Shocking Secret Revealed: Sequestration Is Starving the Bunnies!!!

Phillip Feeling a Bit Thinner

Betsy (Head Down) Avoiding Comment

 The government stalemate which has created automatic spending cuts has greatly hurt the Mar Vista rabbits, most importantly the four belonging to Mister John and Miss Jill.  According to the new cuts, all expenditures have been sliced by 10%.  This means that across-the-board munching by the bunnies is now down more than it was previously.  According to media representatives of Phillip, his water and food has declined greatly over the last few weeks.  He also says this directly relates to having Ruby Jane forced into his cage.  While he does welcome the warm comfort of the "Brown Bear" in his cage, he does state the food in the bowl is less than it used to be.

Spokespeople from Mister John and Miss Jill vehemently deny these accusations that less food has been going to the rabbits.  "There are almost no oranges left on the tree," said Mister John last Sunday from his luxurious couch in the living room.  "They've eaten almost all of them."  However, the spokesperson for Phillip also added that Miss Jill thought he was "too plump" and "needed to lose some weight."  More denials from the Miss Jill camp.

The children have oddly been very quiet about the supposed rabbit food cuts.  Betsy, as seen in the picture to the left, closed the door to the "Pa Car House" and only requested "Up" after being confronted with the allegations.  Later on that day she took an extra serving of applesauce... this information later was leaked to the rabbits via Paul the Panda.

Mary Jane Cut in Budget Battle

Cookie Sue and Heidi Protest Together

Mary Jane has also been oddly quiet through this crisis.  According to some sources, the rabbits threw a carrot at her and cut her face.  While Mary Jane does deny this -- "Bunny outside" was all she could say about this -- it was seen by many bunnies that the carrots which were to go to the rabbits were ultimately stolen and eaten by Mary Jane and Betsy Jo.

The cruel irony of this whole mess is that Rabbit Liberation Day is on the horizon.  While many humans refer to this day as "Easter Sunday," the rabbits all know this is the day that rabbits will gain their independence from humans by their repeated acts of thumping.  The revolution may be brewing while Miss Jill and Mister John deny all potential revolts.

Mary Jane was finally quoted as saying about this situation, "One, two, three, four... five!"  Indeed.

Jinx

I finally post about the Kings... and they lose.  And so it goes.

Anyway, the rabbits are well and it's time to start grading more papers.  Only one week left of school. 

Our movie today is Mary Jane wandering through the desert.  Where art thou going, o little one?

Awesomely Cute Video of Mary Jane ("Babu")

Not exactly "Performance Art with Mary Jane" but close enough.

Mary Jane was out and about in the back yard this afternoon.  Right after she started to walk oh so gingerly on the grass, she turned around and performed a little for me.  She's great at tilting her head to the side these days.  Nothing like saying, "Bad cough" and seeing her replying with a cough.  She doesn't do it here as I was hoping she'd say "Babu" which is her current word for "Bunny."



Mary Jane admiring the bunnies

 Her walking on the grass still needs a little work but that's not a problem for us.  She's just as happy to stand there and watch the airplanes take off from Santa Monica Airport.  Zoom!

Thumpsgiving Is upon Us Again

It's Thumpsgiving once again, that time of year when all rabbits come together and thump about what truly displeases them.  Yes, this goes all the way back to the earliest days of our heritage when Pilgrims and Indians when they shared their first big supper... and then gave none of the delicious salad leftovers to the rabbits.  The indigenous rabbits of the New England region thumped at those careless humans and the tradition has carried on ever since.

Today Cherry Bugg clearly celebrated Thumpsgiving as an unhappy indoor bunny.  The other members of the Erb clan all managed to hop outside while she stayed indoors.  Nevermind that it was comfy and warm inside with Miss Jill, Mister John, and the two little girls away for most of the day.  She still needs to find something to the thump about.  And she always does!

The two sisters, Root Beer Float (seen above) and Ruby Jane, thumped that they were not allowed to hop in the back yard for the entire day.  They were rounded up by noon and neither were happy about it.  Again nevermind that they grazed for hours on the recently rain-rejuvenated grass.  Thumpsgiving is for thumping and not for appreciation.

