Making the Dressing

Deb:

I searched the recipe drawer for the blended salad dressing recipe I’d cut from the newspaper last week. There it was! Let’s see, I’d need oil, vinegar, various Italian herbs (I’d have to use dried, it was twenty degrees outside and all of my fresh herbs were hiding under the frozen ground!), and Parmesan cheese. I gathered my ingredients and one by one added them to the blender container, pressing the button to merge them together into a delicious mixture.

A Decision in Favor of the Bench

Freckles:

After considering my choices, I decided to take a chance on the open area underneath the ledge. I planned to stay alert and escape the moment I heard a terrible monster coming. Terrible monsters usually make an incredible amount of noise, so I should be able to know well in advance if one is approaching.

I jumped to the side and hopped under the ledge, settling with my back toward the wall. I waited and listened for the sound of any danger.

Spaghetti and Salad

Deb:

I left Freckles to her exploring and concentrated on stirring the spaghetti noodles and sauce. One of the perks of cooking --a quick taste -- yum, just right. Hunger invaded my every thought, but I decided that I would take the time to make a salad with that new blended dressing recipe I'd cut from the newspaper. I stooped over and pulled the blender from the lower cupboard.

Sanctuary or Dead End

Freckles:

Once I reached the center of the clearing under the tree, I rested and surveyed my surroundings. Looking up, I noticed a large ledge with an open area underneath. This could be a great location to keep track of the comings and goings in the Unexplored Territory. On the other hand, the open area didn’t seem very deep and might be a dead end. If a terrifying monster came after me, I could be trapped in that area and forced to defend myself with no avenue for escape. I would need to think about this decision for a bit.

A Twisting Jump to the Center!

Deb:

Freckles studied the area of the kitchen and dining room. I could see her eying the dining room table. Suddenly, without a sound, she performed sort of a twisting jump into the air and hopped to the table, dashing between the chair legs to get to the center.

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We're taking time out from our story

for an announcement from a

new bunny blog friend.

Katie over at Bountiful Bunnies is requesting bunny pictures to post! Her blog is running out of steam and needs new bunnies to show. You can send your adorable bunny pictures to: tundrakatiebean@gmail.com

Katie's been busy raising money for Anchorage Rabbit Rescue (click on the link at her site to find out more.)

The Safety of a Large Tree

Freckles:

After I finished eating my delicious chunk of goodness, I examined the mysterious scenery of the Unexplored Territory. From the Other World I had heard strange rumblings, screeches, and roaring from this land, but had never found a necessity to enter here. Who knew what wonders (and dangers) lurked in this part of the world.

My scrutiny of the area nearby revealed a huge tree spreading its enormous branches to provide a large amount of shade. I could hop there for safety. I hadn’t seen or heard any large black birds in this land, but the silent, invisible ones could swoop down at any second. I was out in the open and vulnerable to many dangers. I jumped into the air, twisted my body, and dashed for the tree.

Freckles Scrutinizes

Deb:

After Freckles finished her bread, she scrutinized the kitchen and dining room. This was an area she had never explored before. I didn’t want to scare her off, so I returned to tending my spaghetti and allowed her space to examine the kitchen. Soon she hopped over to the dining room table.

Slip-Sliding for Goodness!

Freckles:

Leaping through the portal to the Unexplored Territory was a breeze. It was the landing that caused a bit of a problem. The ground was very slidey! I had miscalculated my approach because of this slippery surface and my body slid right into the high-voiced one’s back paws. But, I was on a mission and I couldn’t let a bit of slipperyness stop me. I pulled myself upright with all the dignity I could muster and glared into the high-voiced one’s eyes. My glare told it to drop the container of goodness

It reached down for me and I was sure it planned to strike me down or grab me and throw my body back into the Other World. But, when the paw reached my nose, I realized it held a piece of the yummy goodness from the container. Maybe Nice Guy wasn’t the only one who could open the Container of Goodness. Maybe the high-voiced one had a talent I had not realized.

I snatched the piece of goodness and backed up.

