Plotting

Nothing quite says insurrection quite like Cookie Sue and Heidi sitting in the top level of their cage.

Early Summer Fun with Family

A busy Sunday afternoon with Uncle Greg, cousins Ryan and Connor, and Jenna came by to visit the girls.  Mary Jane and Betsy Jo were overjoyed to see Uncle G and their cousins this afternoon.  Any chance to show off their abilities is something they look forward to.  And any chance to play with water as well.

Hey, no breaking the hammock!

Brief Note from Betsy Jo

Betsy Jo says Hello to all the nay-sayers who don't think she can make another cute picture.  There ya go.  She'll make another one tomorrow as well.

As for the bunnies, they were not happy (or hoppy for that matter) of being chased around today by Betsy and Mary Jane.  "Not so cute," proclaimed Heidi in between thumps.

And so it goes in the Erb family for another Friday...

Rabbits Don't Do Brackets

While Mister John looks over his brackets and ponders the fate of his UCLA Bruins, the rabbits in the back yard prepare for another Rabbit Independence Day.  Heidi and Cookie Sue, both new to the household, have helped holiday veterans Ruby Jane and Prince Phillip with their preparations.  Fortunately for the rabbits, the humans don't always know of their independent leanings.  Signs reading "More Carrots Now!" and "Hop for the Right to Be!" have been placed in the backyard.  These have left Miss Jill and Mister John a bit confused... they thought Mary Jane and Betsy were up to something.  Something indeed.

Heidi and Cookie Sue: New Roomies!

Best of Friends?

We'll see how this goes.  Cookie Sue and Heidi have now moved into together.  They have moved into Ruby Jane's old cage as Ruby Jane has moved in with Phillip.  Ruby Jane and Phillip have always been good friends so that won't be much of an issue.  But Cookie Sue and Heidi haven't always been the best of friends.  We did take them on a car drive yesterday which helped with their bonding.  Their prospective bonding will make life better for the both of them as good grooming from a mate is quite important.  That and fewer steps to feed all the bunnies.  I do feel a little bad for Heidi as she's been inside for a while and has now been placed outside with another rabbit used to those conditions.  But Heidi is a trooper... and there's lots of bracketed-off space in that cage so they'll have little wind.

Besides they are right next to a statue of St. Francis.  If there is one person who can keep them in line, it's St. Frank.

Shabazz!

84-73.  Go Bruins.

Heidi is out and about.  She is happy as well.

No Parade for Phillip's Re-Inauguration

Very little celebrating happened on Dewey Street this weekend as Prince Phillip was "reinaugurated" for another term.  The whole word irritates Phillips as he says that princes are not reinaugurated but rather reassure others of their sovereign rule of the land.  Everyone knows of the "divine right of rabbits" and that's just the way it is.

Ruby Jane did not run against him the Bunny Elections in November 2012, as many had thought.  The former rivals are much more amicable these days and share many ideas over blades of grass and orange slices.  There is also one agreement that has united the divided rabbit coalitions since the last election: Mary Jane and Betsy, the two new potential usurpers to the throne.

Mary Jane was born shortly after the previous two-year election cycle started.  Potential human usurpers wasn't even a topic in the previous election debates.  It was only food, water, free time, and airplane noise.  All the rabbits thought that Mister John and Miss Jill were perfectly happy to let their back yard be ruled by long-eared, fluffy tailed overseers.  Alas, that did not seem the case as Mary Jane (and later Betsy) arrived to chase, grab, and laugh at the noble rabbit line.  They felt completely humiliated by little children who couldn't even wipe their noses after sneezing.

"I'm thumping mad," said Ruby Jane.  "No way two little girls -- no matter how cute they are -- are gonna chase us off our lands."

Heidi and Cookie Sue, relative newcomers to the Erb household, really didn't have much of an opinion as their major concern is just food.

Prince Phillip in royal pose.

As for Mister John, he is trying to stay independent of the whole situation.  "It ain't my thing right now," says Mister John, as he types up more Decathlon notes.

Girls Celebrate Thumpsgiving with Cookie Sue

Mary Jane and Betsy celebrated Cookie Sue and Betsy's first Thumpsgiving with the family.  As seen to the right, Mary Jane slightly missed on placing the food in the bowl but Phillip (not amused that MJ fed Cookie Sue first) was OK with it.  Betsy politely patted Heidi on the back which startled the carmel-colored bunny but she was ultimately hoppity over it.

Cookie Sue Looking Like a Bugg

Styling

Cookie Sue was quite a relaxed bunny on Saturday.  She stretched out her back feet and watched some flat-screen TV in her cage (didn't know she had one).

Today she was a bit argumentative with her new-sister Heidi.  But they'll get along, really they will.