Phillip clearly thumped at the handyman who was in our back yard creating an extra fence between us and the neighbors to our west.  Phillip does not like anyone in his territory; he is the alpha rabbit afterall.  Furthermore, he despises any extra interior decoration without his initial approval... in triplicate.

As for Miss Jill and Mister John, it's been a long year since last Thumpsgiving.  Two baby girls, an occasionally messy hours, and less hours of sleep have pervaded into their lives.  But they would never thump at their lovely two daughters who have brought so much joy (and again lack of sleep) into their lives.  Maybe Mister John will thump at the McRib going away so soon... but he barely even knew it was here.

Don't forget: it's only one month until Thumpmas.

Bunnies Still in the Dark Regarding Betsy Jo

Cherry Bugg has resigned herself recently to being petted by Mary Jane. She would rather not subject herself to such a humbling thing but she understands that she doesn't want to upset Mister John and Miss Jill. Besides, Mary Jane is slowly getting the knack of rabbit petting down. Just no pulling on the ears, that's all.

But with Betsy Jo coming home soon to a rabbit cage near you, she'll ultimately feel the double team.

It was quite amazing when we originally brought home Mary Jane. We had her in a swing and the bunnies were let out that day and they all hopped into the den and circled her like the animals did to Jesus in the manger scene. They could smell a new member of the family. I'm guessing they weren't too happy about it (less carrots for that, I guess) but they have learned to incorporate Mary Jane into the larger family. Now that will include Betsy Jo as well.

That will be a difficult Christmas card photo.

Coming Soon: Rabbit Sonnets

Yes, Mister John is going to tackle a new literary endeavor this summer: the rabbit sonnet! You're thinking to yourself, "Self, that is daft! Besides, how many words rhyme with carrot?"

Fourteen lines. Iambic pentameter. An occasional volta. Bring it on, I say!

Rabbits Thump at Fireworks

More info later but bunnies, like dogs, cannot stand all this idiotic popping.

Summertime Blues

One of the good things about the summer for the rabbits is that they get more time outside. With longer hours of sunlight and with no working by Mr. John, they will be let out for more time. While that's good for them, the plants rue this extra time for grazing. And then there's Ruby Jane who wishes to dig everywhere in the back yard. That's unacceptable to Mr. John and Miss Jill but she's as defiant as ever. Hot blood in the hot sun of summertime. OK, this is Mar Vista; the hot days only get up to 75 if they're lucky.

Erb Siblings Represent in Anaheim

For the inquisitive... Pat, Joanne, Jay, and Mister John. Little Mary Jane was getting packed inside Uncle Jay's home. Sadly, no rabbits were invited.

Home!

Wow, the long and winding road has finally returned home. And quite soon I may add. After other possibly failed adoptions in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, it was quite a relief to add a child in California and thus avoid all the inter-state paperwork which would take over a week (depending on the state, day of the week, and incompetent bureaucracy.

Mary Jane is now sitting in the a small swinging-rocking thing with music playing. Beats the heck out of me what it is called; I only use great nouns and adjectives for term papers. Otherwise it's a whatchamacallit.

The bunnies have already hopped freely into the house and wondered what that noise making creature is. Ah, that will be the monster which will chase you in years to come!

I have no downloaded pictures on the computer yet. Boxes and bags still remain laying around on the ground. Nothing like re-coordinating things after a trek... albeit a shorter one.

The nursing crew at the Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville were great. They helped us with whatever we needed and even allowed us to stay in a room there. Hey, at least the TV had ESPN but I didn't watch it much. No WiFi though thus the slower response in saying, "It's a girl!"

Now I think I'll pull a Miss Jill and take a nap.

Bunnicula and Fang

Twas a scary night on Dewey Street. Instead of the lovely Root Beer Float and Ruby Jane who usually guard the front door during Halloween, they were replaced by the unruly Bunnicula and Fang. In the picture to the left, Bunnicula is seen staring straight ahead before devouring another carrot. Fang is sitting in the potty and hides behind the sign.

For Halloween, a total of 62 trick-or-treaters showed up at Chez Erb before the doors were shut down to no more candy. Currently, Bunnicula and Fang have been released in the house but they are behaving much tamer. Much more like a Root Beer Float and a Ruby Jane that I know.

