Monday, December 30, 2013

Year Two Without My Boo

Ole Boo Eyes or Boo, who departed this earth two years ago today

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

My Favorite Things 2013

Every year at this time I do a list of my favorite things for this blog.  I must confess, my heart is not really in it this year, having lost three of my beloved rabbits over the months, Ghiradelli, Cocoa, and most recently Ruby. But I will try to summon the Spirit of the Holiday season by writing about some of my new favorite things.

(1)  The painting, THE BLUE VIOLINIST by Marc Chagall. When I first saw this work, sent out as a meme from a jazz Facebook page I follow, it affected me in such a powerful way that I knew I had to have this for my wall. The musician's whimsical look as he plays the violin, the birds, the very melancholy blues that leap out at you from this work of art captured my heart and soul and now he plays on my bedroom wall.

(2) Thai Dye pizza from the restaurant Mellow Mushroom.  This is a very new favorite, as I only tried it last night. How can you go wrong with a pizza with both Daiya cheese AND curried tofu on it? Oh, and tiny crunchy bits of cucumber. Yum!

(3)  Lotte Asian Supermarket, Chantilly, Virginia. This is one of my favorite places to shop, not only to get those Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern ingredients for my own meals, but for the inexpensive produce
for the rabbits. Indeed, this place offers the best deals in town. Eggplant for 99 cents a pound? Really! Chestnuts, $2.50 a pound. This summer I got fresh asparagus for 99 cents a pound. Oh, and the rabbits love their Thai basil and Crown Daisy!

(4)  Silk now makes its holiday nog with coconut milk. Need I say more? YUMMO!!

(5)  The poetry of Mary Oliver.  I got hooked on this lady's work when reading a review of her most recent poetry volume.  If you love animals and nature, I highly recommend her.

(6)  National Museum for Woman in the Arts - I discovered this place during the government furlough this year and was so impressed that I became a member. I hope to catch their new quilt exhibit opening next week. It is in D.C. near Metro Center and worth the trip!

(7)  I did my first bird-watching walk this fall and I am anxious to get into it again. Now that I am finally properly equipped with a decent pair of binoculars, I can't wait to venture forth and admire our lovely winged friends. One of my favorite "things" is witnessing Nature's beauties like the birds and the squirrels. Sadly, my neighborhood does not boast any rabbits. I suspect it has to do with the fact that we have foxes lurking about.

(8)  Hot apple cider, especially in K-cup form! I drink lots of this at this time of year.

(9)  Doctor Who, the episode "Vincent and the Doctor." I know that is not this current season, or even current companion series episode, but I recently saw this episode and I can't get enough of it. If you love Van Gogh, even if you don't like Doctor Who, you must watch this one if you can.


(10) The Boston Red Sox. They rock. Thanks, guys, for winning the series for Boston this year. Best gift ever!

Well, that is it, folks. As Christmas time looms, I no longer focus on things so much as I do people and animals and those who meant and mean so much to me in my life. Life is so precious and short and as time whisks by, change barges its way in, and more often than not, not in a good way. I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. Let us hope we are all still here next year, healthy, happy and getting all we can out of this all too brief life.


Thursday, December 12, 2013

Goodbye, Ruby

Ruby, my greatest gift and my teacher
b. February 2002 - d. 12 December 2013

Monday, December 9, 2013

Winter is Coming!


I am ever so grateful on icy snowy days that I have house rabbits to cuddle and that I don't have to walk them outside when the weather outside is frightful.  Hope you are all staying safe and warm during this very stormy week (and officially winter isn't even here yet!). Dog companions, be careful out there!

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Hoppy holidays!

Cinnamon and Benjamin wish you Merry Christmas!

Friday, November 22, 2013

Apples at the Treat Seat - Come 'N Get It!

Cinnamon and Benjamin on the "Treat Seat"
Otherwise known as a zafu, my meditation cushion sadly has seen more use from my rabbits as a treat seat than a place to find inner peace. If I am so much as a minute late past the usual treat time, my guys go and sit patiently by the "treat seat", waiting for me to wake up and realize, oh yeah, apple time for my lagomorph masters. As Thanksgiving approaches, I do feel more gratitude than these bunnies will ever know for having them in my life.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Night of the Lepus

Remember this oldie but a baddie?
Hoppy Halloween, all!

