The Rainbow Bridge is a Lucky Place This Week

We were going to start telling a new story today, however our hearts are sad and our eyes are leaking because we have lost two dear bunny friends in the past week.


Hugo went to the Rainbow Bridge this morning after an illness. It looked like he was starting to get better, but we guess it was his time to cross. His dear friends Yowlyy and Miss Eve will need all of our thoughts to help them cope with his passing. Hugo was a beautiful white rabbit with wonderfully expressive eyes that were filled with wisdom and disapproval. Yet, if you check out their blog you’ll see lots of pictures of Miss Eve taking full advantage of his gentle nature! He didn't seem to mind when she sat on his head or squished him. He just seemed to love her even more! We’ll miss you Hugo.





Our other rabbit friend Gumpy left for the Rainbow Bridge on December 23rd. Gumpy had a sweet, innocent face and delighted in causing as many problems as possible for his mum and dad. There is a great picture on his blog of Gumpy and his ex-wife/best friend Myxi (who, much to everyone’s surprise, turned out to be a boy, so Gumpy decided Myxi could be his best friend instead of his wife) with their bodies completely inside a bag of pellets. All you can see are their little furry bottoms sticking out of the sack! Gumpy’s mum says that he passed away peacefully and quietly. We are sorry he had to go, but we bet he’s finding all kinds of ways to be “norty” on the other side of the bridge!

Happy Holidays!

HAVE A VERY MERRY HOLIDAY EVERYONE!

Let It Snow!

Deb & Freckles:

We’ve been pretty busy playing in the snow lately. Washington and Oregon have been having the biggest blizzard to hit our area in many, many years. News reports vary on just how long it’s been since we’ve seen so much snow (we’re talking feet instead of inches!), but it has been unique for our area. Unfortunately, there is a big problem with this year’s arctic blast:

1. We don’t usually get this much snow, so our transportation departments don’t have enough equipment to handle it.


2. It happened right before Christmas, so a lot of people haven’t been able to get to the stores to shop for gifts and food.


3. Freckles has decided that she is NOT a snow bunny (as the pictures below where she’s wanting to go back inside will show.)

It’s snowing again as we type this, but it is supposed to change to freezing rain and then will start to warm up in the next few days. In the meantime, Deb’s sitting in her rocking chair watching it snow and enjoying a nice hot cup of chai tea, and Freckles stays cozy in her favorite box only coming out when there is the promise of food. She will eat a little fresh snow as long as she's in the mood and it is served to her on a plate INDOORS.

So, for your viewing pleasure, here are our pictures of the snow of 2008 in the Pacific Northwest:

A Taste For Rabbit

Freckles:

I wanted to share a really interesting book that I read recently. It has a terrible title if you're a rabbit, but the book is called A Taste for Rabbit by Linda Zuckerman (Arthur A. Levine Books). This book is a 2008 Oregon Book Award winner for Young Adult Literature.

Now, you might be thinking that this is a cookbook, but I assure you that even though the characters seem to manage quite a bit of eating during the course of the events in the book (in fact there were several times when I found myself drooling over the descriptions of things like apple turnovers or eggplant and dried tomato sandwiches), you won't be finding any recipes between it's covers. And just look at how scary that cover is! A fox bearing down on a poor little rabbit. BUT then look at the shape of the rabbit in the background. I think that's Quentin, the main character rabbit and one of the unlikely heroes of the book. The other hero is Harry, a fox, who at first you think is an obnoxious guy, but he's just being a fox. He comes to discover that he has many redeeming qualities, and you quite like him by the end.

This is the story of how Quentin and Harry, who come from two different directions and lifestyles, have to work together to stop the terrible things that are happening to the rabbits. There are bad guys and good guys and sometimes it's hard to tell who is bad or good -- but isn't that the way life usually goes? Anyway, it's scary and exciting and riveting (that means you can't put it down because you really, really want to find out what happens.)

