Succulents should be easy care houseplants. As members
of the cactus family, they actually prefer neglect and small amounts of water.
So why would anyone want fakes? Well, maybe they already have too many plants.
(Me) And can’t resist the opportunity to do something that doesn’t work so well
with live plants. (Also me.)
I blame this project on the dollar store. I actually
went in looking for something else and came across the plastic dish garden now containing
the succulent arrangement in the attached photos. Since it’s clear, how could
you not put some fun, plastic ice “crystals” and LED fairy lights in it?
Obviously, I couldn’t resist. Another bonus? Faux plants can stand having a bit
of glitter glued on them.
The succulents, crystals and lights weren’t available
at the dollar store. Bummer. So the project did cost a few more dollars. I
considered making it more permanent with resin poured into the stones, then
ruled it out in case the lights die at some point. The resin did add to the
cost, but I have pendant molds and was out of resin. It won’t go to waste.
Without the resin pour, this is a quick project. The tiny LED lights on
metallic wires work best, especially when they have an equally small battery
compartment. It’s easier to hide. Besides hiding the wire as the bowl was
filled, I also added 2 bags of large faceted plastic beads from my stash. The
crystals are turquoise colored. The beads are purple, blue and green. They tied
the bowl filler with the succulents I chose. After the bowl was filled with
lights and filler, the plants were arranged and a second strand of lights was
interwoven into them. They were added after doing a test in a dark room. While
the bowl looked nice, the succulents themselves were hard to see. Since I
purchased a set of ten LED strands from a certain internet retailer, I had
extra to play with. Battery compartments are stashed between a couple of the
plants at the edge of the bowl, where they’re still easy to access.
Now, I have a fun night light which can also travel
with us in our Airstream. (Bottom shelf in cabinet while on the road.) At home,
I can enjoy it upstairs in my studio, without having to worry about whether or
not I remembered to water the plants.
The
temps are warm enough here that it’s time to put the fancy boots away.
I
didn’t wear my boots on our excursion. They came along as a prop.
The
goal was a photo where it looked like someone took off their boots to run thru
the flowers.
But
I wouldn’t recommend doing such a thing.
Those
pretty flowers actually harbor some not-nice critters like snakes and Fire
ants.
Technically, we didn’t have much of a winter. And the some
of the wildflowers, like the Bluebonnets, are early in Texas this year. After
living here almost 17 years, we finally went out to Brenham for a photography
session before they’re gone for another year. There are wildflowers blooming
next to roadways here in the Houston area, but they aren’t good locations for such
an activity. Besides, there is nothing like seeing large, multi-colored swaths
of flowers in the open fields.
Taking photos of the Bluebonnets is a Texas Spring
rite. If you live in a major city like we do, you don’t necessarily have to
travel hours away to find the fields of flowers. Thanks to the Grand Parkway,
we can now get to the Brenham area in less than an hour, as long as traffic on
Hwy. 290 isn’t too heavy. On a nice sunny day, like we had this past weekend,
plenty of people were leaving the city for posy peeping and stopping on 290’s
shoulders. (Especially by mid-afternoon when we were on our way home.) It was a
little too crowded for our taste, and I never pass up an opportunity to visit
the Antique Rose Emporium. It’s located several miles slightly NE of Brenham on
Hwy 50, just south of the historic town of Independence. The ARE wasn’t open
for at least 20 minutes when we got there, giving us an excuse to finally visit
Independence.
I did most of my wildflower photography there. We
found the old school house, which had a circular drive and a small parking area
in front of the historical marker signs. Karl entertained himself reading the
signs while I walked around the lot and some of the town taking photos. He
learned Sam Houston lived in the big white house across the street and Baylor
University was originally founded in Independence. Other than some motorists
passing thru, and folks who were attending church, we mostly had the place to
ourselves. It was a nice spot for me to take pictures, especially close-ups of
various flowers. There was a nice variety of different species, and it was far
more relaxing than taking pictures where there were large crowds.
