Taking the ACT

So, now that my brain isn't in so much of a stupor, I think I'll blog some more. Lol. It's been a long week of chest colds, coughing, test-preping and just flat out wanting to be a lazy bum. Lazy bum, sounds good, even if it never really happened. Haha. Well, tha's life for ya, never stops going.

Anyway, Saturday 24 October, was the day of the ACT test. Whoo hoo! Not. I spent a lot of time preparing for this test. Practically the last month, to be exact. Getting back on track, the ACT wasn't too bad. I really didn't like the Reading and Science portions, but I think that was only because my brain was fried by the time I got to them, not to mention they were more on the hard side. Most of my class mates felt the way.

A lot of my friends were also taking the ACT the same day. It was comforting to know that I wasn't the only one. Which. even if my friends hadn't taken it, I wouldn't have been the only one taking the ACT. I'm hoping that we all did well, and won't have to worry about too much. I guess we'll find out in four to six weeks. Haha. Seems like everything takes that long to get.

As far as which college I'm going to, don't ask. I have not clue. I do know I'm going and I want to major in Photography (not a common major). Currently I'm looking an LCCC, for a year or two; Southern Virginia University; Otterbein; and Bowling Green State University. The options are endless, at least to point. The photography major is hard to come by, but that's what I want to do.

1,403 Pounds of Animal Food and One Big Heart

I spent my three day weekend helping my mom with the various tasks of the rabbitry business. This was quite the sacrifice of time and service. I do not mean this as a complaint, but instead a learning experience.



I am often found as mom's right hand man (or woman, as she would say) helping to keep her head screwed on straight. This is quite the burden, but maybe it's a blessing too. Well, that was way of track. Lol. Mom, some friends of hers, and myself loaded the truck early Saturday morning and headed to Norwalk's TSC. Our goal: to place cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs in goo homes. This was, well not so successful. Anyway, while mom's friends worked on placing animals, mom and I headed to Ashland to get rabbit feed. Fter loading the feed, we headed back to Oberlin, to unload. This was an adventure. We had a time limit and a lot of feed to put away. It would have taken mom a lot longer on her own, if I hadn't been there.

We managed to unload everything and put into the proper bins, for storage. By the time it was time to go mom had a few more bags to deal with, while I helped with keeping the ball rolling and the mom out of stress land. Before we left for TSC again, mom asked Bandit if he wanted to go for ride. Of course Bandit did. (He takes every chance he can to leave the barn.) He was so cute becuase he hopped right into the front seat and sat there with that look of "Let's go!" and so we did.

When we got back to TSC, we found that one bunny was placed and the rest were coming home, again. We were glad that one had been placed and hoped that the word would be spread byt the time we came back in two weeks. Anyway, we loaded up and headed back to Oberlin. Upon returning to Oberlin we unloaded, put away an feed all of the bunnies. This took a while, as for it was dark, cold, and everyone was tired. Finally, we finished and headed home. Home to bed and sleep.

It was a long day full of adventures. As I think about it I wonder how much my mom really appreciates my help. Sometimes I wonderwhy I even bother. I guess in some way it's because I care.

Halloween Costume 2008.

In the last three years I have been a roman princess, a sailor, and a fifties girl. This year I want to be "Danny" from the musical Grease. I never knew that it would be the easiest and the hardest costume to put together. The basic white shirt, jeans, boots, and leather jacket is easy. It's what you put on the jaket that isn't. I never would have guessed that trying to put "'T' Birds" on the back would be so diffcult.

I spent a lot of time going from store to store trying to find the right thing for the right price. Finally I landed in Pat Catan's and found just the right thing. Iron letters and white felt. Now all I have to do if figure out haw I'm securing it to the jacket. It shouldn't be too hard, or so I think. I have tackled harder things so this one shouldn't be too bad. We'll see how it works out though. Lol.