It is a young adult book, but adults are going to find it interesting, too. There are some yucky and sad things that happen in it, so I wouldn't recommend it to younger children.

The Rest of the Story

Deb:

I see that Freckles filled you in yesterday on her remodeling project which has taken over our living room. What she didn't share with you was the huge mess that she has been making while creating her masterpiece. The picture on the right is only a small amount of the clutter that litters our living room on a daily basis. She also conveniently seems to forgotten to mention the small hole she chewed in the carpet while inside her box.

It is pretty funny to see her with her box. When she isn't inside the box, or chewing on the outside of the box, she is resting in the nest of chewed cardboard pieces. She also makes the box travel across the room from the inside. We'll be sitting quietly in the living room reading or watching television, and all of a sudden the box starts moving and jumping up and down! This was quite unnerving the first time it happened, but we are getting used to seeing it tour the living room.

Remodeling Update

Freckles:

As you probably noticed, I took a week off to work on the remodel of my box. This has been quite the project. First of all, I love my box. It is roomy and tall and dark. When I'm inside, nobody can see me. However, the doorways were a bit small. During the first phase of the remodel, I enlarged both doorways.

To remind you of what my box originally looked like, here's a picture. See how small the doorway is? Obviously, something had to be done!

So, I planned and worked and chewed and ripped. And then I ripped and chewed and worked and planned some more! All that planning, working, chewing, and ripping paid off as my remodeling masterpiece began to take shape.

Here are the "after" pictures.

There's still a lot more to do, but I'm well on my way to breaking through some peekholes on the sides! A bunny's work is never done!

Britney Spears & Jessica Simpson

Deb & Freckles:

Okay, this post has absolutely NOTHING to do with Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson -- or the Jonas Brothers or Ellen Degeneres or Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart or Oprah or Barack Obama or The Beatles.

This is a name-dropping post. We discovered from yesterday's entry about Clint Eastwood and his pet rabbit that if you mention a celebrity name, you get LOTS of hits on your blog. Clint Eastwood was a gold mine of hits! A lot of people searched out his name and found us. Some people even searched "Clint Eastwood + pet rabbit." We wondered why people would think to do that search!

This happened to us once before when we had a post related to house cleaning and bunny messes that mentioned Martha Stewart. We discovered all kinds of people visiting us (and some people still find that post from time to time when they are looking for Martha.)

So, we thought we'd drop a bunch of names to see if we got any hits from those celebrities. We'll let you know how it goes!

Oh, and we'd like to add rabbit, bunny, cat, kitten, dog, puppy, bird, hamster, snake, lizard, tarantula, and gerbil, just in case anyone is searching out celebrity pets!

A Celebrity Bunny Lover!

Deb:

Sunday's issue of Parade Magazine contained an article on Clint Eastwood that started with these words: "He’s sitting at home, stroking his pet rabbit." OMG -- Clint Eastwood has a pet rabbit! Who would have thought that Dirty Harry was a bunny lover? Well, live and learn.

This article led Freckles and I to ponder who else might be bunny lovers without our knowledge. Any ideas?

Resting Up

Freckles:

Here I am resting up after a busy Thanksgiving Holiday and watching all those silly shoppers who got up super early to hit the stores. Deb and I are cosy and warm in our house just reading, relaxing, and watching TV.

Hope you will take some time to relax this weekend. You know that December is gonna be busy!

Hoppy Thanksgiving from Freckles and Deb

We want to wish everyone a

HOPPY THANKSGIVING!

To those of you who live outside the United States -- you're welcome to celebrate with us! Just spend the day stuffing yourself with every piece of food in sight and then sit back and think about all of the things you are thankful for!

*************


Picture courtesy of Webweaver.nu - Free Website Tools & Clipart

We're Famous!

Well, we're sort of famous anyway. Our blog was mentioned in a video blog post on the Write 4 Kids blog Children’s Writing Web Journal! We're the third blog listed of the four showcased on the video under Children’s Lit Blog Posts of the Day. We'll try to embed it here:




We sure hope it worked! Freckles has a slight crush on Jon for saying such nice things about us.