We arrived at the rose nursery about 40 minutes after
it opened. A few people had already arrived. By the time we left an hour and a
half later, it was getting busier. Go on a week day if you want the place to
yourself. However, we still enjoyed our time there. When breezes blew from the
right direction, the scent of roses filled the air. Lots of the plants in their
display gardens are blooming their heads off right now. Since I usually prefer
to plant my roses in the fall, I actually didn’t plan to buy anything on this
trip, and had just finished taking my last photo of the day. The subject was a
yellow beauty, in a planter, named “Julia Child”. Perhaps it was her sunny,
buttery color. Or her strong licorice scent. Either way, she’s a wicked
enchantress. I came home with one of her clones. Early this morning, I needed
to get my butt outside to plant her in the rose bed. Stormy weather has been
rumbling thru Texas the last couple of days. Today, it’s our turn. Skies were
darkening with a distant rumbling of thunder before I finished some other
chores I wanted to squeeze in. Hopefully, we won’t have anything too wild here.
However, there is nothing like a good Spring rain to water a new transplant.
How
many species of roses can you find in this painting?
As Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us (tomorrow), and
procrastinators are scrambling to buy last minute gifts, including those very
expensive rose bouquets, perhaps it’s time the human race becomes reacquainted with
our most powerful symbol of love. And the one plant family whose own history is
so intimately entwined with ours.
The Rosaceae family is incredibly large and very diverse.
Besides the tremendous number of “ornamental” varieties we plant in our yards,
and often torture, there are species of roses we eat all the time. Most of us
just don’t realize it any more. My interest in rose history was piqued when heirloom
roses really started becoming mainstream. I took notice in the early to mid-1990s,
but I think the old rose movement was part of the return to organic/natural
gardening, which started making a resurgence in the 1960s & 70s. Of course,
growing and using fresh herbs was occurring at the same time; along with rediscovering
old recipes for cooking, freshening the home (potpourri), and curing what ails
you. Before the Victorians came along, with their notions of beating nature
into submission with science, and ornamental gardening became a hobby of the
new middle class, roses were multi-purpose herbs. Yes, that includes the rose
we now prize for its flowers alone. They’re edible, and once upon a time most
of them produced fruits called hips.
Have you ever been to a fancy celebration where sugar
coated rose petals decorated a cake? Or perhaps the crazy old lady down the
street gifted you with a jar of rose hip jam. Since those items became a lost
art, especially in the 20th Century US, you might have thought
eating roses was a strange thing to do. I know I did, when I first started seeing
rose recipes in magazines like “Victoria” and “Country Living”. But that’s
because I kind of forgot what I learned in Biology. Are you a strawberry jam
junky? Guess what. You’re eating roses. Remember, I mentioned this is a diverse
family. Other members include apples, pears, and quinces (Fall fruits). The
drupes; otherwise known as stone fruits like apricots, peaches, cherries, plums
and almonds (Summer fruits). Then there are the berries like raspberries and
strawberries (late Spring & early Summer).
So how did the rose become the flower the of love?
Well, I think it started with humankind’s love of eating. Some nutrition
experts seem to be fixated on the hunter part of our history, and maybe
downplay the gatherer part a little too much. But let’s be honest here. We’re
not the biggest creatures on this planet. We also don’t have fangs and sharp
claws. Having meat in our diets took a tremendous amount of work and the
outcome of a hunt certainly wasn’t guaranteed. That makes meat a treat, most
likely in jerky form. The bulk of early man’s diet was plants, because they don’t
run from you, and unless they’re poisonous or have thorns, don’t fight back.
Plants from the rose family are probably one of the first superfoods. Rose hips
are very high in Vitamin C. They’re generally available from late summer into
fall. It’s not hard to imagine stone-age man carrying dried rose hips around in
their pouches, like raisins, once they made the association that consumption of
their rosy snacks kept them from getting sick in the winter. And what’s not to
like about a plant family that makes food at least half the year.
