makes me laugh.
We were over at Auntie C's for a chunnie date. Chunnie date is what you get when you combine bunnies and iced chai. Not, like, physically together, that would be gross, but as a combined activity on an outing at Aunties, where both can be enjoyed separately but at the same time.
See, childs with bunnies. The chai is in the glass on the table.
Auntie has been rabbit-sitting the bunnies for a friend of hers. It was established, tentatively, that these are the kinds of rabbits who are to be pets and must be handled and loved up by small children so that they are accustomed to human contact.
The childs are happy to oblige.
I like the way boy child feeds a carrot to the rabbit. Like a pencil into an electric pencil sharpener. The poor rabbit had to eat fast or choke. Love hurts sometimes.
The fun started when the Auntie's dog, who has been relatively apathetic to the presence of any living creature that could not throw his toy for him throughout his long life, suddenly discovered that he is, in fact, a dog.
This is the dog who greets all visitors, friends and foes alike, to the yard with muffled barks as he attempts to push his oversized toy in his mouth into your hands. He only has two settings: play and play more.
At first he was all, 'Rabbits, meh.' Until one of the bunnies got away from girl child and we all had to go running after her in a mad chase to catch her before she ran out of the yard. The small, furry creature, zig zagging to elude capture must of sparked something dormant in the dog's brain. It's like a toy, but one that doesn't require humans to throw. From that moment on, the rabbits were suddenly of great interest.
Back safely behind bars, we were able to sit back and watch the awakening of the hunter.
Auntie C threw has toy for him and, after a half hearted attempt to catch it, the dog when back to stalking his little bunny prey. He has NEVER ignored his toy before.
Here are the childs and auntie, sitting back in wonder. 'Lo, the dog has discovered his doggish nature.
Of course, chunnie date aside, no visit to auntie's would be complete without somebody putting on a white suit, thick leather gloves and a netted hat to look, to all the world, like aliens un-acclimatized to the earth's atmosphere. Because these little buggers take more time and care than children, it seems.
This time Auntie and her daughter suited up. The queen was to be marked according to an international queen bee marking code which would also, incidentally, make her easier to find during hive check ups.
There also seemed to be some sort of problem with the brood cells and mummified babies. Hopefully that problem will sort itself out, whatever it means.
Girl child's job this time was to be the note taker.
In girl child's world, foundation is spelled fondashon. We really must work on spelling over the next little bit.
Girl child also helped with the queen marking.
My and boy child's job was to take pictures. What we were to take pictures of wasn't entirely specified.
Auntie's place is increasingly looking like the close by farm we can visit. Nevermind that it's in the middle of a small city and of average private yard size. Auntie has been talking about getting some chickens and I, for one, am totally excited about that. The city hall debate on chickens has stalled out a bit but we should soon have the ability to legally keep up to six chickens in an urban lot.
In the meanwhile, girl child is benefiting from an education in bunnie holding, beekeeping, and food growing, thanks to her auntie C.
