Convention Canidates

So, convention entry deadline is coming up. The 11th. That is just a week away! My original convention plans have changed [yet again] and quite honestly, I am not even sure what I am doing yet!!
Cloey, Blue Bijou, Blue Daiquiri, Peppercini, Miami [poss. Boomer and Kaluah] will be entered, they have deposits down on them and transports secured.
As for Satins, all four I have look nice. But... I don't work with the Satins much so I doubt I will enter any.
Honey is too fat, Jenie is retired, Quintessence just doesn't have a flowing body I desire, Renee is retired and Habanero has a hind leg injury from this weekends show; even if she does recover, I still wouldn't risk bringing her. MAD will be on a litter, Gigi is on a litter, Stitch is past his prime, as is Hollywood, Sunset will be on a litter, Bridget and Lil' Hollister are past their prime showing ages.

What does that leave me?

Renee's litter, two solid does, two broken bucks and one solid buck. 4 of them had a major chewing war. 3 look salvageable if I seperate them completely. Blue Bijous litter I am afraid is a slow growing line, and even though they are older than Renee's litter, they just won't be there. That leaves me with Kokomo. [Hab is out]. 4 rabbits. Out of..... 19 seniors, 6 juniors and 13 babies. *sighs* A huge trip, for 4 rabbits to show and royalty and an experience to last a lifetime. What shall it be? Well I contact the travel agent tomorrow... so... we'll know sometime around then I guess. :)

Crescent City weekend!!!!

So... basically with me working and running around like crazy, I really have a half-buzzed idea of how my bunnies did and placed. But I had fun and learned a lot and had some more fun. I had a great time getting my hands on some animals with Melissa and Randy, I got to have about 25 different breeds under me between the two days. And I came back with zero pictures.... *sighs* But through other breeders I might be able to scramble up a few.

Sat A: Melissa M
BOS - LHHR's Habanero - 8th leg

Sat B: Cathy S
BOS - LHHR's Lil' Hollister - 4th leg

Sun A: Roger H/Allen M
BOS - LHHR's Lil' Hollister - 5th leg

Sun B: Leslie T
BOB - LHHR's Mr. Miami - 5th leg
BOSV- LHHR's Lil' Hollister - 6th leg
1st - LHHR's Quintessence - 1st leg

Sun C: Randy S
BOV - LHHR's Mr. Miami - 6th leg

BIS- Roger H's white Satin doe "Poetry" [she was a really nice doe!]

Youth A B
BOB - Stitch, 8th & 9th legs

Camping was a blast and the weather was good. Well everything was good. So go next year, or alteast mark it on your calendar :)

busy, busy

We're still pretty busy around here. We have the barn done and ready, when Mike gets back from up north we will go get the hay {thursday or friday}.

Friday evening will be spent getting ready for CC. I am actually rather excited for this show, so we will see how it goes :) An update on everyone we entered/are bringing:
Miami - looking pretty good, minor slip on coat
Quintessence - looks good, good flesh/fur
Kokomo - looks great, maybe pushing weight, slight slip to her coat
RW5 - looks good :)
Hollister - has one tinnny mat on his but, but he has the best fur condition he's EVER had, pretty good flesh for almost 2 yrs old too!!!!
Habanero - looks great :)
Bridget - still slipping in her coat, but not horrid
Sitch - almost completely molting otherwise looks awesome.

Bringing 4 young juniors to sell, perhaps another junior doe {smoke pearl steel or bkn black} but we will not decide until friday. Our cage space is limited.

Sierra!

It dawned on me the other day my horse is SEVEN years old now. Wow, how time flies. I have been spending a lot of time with Sierra. She's been the best horse for me. Here are some pics I have gotten of her over the years :)

Following 5 pics August 2007 at breakfast time :)

Fair 2005, Sierra and I at the trailer at fair. Was getting her ready for an english class.

Spring time in the upper pasture :)

Sierra at the Jackson County Isola arena. Here she is a yearling, just broke. She did very well in the 4-H program.

taking a break

Just taking a break from working yesterday and today. We have to bring in the hay, which is going to be a chore itself. Last year we had a leak in the barn roof we could not fix, now we have to make some adjustments to the barn before we bring any hay in.

I spent most the week cleaning the horse barn and paddock. The manure trailer has been taken out of the back and now is ready to be dumped.