Meanwhile Miss Jill wants a PowerPoint spreadsheet from Mister John considering all the children who showed up tonight. Rarely does Chez Erb shut down so early but too many children tonight... oh well, get here early if you want food. We could give the children carrots but that would upset the vicious vampire rabbits.

Bunnies Celebrate Laker Championship

Last night was quite a busy night for the bunnies. While Mister John quietly graded his semester finals, they all went into another room and started watching the NBA Finals. I guess nothing says rabbit romper room like Lakers/Celtics. Oddly enough it was a physical match and Connie kept asking the bunnies and the other stuffed animals if they wanted to rassle. That scares TV Turtle because he's seen what has happened to those pro wrestlers. First the sun lamp and then it's all downhill from there.

Anyway, they were thumping and hollering for the game, most especially Phillip. For those who don't recall, Prince Phillip originally hails from Spain so he was quite fixated on rooting for fellow Spaniard Pau Gasol. Gasol came up with many key plays in the fourth quarter. And while he might have missed many free throws (Phillip kept thumping at that), he does know how to arrange the furniture correctly in a room. Phillip does not call that feng shui, he calls it good taste. Upon the championship, Phillip hopped into the air and that scared the only bunnies. Actually that only mildly surprised Root Beer Float who was eating cake. Oh, and I think Chip was rustling through a trash can trying to find any leftover pretzels (you know, the ones with peanut butter in side of them).

Alas, as soon as the game was over, controversy struck. Many people on the Internet claimed that Pau Gasol was not from Spain but rather the high plains of Peru. They even supplied a pic to support their claims. Phillip just assumed this was racist anti-Spanish sentiment. Or at least some sort of slam against their under-performing soccer team. The good news in this house is that none of the stuffed animals care about soccer. Well, no one but Simon. Simon clearly roots for the English team but he's not around much. Probably been in the pub for the last week or so. He shows up just enough to antagonize Cherry Bugg. Phillip still holds his Spanish mane proud. Just as Pau Gasol should.

As for Peru, Phillip just says it's a great country to round up Dutch wannabe felons. Sounds reasonable enough.

Rabbit Liberation Day!

It is the biggest day of the year for rabbits: Rabbit Liberation Day! The day that they are free of the bondage of human servitude. Ironically, Root Beer Float and Ruby Jane were not that gracious when Mister John opened up their cage and put down their ramp this morning.

"Thump not lest ye be thumped," quoth he.

"Huh? THUMP!" sayeth Root Beer Float.

Meanwhile Chip went to express his liberation to Cherry Bugg. She expressed it back by biting his fur. And so it goes on liberation day...

Chip Gets a Bath

Saturdays tend to be clean up days around the house. The typical mayhem of the work week ends and we look around and see all that needs to be cleaned. And that also applies to the bunnies! Chip usually has the run of the den and sometimes he too (much like the infamous Stinky Butt, aka Cherry Bugg) has a dirty bottom. Must be a family trait. For we all recall that Miss Bugg was a famed potty sitter. If I even so much asked her to move out of her potty, she looked indignantly at me and thumped in her potty. Not always a good picture. But that was Miss Bugg for you.

So today I decided to give little Chippers a bath. He had never had one before and you could tell. As soon as Chip was in the sink, he wanted out. Immediately those little claws were a-scraping. But the poor guy was in dire need of cleaning. Typically if a bunny has a mate (either like Phillip and Jane, Flowers and Miss Bugg, or Ruby Jane and Root Beer Float), their mate helps them with cleaning. If a rabbit does not have a mate like Chip, then there is no one to clean him. Alas, poor Cherry Bugg, she alloweth no one to come within ten feet of her lest she biteth them on the arse. So she gets a bath every few months.


Now poor Chip finally got washed down and then I put him in a big Dodger beach towel (and you thought there were no good uses for Dodger beach towels... ha!). He's currently drying off and hopefully we will think again about having a dirty bottom.