The Hoppy Vegan

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Saturday Morning Lazy Buns

Lazy Saturday morning after a big salad...

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Spooky Time of the Year

While the horror of the ongoing government shutdown continues, the Halloween season is underway--just go to any store, it might as well already be 31 October. My rabbits will be grateful for the likelihood that their mom will not succumb to the temptation to dress them up for Halloween this year, given the tight financial situation she finds herself in from being laid off. It has always been a moral dilemma for me, to dress up the rabbits or not, and yet who can resist cooing over their cute little faces peering out from their little costumes?

2010 - Cinnamon as a pumpkin
Admit it--doesn't my Cinnamon look so cute in her pumpkin outfit? When I took a walk up to my Dunkin Donuts the other day, I could see in the window of the PETCO Unleashed store next door a whole rack of costumes for little dogs. For a fleeting moment, I contemplated going in, just to look around, or so I always tell myself. Luckily I did not have either checkbook or credit card with me, only the cash for the coffee, so I resisted.  But I feel I should do something for my sweet fur kids this Halloween to make it special--I know, as if they would really care.  Face it, we do these cutesy wutsey things for us, not for our rabbits. That is only human. I just feel an urge to make this All Hallow's Eve a special one for Cinnamon and Benjamin.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

DC Veg Fest 2013

Everlasting Life Food Truck.
You know, I was very disappointed not to see a write-up in the Washington Post this morning about this year's D.C. Veg Fest, created and run by the group Compassion Over Killing. Yesterday was the first time I attended since this annual event was moved down by the Navy Yard. I was happily amazed at just how crowded it was. The line just to get the free goody bags being offered for the first 1000 attendees stretched nearly all the way to the Washington Nationals Baseball stadium. The sheer volume of people who attended surely warranted a media piece about the growing desire and interest for healthier, more compassionate vegetarian foods.

I recall when the DC Veg Fest started several years ago.  The group I volunteer for, RabbitWise, had a table there when it was held at the George Washington University campus. This event has grown in leaps and bounds and that gives me hope as a vegan that more and more people are waking up to the reality that there is a better way to eat both for ourselves and for the animals.

I certainly can't recall a time when I got to sample so much food because their new location allowed the DC Veg Fest folks to let in more vendors. Tofurkey was there, giving out samples of their new line of artisan "sausages" and the Better Meat folks were there as well, handing out samples of their "chicken". Folks from Sticky Fingers Bakery were doling out yummy slabs of chocolate cake.  It was harder than ever to decide on lunch, so I decided to get the long wait over with and hit up Vegan Treats first--my wait took forty minutes in the early afternoon, but I learned later that there was a half hour wait from the very beginning of the festivities. The long wait was worth it--yeah, that cannoli was SO worth it!


Vegan Treats and their wares


I chose eventually for lunch the hot plate from the Everlasting Life food truck. BBQ tofu, in strips resembling ribs slathered in a delicious BBQ sauce, collard greens, and the BEST vegan macaroni and cheese I have yet encountered. But there were many other choices as well. A truck called the Randy Radish offered veggie goodies; Bread and Brew was back with their vegan nachos served up on a souvenir Frisbee; Amsterdam Falafel Shop offered their delicious wares. 

There were also terrific lectures and cooking demonstrations at this event, to include the authors of the "Betty Crocker Goes Vegan" cookbook, Dan and Ann Shannon, who made the most scrumptious macaroni salad--those of us like myself sitting under the tent to watch were lucky to get samples. And the end of the day was perfect with a live performance by local folk singer Steven Gellman.  Come on, Washington Post, where were your people? This day deserved more media attention. I suspect next year it will be even more crowded because the word is getting out there--going vegetarian is the way to go for a longer life and a more compassionate lifestyle.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Rabbits and Pumpkins

Cinnamon at my old place three years ago.
Dedicated to my sweet Cinnamon, who had yet another molar trim today. It seems her teeth are getting worse with age.  : (  To highlight how tough she is, though, even after being administered anesthesia, she absolutely refused to go to sleep, fighting it as long as she could. My stubborn little mini-diva!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Visiting the farmer's market

I love visiting the farmer's market in the fall. Cool crisp air, the samples of delicious honey crisp apples and heirloom tomatoes, the gourds stacked in baskets...ah, bliss!  Cruising the various vendors at harvest time gives a pleasure even more gratifying than when you do it in the spring or during the hot humid days of summer.