Because of
that early relationship, the rose became civilized with us. Once we settled
down and started becoming all philosophical, it was only a matter of time
before roses meant more than a means of filling our bellies. The heady fragrances
of their flowers spoke to our souls, and their longevity made them mythical
forces to a species which often didn’t get to live very long. (Yes, when this
large plant family is left to its own devices, many members can live a very
long time. Perhaps a resident of one of the Johnny Appleseed states can verify
if any of his apple trees are still alive.) It was everything we admire in
roses which made them the old world’s enduring symbols of both religion and
love. (Even after chocolate hopped the pond, it couldn’t unseat the queen of
flowers from her throne.)
If your budget isn’t compatible with a big, fancy
bouquet of the flowers, don’t be ashamed of your chocolate covered strawberries
or cherries. Heck, if you want to be globally inclusive, give the gift of a chocolate
coated, gourmet candy apple. Quite frankly, I can’t think of a more poetic way
to show your devotion (and express your amorous intent). In the event your
significant other complains you didn’t give them even a single rose, you smile
sweetly and say, “Of course I did, my darling. You’re eating it.”
Happy Valentine’s Day!
The
Project Queen
P.S. – If you can’t find chocolate covered, candied
apples or truly procrastinated to the last moment, core and slice a couple of
your favorite apples and turn them into a shareable dessert for two. Place them
in the prettiest bowl you have, then drizzle with good quality caramel and
chocolate sauce. Indulge in the sensual act of eating with and licking each
other’s fingers. After all, the spirit of the holiday is about reconnecting
with the one we love the most.
Though it should be something you do throughout your
pet’s lifetime, making the best decisions for them as they reach senior status,
starts becoming more complicated. It can be hard to find a balance between what
we want, and what’s best for them. In our household, the oldest of our dogs
will be nine, and one of the rabbits seven, next spring. Alexa, with a possible
lifespan of 12 yrs. or more, is technically middle age. However, Angus, the EA
buck, is a senior. The average lifespan for Angora rabbits is 6-8 yrs., but
some short-haired breeds can live to be 10 or a bit more.
Whether kept as livestock or pets, the Angora breeds
require excellent husbandry to be healthy fiber producers. Though one of the
smallest breeds, English Angoras are probably more labor intensive because they
are covered with long hair everywhere. I’m not going into detail about what cecotropes
are, in this post. (An important element of rabbit digestion. Please research
if you want a bunny.) Seeing cecotropes generally means a rabbit is consuming
more nutrition than they need. However, if you’re suddenly finding these
specialized droppings with no change in diet, it could mean something else is
going on. Even my youngest rabbit, the EA doe, occasionally leaves cecotropes
when her hair gets long and increases in volume. It’s just one reason booties
need to be kept trimmed and grooming must be very thorough. When I start
finding cecotropes in cages, I look for signs of hair ingestion, keep the hay
plentiful (always), and step up my grooming. Sometimes, the problem doesn’t
completely go away, making me wonder how much all that hair interferes with
body functions, just by getting in the way. Because I do shear my rabbits and
their hair is short half to three quarters of a year, I have noticed
fluctuations in weight when their hair grows out. When it’s short for a while,
my bunnies usually put on some weight. Growing out all that hair takes a lot of
energy. A bunny as light as dandelion fluff may be experiencing some
malnutrition, and though an increase in food seems to make sense, it won’t help
much if they aren’t consuming their cecotropes.
It was partly because of finding more cecotropes than
usual that I considered retiring Angus from fiber production last year. The
fact that he chewed on himself when I tried to let him grow out, influenced the
decision as well. Beautiful as he is in full EA glory, it’s been almost a year
since I’ve allowed him to grow out completely. His last haircut was two months
ago. Because we’ve had warmer than usual
temps this fall, I’m observing him closely. As long as he leaves his coat
alone, I’ll wait until the middle of December to harvest the usable fiber.