Bunny-to-the-Rescue: A Service to the Community

Yesterday I spent my evening helping my mom "rescue" three bunnies. A man,in Medina, recently went through some changes in his life routine. Job, family, something, and he figured that he would not have the time to take care of three dogs, a bird, and three rabbits. Basically he was looking for a good home for his bunnies. His mother works with a breeder that knows my mom. She told them that there was this rabbit sale going on a TSC and that she should call there to find information about it. Se did and they were able to get my mom's number, so they could see if mom could help place their bunnies in good homes. And I'm sure you know what happened from there.

Mom decided that she would be more than willing to take the bunnies and find good homes for them. This she did. We both went down to Medina to "rescue" these rabbits. That was quite the adventure. I was able to help load the truck with all the gear that they were supplying, and the bunnies. They where really nice people and I could see that he really didn't want to let go of them. This only made me, and mom, want to try harder to find them a really good home.

Once we got everything settled, and on our way back home, I started to think of all the rabbits we had ever rescued. There are so many that we have saved from the meat house and given a good home. I could only feel joy in what I was helping to do. I also felt the pain of the man who was letting them go. It took a lot of courage to what he did. It also takes a great family to be willing to take them in and place them in good homes.

I started to think about Mini Lops and More. It is so much more than just a rabbitry. Indeed it is a lot of work to keep up with, but some how it's more than just breeding and selling bunnies. I think it has something to do with the rescue work that we have done. If we hadn't they probably would have landed in the meat market and that just ain't cool. We've been able to make others happy and to feel good doing it.

Many might think that our rabbitry is a lost case and a dream that should not be pursued. I beg to differ. Owning and running a rabbitry is much more than it seems. It takes team work, discipline, hard work and love. You have to love what you do. And I would have to say, no matter what mom thinks, that she loves what she does with her rabbitry. For else, if she did not, then why would she even try?

I love helping mom with breeding, raising, selling, rescuing, and showing our bunnies. Yes, it takes a lot of hard work, but it really is worth it. I'm not saying that I will pursue my own rabbitry, but I do love helping and learning from what I do do with our bunnies.

First and Last Homecoming.

Yesterday was Southview's homecoming dance. It was really good. I had a lot of fun. I kind of wish that I had at least gone more than once while in high school, but none the less I enjoyed the dance.

It was a "Red Carpet Night" and they did an awesome job in making you feel like you really were a celebrity of worth. The entrance to the dance consisted of a red carpet, spot lights, "V.I.P. Entrance", and they even announced your name as you walked into the dance. The commons barely even looked like the commons. The light, decorations, and people seemed to make it more than just a school cafeteria. About 580 were in attendance and everyone was having fun.

I'd have to say that I was deeply saddened to see so many immodest dresses there. Some dresses had potential, but others had no hope of ever being modest. Halters, neck lines cut way down there, very short in length, spaghetti straps. So not worth looking "slutty", "sexy", and so not worth giving out the wrong message. If only they knew what they were doing and saying when they dress so immodestly. I just don't get it.

Ignoring all of that, it was still a good dance. I got to hang out with friends and have fun. I didn't need a date, or to dance every dance, to have fun. If fact it took a lot of courage for me to walk in that dance by myself. It was totally worth it! Gosh, I'm gonna miss high school, but there's always other opportunities to have fun. A big shout out to the Class of 2009! Let's make it the best year yet! Hooah!

Samantha. Pegasus. Rascal.

I can still remember the day that these four little ones entered my life. But, I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Lol. Back in April of 2008, I signed up to take a doe and litter project for 4-H. I had previously taken a pet rabbit project and this year I wanted to explore the breeding end of it. I was excited and a little nervous on the whole idea of breeding Samantha. Mom had bred many rabbits before and had the knowledge to help me through this new adventure that I was taking on.

Mom and I bred Samantha to one of her bucks, who I affectionately call Grundly, on June 10, 2008. I hated the idea of breeding them, but I wanted to have little ones. You can have one without the other. It's just the way of life. Anyway, It was about two weeks later that mom palpated, felt for babies, to see if the breeding took or not. She found that it had. We both felt these little grape sized babies forming. I was so excited!

