We're happily ensconced in our usual Duck House (yeah, not the most creative name ever, but we just rent it, don't blame us) and I'm only sorry that we can't stay here all next week as well. My parents have taken to renting the house for two weeks, rather than the old one, and that makes for a delightful vacation. The first week is largely spent visiting with lots of my maternal extended family, and then the second is the laid back immediate family week. It was a stroke of brilliance on their part, I must say. This year the extended family portion was more intense than usual, as my mom's middle sister, Susan, rented a house just up the street with her husband and their two kids (plus my cousins' significant others.) I hear that it was especially nice because mom's younger sister and her family (husband, three youngish boys!) stayed at that house while my grandmother, three uncles and one other cousin (with boyfriend) stayed here. The Duck House isn't really that large, two queen rooms, a bunk room (sleeps four) and a two twin room. All of those people used to stay here for a few days! One year Dave and I were on the porch on an air mattress on the first night we arrived! That was actually quite lovely, and if I'd been smart enough to bring the aerobed with us, I might try it again this year. As long as there isn't rain, it's really peaceful to sleep under the stars.
Our poor bunnies are not happy with us, I'm afraid. They knew something was up when we started dismantling their house before we left, and they were not best pleased when I scooped them up and tucked them back into one of the boxes they'd come in from the pound. The car ride was surprisingly calm though, I expected them to be extremely unhappy, and while Juno cowered a bit at first, Jupiter had his head up at the first opportunity, trying to see where we were going. By the time we reached Brooklyn they both seemed fine with the situation. While we would have to come up with a better solution for any long trips, I'm encouraged by their placid reaction to car travel.
We set them up in Angela & Zach's living room, and once the cage was assembled we pulled them out of the carrier. Dave said that Jupiter was clinging to his shirt, as though he knew we were leaving them, and I've never seen Juno so happy to be picked up, and so reluctant to be put down. Rabbits typically do not like being picked up at all, so this was odd behaviour for them. I suspect they are being spoiled terribly and won't even want to come home with us on Monday!
Poor Juno did get into a bit of a scuffle with the resident rabbit, Greta. Greta had plenty of time to get used to being the sole rabbit in her multi-animal household, and efforts to bond her with the newer rabbit there, Artie, have been less than successful. I can't imagine she's happy with the current situation at all, so I can't say I was all that surprised to hear that she and Juno had come to blows. Somehow they managed to get at one another through two spaced out pens, being persistent animals, and I suspect Juno was shoving her nose through the bars for all she was worth, since she did that to us all the time before she became an outside-the-cage rabbit. Evidently Greta took exception and took a good nip at Juno's lip. Our good bunny sitters took her off to the vet, and say that she seems fine now, no trouble eating or anything. Jupiter has been quite solicitous towards her, Angela says whenever she's gone to medicate the cut she's had to move Jupe out of the way first. He's a good little guy, and fairly unflappable. I'm not worried, and I'm sure she's being spoiled even more than she was before! I will be terribly glad to see them both when we return though.
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