If you want to check out the Write 4 Kids blog, click here.

Ahhhhhhh!

Deb:

My son took the towel and Freckles ran straight for him! No glaring where he is concerned. He wrapped the towel around her and rubbed her dry. You could almost hear her sighing with joy. Ahhhhhh. I knew that if I had done the same thing, she would have acted as through I was murdering her. I wonder if she’ll ever like me as much as she likes him.

When he was done with her rubdown, she settled herself down and went to sleep.

An Astonishing Turn of Events

Freckles:

The high-voiced one was coming at me with a large flat object. Oh no, I thought. She’s not going to smother me with that thing. I was just about to back away and hop to safety, when she did something surprising – she turned and handed the object to Nice Guy. Now this was an interesting turn of fortune! Nice Guy would never smother me. He had just rescued me from the terrible wetness.

Nice Guy leaned down and started rubbing my fur with the object. It was warm and felt lovely. The dreadful cold diminished as he wiped away at the dampness. Ahhhh! Wonderful! When he was finished, I hated for the pleasant massage to stop.

I settled my relaxed and semi-dry body down for a nap.

Passing the Buck (or Towel!)

Deb:

I ran down the hall to the closet where we keep our bath towels. Grabbing the top towel, I rushed it back to the living room. Freckles eyed me with distrust as I approached. I knew she wasn’t going to enjoy this drying experience, and I was going to wind up on her “bad” list for quite some time. Well, I thought, she seems to really like my son. Maybe I’ll make him the bad guy for once. I turned and thrust the towel into his hands.

Respect? I don't think so!

Freckles:

I shook really hard in an attempt to get some of that wet off of me. The high-voiced one stood in front of me and I gave her the meanest, fiercest look I could. How dare she allow me to get this wet! In fact now that I think about it, she was probably the one who turned on the water that drenched me while I slept! What kind of creature does that? Someone who has no respect for others, that's who.

It was right about then that I noticed she had something in her hands, something big. She approached me with the giant object.

Stunning Results

Deb:

The look on Freckles’ face when she emerged from under my son’s jacket was priceless. “Stunned” didn’t even begin to describe it. Her fur was drenched through and she shook herself to release the drops of rain that still clung to her back and feet.

Freckles is not a bun who accepts change easily. One minute she had been enjoying the sunshine in the tall green grass of the backyard, and the next she was snatched up, thrust into a jacket, and plopped unceremoniously onto the living room floor. Wet and scraggly, she glared up at me with a look that told me who was going to be blamed for this fiasco!

Very, Very Wet

Freckles:

I was wet! I could feel the wetness soaking through my fur and drenching my skin beneath. What in the world had happened to me and where was I that was so dark? I was jostled around inside the murky blackness. The bindings that held me tightly finally loosened, and I saw the light surround me as I emerged from the imprisoning cocoon.

In the glowing brilliance, I discovered that it was Nice Guy who had rescued me. He set me on the ground. But, as I said before, I was wet. Very, very wet. How did I ever get this wet?

A Sudden Rain

Deb:

Our beautiful sunshine had gone behind a cloud. With a shiver I realized that the weather had turned chilly. I returned to the house to get my sweater and my son’s jacket. Freckles had hunched down inside the enclosure to take a nap.

Shortly after I’d settled back down in my chair and picked up my book, the dark clouds burst open and the rain poured from the sky. I grabbed my book and jumped to my feet. My son grabbed Freckles and stuffed her inside his coat to keep her dry. We ran for the back door.

A Cloudy Race

Freckles:

I settled down in the comfortable grass to take my nap. There was a chill in the air, so I huddled in a little ball and drifted into a restless sleep. A breeze carried me through the air on a soft cloud. A second cloud appeared next to me, and when I glanced over, I saw Ray sitting on top of it a huge grin filling his face. We raced our fluffy vehicles, dipping and curving, laughing and shouting, clinging on with all our might.

