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November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving kind of snuck up on me this year, even though the reminders have been there for weeks. Walking home from work last Friday through a light dusting of snow. The annual invitation to join my neighbors for turkey.
But the sagging economy and, just last night, the carnage in India have dampened my mood this year. Fortunately, Shelby came through and gave me a wonderful Thanksgiving gift. Although stiff with age and chronic bladder issues, she greeted me this morning by making several circuits around the bird room, then eating her morning pellets with great gusto. What a champ she is!
As I write this, Kramer is sunning himself by the living room window, no doubt waiting for his lady friend Molly to join him. The birds are chattering happily, bellies full from vegies and pellets.
I have a lot to be thankful for this year and a recent email from Terri couldn't have made that fact any clearer. She and Jeremy are in Galveston this Thanksgiving. Jeremy has a three-month assignment there helping to get Galveston back on its feet after being devastated by Hurricane Ike. She wrote:
"The island is trashed. The hotel sits right off the freeway surrounded by houses that are all destroyed, either knocked down by the hurricane or now demolished. The hotel is still fixing the rooms on the first floor, but upper floors are fine. I believe it was still under construction when the hurricane hit. The devastation is just amazing. We drove through the historic district last night where all the cute little shops are/were... it's very sad. There are one or two small places that are reopened already but the vast majority are still digging out. And some of the coastal roads are washed away. Many of the traffic lights are still out and they've got temporary stop signs installed at the intersections. Some of the restaurants are open - had great Italian Sunday night, awful Chinese last night - but many are not. We're trying to eat on the island as much as possible to support the local economy. I want to explore a little this afternoon and see if I can find a few shops open. Our waiter at the Italian place said he was born/raised here, owns some rental properties and worked at another restaurant his whole life. His rentals are tagged for demolition and his restaurant was destroyed. I can't even imagine that."
So give thanks for family, friends, and the critters that give us so much joy. And say a prayer for those less fortunate and for our troops serving overseas.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Posted by Sue at 7:40 AM
November 17, 2008
Way to Go, Petco!
In case you haven't heard, it is with equal amounts of delight and amazement that I announce that Petco has decided to stop selling rabbits. The company will begin phasing rabbits out of its stores immediately, a process which is expected to be completed by early 2009. After that time, only rabbits from shelters and rescue organizations will be available.
If they would also stop selling birds, I would be really, really happy.
Posted by Sue at 5:10 PM
November 10, 2008
Pet Food and Supply Drive
On Saturday, November 8, a Pet Food and Supply Drive was held at the old Northland Mall site. The event was organized by volunteers of the Humane Society of Delaware County to benefit local shelters and rescue groups, including CHRS and Capital Area Humane Society. The goal was to collect donations of food and other supplies that could be distributed to participating rescue groups.
Our volunteers helped with stuffing "goody bags" which included Terri's modification of our "Make Mine Chocolate!" postcards. They also braved the wind and cold to collect donations for the chapter and transport them to Danielle's garage where they were stored.
Not surprisingly, a lot of the donations targeted cats and dogs but our chapter did receive several bags of Carefresh and Yesterday's News litter, some plain pellet food, towels, paper towels, white vinegar as well as some office supplies and miscellaneous other items.
Kudos to Terri, Julie, Laine, Megan, Rose, Cara, John and Heather, and Danielle for their excellent efforts on behalf of the bunnies!
Posted by Sue at 3:53 PM
L.L. Bean
Like many of you, I subscribe to the Rabbit Activist list. A few weeks ago, an alert went out that L.L. Bean was selling hats with rabbit fur. I did a quick search of their site using the word "rabbit" and didn't find the hat but I did find some "lovely" gloves lined with rabbit fur.
I immediately called them and asked to stop receiving their catalogs. When their representative failed to ask me why, I made sure to indicate the reason I was transitioning to former customer status. She was polite, assured me I would stop receiving catalogs and I assumed that was the end of the story.
Imagine my surprise when I checked my mail tonight and found a letter from them. In the letter, the public affairs person explained that they use a variety of different animal by-products, providing customers with a range of choices, both synthetic and real. She also mentioned that L.L.Bean was "founded on the Maine outdoor traditions of hunting, fishing, and camping." Apparently, they consider rabbit fur an essential part of their support for hunting and fishing which they consider "integral to our heritage and product line."
My hope is that one day, killing rabbits for their fur will no longer be considered an acceptable "tradition." I plan to spend a few extra minutes tonight with my fur balls, relishing their soft, healthy fur and hoping for luck from my 11 rabbits' feet.
Be sure to give your bunnies a hug for me!
Posted by Sue at 3:11 PM
November 2, 2008
Vote! (No Rabbit Content)
These past three days are a clear reminder of just how important the Ohio vote is for the presidential race. John McCain held a rally at Nationwide Arena on Friday afternoon. I work just across the street from the arena, which gave me an excellent view of the long lines of people, many dressed in red, waiting patiently to cheer their candidate. I was excited to see the large number of families, many with children dressed in Halloween costumes. Two guesses what they were doing after the rally!
Today, Terri and I (and assorted friends) attended the Obama rally at the State House. I had seen Kerry at Ohio State in 2004 and thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. We started in line on Long Street near Front and, over the course of about 90 minutes, snaked our way over to the State House. The party atmosphere made the time go quickly.
After passing through security, a man came up and asked us if we wanted to sit behind the stage. I didn't know what that meant but thought it sounded cool so we agreed. We ended up standing on the steps of the State House, 30 feet from where Michelle and Barack Obama stood. We had an amazing view of all the speakers, as well as the enormous crowd. Terri later told me that 60,000 people showed up. If I'd known we were going to be that close, I would have brought a CHRS banner!
Sarah Palin was also here today, holding a rally at Rickenbacker. Unfortunately, her rally conflicted with the Obama one and I wasn't able to attend.
So, if you haven't already voted, be sure to do so. The candidates obviously think our votes are important.
Posted by Sue at 1:49 PM
November 1, 2008
New Chapter Telephone Number!
As you know, we have been looking for ways for Karalee to reduce her chapter workload. One of the biggest time sucks is the telephone. Anyone looking to dump a rabbit, get help with a stray, or any of a dozen reasons can call her home number at any time, day or night. The current political season has certainly sensitized me to the desire to regain control over my own telephone. Thankfully, we are making significant strides towards doing the same for Karalee and Chuck.
So...
Our new chapter telephone number is 614-470-0093. One of our dedicated volunteers will check the voice mail every day and respond to any inquiries. There is a voice mail box specifically dedicated to Bunny General. If you need to make an appointment to pick up supplies, call this number. When the voice message starts, click on the "1" button and leave a message. Karalee will return your call.
May Karalee, Chuck, and all of us soon return to the days of a quiet telephone!
And if you haven't already, be sure to vote on Tuesday. Yes, your vote matters.
Posted by Sue at 4:30 PM