A Movie and a Mushroom

What do you do on your Saturday nights?

After some hard crunch time working on my most recent manuscript during the day, we settled back to watch one of our favourite movies, the musical Singin' in the Rain! The cast is superb, Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor make an excellent dancing and comedic team, and Debbie Reynolds tops it off beautifully.

If you've never seen it, put it on your list. It's hilarious and the musical numbers are great. Some of the best dance sequences are with Kelly and O'Connor, like "Fit as a Fiddle" and "Moses Supposes". Not too mention O'Connor's "Make 'Em Laugh".

While watching movies I like to crochet but I didn't have anything started at the time. I couldn't sit through a whole movie without crocheting a little. So I went through my list of to-do projects and remembered my love for those delightful little things called mushrooms.

There's just something about the pleasant round, bulbous shape of a mushroom that I cannot resist. I've had it in mind to create some in clay and crocheting (not together, of course) but so far I hadn't got around to it. Well, now I have. At least one of them.

Isn't it cute? I told you, I can't resist them.

I started with the mushroom cap and followed typical amigurumi structure. Honestly I am surprised at how well it turned out. I planned to make one that was very basic: the round cap with a slight pyramid shape and straight stem. Then on the next one I would endeavour to gain the plumper cap and cute rounder stem. Surprisingly though, it came off right the first time. I didn't have to rip and try again once. Happy!

Only recently have I started venturing into the amigurumi sphere, being solely an accessories or home decor sort of person. My sister, who crochets as well, has always leaned more toward amigurumi's so, in an effort to help her, and enhance my own skills, I gave it a try. And I liked it. I've made some panda sisters for my  younger sister, a unicorn for my second younger sister, and a ladybug for myself. Actually, the ladybug was my first amigurumi.

Here's my pattern:

Adorable Mushroom Pattern

Materials
-A small amount of worsted weight, your choice of colors.
I used Vanna's Choice Scarlet for color A, and Red Heart white for color B, just because those are the yarns I had on hand. Besides, every first mushroom should be red on top with a white stem. Just because.
-Size 6mm hook
-Polyester filling
-Tapestry Needle
-Scissors

Notes - In starting each round always ch 1 at the beginning and sl st to first sc at the end.

Cap
Round 1: With color A, 6 sc in magic ring.
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around.
Round 3: 1 sc in each st around.
Round 4: *2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next*, repeat from * to * to end.
Round 5: 1 sc in each st around.
Round 6: *2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 2 st *, to end.
Round 7: 1 sc in each st around.
Round 8: Sc2tog in each st around.
Round 9: Sc2tog in each st around.
Stuff, working the fluff up into the top of the cap and flat around the bottom, pushing out the sides.
Round 10: Sc2tog in each st around to seal off.
Fasten off leaving a long tail. Use strand to go up through the center of the cap, catching a st in the top of the cap and coming back out the bottom, twice on opposite sides of cap. Pull gently to lift bottom, and straighten top back out. Weave in ends.

Stem
Round 1: With color B, 6 sc in magic ring.
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around.
Round 3: Work in back loops only, sc around.
Round 4: Sc2tog first 2 st together, sc in next 4 st, sc2tog, sc to end.
Round 5: Sc2tog first 2 st together, sc in next 3 st, sc2tog, sc to end.
Round 6-8: Sc in each st around.
Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing. Insert washer(s) or beans to add weight to bottom, then stuff with fluff. Sew to bottom of cap. Weave in ends.

And voilà! you have an adorable mushroom.

The wonderful thing about amigurumi's, or crocheted objects, you can give them a pull here and a tug there to shape them the way you want. Perfect!

This isn't the end of my mushroom experiments. I hope to make some more, maybe more squat, taller or larger, and different colors as well, and will try to post the results. Stay tuned!

So go ahead, pull out a good musical with your yarn and go at it. Create! It's wonderful.