Since the horses have ate every shred in the pasture {yes, we let it get that bad} now all the rocks are coming up to the surface so we can pick them up easily. We live in the side of a mountain in oregon, rocks or "boulders" are very common to find in the ground. Often they are ankle twisters and for horses it's just horrible. Last year we could not work the horses without the worry of them stepping on one while running. Even if you add decomposed granite to the arena, you will still find rocks.

I groomed some rabbits this morning. A few of them are looking pretty spiffy for this weekends show. Not "perfect" but with the weather we have had, I am just happy they look they way they do!

I am taking 6 or 7 rabbits in hope of sales. These are rabbits I would rather them go to breeders than other means. Usually I don't have for sale stock at shows. I will be busy at Crescent City to say the least. 8 shows means I could only bring one breed. My Satins look pretty good, but more appropraitely will be ready by RVRF. :)

busy, busy, busy

The title of this post does describe how busy we have been lately. I got on here merely to update the site, read e-mails and let everyone know we have not fallen off a cliff.

Fair took a toll on all of us. It was a long week, but we accomplished a lot. Tuesday night I was hit with some bad news that really put a dampner on my winnings and in fair that whole week. It was like I had been detached from my body and was just floating around watching myself compete at fair.

I have taken some time to step back and evaulate my life and what is going on in general. For the most part I am pretty happy, but there are some things that have to change.

State Fair, I was hoping to go. But at this point in time with the news I got on tuesday, I won't be going to many more rabbit shows. I will most likely only go to Crescent City and Grants Pass, *if* I go to another show, it would be Corvallis or Red Bluff in November or December.

I sold Buddy, to a nice lady in Cave Junction. It was pretty hard, being that he was one of the cutest bunnies that ever hopped the earth. But I have to do a major herd reduction. I am being forced to sell many of my best rabbits.

I sent in my CC entry. Here is who I entered:
Miami - SSB
Quintessence - SJB
Kokomo - SSD
RW5 - SJD
Hollister - BSB
Habanero - BSD

Youth:
Stitch - SSB
Bridget - SSD

It came up just under $100 for 8 shows, not bad.

I sent in my Royalty, Achievement and Management applications yesterday. Kind of late on the ball, but I am still not even sure I will be going. I am planning everything as I will be, but our Youth coordinator has not been very.... informing, to say the least. I had hoped to call her this morning but I just got too busy.

I tattooed RW5. She is the only one who didn't get chewed on in her litter and looks nice, so I better knock on some wood so she stays that way.

Still got a few rabbits molting. Stupid weather. And I know when I make the drive over to the coast that will not help either since its always cooler over there. But I am getting excited for CC, just one more week!

Fair re-coop?

No I didn't sleep in this morning after fair. We had horses to be fed and things needed to get done. I got about 6 hours though, which is more than I got the whole week of fair :)

I am working on my royalty, achievement and management applications. I have to get them to Indiana by Sept. 1st, so I have to send them out sometime this week!

I also have to have Crescent City entries in by the 29th. So 10 more days {if I send them by e-mail}. No one is really in condition to show, but I CANNOT miss this one! So.... we either will have to hope the bunnies miracously turn around, or hope they are good enough to do well even with a fugly coats. It has been the weather - it rained today! sheesh!
Who could I show?
For Satins, no one is really ready. PJ is molting and the other 3 are too young for their coats yet even though they have good flesh and bodies.
Cloey, Kaluah, Gigi, Blue Bijou and Peppercini are on litters. Renee is still wiped by her litter. I just bred MAD, so she's out. She was in no condition after round robin and fair to go anywhere. She's meant to be a mom now.
Honey is motling, Jenie is past her prime. Hollywood and Boomer are motlting. Sunset is too big. Renee's litter there is only one in there I could fathom showing. Quintessence and Hannah are too gwaky to be showing. Stitch, Kokomo, Miami and Hab I could show... they have slipped their coat from a stressful fair and the weather, BUT, they hold good flesh and have awesome type, so I think they could hold their own. Hollister I swore I had retired, but he looks so nice now! who else..... we'll that's all I have... so I really don't have a lot of options.

I bred MAD to Miami today. Should be a *REALLY* nice litter. Both are RGC's with 4 legs at big shows. They compliment each other so nicely!

I will meet up with Katie this afternoon to drop off two Mini Lops that are going down to Cori of Buckskin Bunny Co-Op in Salinas.