To see fresh vegetables as they really look and not the perfect ones you see packaged in supermarkets is a joy to behold. Take carrots, for example. I love the knobby, bumpy fat carrots still attached to their green tops--they look as if they were just plucked from the soil that very day (they probably were). The varieties of peppers, tomatoes, even greens, never cease to amaze me. I always need to bring a minimum of three bags. It is hard to stick to a budget once you see what you have to choose from!

Discovering new varieties of veggies at farmers markets is another joy. Yesterday I sampled tatsoi for the first time--this is a green I had never heard of.  It is an Asian dark leafy green. { I liked it but this time decided not to get it. Most of the greens I buy go to my rabbits--not knowing tatsoi's calcium content, I decided to pass on it. As it was, I was treating Benjamin and Cinnamon to a fresh bundle of dandelion greens, which I give them on rare occasions as a treat. They love them but too much calcium is not good for rabbits. }  . More importantly, shopping at farmers' markets support your local farmers. I would rather my hard earned money go to these folks than corporations. You will find quite a difference in the quality of the fruits and veggies you buy locally than you do in your local supermarket.

For me, though, what I love is how much my rabbits benefit from my visit to the farmer's market. I leap for joy when I can buy two huge bundles of fresh dill (my rabbits are serious dillaholics) instead of having to buy those ridiculously expensive plastic containers at the grocery store that contain not even a meal's worth of dill in them. The fresh sweet basil smells heavenly and I swear tastes better than the kind boxed up in the supermarket's produce section. And sometimes you can get other varieties in this too--Thai basil, for one.  A few weeks ago, I bought the freshest mint I ever had-- a Kentucky colonel mint, I was told. This mint really added zing to my vodka tonic. And the rabbits loved that too--the mint, that is, not the vodka tonic.

So if you haven't done so yet, check out and see if you have a farmer's market close to you, and check it out. You will marvel at the food quality and can feel good about supporting the hard-working people who bring this food to your table.

Happy fall, everyone!

The Hoppy Vegan

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Veganism Going Mainstream?

This may not be news to many of you. I don't go to Target very often and never, before today, have I ever purchased any grocery items from them. But as I was picking up some greens for my rabbits in their small produce department, I decided to wander around to see if Target has anything to offer those of us who won't eat dead animals or their by-products. I was frankly shocked to find not only So Delicious non dairy ice cream products but Gardein chicken and beef products as well. The Gardein items were even on sale! Teriyaki chicken wings for $3.27, I'll take it, thanks. And they had a tremendous amount of various entrees and foods from the Amy's product line. Sweet!  Is it official then? Have vegans at last become mainstream? Certainly it must mean something when a large corporation like Target recognizes the demand for vegan foods.

Monday, September 2, 2013

September Gratitude And Other Musings

It is the last weekend of summer. Today is Labor Day and as I eagerly contemplate the cooler weather to come, I will beat the Thanksgiving rush and proclaim those things for which I am today most profoundly grateful--my health, my human family, and especially my rabbits.

Today all is good with them. Indeed, I have been so happy to see my elder bun, Cinnamon, run and jump about like a young bunny these days, even leaping over a barrier in my living room in an attempt to sneak behind the sofa and cause a heap of trouble (fortunately I was able to get her before she could get too far). I know how suddenly things can change and a GI stasis attack could always be around the corner. And even though I have had rabbits in my life since 2002, I can tell you the stress of dealing with rabbit health issues never gets easier. So when things are calm and cool, I try to take the time to savor the peace and joy of seeing my rabbits happy and healthy and hope that this time stretches out as long as it can.

From my study window, I can see the leaves just starting to turn on the tree in front of my condo building. I love autumn colors, but lament when the trees will be bare. I sigh when I think of the absence of bird song in the morning and the ever-growing chill as winter weather approaches. I do hope we have a true autumn, a transitional period, rather than leap from hot to cold, but these days, thanks to climate change, the weather is all too unpredictable.

