I absolutely hated writing the email and I just wanted to hide in the AEB building all day. The two professors I talked to today had different responses. One was sad that I wasn't staying. I'm sad, too. I wish I could combine the two programs, and take my favorite professors with me. Unfortunately the universe doesn't work that way. The other was happy for me and let me know that even though I'm not at the U, he is willing and happy to help me out (choosing courses, how to approach researchers, etc). I get a little emotional when I think of how much these profs have supported me. I don't know how anyone could go through applying to grad school without a support system (not to mention just having people "on the inside") and the fact that they are willing to stay with me as I continue my education means the world to me.

And now I'm crying.

Hahahahaha.

Anyway, much more to blog in the future, but for now: Here's to change and here's to risk!

-Natalie

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Ben on KSL

Dear Blogosphere,

I am so proud of my bunny! I think he's heading straight for the big time!

/ Video was removed by KSL :-( \

Love,

Natalie

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Easter Bunnies Past & Present

Dear Blogosphere,

Easter is one of my favorite holidays -- mostly because it is bunny-centric. And hard-boiled eggs are delicious. This year, I took Easter into my own hands (and Ben's paws) and made little Easter baskets for my family, as you can see below. The Reester bunny (haha!) looks quite a bit like Ben.

Here is a picture of the current Easter Bunny -- Benjamin Jeremiah Rumson, III -- and the sisters. Ben is a big French lop and is house-trained. He is very mellow but curious and mischievous, too.

Here is the last past Easter Bunny, Hufflepuff, and I. Aww... good times. Puffs was a little neurotic outdoor bunny. She loved junk food, like saltine crackers and fruit snacks.

And of course, Polka Dots Checks and Stripes, my first bunny (and me)! Chexy, as we called him for short, loved me. He would go on bike rides with me, sitting in my basket. He loved gardening with my mom (a lot like Ben) and would just lay in my arms. So, he actually liked the position he was in when this picture was taken.

I unfortunately don't have pictures of TWR (The White Rabbit) and Stars & Stripes on my computer, or I'd share those, too. TWR was a sweet angora who did many tricks and Stars & Stripes was a very independent Dutch. So, this Easter or Passover, remember the rabbits, real or fictional, who have touched your lives!

And, if you're interested in adopting a bunny, there is always a flood of rabbits to the Humane Society after Easter. They typically have a deal where every rabbit is $10. Good information about rabbits as pets can be found at The House Rabbit Society.

Love,

Natalie

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This Weekend and a Statistics Comic

Dear Blogosphere,

Before I get back to working on a paper and reading, I thought I'd blog a bit about my weekend, but first note the hilarious comic above. Hahahahahahahahahaha. Okay. For the first time ever I had the house to myself overnight. Indeed, I had it for three nights/four days. It was actually quite nice. Creepily quiet, especially in the mornings, but I was able to spread out my work on the kitchen table, listen to music loudly, watch idiotic (VH1 anyone?) TV late without worrying about waking anyone up, etc. Ben and I hung out a lot. He even went downstairs and enjoyed checking out a new place (running laps)! So it was nice. Now, will it be this nice 665 miles away? I am not sure. But, after finding a couple of apartments/cottages that look decent (even cute) and sleeping soundly for a few nights, I think I might just be ready to test some different waters. I'm not sure yet, though I'm getting closer to making a decision.

That's the scoop. Hopefully I'll be able to blog again soon....

-Natalie

P.S. I have to go to the dentist tomorrow. Ugh. lameXcore.

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Mosaic

Dear Blogosphere,

This is a cool thing that is spreading on Facebook. Here are the directions:

Directions:
FIRST Go to Google image search
- Type in your answer to each question
- Choose a picture
- Use this website (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php) to make your collage
- Save the image for use in this note
- Post and tag all your friends

QUESTIONS:
1. What is your name? Natalie
2. What is your favorite food? Thai
3. What is your hometown? Salt Lake City
4. What is your favorite color? Aqua
5. What is your favorite movie? Ratatouille
6. What is your favorite drink? Raspberry Lemonade
7. What is your dream vacation? Tour of Scandinavia
8. What is your favorite dessert? Cupcakes
9. What is one word to describe yourself? Enigmatic
10. How are you feeling right now? Optimistic
11. What do you love most in the world? Bunnies
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? One that professes

Mmm... that gluten free cupcake looks delicious.

-Natalie

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Ben in the Snow

Dear Blogosphere,

Just had to post these, though they are quite old. So cute!

Love,

Nat

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Weird Dreams and Not-So-Good News

Dear Blogosphere,

The above picture is of my handwriting. This is just one of the many fabulous timewasters on MacRumors. So, I slept for about 11 hours last night/morning. You know how if you sleep a lot you have some weird dreams? Well, I had a dream that I was taking in these poor rabbits who needed a home (they would appear on my doorstep, and I would make room for them). There was a very memorable one that looked just like Ben but with the fur of TWR. He/she was very cute.

So, in the dream, I have to rush to make a change on little "get to know you" at a graduate school I applied to and got accepted into. Somehow I ended up at a tattoo parlor in a shabby part of Southern California. I was alone and my cell phone battery was dead. I wanted to get out, because in this tattoo parlor was some sort of rave with trancy music. I woke up, with a headache from my dream, and decided to check my email because I had a very strange feeling. In my inbox was an email from the graduate school in my dream. It told me to go to another website to check the decision. I was horribly nervous. But thought, "Que sera, sera." In short, I didn't get in.

So I spent all day thinking about how I probably didn't get in to the other five graduate programs. I worked myself into a fit. I even ran a DARS report for another major. It would only take me about 4 semesters to get another B.S. Then I thought I could just do something like an internship at Planned Parenthood and rethink my life. But I just had a feeling like that's not what I want to do. The thing I'll miss most about college is writing papers. What will my life be like without writing papers? Without reading articles and thinking?

I think that whatever programs want me are the ones that I want. I think they can tell quite a bit about me from my application, so they can tell if the program will work for me. But it is disappointing to get a letter of rejection.

Rejection.

Rejection.

Perhaps I should have submitted my application in 10-foot high Braille. Ha ha.

Well thanks for reading, Blogosphere! Will be back more... hopefully with happiness.

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Me - Part 4: Misc

I tap dance. And not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty good at it.

Freckles are adorable.

This is the late Hufflepuff. We had been good friends since I was in 8th grade. She passed away this November. She is a Netherlands Dwarf.

Seattle. Need I say more?

This is Benjamin Jeremiah Rumson (Ben for short). He's my French or Mini Lop sweetie.

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