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In My Backyard - Issue #8 - Dark-Eyed, Slate-Colored Junco

Dark-Eyed, Slate-colored Junco. If you've never heard of them you might be a bit surprised at the name. Or you might pass it off as peculiar bird taxonomy. But trust me, there's more to it than that.

In this issue of In My Backyard, I've decided to pick one of our backyard regulars. At first we called them snowbirds, since they arrived in the winter and seemed to be the most noticeable in the snow, but then we looked them up and discovered their real names. The funny thing is, they are actually at times referred to as "snowbirds". How coincidental!

 The Slate-Colored Junco is a subspecies of the species dark-eyed Junco, as opposed to the yellow-eyed juncos, all who are part of 70 genera known as Juncos. Even further, if you can bear with me, juncos are a part of the Emberizidae family, also known as buntings, or sparrows. So, in actuality, the exciting little Snowbird/Dark-eyed, Slate-colored Junco is a small sparrow. I was surprised to find this out, but there it is. And we're not the only one's who think its confusing. Experts in this field are still unsure of some of their biological systematics, (the study of diversification).

As you can see in the photo above (and pretty much all the rest) the junco subspecies in question is almost a complete black on top with the females being a darker brown. Their bellies are stark white in contrast, and they are known for their pink bill and long tail.

Their design reminds me of an outfit I once saw. (That's the fashion hound in me). I can't remember where I saw it; some old movie, I believe. It was a Spanish lady. She wore a black wrap that covered her hair and arms and reached down to the hem of her gown, a flouncy white petticoat, with only the very front peaking out. My description is so-so; I hope you get the idea. I did intend to find it and show a picture as an example but alas, I could not. Sigh.

Juncos are ground birds. They hop along the forest floor eating seeds and insects, or under the feeder, unlike other sparrows that feed on feeder and floor alike.

Their nests range from 3 - 5.5 inches across and are made in rocky crevices, the roots of overturned trees, or other protected ground areas. The female builds the nest with a variety of natural materials, weaving it in and out with her beak and gradually shaping it with her body. This takes from 3 - 7 days.

The speech of the Junco is a mixture of chirps, trills, and songs. They absently chirp while foraging, as if they have so much to say but its not too important. I would say like a group of gossiping women but I don't like that picture. They're too cute for that. If you are interested in hearing them, visit AllAboutBirds.org.

Here's a bit of trivia I found especially interesting:
Juncos in the more mountainous regions tend to stay in one place instead of migrating like most juncos and as a result they bear shorter wings.

While taking pictures of the juncos, I had a few visits from some other regulars. I just had to add them to my blog post as well. On the left is a female Sparrow which I am not sure yet if we have Eurasian Tree Sparrows of House Sparrows. According to one site, Eurasian Tree Sparrows are rare for this area, but another site said otherwise. I'm still working on it. On the right is what I would guess to be a young blackbird. At first I pegged it as a female, but its fluffiness is not usual. Its tail feathers seem to be well-grown but if you check out the picture below it looks even fluffier. (Too cute!)

Check out the Fluff!

And this concludes February's version of In My Backyard. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you here next month. Remember, I love to hear from you and know what you think. Until next time...

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In The Mood for Valentines!

My sister and I both agree that February is the best month of the year. This is so for two reasons:

First of all, the month of February hosts both our birthdays, and birthdays are important. Its kind of like a day all your own, and its special. We choose our favourite meal and dessert, and evening activity, which usually consists of a movie. This year I said I was going to have an Alan Ladd marathon, but I doubt a movie marathon qualifies. By the way, if you haven't seen any Alan Ladd movies, let me recommend my just a few of my favourites: Whispering Smith; Captain Carey, USA; and (ooh, this is hard)... Branded. That's just a few, mind you. I have a post planned on all my favourites. For a rainy day.

But secondly, its the month of Valentines! We celebrate together in our own way. Mum prepares a special meal that we eat by candlelight on a specially decorated table, with soft Valentine's music playing in the background. We really enjoy it. This year she's going to fix Red Snapper, a fish we've never had before. Should be interesting. Plus she bought a CD, Lifescapes' Moonlight in Paris, from Target just for the occasion.