Beware the Surfing Bunny

Deb:

I untwisted the little wire tie and reached inside the bread sack. The next thing I knew, a blurred bundle of black and white fur flew into the kitchen, surfed across the tile floor, and landed at my feet. When Freckles had righted herself, she looked up at me expectantly. I held the piece of bread down by her mouth. She snatched it from my hand and backed up until she touched the cupboard. With her back to the cupboard and without taking her eyes off of me, she nibbled heartily at her piece of bread.

Saving the Container of Goodness

Freckles:

As I stared at the high-voiced one, I saw it reach down and pick up the container of goodness. I had seen this container before, when Nice Guy brought it to the Home World. That was where I had heard that crinkling sound! It was the container of goodness! And now the high-voiced one was holding it. Wait! I must save the container for Nice Guy. I must get it out of the clutches of the high-voiced one. Without thinking about what I was doing, I took a gigantic leap right through the portal and into the Unexplored Territory.

Whole Grain Bread

Deb:

Freckles stared at me through the doorway. I could tell she was thinking hard about something.

“Hi, Freckles,” I said. “Would you like something to eat?” I opened the bread drawer and pulled out the bread sack again. Freckles loved whole grain bread. I’d rip off a small piece to give her. The sack crinkled as I untwisted the twist tie and reached inside.

Who's Crinkling?

Freckles:

I hopped over to the portal at the entrance of the Unexplored Territory. I could see the high-voiced one in the area just beyond the portal. It was making all kinds of interesting noises. Could it have been the one making the crinkling sound? Nah, not possible. I associated the crinkling sound with something good, so it couldn’t have come from the high-voiced one. I tried to see around the corner to see if Nice Guy or Big Guy were around, possibly fixing me a treat.

The Doorway of Decision

Deb:

The spaghetti boiled away happily on the stove and I dumped the spaghetti sauce into a pan. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Freckles hopping to the entrance of the kitchen. She sat in the living room staring at me from the doorway. She had never visited the kitchen or the dining room, preferring to limit herself to the living room and her bedroom. Was she going to take a chance and explore other areas of the house?

An Enticing Option?

Freckles:

The crinkling sound went on for a bit, and then I heard a creak and a thud. Hmmmm. I knew I recognized that sound and my mouth was watering, so it must have something to do with food. Now that I was thinking about food, I realized that I was starved. I stretched my head out of the cave a little ways and searched the room. Nope, I didn’t see any food plate nearby. Darn. If I wanted food, I was going to have to go all the way down the long tunnel to my home place. Or, I thought, there was another enticing option...

Bread Sacks and Spaghetti

Deb:

I'd moved into the kitchen to make some dinner. The first thing I noticed was a bread sack on the counter, the end of which was wide open. Why couldn’t anyone put anything away around here? I grabbed the sack and twisted the top, wrapping the little wire thingy around and around to seal it. I dropped the bread sack into the drawer, grabbed a large pan, and filled it with water to cook the spaghetti for dinner.

The Unexplored Territory

Freckles:

Resting in my little cave, I took a break from thinking and let my mind go blank. I felt safe here (no black or invisable birds), but I still kept one ear alert to any new potential danger. It must have been that one ear that heard the high-voiced one leap from the Other World through the portal into the Unexplored Territory. It also soon noticed a sound from that land, a kind of crinkling. Where had I heard that sound before?

Majestic Freckles

Deb:

Well, it had taken a long time, but Freckles had finally accepted her little bunny condo/cave. She looked so cute, and somehow majestic, resting comfortably inside. It was almost as though she were the queen of the living room. What a silly thought! She's really just a rabbit taking a nap and dreaming her happy little bunny dreams.

Since Freckles was settled in her cave, I decided to wander into the kitchen to make some dinner.

Silent, Invisible Birds

Freckles:

This was nice! I had a beautiful new cave for resting and napping. It wasn’t quite big enough for exploring, but it had a cozy feel and would keep any circling hawks or eagles away. Not that I’d seen any birds hovering in the Other World. But, they might have the silent, invisible kind here. One could never be sure. I had no intention of becoming some big, dumb bird’s supper!