Gidget Comes Home

For some insane reason we don't have a picture of Gidget yet (this one is just a cousin we found on the Internet). She's our new SurfWagon and Miss Jill and I adore her. She just needs to keep an even keel on her transmission and it's all good.

We'll take the rabbits for a ride some time this weekend. I'm sure they'll approve. Lots of room in the back for hopping. Go go Gidget!

Bunny Debate Set for Next Week

Bunny Election candidates Cherry Bugg and Princess Jane have agreed to meet in three separate debates to discuss the various important election topics. The first debate will set in the master bedroom and will be supervised by Miss Jill. Here they will discuss domestic policy in front of many stuffed animals who are surprisingly still undecided (except for Mama and Papa Bugg who clearly will vote for their daughter). They will both be seated on the bed and answer these questions for at least 30 minutes or until one of them bites the other on the butt.

The second debate will be held outdoor in the patio by the back door. This debate will primarily discuss economic and agricultural issues. Questions about carrots, rose bushes, and dead leaves will surely arise. It is believed that Mister John will supervise this debate and it should last 30 minutes or until one of the rabbits again tries to bite the other on the butt.

The final debate will be held on the living room sofa and this will be more of a town hall debate in front of the other undecided animals: Fred, Frederica, Sharkey, Commute Bunny, and Clifford among others. Again this should last approximately thirty minutes. There is no truth to the rumor that Princess Jane and Cherry Bugg will debate MMA style in a steel cage. They prefer smooth wood floors.

Back after the Summer Respite

Sorry for the delays.

School has begun again for Mr. Erb and the WOME is happily back to her wedding planner ways.

In August she and I went to the Grand Canyon and hiked all around it. No pics currently but I do believe she downloaded some. As soon as I get some of those, I shall put them on the site. Furthermore we trekked through many a mudpile at 7,000 feet above sea level. Odd thing about Arizona: they receive all their rain in August. Especially northern Arizona. It just came down everywhere!

Later on we did make it to Sedona for a good ol' fashioned jeep ride amidst the relaxation there. Nothing like having not a care in the world and just watching random Olympic events and worrying about what you'll have with your dinner.

Alas, it is school time again for me so the sophomoric minions are back. They seem to be a nice lot this year but we'll see. Hopefully none of them thump like my rabbits. Oh, those rabbits!!! I'll save that for another post.

Until then.

The Bunny Stopper!

Watch out for this dog. He does not like bunnies who go potty outside of the bin and will let them know about it with a large resounding WOOF! In fact poor little Ruby Jane runs away any time she sees the menacing dog. He's quite a friendly dog but for some reason he barks at Ruby Jane. Go figure.

Do They Know It's Thumpmas?

Over two thousand yaers ago, the pregnant Mary and her husband Joseph struggled to find a place to stay as she was nearing birth and every innkeeper said there was no room. So they found a stable and gave birth to the infant Jesus there. Not only did shepherds and "wise men" show up from far distances, so also did animals. Sheep, goats, camels, and dogs were many of the animals that were invited to attend.

Alas, rabbits were not invited. It was later discovered that their invitation was lost and this could only be told to them by St. Francis who could speak to the animals. This, however, was over 1,000 yaers too late. The rabbits were not amused. So they created their own holiday: Thumpmas. This commemorates the inability of the messengers of the time to spread the Word to the rabbits. Thus on that specific day of the yaer when all other men and creatures celebrate Christmas as the birth of our Lord and Saviour, rabbits celebrate Thumpmas in which they thump every twenty minutes to signify their frustration in not being invited to the Great Birth.

Nowadays some manger scenes have added rabbits to the Nativity but that is just revisionist history. We know the real truth.

Cherry Bugg, Princess Jane, Phillip, Root Beer Float, and Ruby Jane will be celebrating Thumpmas this December 25th. Will you?

Inside outside...

Root Beer Float and Ruby Jane have made quite the living of either flopping in their outdoor cage or flopping on the tile floor in the den. Wait -- as I turn to look at them -- it's time to clean their paws.

RBF is still getting shots every other day to deal with her snuffles. I think it's getting better. She doesn't sneeze nearly as much and she has even more spunk and tenacity than ever before.

So if you go get a rabbit, make sure you get two. Fluffy thumpers need company.