But, what have I been doing meanwhile? Crocheting! What else? In light of the season, I decided to make Crochet Today's Valentine's coasters. The colors were so bright and vibrant, naturally I couldn't resist.

I played with the color combinations, mostly following those they already used, but substituting some colors for others I had. Funny thing, out of all the colors I have, I don't have any yellow, and me, a yellow/green sort of person. Hm. I used a lime green in its place.



My little sister liked the hearts too, so I sewed a couple together and made a plushy. (The one in the middle). It's hard to tell in a picture like that. I couldn't quite get the 3D look I was aiming for. I'm not a photographer.

I my last post I said I was looking for something to make for my cousin. Seeing how today is Valentine's day, obviously I figured something out. I was searching through Red Heart's patterns when I came upon a pattern for crocheted earrings. I love earrings, long, dangling ones, that is. And I found some that were gorgeous. So that's what I finally decided to make for her, earrings. Here's the result:

Don't they look elegant? They're not my patterns, even though I made some changes. Both of them came from people right here on Blogspot. The first is from livingthecraftlife.blogspot.com. The second are my rendition of One Stitch Designs at onestitchdesigns.blogspot.com. I read where you could stiffen them with Elmer's glue but I liked the way these seemed to hang so I didn't try it.

While taking these pictures I was "assisted" by a sweet buddy. See his paws? His name is Mr. Darcy and he's something else. He walked up and started pushing against the camera. He didn't care that he was ruining my scene.

I've actually made some others I got from Vickie Howell's blog, (click here to see), I'll have to take some pictures of them as well.

But for now, that'll have to be all. See you next time right here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

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New Crochet Pattern (Part Two): Floppy Scarf

Hello again!

Ever since I received my first issue of Crochet Today last month, I've been thinking, sleeping, and eating, yarn. I don't do it as much as I wish, and I do have other interests that vie for attention, but I get around to it.

In fact, I've come back to my first inspirations. Know what it is? Making baby clothes. Well, that's one. The other is snowflakes. Years ago, I checked out a book of cute baby clothes to crochet and I adored it. The outfits were too adorable and I really wanted to try them. But a number of things halted my advance. First, I wasn't as experienced at that time so the patterns still looked a little daunting; and then who would I give them to? I've never liked making things and then tossing them aside until I could find a use for them. I usually make what I want at that moment or what someone might need. Lastly, since I was more inexperienced, it would take me longer to make them and I couldn't keep the library book that long. Of course, I could have looked some up on the internet, but there was still my other two problems to consider. So I kind of let it fade and interested myself in other things.

In the March/April Issue (2013) of Crochet Today, they feature a babies coat pattern called the Sunday Swing Coat. It's made with Red Heart Gumdrop in Smoothie. I love the colors of that yarn! My next project I hope will be this one; that is, after I make something for my cousin. Her birthday is on Valentines (mines four days after). Love Valentines! But I don't know what to make for her. Not a stuffy, done that before. She doesn't wear hats or scarves that I know of, or any other like accessory. Hmm... help?

Picture Courtesy of Crochet Today

Anyway, after seeing this pattern in Crochet Today, my interest in making baby clothes was renewed but I still had the problem of what I would do with it, or them. Thankfully, I told Mum. She suggested I sell them at baby boutiques, or similar shops. I liked that idea, since I know of at least one I could try. Then I thought of my Etsy shop. A few months ago I started an Etsy shop but I never got it up and running. As you'll remember in a couple of posts back, I said I felt God was encouraging me to let it go and focus on my writing. And I believe that is what He wanted. But what if God wanted me to get my mind off my first idea so that eventually He could point out something better? Instead selling this and that, like I had intended and honestly didn't much care for, I could sell more exclusively by sort of pinpointing my interests. I must admit this sounds much more enjoyable than my first attempt. At this point, I'm not sure if it will work out, but it seems right. We'll see where God leads.