The best part of fall, though, is the transition to heartier foods. I prefer autumn and winter soups and stews to lighter cooler summer fare. I look forward to making Gardein beefless stew, curried sweet potato soup, etc. Soon pumpkins will be everywhere to buy for pies or just simple decoration. And of course, the next thing you know, Halloween will be here. (Of course, the candy has only been stocked in the local supermarkets since the end of July!)

So what awaits us in the fall? Good health I hope for everyone, my mom, me, and the buns.  Benjamin will be due soon for his annual vet visit. Cinnamon will, I hope, keep healthy and active. I vow to continue my yoga (and in a few weeks, more water aerobics classes) to keep myself in shape in order to fully appreciate my 49th autumn in this life.

Happy September, everyone!

The Hoppy Vegan

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Dedicated to all the rabbits who became angels this year


Your mama misses you, Polly, Ghirardelli, Woodstock, Boo and Cocoa. No matter how many years pass, you will all reside in my heart.

The Hoppy Vegan

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Privacy Issue

"Hey you always stare at me when I''m in my litter box. You want privacy? Close the door!"

Friday, July 19, 2013

Remembering Woodstock

Holding my sweet Woodstock


This sweet boy left me two years ago today. Hard to believe it has been that long. He is and always will be in my heart. I imagine he and Cocoa are having one heck of a hopping time at Rainbow Bridge.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

In Memory of My Beloved Cocoa

Cocoa beside his beloved Ruby

Cocoa left for the Rainbow Bridge sometime today in Florida.  An infection is all I know, as the news came to me through a third party, so I have no details other than this. Cocoa was 11 years old, the second rabbit I adopted. I cannot write anymore at this time as I am too devastated to write a coherent tribute. But I wanted to at least post this beautiful boy's photo. His mate, Ruby, the red-eyed white Rex in the photo above, is also 11 and, I am sure, is heartbroken as well.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Hoppy Vegan Will Hop for Farm Animals This Fall

I am so pleased to announce that I plan to walk for the farm animals this October in Washington D.C. to  support the great work of Farm Sanctuary. I promise to wear rabbit ears to represent all the bunnies in my quest to raise at least $300 for this great cause (so far I've raised $125, thank you so much to those who have already given!) I am hoping you, my readers, whoever and wherever you are, will help. Click on the donation box in the upper right corner of this blog. $10 is all I ask to help Farm Sanctuary continue in their great work to give animals spared the horrors of the factory farm a home of peace and a full life they all so richly deserve.

You can read about this fundraising walk here http://walkforfarmanimals.org/

And be sure to visit www.farmsanctuary.org  to read the very touching stories of some of the pigs, turkeys and sheep they have saved over the years.

You all know how passionate I am about animals and how becoming vegan has been an incredible journey and transformative experience for me. While my blog focuses on rabbits since they are the animals I know best, I care deeply for all my fellow creatures on this earth.  The suffering of animals is morally abhorrent to me, and I bless in my heart all those who endeavor to alleviate the pain and agony so many animals endure every day.  But caring for farm animals is a costly thing, and Farm Sanctuary needs our help to see that they can continue to provide the care they have provided for so many lucky animals.  Please check out their website--I am sure you will agree with me that Farm Sanctuary deserves both kudos and our ongoing support to make this world a better place for the animals.  Thank you so much in advance for your support.

The Hoppy Vegan ( a.k.a. Paulette Lincoln-Baker)

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Namaste, Benjamin Bunny

"Nommmmm...."

Benjamin just loves my zafu cushion. But sadly as I leave it out in my living room, it has also become known as the "treat seat" for both Benjamin and Cinnamon.  One night I sat on this cushion with the little plate of apple slices for their evening treats. Now they expect to get their treats every time I sit on this cushion to meditate!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Vegan Roman Chick'n Cacciatore

I usually do not put recipes on this blog since there are only a gazillion vegan and vegetarian recipe blogs out there but I wanted to share a recipe I recently veganized and made my own, because, frankly, it was delicious back in the day when I was sadly still eating chickens.  Cacciatore is the Italian word for hunter, and traditionally this dish has contained chicken or rabbit meat (AARGH! I know, I know...) Per Wikipedia, in cuisine, alla cacciatora refers to a meal prepared “hunter-style” with tomatoes, onions, herbs, often bell pepper, and sometimes wine.  So while this recipe is indeed alla cacciatore, happily no hunters, chickens or bunnies were involved in the making of this dish.