Suddenly, Ray’s cloud swerved. With a nod and a wave he flew away without even saying good-bye.

When I awoke, it was to hands grabbing me and then there was darkness. What in the world was going on here?

Hoping for the Best

Deb:

The little brown and black bunny was gone. In the wink of an eye he had disappeared before I had a chance to see if he was tame enough to come closer for food. I guess I’d just have to face the fact that fate had taken things out of my hands. I hoped the little guy found happiness wherever he went. That’s all we could hope for.

Now, I’d better get back to Freckles to see how she was taking it.

Just Like a Guy!

Freckles:

Ray was gone.

He’d left without letting me know what danger might lurk around the corner.

He’d left before I had a chance to ask him to stay for awhile.

He’d just taken off.

“Nice knowing you,” he'd said. He didn't know me. We barely said, “Hi.” Hmmmpf! So that's what guys are like -- drop in and run away! Well, who needs ‘em anyway! I decided that what I really needed was a nap.

Vanishing Act

Deb:

Just as I headed for the back door to get some carrots from the kitchen, Ray suddenly sat up on his back feet, wiggled his ears, and then darted through the hedge. I ran over and peered in the direction he had disappeared, but there was no sign of him. It was as though he had vanished into thin air. Where could he have gone?

What Danger?

Freckles:

Ray had said it was too dangerous to stay in one place too long. What did that mean? I wanted to know more. If there was something to be afraid of, I needed to know. I have faced a tornado, invaders, and an alien creature. I couldn’t imagine anything else that could scare me.

As I formed the words in my head to ask Ray about the danger, he stood on his back feet and said, “It’s been nice knowing you. Have a great life, Freckles.” He wiggled his ears, turned around, and without a glance back, he hopped away.

U.S. Elections Today!

For those of you who live in the United States, Freckles & Deb would just like to take a moment from our story to say:

V O T E

T O D A Y !

A Bunny Battle in the Making?

Deb:

The staring between the two bunnies continued for what seemed like hours, but must have only been minutes. My son and I glanced at each other not daring to move in case we startled the buns in their intense concentration. As I watched, I wondered if there was a way to entice the little fellow to come closer. On the other hand, I didn’t want to see a bunny battle between Freckles and the stranger in my own backyard.

Since nothing seemed to be happening I thought it would be safe to sneak into the house for some carrots. I slowly and carefully stood. Just as I turned to move towards the back door, it happened.

Will Ray Stay?

Freckles:

Ray immediately answered. Again, the answer formed in my brain. “I’m just visiting. I’m in search of a new home.”

“Where are you from?” I thought.

“Not sure. But I’m looking for a field. You never answered my question – why are you in jail? And, why are you so close to those big ones?”

“I’m not in jail. I’m enjoying the sunshine and the grass. These big ones, as you call them, are friends. They make sure I am taken care of and provide a comfortable life for me.”

“Well, sounds like you got a good deal here.”

I found the bunny fascinating. I wondered if I should ask him to stay with us, but before I had a chance to form the question, Ray said, “Guess I’d better be moving along. Don’t want to stay long in one place. Too dangerous!”

Bunny Communication

Deb:

The bunny and Freckles continued to stare at each other for a long time. Neither one moved, both frozen in place. I wondered what kind of communication, if any, was passing between them. Maybe they were exchanging some kind of high-frequency signals that I was not hearing.
I still hadn’t decided what I should do. I didn’t want to scare the little bunny away, so I sat as still as possible, as frozen as the bunnies, letting them make the next move.

Think-Talk

Freckles:

I was so stunned by the little voice speaking in my head that I froze in place. Was that the bunny who talked to me? Where else would the voice be coming from? I hadn’t been around any other bunnies so I didn’t know if that was the way we communicated. But, something deep inside me said that it was. How would I answer back? Should I just think what I wanted to say?

“Yes,” said the voice.

I looked directly at the bunny and thought, “Hi, Ray, I’m Freckles. What are you doing here?”