So, to get to my real reason for writing today, allow me to present to you the matching scarf to my Floppy Hat. I changed some things in the pattern since I wrote it after making the scarf. I liked the scarf I made but it turned out I was a few feet short of yarn for making it all around the scarf for the border. Please let me know how your scarf turned out if you decide to make it, and if I made any mistakes. So without further ado:

Floppy Scarf (To Match Hat)

Materials:

-Homespun yarns: 1 ball Apple Green, 1 ball Golden,

-Hook size 9.00mm (M13)

-Tapestry needle

-Scissors

Notes: Scarf is worked by switching colors every two rows unless otherwise specified.

One ball each is enough to complete both hat and scarf.

Extra stitches

V-Stitch: (Dbc, ch 1, dbc) in same st.

Pattern

With Apple Green, ch 168,

Row 1: Turn, sc across. 167 sts.

Row 2: Ch 3 (stands for first dbc), turn, * work v-stitch in next stitch, skip two sts *, repeat from * to * until you have one st remaining. Dbc in last st.

Row 3-10: Repeat Rows 1 and 2, switching colors every two rows.

Border

Turn, sc around whole scarf. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Copyrighted by Amy Lynn Yarbrough, 2013

Now I'm off to make Kale Chips. Another future post...

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Culinary Chronicles - Asian Cuisine #1: Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Chicken

One of the things I like best is experimenting with different cuisines. This month I've been learning Asian, or more specifically, Korean cooking. Its all thanks to Chloe Lim, the Korean Food Addict (at kfoodaddict.com) who has posted many wonderful Korean dishes. I recommend you visit her site and learn some things. Its great!

The first time I looked through her site I was like, "Wow! That looks so delicious but I don't have some of those ingredients." So I made a list of all the dishes I wanted to try and took note of the things I needed. Some things that I have found to be very common in any Asian cooking are Soy sauce (which I knew already), sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Once I had my list ready it was time for the International Farmer's Market. I can't tell you how inspiring that place has been for us since it arrived last year. We've found so many new and foreign things, produce mostly, and it has definitely brought out the creativity in our cooking. There's nothing like walking out of the store with a buggy full of fresh produce. The feeling is one of satisfaction.

Since we started shopping there one of the items continually on our list is Bok Choy. I had never had it previously but I found a recipe/video on YouTube that I liked and wanted to try. So far I've tried Baby Bok Choy, Shanghai Bok Choy, and Lon Bok Choy. The first two are mini versions of the last, meaning Baby and Shanghai are small heads while the Lon are long, tall heads. I really can't say which I like the best without comparing their taste at the same time, but the Shanghai is usually the cheapest.

Technically, Bok Choy is Chinese, being a species of Chinese cabbage, even though another species, Napa, is used in the common Korean staple Kimchi, which I have not tried just yet but want to. The experiments I have been doing with Bok Choy I have not gotten from Chloe, the Korean Food Addict, but some of the other ingredients and techniques are.

At first, inspired by some of her meat dishes, I cut the chicken in bite-sized pieces and cooked them in a skillet with coconut oil (our favorite oil). But without good knives for cutting meat, this can be difficult. So this time I baked the chicken like we usually do and continued like usual; with a few changes of course. I always like trying something different. Here's my recipe:

Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Chicken

Ingredients

Serves 8

• Chicken Thighs, skinless and boneless (Our favorite is Coleman's Organic from Cosco)
• Ultra-refined, expeller pressed Coconut oil (there isn't a flavor to this kind, even though we buy the flavored kind as well)
• Bok Choy (I used two bags of Shanghai Bok Choy)
• Green Onions
• Chive Flowers (pictured on the cutting board below)
• fresh garlic cloves
• fresh ginger
• salt and pepper (we like to use unground Celtic Sea Salt)
• sesame seeds
• Bragg's Liquid Aminos (a Natural Soy Sauce alternative)
• sesame oil

Directions:

Melt coconut oil in baking pans. Place chicken in pans and season with salt and pepper. Bake chicken in the oven at 350 degrees till done. 

