Elvis in the Hood

Close your eyes and imagine this scene:

It's a bright sunny summer's day. You and your Companion Animal are sitting on the front porch enjoying an espresso and talking about your day might bring, or what that bird song is, or whatever it is you want to imagine you might be talking about.

You hear a mini van approach.

You look up from your conversation.

Elvis drives by.

What?

What?

Yep, that's right.

I said, Elvis drives by.

Or, imagine this: You go to Panera Bread for a bagel and a cup of coffee on your day off from work. As you stand in line trying to decide if you want the blueberry bagel or the cinnamon crunch this time, you look over and catch sight of... that's right...Elvis sitting with his friends enjoying breakfast.

That's what it is to live in our neighborhood.

You see, Elvis lives on the next block.

What? You thought Elvis was gone away to the Blue Suede Shoestore in the Sky?

Nope. Zoe and I are here to tell you that's not the case.

Next block.

Elvis.

And to prove it, here's a little video we shot just a week and a half ago down in the park. Having a Neighborhood Elvis has it's perks, you see. You get a show once in awhile that the whole block can enjoy. Everybody wins.

Neighborhood Elvis from marcy hall on Vimeo.

(Zoe's and My thanks to our Neighborhood Elvis, Jim Moore. He didn't know he was being filmed, so I hope he doesn't sue. If he does, I'll blame the Rabbit. Oops. Did I say that out loud?)

Vivaaaaaaaa, Miss Zoe!

Happy Bunny!!

After the arrival of the Magic Box from Kavindra last week, there is a Happy Bunny in this house!!

No, not that Happy Bunny!

Though I think Zoe has said the above sentence about one million times, the following is more what we mean by Happy Bunny:

Relaxed...

Content...

Zzzzzzzzzzzz........

It was one of those weekends here at the Lilypad.

You know-- those weekends.

First of all, The Blisschick was gonzo! She was in Cleveland for practically Two Whole Days working with Connie and Andrea on the Creative Dig Workshop!! (OK, it was more like one and a half days, but who's counting? It felt like a week!) The cats, rabbit, and I scheduled things to do, so that we wouldn't simply be moping around looking at all the empty spots in the house. You know, the places where the Chick usually is. It was weird. It was unsettling.

But, we'd better get used to it. Because this was a warm up. In another week, she'll be off to Massachusetts for Yoga Dance training! For a whole week!! That will feel like a month!!!

And then secondly, besides the Blisschick being AWOL, the weather was....well...shall we say, less than cooperative. I had a plan to paint the front door raspberry as a surprise for the Chick's arrival home. But then the weather was not just rainy, but cold and rainy!

Oh, well. Better luck next week, right?

Cinematic Saturday

The Management apologizes for the Rabbit Movie/ Flip Friday delay.

Again.

As you know, a lot is going on here at the Lilypad. My last post elicited some lovely suggestions for setting myself straight. I will be exploring those options of massage, reiki, shamanistic pursuits, petting animals, exercise, just being outside, etc. over the weeks to come.

Thank you for your Support and your Ideas and your Caring Spirits.

As you may recall, my asking you for help came about (in large part) because-- due to the shortage of Toys and Willow Balls-- Miss Zoe was not so helpful.

She was holding out. And She made that apparent in a blog post a few days back.

Then, the other day, I got home from work, and what was waiting?

A package delivered by Mailman Rick.

"A package from who? For Whom?" you ask.

Who do you think?

It came from an Organization you may (or may not) have heard of:

People Against Rabbit Atrocities?
Have you heard of them?

Also enclosed was this card:

Terrible, Tragic No- Toy Conditions???

I swear, The Rabbit exaggerates.

Nevertheless, we opened this Lovely Box from Kavindra/ Lisa and her Cat Miss Lucy, and what was inside???

Let us show you...

Zoe's Surprise in the Mail from marcy hall on Vimeo.

By the way, Kavindra and Miss Lucy, Zoe's Membership Form and Annual Dues are in the mail.

She'd like to become a card carrying member of any group against Rabbit Atrocities.

Thank you!!!!! We appreciated your Surprise!!!!!!!

The Role of Flip Friday...

[The role of Flip Friday will be played, today, by Half a Sheep]

Half a Sheep, Reporting!

Hi! Remember me? Half a Sheep?

Well, I'm here today because....because....

Oh, no.

I can't remember.

Dad said that The Rabbit told him that it has something to do with someone not doing something, but I don't know what.