Wild or Pet?

Deb:

What had caught our attention was a small brown bunny munching at a green patch beside the driveway. Most of the wild bunnies I’d seen were short-haired, lean, with pointed little faces. This bunny’s head was round, unusual for a wild bunny, and its fur seemed longer than normal. Could this be someone’s pet who had escaped? My mind whirled with questions. What should I do?

Ray

Freckles:

The object of my thumping was a small brown bunny several yards away. He was nibbling a small patch of green by some rocks. The thumping caught his attention, and he raised his head. The bunny stared directly at me, and I felt a strange sensation in my head.

Suddenly, I heard a voice saying, “Hi, I’m Ray. What’s your name and why are you in jail?”

A Visitor

From Thriller to Thrilling

Deb:

I read my book while Freckles slept. What a beautiful day this was with the sun shining and the green grass rustling slightly in the gentle breaths of wind. I’d just finished an exciting, suspense-filled part in my thriller, when something forced my eyes to shift from the book to my bunny. Her ears stood straight up and her body tensed. Suddenly, she thumped. I looked around and immediately saw what had placed her on alert.

Freckles on Alert

Freckles,

I don’t know how long I slept, but when I awoke, the air had a chill to it. I hopped to some fresh green leaves growing near my resting spot and started to chew. Before I had finished the second leaf, my nose detected a strange odor. It was a somewhat familiar scent and signaled “danger” someplace deep inside my brain. All of my senses went to full alert and I thumped a warning.

Testing the Boundaries

Deb:

Freckles hopped around her little enclosure with spirited little jumps. She chewed on the wire and I hoped her teeth wouldn’t break. She poked and prodded the wire, and although it moved slightly, it did not give way. Suddenly, she was digging. This was not unexpected, however we didn’t want it to get out of hand, so my son moved to the spot and gave her a little nose rub while filling in the hole she’d made with his other hand.

She soon seemed to give up on escaping and plopped at the edge of one side. Before long she was asleep.

Attempted Escape

Freckles:

I couldn’t figure out any possible way of getting through the fence. I tried chewing the skinny sticks, but even my sharp teeth could not make a dent. I tried poking with my nose and pushing with my head. Still the fence did not give way. I tried digging. This created a nice little hole in the ground, however Nice Guy soon rushed to the spot and filled it back in, nudging me to another part of the grass.

I rested from my hard labors and munched a yellow flower that I found when it landed on my head. I would figure this puzzle out. Perhaps, I should sleep on it.

Safe and Sound

Deb:

Freckles hopped around her pen, making paths through the tall glass. My son and I set up guard duty on lawn chairs near the pen. I’m not sure what dangers lurk in our backyard, but it is not unknown for hawks to fly over and there are many cats in the neighborhood who frequent the safe haven of our fenced sanctuary. If Freckles was going to meet any furry neighbors, I wanted to be there to make sure everyone was safe.

The Grass is Always Greener ...

Freckles:

The cool grass tickled my feet as I hopped and explored the enclosure. I had to push my way through the grass in places, so thick had it grown, but I found the exertion glorious. I discovered a few more dandelion greens to savor. Some I ate, others I marked a place in my mind to come back to later when I was hungry again.

When I came to the fence which blocked further surveying of the landscape in that direction, I stopped and peered through its openings to the grass on the other side. That grass seemed particularly green and luscious. Hmmmmm. How could I get through the fence to those tasty treats?

Memories of Another Life?

Deb:

As soon as my son set Freckles down in the tall grass inside the pen, her body relaxed and rejoiced in the feel of the grass. She must have thought she was in Heaven. I wondered if she’d felt the grass under her feet at her former home. We had no idea what Freckles’ life had been like before she was found wandering on a city street and came to our house from the animal shelter. Had she jumped free in fields of lucious green grass? Had she roamed through a huge outdoor space? She seemed so happy and at home in this cool green refuge. Maybe she thought she's gone back to where she came from.