I snuggled in decided to take a little nap. It was a restless sleep with big black birds suddenly swooping down to grab me. I ran from rock to rock, escaping just in the nick of time with each swoop. Finally, with at least twenty birds circling overhead, I had no place to go. My way was blocked by the portal to the unexplored territory. Dare I take a chance and enter that unknown land? Just as I was about to leap, I woke up.

Contented Freckles

(And now, back to our story!)

Deb:

I almost screamed with excitement. Freckles had accepted the bunny condo! She’d climbed inside, turned herself around, and plopped her body down. It fit her like a glove. If she had been any bigger or it had been any smaller, we would have had to pry her in with a crowbar!

She looked very relaxed. She'd certainly taken her sweet time deciding whether she would enter the little cave. Freckles is one cautious bunny! I guess that's a good thing, but it can also be frustrating when you want her to do something.

Anyway, the condo/cave has been accepted. Maybe now she'll forget about trying to get under the couch!

A TORNADO!

We’re taking a short break from our regular story to talk about the weather!

Freckles:

We had a tornado! A REAL TORNADO! And nobody was home except for me. I was not scared though. I knew it was my job to protect our house, so I stayed in my cave, meditated really hard, and glared at that stupid old tornado with my most meanest glare. It worked! The tornado skipped our house!

I feel sorry for all of those people who did not have a bunny queen to protect their houses. They had a lot of trees and power poles fall down and some houses and buildings were damaged, but Deb says that nobody got hurt. That’s a good thing! I think I will work on a Tornado Stay Away Dance in case it decides to come back.


Deb:

Yep, Freckles is right. We had a tornado right here in Clark County, Washington on Thursday. Actually, the tornado struck approximately 5 miles northwest of our house. We got the rain, wind, and black skies but not the tornado itself. (It was just outside of Vancouver, Washington, north of Portland, Oregon.) There are articles and pictures in our local paper The Columbian.

We don't get a lot of tornadoes in the Pacific Northwest. We had a bad one in Vancouver in 1972 that killed six people and caused havoc in a short stretch of the neighborhood where I currently live. The Columbian reported that there were eight tornadoes in Clark County since 1972. I don't remember many of them, but I do remember that one touched down, blew a fence over, and then went away.

And, Freckles is correct. She was all by herself. I’ll bet she was really scared! She seemed fine when I got home that evening (sleeping in her condo/cave), but she tends to hide her real feelings, and I think she was just putting on a confident act.

Freckles Enters the Cave! (It's about time!)

Freckles:

I finished all of the green parts of the leaf. I looked for the white part -- don't like it, tastes yucky. There wasn't a white part! What wonder is this? The cave provides the best part of the food without the icky part! This is a wonderful thing!

I took a closer look at the cave itself. It had a floor made from the same substance as the floor of the Other World -- soft and comfortable. Maybe, just maybe, I would try it out. What could it hurt? I climbed inside, turned around, and plopped my body down onto the textured floor surface.

Will She Follow the Food?

Deb:

It worked! Freckles found the bok choy leaf in the cave/condo and muched away happily at the lucious green portion that I had placed there. She seemed surprised that there wasn't any white part to leave behind. Her little rear end wiggled with happiness as she chewed. Now that she had accepted food from the new place, would she climb inside?

(Finicky Freckles makes a choice tomorrow! What do you think she is going to do?)

Approaching the Cave

Freckles:

I was sure that the cave had been placed there for me. If Big Guy was behind the bringing it into the Other World for me, it had to be all right to visit it. I stretched my body forward nonchantly, and checked out the cave opening. Everything looked safe and secure. I inched toward the cave, carefully ... carefully ... carefully ... I stuck my head inside, and grabbed the green leaf.

Forward Movement

Deb:

Freckles’ nose twitched and I watched her move her head from side to side as she searched the room for the location of the bok choy. Suddenly, she zeroed in on the source and she stared at the bunny condo with great intent. She carefully rose to her feet and moved toward the condo. Would she fall for the bait and finally check out her new relaxing place?