I just had my braces tightened, and Dad also said when that happens it makes me more like a Quarter of a Sheep.

I don't know what that means. I'm not very good at math.

Wait a minute-- the Rabbit is telling me Something. Hang on.

What, Rabbit?

Oh, OK.

The Rabbit told me to tell you to go away and come back tomorrow. She said there will be a special movie tomorrow that was supposed to be today that someone screwed up royally because the Blisschick has to go to Cleveland today and that meant that last night, they were too busy to focus on What's Important.

I don't know what that means either. Do you?

No one tells me anything.

Well, I mean, I guess they tell me. I just don't get it.

Oh, well.

OK, I think I'm done here. So, come back tomorrow.

What, Rabbit? Cinnamon Saturday?

Oh, Cinematic Saturday?

I don't know what that means either. Sigh. I'm going to ask Dad for some Ice Cream.

Half a Sheep, signing off.

Midweek Sigh

Come on. Do it with me.

Breathe in. Hold it. Now -- breathe......out.......slowly.

Good. Didn't that feel good?

I enjoy a good sigh sometimes. It gets the oxygen into one's brain. It kind of slows you down and makes you think.

Things have seemed out of control lately at the Lilypad. Not like completely out of control, but you know. Mildly.

For one thing, there's that whole issue with the Rabbit not getting enough (or any) Willow Balls.

Is it or is it not the saddest

little face you've ever seen?

Seriously.

The other day I was at work, and I was telling a co-worker about my weekend. I told her that I couldn't really even recall what we did. That it just seemed like the weekend flowed by without us even realizing.

Do you know what she said to me? "Well, you do have a few things going on. Emotional things. It makes sense to me that you feel how you feel."

I thought... what? What is she talking about?

But then, I thought back.

For one thing, both the Blisschick and I are still majorly trying to come to terms with the deaths of our two beloved Kitties, Ernie and Jobie. Sure they are at Sparkle Pond in the their Sparkle Suits, but we still miss them like crazy.

Just months prior to Ernie's death, my Grandmother passed away under less than comfortable circumstances. My Grandmother was a Very Important Person to me. She was Important to the development of my Soul. Losing her was so hard, and I didn't know how to deal with it. I'm still pretty clueless.

I thought she would come to me in my dreams. And then she didn't. A couple of years passed. I finally had my first dream of her just a few weeks ago, and that dream dredged up some old feelings I realized I hadn't gotten around to yet.

Stupid feelings!! :)

And then, this summer started off with the deaths of two friends. First Susan; then, Ken.

Now, as I write this, my Grandfather is getting very close to his Sparkle Suit. At age 93, he is tired and finding it difficult to recover from a recent broken hip and resulting hip surgery.

Of course, we also have our share of family drama, home drama, and friend drama to add to this. One thing that I've been dealing with in particular (or trying to) is an issue I didn't even really know I had until recently:

I am EMOTIONALLY REPRESSED! WHAT? Who knew. (Well, the Blisschick knew apparently.)

But, it's totally true.

The point of all of this is to say that I think I feel a little lost right now. A little taxed. A little tired. Like I need a vacation, but not the kind where you leave the house and have to go away from your Mammals.

I guess what I need from you is suggestions. What do you do when you feel this way?

Miss Zoe, of course, knows exactly what to do. But she's not talkin'.

See what I mean?

It's up to You to help me.

OK. What just happened?

Was it just the weekend?

Wait!

Do you mean that it's already Monday?

I even had a 3 day weekend. So, what on earth happened?

Was I secretly abducted and taken off to a faraway planet and then returned having been given some kind of mind erasing food or drink or pill?

Or, were we just at home? Doing Absolutely Nothing?

Your guess is as good as mine.

I do remember a brief trip to the beach with morning bagels. It was actually a little too chilly already to stay very long. It was absolutely gorgey, though the breeze made it cold, even with a jacket or hoodie.

Even Mr. Gull Looks cold.
Though not too cold to eye
The Blisschick's sesame seed bagel, mind you.

A post bagel gaze at the Lake.

Me, smiling at both the
Sunshine and the thought of a
Very Cute Rabbit at home.

I also recall reading some fiction, which made me dream of good Pinot Noir. In fact, if anyone has a favorite Pinot Noir, please feel free to recommend. Zoe and I are up for suggestions. We might even share with the Blisschick.

Also, Zoe and I got some things ready to send in the mail.

What? What are we sending?

HALLOWBUNNIES!!!! BOO!!