Jungle Grass - We Return to Our Story!

Freckles:

The tall jungle grass surrounded me and hid me from any dangers that might lurk in this wondrous place. Although it felt safe in this circle of security, I kept my senses alert for any strange sounds that might precede a predator’s advance. I sniffed the air and rejoiced in the splendiferous odor of uncut grass. I nibbled a bit of a blade that tickled my nose. Delicious! There is something about gathering one’s own food that ignites a spark of satisfaction deep inside. The feeling can’t be duplicated by food laid before one by a well-meaning person.

Not far ahead of me I saw a yellow flower poking it’s head through the grass. I binkied in the air and plucked the flower from it’s stem.

Kidlitosphere Blog Conference, Part 3

Just a few more pictures of the Kidlitosphere conference! Here are the participants, still smiling after a long day of discussing blogging. Don't we look like we all are ready to rush right home and kick our blogs up a notch? That's exactly what happened. People have been so enthused they've posted links to their blog posts about the conference here. You can head there and read all about the fun, if you so desire.

Meanwhile, here are a couple more pictures of Freckles posing with famous people!


On the left is another Deb, only this one has purple hair and horns! (Not really. We think we saw her with regular hair earlier in the day!) Her name is Deb Lund and she's written a very funny book called Monsters on Machines. She's also written a bunch of other fun books that you can see if you go to her site.


This is Freckles with Anastasia Suen, who is author of 110 books for children!!! (She's Deb's hero!) And the neat thing about her is that she is a real person. We discovered that you can talk to her and she doesn't act all famous or anything! How cool is that?

So, what did Deb and Freckles learn from this day surrounded by people who are just as crazy about blogging as we are? Well, here are three things that we are sure we learned:

1. We have to learn how to Twitter. People were Twittering all over the place directly from the conference and we were Twitterless.
2. We need to visit children's writing blogs more often and not be so shy about commenting when we do. (We certainly aren't shy about commenting on bunny blogs...hmmm...very interesting!)
3. We need to stay later at these things so we can take part in any future zombie sock puppet videos. Example here.

That's it from the conference. We'll get back to our interrupted adventure "The Jungle" very soon! Keep watching this space...

Freckles and Deb

Kidlitosphere Conference, Part 2

I'm adding a couple of new pictures of Freckles with some authors at the Kidlitosphere Blogger Conference.


First, we have Lisa Schroeder, who is the author of a fabulous young adult book called I Heart You, You Haunt Me. She has a second book coming out in January called Far From You. Grab a pen and write those titles down, because you're going to want to remember them!

In the next picture we have Zu Vincent (on the left) holding her wonderful new book Lucky Place. Doesn't she have the greatest name! I want a cool name like Zu Vincent. On the right is Lynn Hazen holding Freckles and Lynn's new book Cinder Rabbit. That's right, it's a bunny story! We know that Lynn has to be a good person if she wrote a bunny story!

We also want to share a really fun site for you to visit. I didn't get a picture of Gregory K, but his website is chock full of clever poems. He was one of the presenters and shared with us a poem he placed on his site on Friday, September 19 called "I'm Pretty Well Connected -- A Web 2.0 poem/an online poem/a social network poem." You've got to go to his site here and read that poem! (And while you're there, check out his other poems!)

We've given you enough links to visit for today. We'll be back tomorrow with more interesting people and links from the conference.

Freckles and Deb

Kidlit Bloggers Conference

Here is where Freckles and Deb spent last Saturday! We had a wonderful time. The conference presenters offered lots of information about blogging and kidlit (which is children's literature for those who were wondering!) It was held at the Sheraton Portland (Oregon) Airport Hotel.

Now, I know what you are probably thinking: She wasn't crazy enough to bring Freckles to a hotel conference, was she? Well, here's some proof:

That's Rachel (on the left) and Kim (on the right) and Freckles in the middle! They are a couple of Deb's friends and are soon-to-be-famous authors!

