Just a Bunch of Cats And Rabbits!!

It's Wednesday. And since I couldn't decide what to write, I decided to post a Bunch of Cats and Rabbits!!

Note:  THEY ARE ALL BLACK AND WHITE EXCEPT THE ONE. 

Is that weird or what?

(Well, the human who appears is also not Black and White.)

LILLY!!!

BABY RABBIT!!!

HUMAN WITH BABY RABBIT!!

UMMMM.......TOBY!!! (eek!)

THE FRESH TUPPY!!

DAISY!! (with a Toby backup)

BLUEBERRY!!!

OK, that's all we have for today.

Move along.  There's nothing to see here.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!  Actually, there's lots to see!  Well, but you saw it now.  SO, Happy Wednesday!

Cold Days of Winter

If you live in a cold climate like we do (well, half cold, since the other half it is really warm), then you know that the cold can make you do funny things.

As I write this, it is 1 degree Fahrenheit, but it feels like -15.  It's not as cold as some places, granted, but it's still pretty cold.

One of the things the cold did to me this weekend was that it made me forgetful.  (See, I can blame the COLD!  It is a great idea!)

I had the opportunity to take part in a Mixed Media show at Glass Growers Gallery, a local Erie Art Gallery.  We went to the reception on Friday, and my plan....until I realized I forgot my camera...was to blog about the reception on Saturday.  There would pictures of smiling people having fun, pictures of my art and maybe others, pictures of the gallery, etc.

It was a Really Good Plan.

Needless to say, it did not happen.

I have three pieces in the show (one which already sold that night!  WHOO!), and they are based on my trip to Italy.  I will pop into the gallery some day this week and will take pictures of them to post.

SIGH!  See, the Heat melts the Chick's brain, and the Cold freezes mine.

(Not really.  I am just forgetful.)

Anyhow, here's a Rabbit to tide you over.

 ACTION!!  FACE CLEANING EMERGENCY!

And....The Gopher Pose (Rabbit Yoga)

Did the cuteness distract you?

I thought it would. 

Stay warm! 

Miss Zoe Presents: Flip Wednesday?

We know.

It is not customary procedure (or, as Pooh would say, "Customary Proseedcake") to have movies on Wednesday.

We all know this.

But, I have Two Words for you:  BABY BUNNY

Yes, Baby Bunnies require Extra Movies.

So, today, Miss Zoe Presents Two More Elizabeth Movies.

Do you have five minutes to invest in Feeling Happy and watching a Baby Bunny?

ELIZABETH SAYS, "MAKE TIME!!!!!"

You should always listen to a Baby Rabbit.  Especially One who is the Reincarnation of...

"LISTEN TO THE BABY!!!"

So, now you are ready?  Yes?

I thought so.

Elizabeth's First Binkies!!! from marcy hall on Vimeo.

Elizabeth's First Parsley Eating Movie from marcy hall on Vimeo.

ZOE PRESENTS: MISS ELIZABETH!

If you are like Blueberry....

...then you are wondering how a new Rabbit suddenly ended up in the Rabbit Room!?!?! 

Well, sit down and I'll tell you the tale. 

After Miss Zoe went to Sparkle Pond, I was so very sad.  Blueberry was a blessing to me.  Just having a Rabbit still in the Rabbit Room was a wonderful thing.  Blueberry has not even been here for a year, but She has brought immeasurable joy.

Still, there is something about the Mini Rex that feels So Very Special to me.  I don't know if it's their velvety soft fur or their winsome personality, or what it is specifically.  It might just be that Zoe was My First Rabbit Love and She was a Mini Rex.  First loves are like that. 

Yes, it's probably that. 

Zoe was my First Rabbit Love, and She taught me so much about LOVE, that I thought She would eventually send another Mini Rex to take her place on the Earth. 

She Adored Herself after all, so why wouldn't She?

We wanted a Rescue Bunny and a Mini Rex, but we also wanted a baby because we thought Blueberry might take to a baby better than a grown up.  Our main concern was that we didn't want to upset Blueberry. 