One HallowBunny will soon be on her way to the City of Brotherly Love. And, one will soon be jetting off to Australia. MusicMiles suggested packing some snacks for that Rabbit's long ride.

Miss Zoe concurred: "We all know that Rabbits do like a little something," She quipped.

A point well taken.

And, what of the Rabbit's weekend?


I guess that sums it up. Carrot toy is appealing due to the lack of Willow Balls. Poor Miss Zoe is in a bit of a toy dry spell right now. It is so very sad.

How about you? What fun did you have? Was your weekend an Action Packed Adventure? Or, did it involve a lot of Sitting In Chairs?

Either way, we hope it was delightful.

Happy Monday.

Even The Rabbit hopes it's nice for you.

Videofreitag!

Here in the fair city of Erie Pennsylvania, our summers are full of ethnic festivals.

Earlier in the summer, I showed you videos from the Russian Fest. We also have an Italian Fest, a Polish Fest, a Greek Fest, and Asian Fest, and a German Fest. Last weekend we had a Heritage Fest, which featured all of those and MORE, if you can believe that. Too bad I had to work, because I had looked forward to getting some footage from that one.

We have a delightfully diverse community here. And we like it that way.

Any excuse to party!

So, two weekends ago was the German Festival. I mentioned at some point that there was a video of me petting some Llamas while at the German Fest, and there were a few of you out there who were disappointed that Zoe and I didn't post that.

Here it is. Me with Them.

Me llama es Llama from marcy hall on Vimeo.

And, then there was some German Dancing. With Lederhosen. Of course.

German Dancing from marcy hall on Vimeo.

Keep in mind, that 5 years ago, Miss Zoe came home with us from this very festival. So, in leiu of a Zoe video this week, take a moment to reflect on Zoe's Importance in your life. Be thankful that the Blisschick and I attend these Fests.

Where would you be now if we didn't? Where would you be without Miss Zoe?

Don't dwell on it. Just take a moment and move on. You could get stuck in the imaginings. It could be horrifying.

And, Happy Videofreitag!!

Beware!! The HallowBunnies Rise....

BOO!

"Who said that?"

Did that scare you? Sorry.

Zoe wanted me to do that.

She thought it would be funny.

Rabbits and their weird senses of humor, you know?

So, the BOO! (sorry-- I did it again) was a reminder that Halloween is coming. It's Zoe's favorite holiday, you know. (Well, except for her birthday, Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah and any other holiday she can squeeze presents from.)

Remember last week? The Sneak Peek at a HallowBunny? Well, I've since sussed out that this whole HallowBunny thing was sort of a ploy that Zoe made up to make me paint Bunnies in different costumes so She could get an idea of what A Rabbit would look like in said costumes.

You see, Zoe's still trying to decide what she wants to be this year. Last year, she was a cat. Come to think of it, she was a cat the year before, too. At any rate, last week we announced that the two of us were working on some HallowBunnies and gave you the peek.

By the way, she still hasn't decided on her costume.

The thing is, once we got going, we really liked painting these Buns. We envisioned painting not just HallowBunnies, but Holiday Bunnies and Many Other Bunnies.

You know, Bunnies with a story to tell.

Now it's time for a real, honest-to-goodness peek. Nothing sneaky about it.

Are you ready?

Do you have on your Bunny Slippers?

Your Bunny Pants? Your Bunny Ears?

Are you wiggling you Bunny Nose?

Then, come on into..... THE RABBIT ROOM!!!

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the Bunnies in the Rabbit Room may or may not reflect the views of the lowly humans who keep the shop. The humans are in no way in control of what the Bunnies say or do. If you go into the Rabbit Room, you're own your own.)

Oh, and......All Hail and Thanks to the Blisschick for making this possible!!!!! The Blisschick Totally Rocked the Rabbit Room!

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program

"We," of course, in the royal sense of the word.

Zoe here.

I have to do all the work, as usual.

You see, this house has been more like some sort of sanatorium than an actual home filled with fun and creativity.

First, the Blisschick, or as I call her "Secondary Mama," got taken down by some gross, personality sucking bug.

And as expected, Primary Mama has followed suit.

I think I hear her downstairs hacking up internal organs while watching The Incredibles, which is a pretty good movie considering there are no rabbits.

You must be concerned about me. I would think that would be what is weighing on your mind.

I am fine. Rabbits do not get human bugs.

More importantly, my salad and hay supply has not been interrupted at all. Though, I am not being Admired nearly enough.

That is how YOU could help! YOU could send some admiration my way! Yes! Just think or talk about how pretty and soft and sweet and smart I am! That should help a lot!

