Spring is here!

Now that the weather has warmed up a bit, and there is no more snow on the ground, L and I have been able to discover our yard!  The previous owners had planted a lot of perennials (I think that's what they are- the ones that grow every year?) all over the yard, so it's been fun trying to figure out what each plant is.  So far we've identified tulips, bleeding hearts, prairie grass, lilies, and hydrangeas, but there are lots more popping up in the gardens.   Here's a quick preview of what we have so far!

We have also finally put together out grill, which was given to us as a gift from D (Luke's cousin/our realtor) for a "yay you bought a house/yay you got married."  Thanks D!

Lastly, Darla has been spending a lot of time outside, and we have discovered her love for dandelion greens.  Pretty soon, we'll get an outdoor pen so that Dwight can enjoy the grass a bit more this summer as well!

Happy Spring everyone!

Our Zoo (pt.2)- Meet the Rabbit

Welcome to Part 2 of Meet the Zoo!  Today you'll get the chance to meet and get to know Dwight the rabbit!

L and I adopted Dwight in early October, 2007 from the humane society.  This was the only pet that L and I didn't quite see eye to eye about bringing into our family.  I was all gung ho about getting a rabbit, but L was hesitant, and the first couple of weeks that Dwight was in our home were filled with tension.  After the initial "getting to know you" weeks, things got better, though Dwight wasn't the cute and cuddly bunny rabbit I had thought he was going to be.  While he is still pretty damn cute, I learned pretty quickly that he didn't like to be picked up (which is common for most rabbits- they prefer to have all four feet on the ground!) and that he only liked to be pet on his terms.  I also learned that after they neutered him at the humane society that it would take awhile for the testosterone levels to drop, but after that, he would become less territorial and more friendly towards us.

Dwight quickly learned some commands from us ("get in your house" = get into your cage, snapping = stop what your doing/don't chew on that, kissy/tsky sounds = treats/food, etc.), and we caught on to his quirks an signals as well (especially when it comes to petting him).  L and I originally had no idea how many noises rabbits make (grunts, snorts, teeth grinding).  Back at the apartment, he would sit on the couch with me as I would work on homework, or he would hang out on the Love Sac.  Now, at our new home, he spends a lot of his time laying on our over-sized blue chair/ottoman, or chilling under the dinner table with Darla (whom most of you have met months ago in an old blog post, but she'll have a new updated post next week focusing on her).

While he still isn't Mr. Snuggles, he's got his own personality and we love him for it.  It makes his lovey moments much sweeter (nearly every morning he forces us to pet him while we attempt to eat breakfast, and again while we eat dinner).  People often wonder why we eat so many of our meals on the floor, and it's because it gives us a chance to continue to bond with Dwight and give him the attention he crave every day.

Meet Darla

A few weeks ago, L rescued a guinea pig from a cinder block right outside of our apartment. We had the full intentions of finding her a new home or bringing her to the humane society. After none of our neighbors claimed her, and none of our friends wanted to add to their own collections of pets, we started to grow a little attached to her. Well, now it looks like she's found her permanent home with us after dropping $100+ on her at the Vet on Monday morning. She hadn't been walking too well and favoring her hind legs over the previous week, and we found out that her back feet were completely swollen. The vet put her on two medications (can't remember what exactly they're called, but they are tutti frutti and peanut butter flavored!), and we've been administering them to her twice daily. Until her vet visit, we've just been calling her numerous nicknames (i.e., Gimpy, Piggy, Piggles, Pig Face, ect.), and now that we've made an investment in her well-being, we've given her the name Darla.