Now, here is where I need to apologize to another friend and also soon-to-be-famous author, Annette. You see, Annette also posed with Freckles, however I was having trouble with my camera. (I really should review the directions more often!) The picture didn't turn out very well. In fact it's not really a picture -- it's a fuzzy video that mostly shows the tablecloth with my voice in the background saying, "What's wrong with this camera?" So, Annette, I'm really sorry. I'll do better next time!

Here's another picture of Freckles posing with some people:

That's Laini (on the left ) and Jen (on the right) and, of course, Freckles in the middle.

Laini is the author of a terrific fantasy book called Blackbringer and is also one of the two organizers of the event (the other one is Jone. Somehow I didn't get her picture with Freckles.)

Jen has a very cool blog containing so much information about children's books and authors that your head might explode if you try to read it all! But trying is still lots of fun!

There is so much to share with everyone about this conference that I'll just have to come back tomorrow to continue. See you then!

Sticky Buns!

A Houseful of Rabbits and The Qi Papers have joined forces to create a new website called Sticky Buns! The object of this fun site is to print the image of your bunny on a sticker, stick the sticker on a not-so-usual place, and snap a picture. Rabbit Guy will capture that image and post it on the Sticky Buns site.

Easy, right?

Freckles and Deb have been working on this project for quite some time now.

• First, we had to find the sticker paper and buy it. That took a good week.
• Next, we had to find just the right pictures and print it out on the sticker paper -- that took another week.
• After that, we had to cut out the stickers. Well, that didn't really take a week, but we had to rest afterwards because we were tired from the buying and the printing.
• Once we had them cut out, we had to find just the right places to stick the stickers. We carried the stickers around with us until we located 2 perfect places.
• Then, we stuck the stickers and took the pictures.

But the activity did not end there. Oh, no, my friends! We had to download the pictures into our computer, do a little cropping, and write this explanatory post for the pictures.

Was all of this effort worth the outcome? You tell us. Here are our two pictures.

Freckles at her piano lesson...

And, at her CPR-Defibrulator (bet you didn't know Freckles is a trained CPR responder!)...

Come back tomorrow to see some pictures of where Freckles and I went on Saturday! Right now, we're exhausted and plan to take a nap!

(Oh, and our story "The Jungle" will return in a few days. In the meantime, we have a bunch of new stuff and cool links to share. It has to do with where we went on Saturday. Bet you can't wait to find out!!)

The Jungle

Freckles:

We passed through the portal and entered a whole new world. The brightness of the light hurt my eyes and I squeezed them shut. I didn’t want to miss anything however, so I slowly opened first one, then the other eye until they became used to the brightness. This world seemed vaguely familiar to me. Could I have been here in my before life – the time before I came to live in this world with Nice Guy and the high-voiced one?

I looked around and saw trees and bushes in a form I recognized. I felt the hot sun, but at the same time my fur was cooled by a slight breeze. I was in a wonderful place and Nice Guy had brought me here! Suddenly, in front of us I saw the object. The walls formed a circle surrounding delicious-looking grasses and yellow flowers. Nice Guy gently set me inside the circle.

Transporting Freckles

Deb:

After my son had set up the pen in the backyard amid the high grass, he returned through the back door and headed for the living room. Without giving Freckles a chance to get away, he scooped her up in placed her in his arms.

Freckles is not fond of being picked up – even when her favorite person is doing the lifting. She equates being held with having her nails trimmed, taking medicine, and going to the vet. Therefore, when my son grabbed her and placed her in his arms, her eyes widened and she hunched her head down into her body. I’m sure she must have been thinking that something awful was about to happen!

But, there was no other way to transport Freckles to the backyard. I was sure she’d forget the trip as soon as she was settled in the pen.

Indignity and Surprise

Freckles:

Nice Guy had taken the new object away. I didn’t know what to make of the situation. I’d just decided that I would return to my hiding place in the cave under the cliff when Nice Guy walked back through the portal to the Other World. Before I could say “Jack Rabbit,” he scooped me up and carried me to the mysterious portal in the Slippery Ground Land.