The Hoppy Vegan's Vegan Roman Chick'n Cacciatore

1 pkg Gardein chicken scalloppini, thawed, cut into pieces
1 8 oz package Portobello mushroom slices
2 green bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
olive oil to saute
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso or other Italian brands are the best!)
½ tsp oregano
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ cup dry sherry or other white wine

Heat olive oil in pan (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.)  Saute chicken pieces till lightly browned. Remove. Add mushroom slices.  You may need to add oil as you go. Saute till mushrooms are soft and browned. Remove from pan and set aside with the chicken.  Deglaze the pan with a little of the sherry.

Add peppers, onions, and garlic slices (and if needed, more olive oil). Saute till softened.

Add can of tomatoes, stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Add seasonings, stir, then return chicken and mushrooms to the pan. Stir, cover, and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, till chicken pieces and veggies are tender. Add ¾ cup of dry sherry, stir, cook for 5 more minutes, uncovered.

Serve over spaghetti and/or with crusty bread.  This serves 4 people.
 
Possible adaptations/notes:
 
If you’re not a fan of faux meat, double the amount of mushrooms, and add more green peppers.

Dry sherry works best for this sauce but you can use white wine as well. HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting the sherry (the drinking kind, do NOT get the cooking sherry—that stuff is crap.)

Saturday, June 22, 2013

What I Don't Get - A Vegan's Rant

You know what I don't get? People making "ewww" noises at the mere thought of going vegan and yet lining up to eat the latest creation at Dunkin Donuts, the glazed doughnut bacon sandwich.

REALLY?
Where do I begin on this one?  It's so nice to see American ingenuity in the kitchen has exceeded its grasp in discovering yet another unhealthy option for an already obese America. Sugary sweet diabetes-inducing pastry combined with pig flesh that has been proven time and time again to be very unhealthy for human beings--yes, bring that to me on a plate! How about some quinoa and beans instead? No, that takes too long. Besides who can pronounce that word anyway? (It's KEEN-wa, by the way.)

It doesn't help that Americans want their food and they want it fast. Run into Dunkins, grab this baby, you're on your way. Tell me, do you even taste this crap as you down it in your rush to get to work? We produce these horrendous breakfast items for fast consumption clearly because if we took the time to really consider what we are consuming, we would be horrified and forced to take action. But we live in the era of instant gratification; we want what we want and we want it now.  You know what, folks? That style of living is killing us. Children--CHILDREN--are developing Type II diabetes at an alarming rate. Look at how fat they are--why do you think that is? For one thing, our government insists on subsidizing the wrong foods--that is why a McDonalds burger is cheaper than broccoli.  We also buy into the insidious marketing campaigns the food industry subjects us to every day. Happy cows? No. Happy family farms and happy cows don't exist anymore (except for the lucky cows who get to live on animal sanctuaries). Wake up and really see what it takes to make that glass of milk. That milk involves stealing a baby cow from his mother and tossing him to the veal industry where he is carved up to satisfy our gluttonous appetites when we go out to dinner.  THINK, please, before you pick up that fork. Think about the sorrow you are consuming when you drink that milk.

This is what we as consumers, as concerned parents, as people who want to live long healthy lives, need to do--THINK. CARE about what you eat. LEARN about what you eat, where it comes from, what it is. Not having time is not an excuse. When you die young, think of all that time you don't have anymore. That doesn't have to be. There are so many resources out there to learn about eating a vegetarian or even a flexitarian diet. You don't have to give meat or animal products up all at once. In some cases, for health reasons, you may not be able to be a strict vegan--I know of people in such situations so I would never judge anyone by how vegan they are or are not. As long as you get on the path and start the journey, that is all that matters. Every meatless meal counts. It is better for you, for your children, for the environment. Perhaps skipping the unhealthy choices may not be better for the bottom line of businesses like Dunkin Donuts, but that is too bad. They have the option to create vegan doughnuts, which time and time again, they seem adamant not to do despite vigorous campaigns by groups like Compassion Over Killing and demands from vegan consumers (yet I understand they are going to unroll a gluten free doughnut soon. Go figure!) We as consumers can make the change if we choose the right foods. A bacon doughnut sandwich is NOT the right choice.