Shanghai Bok Choy and Green Onions

Prepare Bok Choy by chopping the base off. Wash thoroughly. We like to use GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract) in water.

Meanwhile, chop the chive flowers into a desired size. The first time I left them in longer lengths, which is visually appealing, and only put them in after everything was cooked, but I wasn't as fond of it that way.

Chop the garlic as well. My family likes larger chunks of garlic, and since garlic has so many health benefits, I added a lot. So far it looks like Korean's like lots of garlic in their cooking and that makes us happy.

Chop green onions and Bok Choy. I learned to cut Bok Choy first down its length to halve it and then chopped in chunks down the width. I prefer to leave them in larger bits than smaller to equal the size of the chicken.

Slice fresh ginger in thin coins. You'll notice in the next picture some of the coins of ginger are thick; it's more beneficial to slice them thin.

In a large skillet (or even a wok if you prefer), add enough coconut oil to cover the bottom. Once oil is hot, add ginger coins and cook until the juice of the ginger is adequately infused into the oil.

You might notice I like ginger. I adore cold ginger tea with lemon (a recipe I will endeavor to post). Ginger is a recent ingredient we've come to love. At first I wanted it just to make tea so I learned more about it: how to take care of it and prepare it. Its a wonderful ingredient deserving a post all its own.

Remove ginger coins and add green onions, chives, and garlic. Cook till lightly browned.

Add Bok Choy and stir till all the Bok Choy is well covered in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, then add some liquid aminos, (or Bragg's, as we call it) and cook till done, which is where the harder chunks of Bok Choy are starting to get translucent. I have at times covered it with a lid and let it steam for a while but it tends to cook down a little too much so I left it off.

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the Bok Choy. Add a couple of teaspoons of sesame seeds and cook a little longer to blend the flavors. Then drizzle a desired amount of sesame oil over it. We use Spectrum's brand of Toasted Sesame oil.

Serve over brown rice or Annie Chun's Brown Rice Maifun Noodles. And enjoy!

Variations

Our favorite version is the one I described above, but I have also made a version with cubed ground beef. We keep our ground beef in the freezer until we need it and get it out a few hours before cooking time to thaw slightly. If cubing it, only get it out a couple of hours before or you won't have cubes but bits.

With Cubed Ground Beef

Another way I like to prepare it as a side dish without meat. I fix it as before but at the point where I've added the Bragg's I add a couple of cups of chicken broth too. Then I put a lid over it and let it steam till done.You could use vegetable broth in place of the chicken, or even beef. Be creative! And never be afraid to experiment.

Let me know if you tried my recipe, and tell me how it goes. I'd love to hear from you.

On my list for future creations:

• Kimbap (Korean sushi) at KFoodAddict.com
• Butternut Pancakes (by another Korean cook, Maangchi)
• Korean Radish Wrap at KFoodAddict.com
• Sesame Leaf Pockets at KFoodAddict.com

Plus I want to make my own rice cakes so I can try some of Chloe's other recipes. So excited!

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New Crochet Pattern (Part One): Floppy Hat

Hats fascinate me. I always wanted hats when I was younger but we were never hat people, and I couldn't afford them myself. So when I learned to crochet I found some hat patterns and have been experimenting ever since. My favorite to wear are beret's and similar looking hats. I don't do baseball caps, beanies (usually), or pretty much anything with a bill. I have to admit, the hippy/slouchy hats are very attractive. I actually have been on the lookout for a good slouchy hat pattern.

I received some Homespun Apple Green and Golden, two colors I have never used but have wanted to, and I wasn't sure what to make with them. Well, out of all the scarves I have made, only one was for me and that was YEARS ago. So I thought I'd use one for a scarf and the other I decided to make into a hat, a slouchy hat. I didn't take the time to find a satisfactory slouchy hat pattern, and thought even if I did I didn't want to use Homespun for it, so I went at it freestyle.