Crescent City and Upcoming Breedings

Crescent City entries are due next thursday I think. Either way we have 8 shows to plan and I need to get on it! We will post some ideas early next week of who we may show and sell.

We have many does that need to get bred.... so I think.... we'll probably do 4 now and 4 in september.

*Bridget
*Honey
*PJ x white, blue or black buck
*MAD x Miami
{we are stressing using Miami and Quintessence, since they will leave the barn, we want plenty of their blood before they go}
*Jenie
*Kaluah
*Renee
*Sunset

County Fair....

Really a summation of what has happened this week. I am too tired to fully explain everything, but will after fair I am sure.

Open Show:
BOB : Habanero - 7th leg
BOS : Miami - 4th and Sr. leg to grand
BOSV [solid] : BBLH1 - Blue Jr. Doe (Going to New Hampshire in October)
*Hab was mentioned, just didn't have the appropriate finish to her coat.

Showmanship:
Champion Sr. & Grand Champion Showman (w/MAD)

4-H Conformation:
Champion: MAD
Res. Champion: Hollister {he actually looks really nice now that he's in coat!]
*MAD was 3rd in show
**all other rabbits recieved blues except for a BSD entered as a BJD who was in turn overweight because of the wrong class. oops.

Judging:
Champion Sr & Grand Champion overall. 480/485 pts.

Master Showmanship:
Reserve Grand Champion..... lost by a few points. :)

Auction is tomorrow with awards ceremony being in the afternoon. We hope to get PJ bred on Sunday :)

Gearing up....

Holey guacomoley! I cannot believe county fair is already here!
Tonight we take the rabbits into the barn and put them in their appropriate coops, feed and water them for the night. Fair starts tomorrow, 6:00 bright and early.
Last night I got all my carriers off the shelf. I removed the waterbottles since it's only a 15 minute ride out to the fair grounds and they just catch on everything when trying to get them out of the truck. Most of the carriers still have hay in them from Yreka.
I counted how many rabbits I'm taking and I still come up two carriers short. Don't know how that happened, lol. I guess I will just use a small cage for some juniors I can throw together for a short time.
This morning after I watered, I set up one of the cage sets I haven't sold. Not like I want to, they have always been good cages for us :) I removed Renee's juniors from her cage, I put the three bucks in one cage and the two does in the other. I fed them and gave them plenty of hay to chew on. I hope that their coats will improve in 2 months for Convention. I'd REALLY love to take three of them :)
There are 5 babies I'd like to sell immediately from Peppercini and Kaluah. I can only keep one doe from Kaluah. I like them both so that will be a big decision I have to make. There are 4 bucks in Peppercini's litter. Will they be as nice as Boomer? Sure there is one chin buck in there that looks superb, but I just cannot keep another buck. I like ALL four of Gigi's babies. I mean, WOW. The quality that this doe throws out is just amazing! Her kids have picked up 3 legs each in limited showing, her daughter winning BIS and hon. mention and her son having an hon. mention as well! That was with Stitch. I like Boomer just as much.
Cloey's litter is doing well. There is a cute chestnut in there... But the Opal buck and Bkn Opal doe still seem to be the most massive with awesome head/crown/ear set ups. I cannot wait to see them a bit older so I can work on thier posing. They should be ready after fair.
What else is new? The Satin's are looking good. I am becoming more and more fond of the blacks because they are SO typey! The broken doe Bounce, is a cutie. She's coming along very nicely as well. My doe PJ is big enough, and mentally mature enough to be bred, in my opinion. Larger breeds generally take longer to mature, thus forcing breeding times back. BUT I have no doubts that Peppercini will do good on her first litter. I am hoping one of my Satin friends will have a self buck I can use :)
I have to groom some rabbits to perfection before I take them on out to the fairgrounds. Stitch is doing a petite molt, Hollywood is molting, Honey... wow I am not even sure if I want to take her! She looks like a big fluff ball! The others look generally okay. Boomer is a bit crusty as him and his neighbor decided to have a spraying war. One rabbit I wish I would have entered is my REW Holland Lop buck. A couple of weeks ago he looked like a huge cotton ball with red eyes, now he is perfect! If I wasn't so hard up on space I'd probably keep him, and I'm not going to just sell this guy to anyone, he deserves a perfect home. So if he doesn't sell, oh well :) He's like a lil' mascot for us :)
enoguh rambling. I will post whenever I get time off from fair, if available :)