Humble Pie

 Earlier last week I was tabbed by my principal to be a contestant in the pie eating contest during our Homecoming pep rally.  I happily volunteered as I am always willing to volunteer for such strangeness.  And I've never been one to be too bothered by doing something that may look awkward or embarrassing.  Sure, other teachers might be... good for them.  If they don't want to look like the boys in that picture on the right, that's there own prerogative (Bobby Brown agrees).

During this week, the principal had often mentioned to me, "It's a good thing you have a sense of humor, John."  Didn't think much of it because I tend to have a decent sense of humor.  At least I have the ability to laugh at myself.

This afternoon before the pep rally I changed into a Mary Star "spirit shirt" which esentially is a navy blue t-shirt with a logo on it as opposed to the purple collared shirt I was previously wearing.  Hey, if I'm getting chocolate cake on it, I better change accordingly.  Some of my "contestants" who were seniors called me out and said that they were going to beat me.  I taught most of them as sophomores so they know how incredibly competitive I am by nature.  Yes, my name was the one attached to the teacher's bracket for punt, pass, and kick last week (whee, won again!).

(On a more related note to this website, Heidi just hopped between by feet... nothing like the tickling of whiskers on a hairy leg.)

Today the pep rally looked quite spectacular as the gym (a "temporary" one at that) was tranformed into a larger representation of Alice in Wonderland.  This year's theme dealt with Wonderland and, yes, I did dress as Tweedledee in the rally seven years ago for the same themed rally (hey, new crop of students, I guess they have the right to repeat once in a while).  I stood on the side with a few teachers and parents before the dreaded pie-eating contest.  As we were all called up, I slowly walked up there, high fived the appropriate staff and random students.

The tables were set up with three in a line, parallel to the students in the bleachers.  Two students at the left table, Mr. Erb in the center table, and two students on the right table.  I sat there in the center, waved at the crowd and smiled for the Yearbook camera people.  Then of course the blindfold but not before I saw my luscious chocolate cake.  I was then blindfolded and was told the rules and off we went.

Some music blared in the background and the crowd went wild as our announcer, Fr. Nick, was calling the play-by-play action.  My face dived into the chocolate and swirled around from left to right, just as the Internet site told me to do.  OK, I'm quirky and competitive enough to read the instructions on HOW TO WIN A PIE-EATING CONTEST.  I knew I was doing quite well as I seemingly was swallowing more than I was breathing.

Then after a few minutes of getting pie here, there, and everywhere (including up my nostrils!), the "pie-eating song" ended and Fr. Nick declared a winner.  Internally, I felt a little bummed because I had not reached the crust yet... I still had a little more chocolate and whipped cream to get too.  But then he declared the magic words: "Our winner is Mr. Erb!"

Immediately I raised my hands in triumph.  Score another victory for Mr. Erb!  I took off my blindfold to see that both tables as well as the students were no long there.  Under the guise of the noise and my blindfold, they retreated to leave me all alone in the middle of the gym.  Ah, silly Mr. Erb eating a chocolate pie like a madman!  This all registered in my brain in about half a second.  I could have been mad but I was not.  Instead I looked straight ahead at the cameras and knowing that I had a completely chocolate-covered face, I raised my hands again in triumph, and pointed them forward in a I-da-man pose.  (Hey, when the jokes on you, I'll laugh; when it's on me, I'll laugh more.)

Hopefully the Yearbook kids will send me a copy next week so I can attach it to this not-so-brief blog this evening.  It's 8:30 now, a full six-and-a-half hours after the contest and I can still smell chocolate as it must be half way up my sinuses by now.  Yeah, ew.

And yes, I don't think I'll be eating any chocolate for a few weeks... whethere it's Halloween or not.

New Bunnies Jealous

Heidi and Cookie were not happy that Miss Jill and Mister John ate carrots last night.  According to them, all carrots must go to the rabbit contingent.  That's ok, though, they were later given hay and water with ice cubes.

Our Even More Recent Addition!

Hello world, please meet Cookie Sue Bugg.  She has large stand-up ears, loves to hide in baskets, and is very fond of children.  Good for you, Cookie Sue!  Now only if you can bond with Heidi soon.

Our Newest Addition

 

Heidi

As you can see here, there is a new bunny in and about the Erb household.  Miss Heidi Faye seems to have much of the same spirit as Cherry Bugg.  We're not sure if she'll bite people on the head but if she just sits on our heads, that's good enough.

Heidi loves to sit in the living and hop back and forth between Mister John and Miss Jill.  She seems quite the sociable bunny but she has not yet interacted with either Phillip or Ruby Jane.  That will be a chapter of its own.