Thank you.

Oh.

And if you feel like it, you could send some healing thoughts to my Primary Mama, but do not let that get in the way of the Real Work. Priorities, you know.

Flip Friday

OK, so I was going to show you a video starring myself and a llama.

But, after not having Zoe videos lately, I thought I shouldn't hog the camera time for myself.

Zoe really deserves the Spotlight, after all.

Me? I'm only human. And really, well, what more can I say on that subject?

On to the videos, then.

We'll save Miss Zoe's for last and start with one of Miss Lilly. We've been trying to catch her "kitten pounce" as we call it on film for some time now. We finally got it!

The Kitten Pounce from marcy hall on Vimeo.

In the credits of Kitten Pounce: The Movie, you probably saw the shout out to someone called Green Marble Poodle. Green Marble Poodle is a family heirloom of the Blisschick's, and I think he deserves to have fame outside of the house. Therefore:

Green Marble Poodle from marcy hall on Vimeo.

And finally, what you come here for. A little bit o' Rabbit:

Zoe and Her Salad from marcy hall on Vimeo.

Tune in next week for.... well.... probably more Rabbit.

Isn't that what matters in this life?

Have a great weekend!!

Sneak Peek

Zoe and I have been working on a little something special.

We'll tell you about it.

In a minute.

Zoe wants the anticipation to build for a minute.

First, she's going to show you a picture of Herself. If you're lucky, She'll share two.

"Why not?" She asks while taking a little bath next to the hay box. "It's what I do. They want to see Me after all."

True. Isn't it?

First, then, are two pictures of what Miss Zoe is currently doing:

A bird's eye view to show off her Lovely Spots!

And a ground shot so you can clearly see
Her annoyance at your impatience.
"Humans!" She scoffs.

As you can see, She is lounging.

That's because of all the hard work she did today!

On, then, to the Sneak Peek.

As you know, we discussed last week the fact that Halloween is on the way. It's an exciting time of year, here at the Lilypad.

In honor of the excitement and to help build up to the holiday, Miss Zoe and I have painted about a dozen Halloween Bunnies. Bunnies in costumes. Bunnies who want to Trick you rather than Treat you.

But you can give Them a Treat.

Of course you can!

(WRITE THIS DOWN!!! Bunnies like carrots and banana chips especially well. And raisins, and kale, and alfalfa, and cherries, and timothy hay, and apples, and romaine lettuce, and herbs, and parsley, and, well.....you get the idea.)

Ready? OK!! (Sorry the picture quality is poor. The light is low in the Rabbit Room this morning. But, you'll get the idea i hope.)

Full Body

Detail

This is, of course, a Witchy Rabbit, but there are many more bunnies painted on small, wooden, hang-able or sit-able plaques and dressed in different costumes!

There's a SuperBunny!

A BunnyZorro!

A BunnyPirate!!

And Many More!!!!!

The Blisschick is in the process of loading them up into a store, and then they'll all be needing good homes!!

How about it? Will you help a Rabbit in need of a home? It will promise not to eat much.

But, I can't promise These Rabbits will be nice..... You're on your own with that!

A Kite Meditation

Here in Erie, PA, today is a holiday.

Labor Day, that is.

"But, what does that mean to me?" asked Zoe the Rabbit. "Rabbits don't work."

"Well," I responded, scratching her fuzzy little nose, "what do Rabbits do that you would like to talk about, then?"

"Hmmmm...." Miss Zoe thought to herself.

After a few minutes, she said, "Rabbit's Relax. I would like this to be a Relaxing sort of day."

And, really, being as most all of us have the day off from work due to the holiday that is Labor Day, it is more of a Relaxing Day.

In honor of Zoe's Relaxing Day, then, we would like to share a video. I know. It's another uncustomary video.

First, Cinematic Saturday,and now this???

Bear with us. I think you'll like it.

Over this weekend, the Blisschick and I spent some time at Presque Isle State Park. And one of the things we enjoyed most was visiting the beach Erieites call "the Kite Beach."

Behold! The Kite Beach:

Kite Meditation from marcy hall on Vimeo.

A good way to Relax, don't you think?

Spend some time today relaxing like a rabbit. You'll be glad you did.

Cinematic Saturday

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed below do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Rabbit.

We would like to thank you for your patience during this Carrot Negotiation process. We are pleased that you've decided to return to our humble space here on the Internet, and that you are willing to give us the time necessary in order to make all parties happy with the Carrot Payment Arrangements. We hope that waiting for a Rabbit Movie has not altered your Universe in any unalterable way.

