Phantoms

I'm still back and forth on getting started in rabbits. I had a scare yesterday - I woke up early with awful chest pains, and then my hands and feet went numb. As many times as I've been to the ER with my father and mother having heart attacks, I knew enough to be scared. I waited a long time hoping they would go away, or turn out to be a tummy ache, but it just got worse. My limbs were all tingly, and I was doubled over in pain. So I went to the ER, only to throw up all day. And all the tests they did showed no heart trouble, nothing but normal. I'm home and much better today, although I still have no clue what was wrong.

While I was laying there in the hospital, I turned to thoughts of rabbits for comfort (it works!) but I couldn't help but think how glad I was that I didn't have a rabbitry to worry about under the circumstances. Even with the best of intentions, animal care can get neglected. Angora rabbits need to be groomed all the time, no matter what, and they aren't quite as easy to deal with as dogs (in other words, this isn't something I could sluff off when the going gets tough, although I'm sure my hub would help). Normally, I wouldn't think the off-day at the ER would mean I shouldn't be a rabbit farmer, but somehow in our family, we seem to be living in a state of emergency more often than not I'd like. I'm sure I'll still get two bunnies for pets and spinning though - my fear is more about the responsibilities of a larger-scale rabbit-raising venture.

Luckily I was able to switch out of that boring class, which starts tonight, to the other one that starts in March. I'm pleased because this new class is on darkroom photography, something I've wanted to experiment with for years. There is so much to do in the coming months, but things seem to be moving along. And so I need to get the rabbitry planned out, which needs to be part of a larger farm plan. I have tried drawing out a long-term lot plan, but all the decisions get so complicated when we want everything to work together (in a permaculture kind-of-way). I've considered just keeping the first two bunnies on the porch in the short term where I can get to know them and have easy access for spinning. Then we'll have less pressure and more time to design a sustainable farm. It's about that time to plan our vegetable garden and order some seeds to start. I'm frustrated because I'm still recovering from this unknown little malady. But soon enough, I'll be back at it.