Buns of Steel

25/12/2024

Well, the cutest thing on earth just happened. We usually spend Christmas morning with my husband’s family, but since I’m sick, he went and picked up my gifts last night so we could FaceTime and still open them semi-together.

I sit down with my box of presents, and Titan is like, -buzzing- around. I would like to pause here to remind you that this rabbit has never ripped, chewed, dug, or damaged a thing in the entire time he’s been here. Not cardboard, not paper, not carpet. Nothing.

Anyway. I take out present one, and Ti is immediately in my lap, ripping that sucker open. He was ripping, he was snuffling, he was digging like it was an Olympic sport. He had one very clear goal. Open. That. Present!

The hilarious part was that it ended up being a wrapped paper bag of bath products from —you guessed it— Lush! His old name!

He ripped through about four gifts before he was ready for a nap (me too, dude). I wish I could have recorded it. He clearly knows a present when he sees one, and understands the assignment!

24/12/2024

Welp.. I was planning for a hectic but joy and family filled two days.. and I got the flu, instead. Man, this month is not my best. I’m sick and (c)old and I miss my Maebelle. I got her little ink paw prints back and you bet your ass I ugly-cried.

You know what, though? Titan is now completely sans pen, and loving it. He’s finished his ear infection meds, and is constantly and adorably underfoot asking for pets and attention. Floppy is feeling much better— he’s eating, using his new litter tray, and now that he’s been running back and forth between my bedroom and office, he’s actually seeming stronger in the hind end than he had been prior. He continues to be a crabby little tank and I adore him. Mystery is her darling self. She’s basically Cindy-Lou Who, all the time. Pixel, who had a massive dental surgery with several extractions just days after Mae passed, is doing well and off her meds.. not that she minded being on meds. You want to see an animal who leans into and embraces the big drugs chill like she’s at Woodstock? Pixel. Emet was his usual charming and ridiculous self while I wrapped gifts. I married a saint and it’s almost our fifth anniversary. Our little house in the woods is warm and dry.

I think if you look for the bad, you’ll find it.. but if you look for the good, you’ll find that, too.

Happy Holidays, you guys. Thank you for being with me through all the ups and downs. You’re my friends. Thanks for that. ❤️

P.S. Also I don’t have a fireplace, so I bought myself this rad Yule Log app on Apple TV. :)

24/12/2024

Sleeping the contented, toy-covered sleep of a bun who doesn’t have a single thing in the world to worry about. 🥰

23/12/2024

Just found this beast in my office, trapped behind the folding mattress— It’s in a big rectangular bag, and has folded bedding stacked on it, for our guests that are coming for New Years. My wrapping paper box is on one side, and somehow, he got behind it and then the blankets fell down blocking his exit. He was stuck in the corner (nobody puts Loppy in a corner)!

I know it wasn’t for too long, at least, because I heard him galloping around earlier this morning, but I found him back there, moved the blankets, and he came absolutely charging out. Dude blew past me at racehorse speeds, and beelined for the litter box.

“GET OUT WAY, GIRL! LOP HAS TO PEE!”

Now he’s scarfing his morning dill, presumably muttering to himself about my shoddy stacking skills. Sorry, bud! 😅

23/12/2024

All of the nominees for Bunlandia Rabbit Rescue and Rehab’s Bun of the Year have been posted, so don’t forget to cast your votes!

Obviously we’d love votes for Lush, who is now our Tiny Titan Man, but Luca, Jim, and Marge are all equally deserving buns with their own stories of resilience. Each vote is only $1.

Honestly.. I couldn’t look at all those sweet faces and only pick Titan, so I voted for everyone (just extra, for him)!

Introducing the Bunlandia 2024 Year of the Bun competition!! In years past we have sent out our holiday letter showcasing the “Bun of the Year.” One rabbit who has overcome the odds and left an indelible mark on our current year in rescue. One rabbit that embodies our mission to “Rescue the mi...

22/12/2024

Titan is so obsessed with Emet. Emet, used to be being the face-getter-inner, vs the face being got in, is not so sure about this. 🤣

21/12/2024

Titan has officially been with us for one month, today. What a sweet little soul, he is.. 🥰

21/12/2024

This morning, I found Floppy in the office litter box, wrecking a reusable bag. Upon having said bag removed, he ran behind a box and began effing up another thing. I shooed him (which he loves) and then he wanted a treat (which he got).

He ran into his box tent to eat his prize. When I reached in there to show him a piece he missed, he boxed me.

I have been thoroughly sassed. Tis a blessed day.🥹

21/12/2024

In case anyone has been wondering how Ti is settling in..

He is wonderful. 🥰

19/12/2024

Floppy has definitely been better since Tuesday evening— today I decided to see if he wanted to open a bunny advent calendar box with me. I sat on the floor and started to open the box. He lasted about ten seconds before running over to shove his face into it. The nosiness is returning!

(It was bunny-treat gingerbread men. He was not disappointed.)

18/12/2024

Took Flops to the vet this morning to have him checked out.. he hasn’t been eating enough and I was suspecting an ear infection on top of everything. Lucky he didn’t have an active infection, but the eminent Dr. Kilgore was able to clean a -bunch- of gunk out of his ear. He also got a shot of cerenia to help with any gastric discomfort from his decreased appetite.

I’m happy to say that, while he’s still not himself, he seems more comfortable and is moving around and eating more.

