The "Year of the Rabbit" is bad for rabbits

Chinese New Year is Thursday, February 3, and it marks the year of the rabbit.

However, if I was a rabbit, I would go into hiding.

Sunday morning I was headed out for worship when a petrified white bunny with pink eyes tore in front of me on its way to the bushes. I tried to speak some nice words of encouragement to the bunny, being Dr. Doolittle as I am, but sweet tones that soften the hearts of dogs do not work with bunnies. The rabbit was just more terrified, so I left it alone. I surmised that by the end of the day, the bunny would no longer be with us. It would die of fright, run into a wall, or have heart failure from running away from people.

I feared this very thing would happen.

It is the year of the rabbit, so parents think it is cute to go down to the numerous pet stores and buy little bunnies as gifts for their children. Even if they buy cages and have good intentions, within two weeks, they will tire of feeding and caring for the frightened animals.

Furthermore, it is winter, meaning the grass is brown and dead. There is no free rabbit food, and in this economy, most people are not going to spend their hard-earned money to feed a rabbit.

I've seen the bunny trend before (one neighborhood kid gets one, then all the neighborhood kids want one). Here are some of the things that end up happening:

• The rabbits get loose, are chased by people/cats/dogs, and have a bad ending.
• Some people take the rabbits back to the pet shop.
• Some people just abandon the rabbits outside. The rabbits have no where to go, no other rabbits to hang out with. They don't know how to survive on their own. So they don't. Survive, that is.

I have an American friend who once had a rabbit in this country. She left her rabbit with some local friends while she was gone for a week, because they had a pet rabbit too. The rabbit got sad (something like that) and died the first day. The family didn't know what to do with the deceased rabbit and didn't know how to contact the American. They didn't want the rabbit to die in vain.

So, you know, they, uh...can you handle this...they had it for dinner.

It's not easy being a rabbit.

My Living Room

Here's a picture of the left side of my living room. The hutch stores dishes (because there is no room for them in the small kitchen). Then there is a folding Chinese stool next to a ceramic Chinese blue and white stool. Then a plant, TV, lamp, and an upright air-conditioner that serves as a heater in winter. Then there is glass along the entire south wall of the living room, with a sliding door that opens onto the balcony. The balcony has glass railings, and this allows in even more light.

Then we swing over to the right side of the living room. I like this place because it is really bright, which I need. This city can get gloomy during the long rainy season. I like the off-white tile floors because Mimi's hairs blend in. The last apartment had nice wood floors, but they were harder to clean. I prefer tile.

Just thought I'd give you a little tour. Someday when I clean the rest of the house I'll let you see it too. :-)

I am grateful....

Thankful Thought #1

I am thankful for a doctor’s office in town served by Singaporean doctors and Filipino nurses who speak English. I can go there and they know exactly what I need. I don’t have to fight crowds or explain what Singulair is. They are able to get all my prescribed medicines for me, service I can’t get from a regular, local hospital. I even can have a private room when I get my 3-hour long I.V. drip.

And never mind that I have to stand outside in the freezing temperatures for half an hour, barely able to stand, while vomiting, to flag down a taxi. (I did have someone trying to help me get a taxi, not that it was that successful.) And never mind that in the end I take a “black car” (illegal taxi) because no real taxi will stop for me, and never mind that I freak out said taxi driver when I throw up in the back of his car (imagine his relief when he realized I had a plastic shopping bag to catch it all), and never mind that it takes half an hour to get there. I’m just glad that (a) the Singporean doctors take my insurance card, keeping me from having to stop at an ATM on the way, and (b) I am well when the I.V.’s and injections are over.

Lest we forget, I had no such luxuries when I lived in Bedrock. I am truly thankful and think the Singaporean doctors and Filipino nurses are somehow angels sent from heaven.

Thankful Thought #2

One word sums up my second strand of thankfulness: Betty. Okay, two words say it better: Betty Crocker.

Imagine how I felt Thursday morning when I heard that China’s president Hu Jintao was at the White House state dinner eating apple pie. Is that even fair? It surely didn’t seem so. I don't recall being a big fan of apple pies before, and I think I've only made one before in my life, but apple pie envy got the best of me.

So I pulled out my Betty Crocker cookbook and realized that yes, I too, could eat apple pie today.

I got some apples, and threw in the other ingredients (do you KNOW how easy it is to make apple pie from scratch – who knew?), and voila, an hour and a half later I had the most delicious apple pie I have ever tasted.