Thank You.

Now on to the movies.

First up is a reminder of last week's activities.

You recall, the Blisschick and I had gone to an event called Arts and Drafts, and about the music at that event, I had written this:

Of course, the Heliotropes played, but also my friend MusicMiles (formerly known in this blog as HealthCoach) and his friend, Brad. I took some pretty substandard video of them playing, which you may get to see on Flip Friday this week if I can put it all together.

Well, I put it all together. It's Cinematic Saturday and not Flip Friday of course, and it's a little substandard, as the videos are much too short and strung together in a weird way. But here it goes:

miles and brad play at brewerie from marcy hall on Vimeo.

And, now, the moment you've been waiting for:

zoe and lilly from marcy hall on Vimeo.

Have a great weekend! For those of you en los Estados Unidos, here's to a happy holiday weekend!!

A Few Words From Our Sponsor

Zoe the Rabbit, here.

I'll bet you came here today expecting to see Me starring in yet another feature film.

Is that what you came for?

What?

Do you have some sort of problem that makes you need a Rabbit Fix?

Huh?

Do you have such an infatuation that you can't live without a movie of Yours Truly even for one measly week?

Do you have some sort of Rabbit Fever, and the only cure is More Rabbit?

OK, OK. It is understandable.

Unfortunately for you, we are in contract negotiations here at Studio Lilypad.

It's sad for you. Really, really sad.

But, I'm on strike.

That's right! The Rabbit is ON STRIKE!!!

What I'm trying to say here is this: We are out of Rabbit Movies. There is No Rabbit Movie Today!!

Wait... what? Two more Carrots an hour? Is that the deal I just heard? Can we raise that to three Carrots?

OK, I'll settle for two and half more Carrots an hour.

See, that wasn't so hard, was it?

I'll see you tomorrow, then. We'll call it Cinematic Saturday.

Stay tuned...



Oh, and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

It's Only a Harvest Moon

Can it really be that the Harvest Moon will appear this Friday?

Really?

Well, as I mentioned before, those of us in the Lilypad are actually looking forward to the coming Fall and Winter Seasons. We enjoy the hibernation aspect. We also like the feeling of the school year.

The coming Fall and the Harvest Moon always bring to mind thoughts of Holidays.

In this house, we have many Fall and Winter Holidays-- Cat Birthdays, Blisschick's Birthday, our Anniversary, various other Personal Milestone Holidays, and then of course the usual-- Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Oh, and Veteran's Day.

Wait! Did I forget something? Could it be....

HALLOWEEN????

Halloween is a treat (pun intended) in our neighborhood. We get hundreds of kids every year-- superheroes, farm animals, ninjas, witches, as well as about 50 kids wearing the mask from the Scream movies.

And, of course there's always a few adults with baby strollers collecting candy "for the baby" who clearly has no teeth and is asleep in the stroller. Whatever.

Yesterday, I started thinking through what I might be for Halloween. One year I was a Tree. One year I was Winnie the Pooh. Another year, I was a Daisy.

The Daisy really scared some children. That was a surprise. A pleasant surprise.

Miss Emmie walked by the writing room, and I called out to her, "Miss Emmie, what will you be for Halloween this year?"


She considered this for a moment. "A Bloody Halloween Cat Massacre," she responded. "Or, maybe a Princess."

I shrugged. The Cat Massacre wasn't much of a stretch for poor Miss Emmie (whose tail has been following her everywhere lately and sometimes needs to be "disciplined").

Rosie walked by. "Rosie," I asked. "How about you? What will you be for Halloween?"


"That's ridiculous," she said. "I am what I am. A Princess, of course."

I was beginning to sense a theme here.

The Blisschick ran up the stairs chasing Lilly. As they tumbled down the hall, I asked them my question.

"We're going to wear our Pink Feather Boa and our Jewelry Crown this year," said the Blisschick. "Why?" They continued down the hall.


"No reason," I replied. "Just curious." More Princesses.

I turned to Zoe.



"Don't even ask," She said. "I think you know the answer, don't you?"

I did.

5 Princesses. All in one house? What was this-- the Magic Kingdom?

When I asked Scottie, all he could do was roll his eyes. Then, he sneezed and made his way down to the couch for a bath.


I'm still not sure what I'm going to be for Halloween. But I guess there's not much room for another Princess.

Perhaps, I'll just be a Frog.

How about you?