Rummaging through my old Ziploc baggy full of folded crochet patterns, I pulled out my favorite go-to for your average beret. Then I grabbed the largest crochet hook I could find and started going. I wanted it to be open stitched and sort of baggy so I chose the V-stitch.

I added a few extra rows here and since the hook was larger than the pattern recommended I cut some out here and there. Really, I just followed what I knew: crochet flat and round till you reach a desired diameter; then work even (with no increases) for a little while, how long depending upon the type of hat you are making; and decrease by skipping every tenth stitch. In decreasing, you could sc2tog (single crochet two stitches together) and/or dc2tog (double crochet two stitches together) instead of skipping, but I felt, in light of the hole-y look the hat had, skipping a stitch would be less noticeable.

For the brim, I wanted the hat to be able to come down over my ears. Keeping in mind that the yarn will stretch a little, I found the suitable diameter for my head and then added two extra single crocheted rows. The result? A satisfied me.

Here's the pattern. I haven't tested it so tell me if I've left something out. Like I said, I free-handed it; I'm sure there are ways it could be improved. I'd love to know if you've figured them out.

Floppy Hat Crochet Pattern

Fits comfortably on head circumference of 21½ inches, stretches for slightly larger.

Laid flat measures 11 inches in diameter.

Materials:

-Homespun yarns: 1 ball Apple Green, 1 ball Golden

-Hook size 9.00mm (M13)

-Tapestry needle

-Scissors

Notes: Hat is worked in rounds; do not turn.

Extra Stitches

V-Stitch: (Dbc, ch 1, dbc) in same st.

Pattern

Row 1: With Green, 6 sc in magic ring, sl st in first sc.

Row 2: Ch 4, (stands for first dbc here and throughout) ch 1, dbc in same st. Work v-st in next st. and in each st around. Drop Green (but do not fasten off) and join Golden with sl st in beginning ch.

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in st around, sl st in ch 1.

Row 4: Ch 4, dbc in same st. * Work v-st in next st, dbc in next st *, repeat from * to * to end of row, pick up Green and sl st in 3rd ch of first dbc (the ch 4 at the beginning of row).

Row 5: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Sl st to ch 1.

Row 6: Ch 4, dbc in same st. * Skip st, work v-st in next st *, repeat to end, pick up Golden and sl st to 3rd ch of ch 4.

Row 7: Ch 1, sc around, skipping every ch 1.

Row 8: Ch 4, dbc in same st. * Skip st, work v-st *, work dbc in last st. Picking up Green, sl st in 3rd ch of ch 4.

Row 9: (Working even, no increases) Ch 1, sc in each st around. Sl st in ch 1.

Row 10: Ch 4, dbc in same st. Skip two sts, * work v-st, skip next two sts *, dbc in last st. Pick up Golden, sl st in 3rd ch of ch 4.

Row 11: (Decreasing) Ch 1, sc around, skipping every tenth st.

Row 12: Ch 4, dbc in same st. * (Skip two sts, work v-st) three times (you should have three v-sts), skip 3 sts and work v-st. * to end. Pick up Green, sl st in 3rd ch of ch 4. (You are working nine sts, and skipping the tenth).

Row 13-19: (Work the remainder of the hat in Green) Repeat rows 11-12, ending with Row 11.

Row 20: Ch 3, dbc around, skipping every tenth st. Sl st in top of ch 3.

Row 21-22: Ch 1, sc in each st around. At the end of Row 22, fasten off both balls of yarn and weave in ends.

Pattern Copyrighted by Amy Lynn Yarbrough, 2013

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Coming soon: matching scarf!

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In My Backyard - Issue #7 - Rabbit

 

More Than Just a Rabbit

When you look up at the moon, what do you see? The man in the moon? A rabbit making mochi? --What?! A rabbit? Making mochi?