Right now, he’s sporting a modified hair cut on his back feet and legs, because
he’s been knocking about and ignoring his litter box lately. His tummy will get
trimmed up too. Not using the box is mostly something Angus does when his hair
gets longer. I think he knows the dirty hair will be trimmed. When his hair is
short, he very rarely relocates the “furniture”, so it looks very much like a
form of communication. (It’s my opinion
that calling someone a “dumb bunny” is an insult to bunnies.) He has been mostly
on the thin side ever since I’ve had him, too. Keeping his hair shorter most of
the time means weight isn’t fluctuating as much, and he stays more active. Since
Angus is already used to having his face trimmed up, it helps with another
issue which popped up recently.
He has developed an occasionally weepy left eye.
Sometimes the right gets a bit crusty too. Because he got a clean bill of
health from the good doctor a couple of months ago, and he eats with gusto, I’m
pretty certain its age related. (Yes, eyes get checked frequently for irritants
and everyone has good teeth.) According to an article from the University of
Miami, rabbits can experience bone loss as they age. If some of that loss occurs
in the skull, it may cause the ducts that drain tears to the nasal cavities to
compress. No cure for that, if it is the problem. The best I can do for Angus
to minimize skin irritation is keep the hair short on his face. It just makes
it easier to keep things dry, and less crusty.
Speaking of bones, bunnies are fragile throughout
their lifetimes. Be extra gentle when they get older.
A retired fiber bunny doesn’t necessarily mean less
work for me. Other than the long hair on ears and tail, I don’t have to do much
brushing for a couple of weeks after a haircut. But the shearing is done twice
as much, with haircuts occurring every month to month and a half. (Instead of
quarterly.) I think Angus is enjoying his mostly retired status. He’s always been the most affectionate of my bunnies,
and with his hair kept shorter, he stays engaged. For special treats, he often
acts as silly as Lola. I’m not the fastest spinner right now, and I can’t
accuse him of being stingy with his soft, fluffy goodness. Since I enjoy his
company, it’s not much of a hardship to help him enjoy his golden years.
Hopefully, it will allow me to spend an extra year or two with him.
This
caftan was made from the 1970s Simplicity pattern pictured below.
It
was given to a friend as a just-because gift.
I
had initially purchased the fabric for a different project,
but
wasn’t completely sold on it for that project, mostly due to the print.
I
think it had been whispering all along it was a caftan.
I
already knew the friend liked the colors when I decided to make something for
her,
and
it turned out she liked caftans too.
So
this project was a win for 2 different reasons.
I
whittled my stash down just a bit and had the pleasure of making someone else
happy when
they weren’t expecting it.
Once upon a time, if someone had asked me what item of
clothing best defined my personality, the answer would have been blue jeans.
There are still jeans in my closet, but as I’m getting older (and the waistline
fluctuates), I’ve had a growing fondness for athletic stretchy pants (not
yoga) and dresses. Courtesy of the hot, humid environment we have at least 6
months out of the year, dresses have become necessary to my survival. I
probably wear them 75% of the time when the weather is hot.
I’m really not sure what category of clothing caftans
belong to, dress, robe or tunic, but they found their way into my conscience
early this summer. Like many hard-core project people, I’ve accumulated a
respectable stash in my studio. There is fabric yardage (some for specific
projects), patterns, ribbon, trims, buttons, yarn, jewelry making, embroidery
and art supplies. Oh, I can’t forget my Angora Rabbit wool. There are a couple
of large plastic containers holding the bounty from my very generous bunnies.
We’re giving serious consideration to down-sizing, but even if we don’t move
soon, we’ve reached the point where it’s time for serious decluttering. Some of
the fabric I’ve purchased in recent years wasn’t for specific patterns. I just
liked it. If I bought it to make a future garment, there is usually at least a
4 yd. piece to guarantee there is enough to make something. After we got back
from our 5-week trip, I started eyeballing some of that fabric, since it was
already too hot to do much work on our trailer. A lack of patterns to use with
it wasn’t the issue. But a growing scrap stash was.