Freckles Figures it Out

Freckles:

I sniffed carefully and with my superior smelling ability, I located the source of the delectable aroma. It was coming from the new small cave. Now how did that get there? I knew it hadn't been there when I went to sleep.

Suddenly, the answer hit me. Big Guy! The cave was near his favorite sitting bush and he was always bringing me good stuff to eat. He must be the one who put the yummy leaf in the cave. My doubts about the cave were erased. If Big Guy was filling it with goodies, everything must be okay.

Do Rabbits Smile?

Deb:

When I had returned to the living room with the bok choy, right before I tripped over the coffee table, I'd noticed that Freckles was deep in sleep. She almost looked as though she were smiling! Nah, couldn’t be. Do rabbits smile?

I wonder if they dream. All the dogs that I've had kicked their feet and made growling and wimpering noises sometimes when they slept. I'd never seen Freckles do that.

She had been startled by the noise I'd made, but I didn't think she was fully awake yet. I carefully placed the beautiful green leaf of bok choy inside the bunny cave directly in front of Freckles. She wouldn’t be able to miss it when she opened her eyes.

Jump to the Top of the Cave?

Freckles:

I awoke, restless from my dream. I thought I heard a voice saying “Jump to the top of the cave.” The voice sounded low pitched, kind of like Big Guy. Did he want me to jump on top of the new cave? But then, as quickly as it came, the voice was gone.

My nose quickly picked up an interesting scent, one I hadn’t smelled for a while. I loved lush green refreshment on a hard stick. That hard white stick was inedible - yuck! But the tender green leaves -- oh, when I ate it, I thought I’d gone to heaven. Now, which direction was that good aroma coming from?

Bribery is Sometimes Best

Deb:

After a great deal of deep thought and contemplation about how I was going to get Freckles to enjoy her new condo, I decided good old fashioned bribery was the best plan. I checked out the refrigerator to see what I could use to tempt her. I found the same old staples -- carrots, lettuce, broccoli -- and then my eye spotted what I had been looking for -- a treat that Freckles could never pass up: bok choy.

I returned to the living room with the largest leaf of bok choy I could find. I’d trimmed it from the white stalk, which Freckles never ate. As I walked in the direction of the condo, I tripped over the coffee table and crash, bang, boom -- I made a great deal of noise righting myself. My shin hurt, but I hoped I didn’t wake up Freckles.

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PS. Happy Birthday to Big Guy!

Dreams of Dancing

Freckles:

I dozed for a short time. In my dream I danced in a beautiful gigantic cave. I jumped, leaping in time to the bunny waltz played with precision by the jack rabbit quartet. As I twirled and hopped, a handsome black and white buck across the room caught my eye. He watched me with great interest -- the guy knows quality when he sees it! I threw in some of my more complicated maneuvers and I could tell by the tilt of his head that he was impressed.

Finally, the music ended and I performed my special double binky in the air twist to finish the piece. I curtsied to the audience who hopped up and down with excitement at the dazzling performace they had just witnessed. The handsome buck hopped in my direction. I was sure he would ask me for the next dance. I waited for him in the center of the room. No sense looking too eager!

As he approached me, just a hop or two away, he stopped and bowed deeply. He opened his mouth and I leaned forward to hear the first words he would speak to me and ... CRASH! ... something woke me up.

Disappointment

Deb:

Much to my disappointment Freckles lay down beside my husband’s chair and ignored the kitty/bunny condo. I'd been so sure that she would love it and want to explore it immediately. I tried to think of some things I could do to entice her into entering the new resting place.

Happy New Year!

We stayed up late last night making our New Year's Resolutions. Deb's resolutions are the same two she makes every year. (That woman has no imagination!)

Deb:
1. I will write more.
2. I will lose weight.

Freckles:
1. I will eat more dandelions.
2. I will TRY to stay away from Deb’s Consumer Reports Magazine. (But it’s so hard! It’s like catnip for bunnies!)
3. I will have more patience with my three dog relatives: Scramble, Candy, and Lucky (even though they don’t seem to have much patience with each other!)

We hope that you made good resolutions for the coming year and we hope that one of them was to come to visit us often!

Have a Happy New Year, Everyone!