I looked at all our local shelters, but there were hardly any bunnies, and no Mini Rex.  Next, I did a search online and found a shelter called Little Angels Animal Sanctuary about 40 minutes away in Sherman, New York that is just for BUNNIES!  (Well, I think they might also have a few random chickens, and I think a horse, and maybe a few other Animals, but it's mostly BUNNIES!)

Paula, who runs the shelter, told me she would keep an eye out for a young Mini Rex just for me.  She goes to auctions where these sweet little bunnies are NOT auctioned off to loving families, if you know what I mean.  It is hard for me to even think about.  She is often allowed to pick one animal to save out of a batch to be auctioned.  She saw Elizabeth, and knew She was for me.

I will stop the story there.  We think Zoe played a big role in bringing Elizabeth to us.  Though, I will be eternally grateful to Paula for doing the work of finding our precious new baby. (by the way, she does not solicit funds, really, but Paula does take donations if you feel so inclined and want to help needy bunnies.  She has one named Hope, who we got to meet, who needs very expensive leg surgery.  If you have some money burning a hole in your pocket....)

When we met Elizabeth, what was one of the first things we noticed?  (Look closely in her Sweet Ear)

SHE HAS LOVE TATTOOED IN HER EAR!!!  A message from Zoe.

On to a couple more pictures...

Elizabeth's Dr. Evil impression.

Elizabeth's Senior Portrait (though, of course, She hasn't started school yet!)

Elizabeth chewing a stick.  Well, look how cute it is!  Cute is not complicated.

There will be lots more Elizabeth and Blueberry to come.  Stay tuned.

Right now, I have to go hold some Rabbits!

Zoe Presents: Flip Friday

OK, it's a little late in the day for Flip Friday, but we thought you might like to see our newest addition...

Introducing Elizabeth! from marcy hall on Vimeo.

Greve in Chianti

Well, we were in the middle of Chianti Country, so you knew we HAD to end up in a winery town at some point, right?

These pictures are from our trip to Greve in Chianti, which is sort of Capitol City of Wine. Here, take a look:

 

The drive in.

A shot from when we first got out of the car.  Look at that lady ride her bike!!

Quack, quack, quack.

A map of the town.

Shot down an alley while we walked to get espresso somewhere.

An outdoor grocer in the courtyard behind the cafe where we stopped.

My Aunt Anita (left), mom (center) and ALICE (right) outside the wine tasting place.  Yum!

Inside!!  It was at this point that I was hoping about 100 friends would show up for the fun.  Alas.  

Cool rooster poster that I wanted really badly.

Wines made the year before and the year I was born.  Weird!  And Cool! (Also, dusty!)

I took this picture for friend Emma, who I thought would love this owl on the Olive Oil.

OK, this is just a sign.  River Greve.

ME AND THE CHIANTI ROOSTER!

Well, I had to take a pic of the public library sign, right?

Form the Church there.  Beautiful.

More Rooster!

Look at that Landscape!

On the way home.  Back to the villa.

Gorgeous.

Lots of us are engulfed in Snow right now, so this beautiful landscape is a delight to remember.

OK, so now GO AND POUR YOURSELF A GLASS OF CHIANTI CLASSCO, AND READ THIS AGAIN!

CHEERS!!

Did I go to Italy? Really?

Sometimes, after you do something really extraordinary (like go to Italy for three weeks) and then you come home and lots of other things happen, doesn't it seem as though maybe you didn't really do that extraordinary thing at all?

I don't quite have that feeling, but after all that has gone on here since the end of October when I returned from Tuscany, I feel like it could start kind of easily.  So, I  decided to pick up where I left off in my trip.

It is a fortuitous place to start, as when last I wrote, I was writing about the Cinque Terre, and that was a busy day.

The next day we rested.

These are pictures from my rest day, a day I spent walking around our rented Villa in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, walking here and there to explore our surroundings, visiting the grape vines and the olive groves and the rich, beautiful clay-like dirt, and the mushrooms, and acorns and pine cones, and cute, local snails.

ENJOY!  Imagine yourself under the Tuscan Sun!  It is a wondrous place to be!