As we speak, we are having a tremendous (to me) cuddle on my office floor.. I put my arm lightly beside him, expecting him to tolerate it for a bit then hop off, as usual.. instead he absolutely leaned in. He’s readjusted a few times, and just cuddles in more and gets flatter each time. He’s currently twitching and snoring. Poor Bud clearly misses cuddling with Mae. I’m sure I’m a poor substitute for a beautiful, soft panda, but I’m doing my best.

Also, I live here now. On the office floor. I’m not moving until he does.

16/12/2024

Our Tiny Ti is up for Bunlandia Rabbit Rescue and Rehab’s Bun of the Year! You can vote for him for a $1 donation.

We are still absolutely reeling from Mae’s loss, but reading Titan’s story again and getting to interact with this sweet little man every day has been a tremendous help. The night we lost Mae, he even sat quietly by me on the couch, facing out into the room like a little guard dog, until I was able to pull myself together enough to go to bed. From the day he arrived, he has been an absolute joy, and I could never have predicted how much we would need his bright little spirit to help us navigate our grief.

It took a tremendous amount of time, love, care, and money to get him from that NYC shelter to his forever home with us. Please vote for our little guy!

14/12/2024

This photo will never not make me laugh. My panda was a force of nature and everybody knew it. You can feel the “I swear to god, if I see a paw come over that blanket..” radiating off of her.

I would absolutely love to know any of your favorite Mae moments— I’ve been going through my photos and videos, remembering and loving her in all of her complicated glory. It helps.

13/12/2024

Thank you all so much for your kind words and for grieving with us. I have read every single one of your comments, many times. Though I find myself too tired and sad to reply to each, please know that they mean the world to me.

I want you to know that Mae’s decline was fast, and her passing even faster. While this has left me absolutely reeling, I take comfort in the fact that there was no slow decline and no long illness. She would have hated that. She burned hot and bright until she couldn’t anymore, and then just as suddenly as a candle flame blown out, she was gone.

We had asked to be allowed to see her before we left her for the night. Within minutes of our arrival at her incubator, she crashed. We all knew. I held out my arms and the vet gave her to me. She was in my arms, loved as she could be, as she left this world. I held her for a long time, after. I used to tell her, “I love you. You’re home now and no one will ever take you from me.” When she had to stay at Angell for days last spring, I visited every day and I would whisper, “I’ll never give you up. I will always come for you.” I think she believed me. I think she waited until I came, because she knew in her bones that I would, just as surely as I did. I am so, so grateful that I could prove it to her, one last time. I’m glad she went knowing that her trust had not been broken.

We brought her home, so Floppy could know, and understand. He sniffed her face and her paws, and sat beside her for a long while. He’s holding his own, today, moving forward but heavy with sadness, like we all are. Emet was visibly upset by her loss, as well— he loved her, too.

Everything is quiet and less lively without my little sprite. Her loss is hitting me like a freight train. I miss the way she ran everywhere. I miss her tiny paws on me as she stretched up to shamelessly beg for one more treat. I miss the bossy grumps, and how she used to steal paper from wherever she could find it (there’s even a blurry photo somewhere of her stealing $40 off my desk). Mostly, though, I miss the way we loved each other for exactly who we were— not that she was ever anything less than flawless.

I’m comforted by the thought that somewhere across the bridge, a little black lionhead suddenly popped up from the herd of serenely grazing bunnies, then ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, to greet his beloved. I know he’ll take the very best care of her, but.. this one is going to hurt for a long time.

13/12/2024

My tiny girl, my panda. I loved you so much I built you from sand, on the shore of an ocean two thousand miles away. You were something special. We belonged to each other from the start, didn’t we? I don’t feel whole without you here. This sadness is deep and heavy and it feels like something massive has slipped into the fog; like a very old language has been spoken aloud for the last time. I think we were always meant to be together. Maybe we were sisters, once. Maybe we will be again. All I know is that I miss you desperately already, and I will love you with all of my heart until we meet again.

Wait for me, little spark. I’ll see you on the other side.

13/12/2024

Update: I am heartbroken to tell you that we lost Mae just before midnight. I was able to hold her in my arms as she passed.

—-

Please send healing and love to my tiny Mae girl. We are in Boston at Angell. She has some kind of respiratory issue going on— breathing hard with some harsh lung sounds, but stable vitals. She was hungry and thirsty and was willing to eat lettuce and drink appetite restore and water from a syringe, but she does not want to move around and is obviously uncomfortable. Right now, we have more questions than answers. We’re waiting to see her before we leave for the night.

Updates when we have them, but for now we are just sad and scared.

11/12/2024

My little muffin man. 🥰

09/12/2024

Mystery and Titan shared some greens in the tub (it distracts him from being a little honking hump-monster), and then he flopped! When I say flopped, I mean FLOPPED. Tiny mans threw himself against her and went down like a sack of rocks. He is well and truly smitten.

Mystery has been insanely patient with his uh.. over-enthusiasm. It takes a good ten minutes for the MUST HUMP to subside. Once he tires himself out, though, they are able to have some cute and positive “conversations”. She seems genuinely tickled when he does something over the top (like mega-flop out of nowhere) to prove his love.

Cute fact: Ti doesn’t know she lives in MoS’ office, yet. He only sees her in the living room when he’s penned, or on tub dates, so he’s assumed she must live in the tub. 😂

Not only did he retain this information, he made a mental map of where we carried him to see her. He got accidental hallway acces the other night, and despite having never explored down the hall in his own, he wasted no time. He immediately ran down, hung a quick left into the bathroom, and stood up to look into the bathtub. We’ve let him have hall access several times now, and he always checks the tub, first thing. 😂