All right, time to get off my soap box. In conclusion, I ask that you please read the link below about what the nation of Bolivia did recently. And check out the very last quote from a local blog at the end of the story. I think that says it all.

http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/03/bolivia-the-first-latin-american-country-to-ban-mcdonalds.html

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Happy Belated Birthday, Cinnamon!

Cinnamon, a.k.a. Princess Bun
Yes, I have been a very negligent blogger these last few months. The Hoppy Vegan has been focusing on becoming a Hoppy Yogi in pursuit of perfecting her yoga practice and getting fit, all the while still finding time to spoil rotten my beloved fur kids, Benjamin and his beloved gal Cinnamon, who turned 9 years old this past May.  She has lost weight since the beginning of the year, but she needed to, and except for the periodic tummy ache (one of which she just had last night), she has been doing very well for an elder bun. She can still hit some solid speed when she comes dashing out from the bedroom hall. And of course she takes great pleasure in nipping Ben in the butt when she thinks he needs it.  She grows a LITTLE more tolerant of my holding her as she gets older, but overall, she is still quite a stingy gal when it comes to doling out nose bonks of affection. Still, she is my precious girl, who I have had the joy of knowing since she was only 2 months old. May she live several more years making me and her boy Benjamin happy as can be.

Friday, May 3, 2013

My preferred boon--or rather, bun--companions


Benjamin and Cinnamon
Today is one of those days in which I feel such deep gratitude for having rabbits as my companions and such despair for the human race. Unlike many people in this world, rabbits are not petty or selfish or spiteful or revengeful. They do not lie and are never hostile.  They do not try to make others miserable, indeed they bring joy and love to their human friends and expect nothing in return, unlike human relationships, where there always seems to be an expected quid pro quo, no matter how much we try to convince ourselves that we truly love the other person more than we love ourselves.  I so much prefer the company of rabbits to that of quite a few people I have encountered during my time on earth in this life.

As a species, we have a long way to go to be worthy of the other creatures on this planet and the planet itself. We are deeply flawed and can learn so much
from the animals we treasure in our lives, as long as we pay attention.  To ignore all that they teach, we do so at our own peril.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Harmony With Yoga and Rabbits

In my neverending quest to find inner peace, I've returned to the hatha yoga practice I abandoned--God knows why--twelve years ago. Last night I rediscovered the challenges of doing yoga practice with two eager bunnies who wish to investigate the strange postures their mama is twisting herself into every night. Benjamin in particular has a serious foot fetish;  he does not care whether I do downward facing dog or bridge pose, as long as he has total access to my toes, which he inexplicably loves to lick (best to my knowledge, there is no carrot juice in my nail polish).  Cinnamon was very concerned as I lay stretched out in corpse pose (more pleasantly known as savasana) at the end of last night's session.  She leapt onto my belly and sniffed at my face, as if to make sure I was still breathing. Ah what a journey my rabbits and I have embarked on! Namaste, bunnies and readers.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Rest in peace, my beloved boy


Ghirardelli, my "George Clooney"
 We met at a local shelter in 2005.  He kept tugging on my sleeve (and therefore, my heart).  A week later he was in our home, despite our vows to keep our rabbit family limited to four.  My ex-husband (still husband at the time) built him a cube cage because we knew eventually we would find him a mate.

Ghirardelli was a bunny who never learned the meaning of the word crepuscular. He loved to play at midnight and keep us up late, which only expedited our search for a mate to keep him occupied.  His first bunwife was a bunny from Jersey named Polly, a hardheaded but softhearted lop who came from a rescue situation in which she had to defend herself against 30 or so other rabbits. With assistance from Susan Wong at Friends of Rabbits, Ghiri and Polly eventually bonded and became a wonderful loving bunny couple. When Polly died in 2008, we knew we had to find him another mate soon. Willow, our one-eyed, one-eared lop, became bunwife number 2. They lived a happy life together, and I missed them terribly after my husband and I separated and eventually divorced.  I could not bear to remove them from the home they knew (they lived in huge cube cage we nicknamed Thump Tower). Today a selfish part of me wishes so much that I had brought them with me, along with Cinnamon. But I knew, since I had to find a new mate for my widowed bunny Cinnamon, that four rabbits was beyond what I could afford or have room for in my new condo.