And that’s how I found myself examining caftans. Those
who have studied human history know it’s probably one of the world’s oldest
garments from the cradle of civilization. A fine pedigree indeed, and most
definitely designed for a part of the world which experiences plenty of hot
weather. The caftan made its way around the globe in various forms and has many
different names. Due to Colonialism, it probably wasn’t unknown to
globe-trotting Western Europeans. If they owned one, they weren’t wearing it in
public though. That didn’t happen until
fashion discovered it in the early 20th century. The Czarina
Alexandra wore a traditional Russian robe for her coronation in the 1890s. By
the early 1900s, a few haute couture European designers were courageous enough
to embrace the caftan as a means of freeing women from restrictive
undergarments and fashion. The voluminous garment took a hiatus from the 1930s
thru the war years, then started making its presence felt again in the 1950s.
During the 60s and 70s it became the ultimate symbol of Bohemian culture, and
its ethnic roots provided plenty of inspiration.
Despite being a creative sort, I never really
identified myself with Bohemian culture. There’s something funny about getting
older, however. You start caring a lot less about what others think. Bonus?
Giving yourself permission to be both comfortable, and maybe stand out from the
crowd while you’re at it. When I was studying my extra fabric, the first
priority was using it in a project which didn’t generate much, if any
leftovers. That’s how I found myself considering caftans in the first place,
but after thinking about it for a bit, the thought of wearing something which
wouldn’t have been in my closet 20 years ago, didn’t disturb me.
This
pattern did include the ties,
but
they were joined to the waistband in front and left inside.
Reaching
under all that fabric didn’t seem very practical to me.
So
I made 2 buttonholes in the back to pull them thru.
When
researching caftan patterns, I had seen pictures of this one,
including
the instructions.
Since
its destiny was to be a gift, I decided it would be better to have the actual
pattern.
I
got lucky and found it on Ebay.
What do caftans have to offer the sewist besides a
minimum of scraps? (Scraps or no scraps will be determined by your style of
caftan.) There is actually a variety of styles that can challenge your
creativity and skills. You can make them more structured or keep ‘em simple. There’s
a lot to be said for simple. It’s equally satisfying, kind of like a project
vacation where you still feel productive, only with less effort. A wide variety
of fabric choices are suitable, meaning you could have a caftan wardrobe for
any seasons you want. The vintage sewist is not excluded here since caftan
patterns from several decades are available. They can also be a good entry into
making patterns or even going pattern free. The first two caftans I made were
produced with a tape measure and try-on as I went. I did have a picture from a
pattern as inspiration. Since I couldn’t find a copy of it for sale, I didn’t
see any reason not to try without a pattern. It looked like two rectangles sewn
together. It’s a little more detailed than that, but I’ll provide more
information with the photo included below.
The 4 yd. piece of fabric, used here, was large enough
to produce ankle-length twin caftans. It was 60” wide. After cutting the
yardage in half, each 2 yd. piece was cut in half lengthwise to make 2 pieces
30” wide. This caftan is reversible in that the front and back pieces are the same.
The slit making the neckline was cut in both pieces at the same time. I can’t
give exact measurements for the following. It’s a personal choice which depends
on what you want to do with your caftan. For the neckline, if you want to fold
the fabric back and hem for a finished edge, small horizontal slits need to be
cut at the bottom of the vertical slits. Double-folded bias tape or other trims
are finishing options too. Since I gathered under the bust of each piece, I
used 1 1/2” wide satin ribbon to cover the gathering and the bottom of each neckline
slit. The shoulder seams and side seams are next. Length of the side seam will
be determined by the size you want to make your arm holes and whether or not
you want side slits. I opted for the slits. They start just above the knee.
This caftan can also be made tunic or knee length.
Don’t think you’re the type to wear a caftan? Try
making at least one for home use. They are great for lounging about, and I
can’t think of a better reason to give yourself a mini vacation occasionally
than a groovy caftan in your closet whispering, “Take a day off”. The Project Queen
Potato salad made with hash browns isn’t a new
idea.However, I have to admit I wasn’t
aware of it. This recipe was put together while I was “smoking” a whole chicken
on my new baby pit. (Sold as a table-top grill or side fire-box for a larger
grill.) I’m still working out some of the kinks of using a small pit vs. the
large pit we’ve had for several years, and the skin on the chicken breast stuck
to the foil pan it was in. Since it wasn’t quite done yet, it was necessary to
provide some protection for the breast meat.