I was too surprised to react, but since I had never been through this portal, I forgave him the indignity I felt of him carrying me when I am perfectly capable of hopping wherever I need to go. I couldn’t wait to see what was on the other side of that portal.

Preparing the Playground

Deb:

My son said that he would set up the pen in the backyard. We had a section of grass that seriously needed mowing, but we had let it go to grow some tasty dandelions for Freckles. He headed for that section and pushed the metal spikes at the bottom of the fencing into the ground. It made a nice sized area for Freckles to roam. I knew she would be thrilled by this new exploring spot and couldn’t wait to see how she reacted.

Freckles Feels Slighted

Freckles:

The clattering, clunking object that Nice Guy pulled from the box was a mystery. What could it be? I was made of some kind of shiny material with small sticks attached, forming something that looked like a wall. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with such a thing. It wasn’t long before I learned that the object was not for me. Nice Guy picked it up and carried it out of the Other World and disappeared through the far portal in the Slippery Ground Land. Well, I guess I know where I rate in this clan!

Bringing Freckles to the Land

Deb:

I was curious to see what was in the box that my son carried into the house, but not as curious as Freckles who shot from the dining room to the living room and landed directly in front of him. He leaned the box against the chair, and with a big grin on his face, he held out his hand to rub Freckles’ nose. She shoved her face toward him and accepted the gesture.

I turned my attention to the box. It was large, square, and skinny. What could it hold? When the box was finally opened and the object inside was pulled out for my inspection, I laughed. It was a metal fence that connected its sides together to form a circle. The perfect safe pen for Freckles to play outside in.

We had mainly brought the outdoors in to Freckles in the form of dandelions and grass. What would she think of us bringing her to the outdoors where she could harvest her own treats?

Strange Noises

Freckles:

The sound that woke me up was a strange clattering one that my ears did not recognize. I listened carefully to identify it and soon heard, in addition to the clunking, the sound of Nice Guy’s voice. It couldn’t be bad if Nice Guy was here! I rushed toward the sound of the voice and stopped short when I saw the giant object Nice Guy held in his arms.

Nice Guy placed the big thing by the bush and leaned down to rub my nose. My face met his hand and with the gentle touch, I felt the comfort of knowing everything would be all right. After the nose rub, which ended far too quickly, Nice Guy turned to the package and opened the top. What could it be? And more importantly, was it something good for me?

The Huge Box

Deb:

There was nothing special about that day. Following my regular Saturday routine, I’d prepared Freckles’ breakfast before my own and opened the door to her room. As I was pouring my Honey Nut Cheerios into a bowl (after arranging four pieces on Freckles’ plate first), she hopped into the kitchen and lunged for her plate as though she hadn’t eaten for weeks. Freckles’ appetite in the morning is gargantuan and she finished most of her food in a matter of minutes.

After eating she looked around the room and made a run for the bench beside the table. She hadn’t hidden under there for a long time. It always surprises me when she decides to do something she has enjoyed in the past, but discarded for something more interesting. She stopped just before the bench and searched the area carefully. Having satisfied herself of the safety of the area, she plopped down in the corner.

Suddenly, the front door opened and my oldest son walked into the house carrying a huge box.

The Jungle: How Our Adventure Began

Freckles:

One morning after I’d finished my breakfast of lovely lettuce leaves, a carrot, four round yummies, and a piece of peach, I spotted the cliff under which I used to take naps in the Slippery Ground Land. I decided it was a great day for exploring, so I skidded across the smooth dirt and checked out the cave beneath the cliff for any potential danger. First I sniffed, and then I leaned forward as far as I could as I searched for anything different or unique since I had last been there. The coast seemed clear, so I hopped under the cliff and plopped myself down in a corner against the wall. Exploring tires me out. A nap would be just the thing. As I drifted off to sleep, however, I heard a strange sound.