Thirty- one days later I had four beautiful little ones. I had moved Samantha from Oberlin to my aunt's house, where she was closer and easier to keep an eye on. I remember the Friday morning that Mom, Roland, and I went to my aunt's to check on Samantha. That was a morning of much excitement. I had gone downstairs, to the basement, to check on and feed Samantha. This is when I discovered four tiny little ones in her cage. I got so full of excitement, that I ran upstairs hollering "Mom! Mom! Come quick!" Mom knew, before she had even stepped inside, that the babies had come.

When we investigated we found that there were six born the night before. Two did not make it very long after birth. We were surprised to see that there were only two solid ones and four broken ones. That was fairly good for a broken and a solid being bred together. Anyway, I remember Mom picking up one of the babies and handing it to me. I practically freaked. I had been several years since I had held a baby kit in my hand, not to mention I had never held a brand new kit in my hands before, ever. I quickly got used to the idea of holding them.

It was three days later, that I lost two of the four who survived. I had Been there the night before, with Mom, to help make sure that the babies had a chance to feed. The only solid that I had left was doing fine, but all of a sudden he began to be still and wasn't squirming as much as before. We started to get worried. He seemed to have got chilled and we tried to warm him and get him moving again. The whole time I knew I was going to loose him. I could feel this little spirit slipping away from me. This happened to one of his siblings, but he seemed to be doing fine and I wasn't so worried about him. The next morning came And I had Lost the solid and one of the broken ones. I was in tears. I knew that there wasn't anything I could do except bury them and turn them over to Heavenly Father. When mom and I got to Oberlin we took care of her bunnies and then buried the two that I had lost. I buried all four, of the ones I lost, in the same place. I mourned their loss and rejoiced in the time I had with them. I also rejoiced in the life of the two that had survived.

Since then, I have been privilaged to raise the two cutest and sweetest bunnies. Mind you I have been apart of other bunnies live's but never been there their to teach them and raise them. It's been a wonderful experience that has tought me much about caring for animals. It has also tought me to be more responsible. I love watching them grow and learn. They are very curious about the world around them. It has truly been a joy raising these two fine young rabbits ands I hope that I will be privilaged to do it again with another litter.

It has truly been a joy having them around. I am grateful each and every day to have them.

A Real Dragonfly: The Story Behind The Picture

So, Grams gave me this really cool idea today. She made the suggestion that I should put the picture of "my" dragonfly on my blog, somewhere, because it would fit the title of my blog "A Dragonfly's Life. So, thinking it was a good idea I decided to see what I could do.

I played around with it to see what I liked the most and the results are obviously what you see when you arrive at my blog. I then got to thinking that not everyone knows the story of my dragonfly and how the picture come to be. So here is the quite interesting story of the dragonfly you see here on my blog...

Every year Grams and I attend our Winans Sanborn Family Reunion, which is always the Sunday after Father's Day. This year Grams, Mom, Harley and I all went. It was quite the experience, but very fun in itself. We had a lot of fun talking and catching up on the year's events.
During the course of the day I spent a lot of time with the other youth that attended. I always seem to do this as I have always had more fun with them, than talking about things I had no recollection of such as the earlier reunions. Not that genealogy isn't interesting, mind you.
By the end of the day one of the younger youth had noticed a dragonfly. This particular dragonfly seemed to have it's own calm way about it that was just not natural for dragonflies or other insects of the nature. It seemed to not be afraid of the human presence.
I, being the dragonfly lover that I am, had to get a closer look. I was fascinated by this gorgeous creature of beauty. I was surprised when I was able to get really close to it and not have it fly away. By this time I had to have a picture of this strange, yet beautiful creature. It allowed me to get within only about two inches of it so I could take a picture with my camera phone. I was utterly amazed. I was also excited because I was able to capture a real live dragonfly. How often does that happen?

I am grateful to have had that opportunity to be that close to a dragonfly and capture its beauty. Mother Nature is a wondrous thing. Kind of like life.