Enter bacon. Two slices, cut in half, provided the
coverage my chicken breast needed. But what to do with the bacon afterward?
Sure, it could have just been eaten later. However, I needed a side dish. I had
hash browns in the freezer. A cheesy casserole made with the potatoes and bacon
would have been good. I just didn’t have enough cheese. (It’s time to go
grocery shopping.) I did have the
ingredients to make potato salad, though.
Potato salad isn’t something I make from scratch
very often because of all the prep. Thanks to hash browns, I will never buy the
deli stuff again. There aren’t very many of those I’ve liked enough to buy a
second time, mostly because of the dressing. We don’t care so much for salads
heavy on vinegar. Making your own means it can be customized the way you like
it. Potato salad should have some tang, and a buttermilk dressing provides
acidity without being harsh. It’s also tasty with bacon. If you use the O’Brien
potatoes, diced bell pepper and onion are included. They give your salad a
fresh element, but if you like pickle relish it can be added. Since I wanted to
tame the acidity a bit, it wasn’t included. Prepared yellow mustard has vinegar
in it too. It provided some additional bite without overwhelming the flavor of
the bacon or veggies.
1
Pkg. O’Brien Potatoes
2-4
Hard Boiled Eggs, diced
2
Slices Bacon, crumbled
¾
c. Mayonnaise
½
c. Plain Yogurt (not low-fat, not Greek)
3
tbsp. Yellow Mustard
1 tbsp. Ranch Dressing Mix
½
tsp. Celery Seeds
Salt
& pepper to taste
Prepare
a ½ sheet pan with foil and cooking spray.
Spread the package of frozen potatoes/veggies evenly over the pan and
place in cold oven. Set temp at 450°F. Leave the potatoes in the oven long
enough to warm up and dry out a bit. Stir periodically and keep an eye on them.
They may need to be removed before the oven reaches temp.
Set potatoes aside to cool and use remaining
ingredients to make dressing in a large bowl. If you put foil on a sheet pan,
you can pick up the foil and pour the potatoes into the bowl. Pull the long
edges together and use both hands to lift. Combine thoroughly, cover and
refrigerate. (It may look like you have too much dressing, but the potatoes
will absorb a lot of the liquid.) Allow to sit for at least an hour.
I would say this makes 6-8 servings. For a larger
crowd, doubling or tripling doesn’t require complicated math like a baking
recipe. So, go forth and make potato salad!
Though
I mentioned buttermilk dressing, you will notice plain yogurt in this recipe.
If you’re having any digestive issues like bloating, irregularity, or the
symptoms of IBS, take a close look at the ingredient list of the foods you
consume. Carrageenan is an additive found in some dairy products and many
non-dairy substitutes to provide a creamy mouth feel. However, it doesn’t agree
with everyone. Cultured buttermilk is just one of many products where you will
find it. Rather than making “buttermilk” with milk and an acid, I use whole
milk plain yogurt (2 ingredients - milk and culture) as a substitute. For
recipes like quick breads, pancakes or waffles I combine yogurt and milk. A
half & half ratio is a good rule of thumb. Exp:. For 1 ½ cups of buttermilk
use ¾ c. each of yogurt and milk. Besides giving you the consistency of
store-bought buttermilk, it’s faster. Milk with an acid added to it needs at
least 5 minutes to curdle. Put your yogurt and milk in a liquids measuring cup
and beat it with a whisk. Viola! Buttermilk in less than 2 minutes. Put the
yogurt in first. It’s OK if it isn’t an exact measurement. Just top off with
milk to the amount needed and combine.
I
used this green gadget to dice my hard-boiled eggs.
I
used to have an egg slicer with the wires you push down through the egg.
It
was starting to show its age though, and some wires broke recently.
While
making my potato salad, I found this item in my utensil drawer.
My
husband used to be an orchestra teacher and I think it came from one of his
fundraisers.
Hard-boiled
eggs can be slippery.