I had a box mix for the pie crust. It, too, was courtesy of Betty Crocker. I bought it here around Christmas time. I could have made the crust from scratch, but the thought of dealing with shortening didn’t sound all that much fun.

If I had frozen pie crusts like you do in the USA and Australia, I think I would make pies all the time.

So, a big shout out to Betty, whoever you really are! I should have taken home ec in high school instead of trigonometry, but since I didn't I appreciate your help (and my mom's help as well...although I regret I didn't pay close attention when I should have).

Trade Imbalance

My Chinese friend made this comment about the trade imbalance between the USA and China, an imbalance in which Americans want Chinese to buy more from products made in America.

My friend says, “The difference is, China sells little things, and America wants to sell big things.” You know, China sells pencils, tote bags, and things that are easily marketable to lots of people. Americans want to sell Boeing 747’s.

Hmm, something to think about.

And the Exchange Rate

On a slightly different subject,if the USA government succeeds in getting the Chinese government to change the exchange rate, as is in the news these days, it will hurt my pocketbook. When Obama and the media tell you the current exchange system hurts America, just know it doesn't hurt all Americans. As with most things, any change will just hurt the little guys and benefit big businesses who pay big money to lobby Congress. The fat cats will get fatter.

‘Snow More

Here’s one last look – ground level this time – of the snow in Bamboo Forest. The snow got a lot heavier after the last photos I took.

The skies are clear today, and it is annoying/dangerous to be out today. Big clods of snow are falling from all the trees, giving wet slaps to those unfortunate enough to be walking underneath.

Traffic stopped at a traffic light near where I live.

I live in this building. My place is behind the big tree in the middle.

The little girl in the purple coat, about 11 or 12 years old, is attacking her grandma with a snowball. Within seconds her grandma pays her back with that big ball of snow in her own hands. The little girl in the middle just watches the volleys go back and forth.

This is the bike lane that is separate from the main road. That's a sidewalk on the left side, covered with snow.

Here's the frozen pond in the park downstairs from where I live. That's probably all the snow we'll have this year. I can't believe we've had as much as we did!

It's snowing outside

These first three photos are taken from my south-facing balcony, overlooking a public park below. No one is doing morning exercises in this weather! (Usually the park is packed with elderly folks during daylight hours.)

The little pond at the park is nearly frozen over.

The world is white! We had snow all day Tuesday and Wednesday, and it's expected to continue all day Thursday.

I thought Mimi was white, but up against the pure white snow she looks a little honey-colored instead. The cold wet snow doesn't seem to faze her, she just zips around like it is a warm summer day.

Six Years Old

When I bought Mimi the first week of March 2005, the lady told me she was six weeks old. So I counted back and determined that her birthday is January 16th (awesome date for a birthday).

I chose Mimi because she seemed to be the smartest in the litter. She and her brothers and sisters were in a cardboard box together, and Mimi INSISTED on climbing over them to get to me. She was starved for attention. I picked her up, put her back down, and again she climbed to the top to get my attention. I decided we were meant to be together.

For the next two weeks, I doubted that decision. Mimi was a little terror. I read every dog training book I could find online...I couldn't wait for a book to be delivered to my doorstep.

In the end, I realized if I gave her back to the original owner, every time I saw a little white homeless Pekingese, I would wonder if that was the dog I gave up on. I couldn't bear to live like that.

So I made the decision to keep her, no matter what.

I later read an article that said having a dog meant having a relationship, and that my dog wanted to be my friend, not my adversary. She sure seemed like an adversary at first. But I took that information to heart and found it to be so true. She can't bear to live without me.

We are inseparable.

Village Visit

I went to visit some friends in a village recently. I love the quaint feeling of village life. It's quiet, simple, and laid back.

This village has electricity and running water, although they must use electricity sparingly due to lack of funds. The village houses and courtyards are huge compared to city homes. People who live in villages are considered, by the government, as peasant farmers, even though some have other jobs such as electricians, garbage collectors, pig farmers, etc. (Those are the three jobs my friends have.)

I wouldn't want to live in a village, nor would I be allowed to by the government, but I really LOVE the villages and the lifestyle they represent.

Blessings

I was out in town on my e-bike on this frigid cold day when I ran across these decorations on a store window. The Chinese character says "fu," and can be translated to mean luck or blessing. Local people use this decoration throughout the year, especially on their front doors at Chinese New Year* though, to indicate their hope for a lucky year ahead.

We've had snow already this year, with more predicted for tomorrow. Gotta wrap up, stay warm, and enjoy it the best I can!

*Chinese New Year is February 3rd this year.