Never have I looked up at the moon and seen a rabbit; making a mashed rice dish, no less. But in Japan, it is said that Rabbits live on the moon where they pound glutinous rice in an usu, or what we would call a mortar and pestle. So much for the man in the moon. Then again, maybe now the man in the moon isn't lonely. (I hope he doesn't like rabbit meat). Similarly, in Korea rabbits live on the moon making rice cakes, which are pretty much the same thing as mochi. As for rabbits in Africa, Kalulu is a tricky character, cunning and mischievous. A friend of Loki, no doubt. It's interesting to see all the ways these little animals have influenced the cultures of the world. They are known to be symbols of youthfulness and innocence, rebirth, fertility, cleverness and foolishness, cowardice and bravery. And further, in Dorset, UK, the rabbit was considered so unlucky that people would refer to them as "long ears" or "underground mutton" just so they wouldn't have to say the word. Fortunately, this has become more of a past superstition than a modern one.

Rabbit on the Moon

The Rabbit

The rabbit was first considered a member of the order Rodentia due to its many similarities, but Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, put them in the order Lagomorpha for a few reasons. One, even though their teeth continue to grow throughout their whole lifetime, Lagomorphs have four incisor teeth as opposed to the rodents two. Second, they are herbivores and not omnivores, eating grasses and leafy weeds.

A small mammal, the rabbit breeding period ranges from February to October (9 months) and during that time a female can have from 4 to 12 babies, resulting in around 800 new additions per season. Obviously, given the right conditions, which are not in the least narrow, the rabbit can easily, and quickly, overpopulate and become a nuisance.

Overpopulating rabbits on a university campus.

And speaking of nuisance, have you ever heard of Br'er Rabbit? Yes, that lovable little trickster who bests his enemies with wit instead of muscle. Sound familiar? Remember Kalulu? Br'er Rabbit has origins in African and North American cultures. He was immortalized orally for years until Joel Chandler Harris put the stories on paper under the familiar 'Uncle Remus' tales. In 1946, Disney put out the Song of the South which is a live-action/animated musical film telling the story of Uncle Remus.

Closer to Home

In the winter months, experiencing wildlife is more or less rare. Most commonly seen during these lean times are the deer and a variety of birds. This months subject of "Rabbits" may appear to be scraping the bottom of the barrel but it is no less a good subject, all the same. In fact, though common, the Bunny is the epitome of cute, with its fluffy body and long ears. It wiggles its little nose to test the air and hops with an unexpected strength.

Cottontail Rabbit

It was just the other day, we were walking our dogs in the field behind our house like we often do, and we had decided to move on to the next field where its more wild and secluded. Mother had just mentioned possibly seeing more wildlife, and I was thinking how good it would be for me and this months In My Backyard post, when Hop! Hop! Hop! a rabbit took off for the trees. The dogs spotted it before we did and almost took our arms off. There are many times they take off after a smell and we go flying with them. Just to clarify, we have a Chocolate Lab, a Lab/Pit Bull mix, and a Husky mix, who all pull twice as hard as you might expect. I can't explain it any better than that. You really have to have a good stand when they catch a whiff of something attractive. And its not that they aren't trained to obey, even though there are times when they could be a little more obedient. They are definitely high energy animals. But I digress from my original subject.


All that I really saw of the bunny as it fled was a splotch of brown and a fluffy white tail. The dogs made sure we didn't see it anymore that night. But the next night my brothers said they think they spotted it again. I just so happens we also saw three deer, two does and a buck, who also quickly left at our arrival.

The wonderful things you can see if you leave your noisy neighborhood and explore nature. You really never know what you'll see next. And I love it!

European Rabbit

Rabbit Trivia

Before I end this months post, let me give you a little trivia. Did you know that a male rabbit is called a buck as well? The females are called does, and the young are kittens or kits.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed a little insight on a common creature. Leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Kit in Nest

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