This
little number did a decent job of keeping my eggs where I wanted them
I
was listening to music while supervising. The soundtrack wasn’t planned.
My
Kindle was shuffling songs on my list and Pat Benatar popped up.
My apologies for not posting more frequently here.
We’ve been busy with our Airstream and “The Stellar Land Yacht” blog. (As well
as the daily living stuff that keeps intruding on our projects.) We also just
returned from a five week trip with said Airstream, which is the reason for
this post.
Because we are a special kind of crazy, our five
dogs have traveled with us twice now. And my four rabbits came with us on the
second trip courtesy of our new tow vehicle, Bumble, the Abominable Snow Van.
(Details about him coming up soon on our other blog.)
Most sane people are probably wondering why someone
would travel for more than a month with nine animals. And it is a valid
question whose answer wouldn’t suit everyone. The biggest reason we took the
most recent trip was our younger daughter’s graduation on May 7, from the
University of South Dakota. Which is over 1000 miles north of us. She also
wanted us to help her move to another apartment at the end of the month. (She
has no immediate plans to return to Texas.) Calculate the cost of
boarding/hiring a pet sitter for more than a month, or trying to find someone
who is familiar with the care of high-maintenance rabbits, then tell me, who’s
crazy? (Yes, we are, for having so many pets in the first place.)
Traveling long distance with rabbits does present a
special set of challenges, even more so than those who travel with dogs or cats
will encounter. For their continued good health, it’s essential to keep a
rabbit’s very specific needs in mind when planning a trip which includes them.
Generally, rabbits aren’t good travelers. Lots of motion, and roads in poor
condition, can be very disruptive to their delicate digestive systems. If you
need to travel more than 4 hours in a day to reach a destination, reconsider
bringing a pet rabbit. (Unless you’re relocating and have no choice.) My
husband, as a disabled veteran, doesn’t care to spend a full day on the road
any longer, so his needs and those of my rabbits actually mesh pretty well.
Unless your rabbit already lives in a small cage,
finding the appropriate traveling habitat is going to be your first order of
business. I knew from the beginning most of our forays with the travel trailer
would be at least a few weeks long. The cages I have here at home are far too
large for traveling. But travel cages would have to large enough for each
rabbit to stretch out and relax. They were going to spend a significant amount
of time in them when not at home. A traveling cage is called a carrier, and my
best advice is to find the show rabbit carriers with wire bottoms and a drop
pan. It doesn’t matter if your rabbit is short or long-haired. Do both yourself
and the rabbit a favor and keep them out of their messes while traveling. (A
litter box may take up too much room to be included). A cage with a drop pan
also allowed me to clean cages quickly. I lined each drop pan with 2 potty pads
and just replaced what was dirty. I could also separate the cage from the pan,
with the rabbit still in it. I purchased single-compartment Angora show cages.
They are 16”x24”x16”, which is the largest carrier I could find. They are
stackable, another handy feature if you need more than one. Mine were purchased
from BunnyRabbit.com. since they offer the option of having them shipped flat.
Of course, that does mean you have to assemble, but compare the cost of having
a completed cage shipped vs. flat. (In case you haven’t noticed, shipping
carriers like UPS and FedEx determine costs by volume just as much as weight.
You’re getting charged according to the amount of space your package takes in
their vehicles. That’s why customer service breaks out a tape measure whenever
you bring a package to their stores.)
Besides making sure there are no changes to diet,
and keeping everyone on their schedules, the other thing you must consider is a
means to provide safe exercise. Just as it is for any animal (including
people), rabbits need the opportunity to play. Physical movement is crucial to
keeping the digestive track moving, too. Any rabbit could die of wool-block if
they ingest enough loose hair, though it is a much bigger problem for Angoras.