At the time of his death, Ghirardelli was living in Florida with my ex and his mate, Willow.  He had stopped eating, apparently, and they found him gone one day when they came home. Binky free, my sweet handsome boy, or as I used to call you, my George Clooney. You are with Polly now, and I have no doubt you are raising hell at the Bridge as you were both wont to do in life.  I will carry you in my heart forever. Love, your forever bunny mom, Paulette.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Absent Bunnies

My beloved Ghirardelli and Willow---this was taken 3 years ago, a lifetime it seems. They are no longer with me--they live with my ex-husband in another state, and I will never see them again. The Hoppy Vegan is missing them so very much this St. Patrick's Day. I raise my glass to make a toast. Here's to absent rabbits.

The following is a link to a video set to the lovely song "Absent Friends" by the Irish band Lunasa. Enjoy!

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lunasa+absent+friends&mid=B48FFB586C91F34AEB5EB48FFB586C91F34AEB5E&view=detail&FORM=VIRE3

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Pizza Pizza - Where is the pizza?

Okay, my vegan bitch today is the following:

What the heck happened to vegan pizza? Where is it? My local Whole Paycheck--er, Foods--doesn't sell any brand of it. Plenty of gluten free pizza, Annie's brand pizza, but not a vegan one to be found.  Tofurkey Pizza, the brand I usually get,  has been gone for months--even Mom's Organic Market doesn't carry it anymore. And I just learned Daiya Cheese is putting out its own pizza line. Where can a serious vegan pizza lover get her pizza fix?

Sure, I could take the time to make my own pizza, but I am not quite that ambitious enough to do that after a twelve hour work and commuting day.

Okay, enough bitching. Did y'all catch SNL with Justin Timberlake and the great Veganville sketch?? Funny! Catch it here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLPUWyanRR8


The Hoppy Vegan




Saturday, February 16, 2013

Sunday, January 27, 2013

What's a rabbit to watch?

"Wallace and Gromit Curse of the WereRabbit--sounds intriguing!"

Saturday, January 12, 2013

When a Rabbit is Ill

No one other than another rabbit person can completely understand the stress you go through when you see your rabbit is sick. Add to that the anguish of being away from home when a crisis erupts, and that is a recipe for a total nervous breakdown. I didn't break down this week when I was in Massachusetts because I was and am very fortunate to have a professional sitter who knows rabbits so well that my vet gave her very high marks. Cinnamon is well on the road to recovery now thanks to her actions and care and I am deeply grateful.   I am very well aware how lucky I am--most people with rabbits have to rely on people only vaguely familiar with rabbits at best.  Unlike dogs and cats, rabbits can be tricky to figure out, especially when they are sick. As prey animals, they do a great job of concealing their pain. It is an instinctive behavior and even if they sense you will help them, they just can't and don't wish the world to know how vulnerable they are. Unless you're a rabbit person, you have no idea about this and if you don't know a rabbit's normal behavior, it will be difficult determining whether or not a rabbit is sick. Of course, the cessation of eating and defecating is always a good clue. But sometimes their discomfort starts before that happens and timing is everything when determining if a rabbit is ill. So unless all your friends are rabbit people and understand these things, how do you go away and feel okay leaving them? Things can go wrong even with healthy rabbits. 
   One other point I wish to make in this rather disorganized meandering blog entry--anyone who ever claims to my face that a rabbit is a cheap pet will get an earful and a face full of the vet bills I have paid last year and this year.  Rabbits are not inexpensive, so parents need to think twice before taking on this animal for a family pet. Research the costs BEFORE you adopt the animal, please!!! I have never understand why people will spend months researching a car before making the investment but take so little time to research what it will take and cost to care for another living sentient being.

The Hoppy Vegan

Tuesday, January 1, 2013