Daily exercise is a big help in prevention, and one of the first treatments
recommended to resolve it. It’s also crucial in making sure your rabbit eats
when you’re away from home. While you’re in motion, they will not feel like
eating much. Providing exercise opportunities while stopped will help them
regain their appetites. When necessary, I let them out in the trailer, one at a
time, to stretch their legs while I cleaned cages. Otherwise, when we were at a
location for several days, we set up a large tent, which included a floor. They
could hang out there and enjoy their play time (the rabbit romper room). But
here’s the kicker. You have to pay close attention to temperatures and the
weather. If it starts getting over 80 degrees, they will have difficulty with
over-heating. A tent isn’t the most secure shelter during severe storms either.
(Though ours held up amazingly well, even during a hail storm.) Depending on
circumstances, the long-eared weirdoes either moved to the van or the trailer
when necessary, including at night. Regardless of their location, their
playtime was always supervised. I didn’t want anyone chewing thru the tent, and
it’s always best to clean up messes immediately.
Grooming is another chore that can’t be neglected,
especially if you travel with Angoras, like I did. I received a free, zippered
tote bag with my cages which came in handy for packing my grooming tools. Angus
and Lola were sheared before we left, but their hair grew out more than an inch
before we got home. For at least 2 weeks after we arrived up North, the weather
turned chilly, especially at night. Colder temps don’t usually bother rabbits
since they’re well insulated, and if they have plenty to eat and drink. But it
started warming up, and of course, getting down-right hot while we were on our
way back home. I had to complete at least 75% of the Angora haircuts before we
got too far South. Otherwise, traveling was going to get more stressful for
them. Buns and Benjamin needed to be kept clean and tidy as well.
For the most part, everyone did fine during their
adventure from home. Lola and Benjamin handled it the best. Lola is amazingly
hardy for an English Angora rabbit, but she’s still young at 1 ½ years.
Benjamin is mostly short-haired and usually trouble-free at home. Angus and
Buns are more fragile. Angus is getting older at 6 years. Buns is 3, but he’s a
mixed breed. I suspect English Angora and perhaps a short-haired dwarf, but
I’ll never really know for sure. His ancestry might have something to do with
his general constitution, or it’s just the way he is. Even though his hair
isn’t as extreme as the EAs, I usually have to be more careful with him. He
doesn’t tolerate changes to his diet very well. But I do know having the
opportunity to get out of their cages made a big difference to the well-being
of all while away from home. They had a grand time playing in the tent, and it
was entertaining to watch them.
The tent will definitely be included if the rabbits
travel again. Another item will probably be one litter box provided for
playtime. Hopefully, it will help minimize messes on the tent floor. It takes
some time to make sure everything is clean before the tent is packed up. Leak-proof
water bottles are also a must. I wasn’t able to purchase them before we left.
Typical water bottles are not travel friendly, especially on rough roads. Most
of the time I resorted to keeping just a small amount of water in them, and a
sharp eye on anyone running out. Four cups of water in the bottom of a cage is
a royal pain in the behind. Otherwise, the cages held up well, and can
certainly be used again. Their only downside is the lid on top. It offers
plenty of access to the interior of the cage. The flaw presents itself when the
cages are stacked. To reach a rabbit lower in the stack, cages on top have to
be moved. If the rabbits needed to come into the trailer for AC, the cages were
stacked 4 high to keep things from getting too cozy. Which meant shuffling 3
cages to reach the bottom for feeding and cleaning. I’m not yet sure what the
solution will be.
There is no doubt traveling with 9 animals is a lot
of work. However, it does come with a silver lining or two. If you’re going to
be away from home for awhile, having your pets with you can provide some peace
of mind. After all, no one is going to care for them the same way you do.
Walking dogs and shuffling rabbit cages is also an effective way to lose some
weight. Who knew?
Don’t be afraid to include your pets in your
adventures. Just take the time to research your options and the necessary
practicalities, especially if traveling out of your home state. That saying
about prevention vs. cure is especially true here. It’s up to us to make sure
everyone enjoys the journey and comes home safely.
This 2-room tent was the rabbit romper room.
It suffered a little bit of wear, but then it was used for at least 3 weeks of our trip.
It was exposed to plenty of wind, rain and hail.
Some of the heavy rain did create small puddles in a corner of two.
Even so, it was not only additional living space, but a place to put the camp chairs
