Tuesday, April 21, 2009

New Housemates

Hi everyone! I hope all is well with you.


The calendar says spring has arrived in Muscatine. It is still pretty chilly outside but Mom says the signs of spring are everywhere including on my front porch. My Mom has two trees full of white lights by the front door. Dad calls them "decorations." But apparently a wren has decided one of the trees is a perfect spot for a nest. This week Mom spotted 4 eggs in the nest.

Mom says if all goes well, I will have four new friends with wings pretty soon. I'll keep you posted.

Bye for now!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Guest Blogger: Pacer from BunSpace

Greetings! My name is Pacer and I am the traveling BunSpace rabbit. This week I am visiting my good friend Jackson Harering in Muscatine, Iowa.

As you can see from the previous post, Jackson Harering (or JH as I like to call him) and I had an awesome Easter. Thank you Easter Bunny!

JH wanted me to see his hometown so he sent me out and about with his parents Kristin and Eugene. JH kindly kept an eye on my Easter basket while I was away.

Muscatine is located in southeast Iowa along the Mississippi River. It didn't take me long to see the what the big attraction is in Muscatine. It's the river, of course!

Below you can see behind me a boat called the "Pearl Button" that was docked along the river.


Here you can see me with the Norbert F. Becky Bridge behind me. The bridge connects Muscatine to the State of Illinois.

And if you look really carefully past the bridge, you can see Lock and Dam 16. This is one of the many Lock and Dams along the Mississippi River that help big boats, including barges, move up and down the river. There were a few barges near the Lock and Dam when I visited the riverfront.

Muscatine has a really nice park along the river. One of the first things I saw (besides the river) was this HUGE statue.


The statue is called "Mississippi Harvest." It is made of bronze and Kristin told me it was made just for Muscatine based on a historic photograph. Kristin should know. She was one of the people who helped to push the idea forward and raise money for the statue.

Here I am by the name plate of the statue.


And just so you can get a feel for how BIG the statue is, here is a picture of me with the statue.

Can you even see me? I am just a small speck compared to the big bronze guy! In fact, the mussels (which look like clam shells but Kristin swears they are mussels) in the boat of the statue are bigger than I am!


The statue was named "Mississippi Harvest" because more than 100 years ago people in Muscatine started digging up the mussels in the river. Kristin says the shells were made into pearl buttons and Muscatine became known as the "Pearl Button Capital of the World." Pearl buttons are no longer made in Muscatine but you can still find pieces of pearly shells around town. We found these broken shell pieces on our walk along the riverfront.


Once I was finished examining the big statue, we walked to a place called the "Millennium Plaza."


The plaza has many plaques that tell important stories about Muscatine. I found this one most interesting. The famous author Mark Twain (real name Samuel Clemens) once lived and worked in Muscatine.

Clemens worked at the Muscatine Journal and later wrote about the sunsets in Muscatine in his book, Life on the Mississippi. "And I remember Muscatine—still more pleasantly—for its summer sunsets. I have never seen any, on either side of the ocean, that equaled them. "

Kristin says Muscatine is so proud of the Twain quote that a symbol of a sunset is one of the city's logos. You can see me here by the sunset logo in "Millennium Plaza."


Kristin and Eugene told me that many residents raised money to help build the plaza by buying special bricks that make up a portion of the floor of the plaza. Kristin and Eugene bought a special brick in memory of their first rabbit, appropriately named Buttons.


Not far from the plaza is a HUGE rock. The rock marks a spot called "Casey's Landing." Before Muscatine was known as a city it was known as Casey's Landing.


After my visit to the riverfront, Kristin took me to the Muscatine Art Center. Kristin is the president of the Friends of the Muscatine Art Center. Jackson Harering tells me his Mom spends lots of time at the Art Center.

JH's bunsitter, "Aunt Lynn", works at the Art Center and I got to meet her. She is VERY nice.


"Aunt Lynn" showed me the latest art work in the big museum gallery. It is called the Mosaic Project. It is really neat and colorful. Students in Muscatine painted or colored 6x6 canvases and then the art center staff put them together so it looks like one big painting. Very cool!


I hope you enjoyed the little tour of Muscatine as much as I did. I really have had a great time visiting with Jackson Harering and his parents. I will miss them but I have many more bunny houses to see. You can follow my progress on BunSpace.

Pacer

Hoppy Easter 2009!

Happy Easter...or as I like to say Hoppy Bunny Day!

It has been a busy 24 hours here at my house. Just like last year, the most important bunny in the world, the Easter Bunny, asked me to assist him with his Easter duties. Of course, I hopped at the chance (hehe...hopped...get it?). And since Pacer is visiting me, I asked my famous BunSpace friend to help me.

We've spent the past several hours hiding colorful plastic eggs full of candy for the kids in my neighborhood. We would show you examples of our work but then we would have to show you our hiding spots. That wouldn't be any fun, would it? :)

Being the Easter Bunny's helpers really wore us out. So Pacer and I were planning on spending a quiet afternoon taking a nap. But when we got home, we found the Easter Bunny had left both of us baskets FULL of fun stuff. He told my Mom it was his way of thanking us for helping this year. I think we owe the Easter Bunny a big THANKS!



My basket was stuffed with timothy hay and a few hidden berry yogurt drops (my favorite). I also got a new stuffed bunny to play with, a fun food basket, a wooden chew toy to hang from my cage, a baseball chew toy (it is baseball season after all), a box of lofty treats, a box of raviolos, and special bunny keyring with yummy wooden carrots. The Easter Bunny left me a note to say the last two items were specially requested by my Grandma and Grandpa McHugh. Awesome!

I couldn't wait to check out my basket!




Pacer's basket included a new stuffed friend, a baseball chew toy like mine, and treats. Pacer was SO surprised that he got a basket that he wasn't sure what to do. Naturally, I stepped in and helped him inspect it.


Of course, we had to check out Pacer's basket from ALL sides.



Here are some more photos of me and Pacer checking out out Easter Baskets.






Once Pacer was settled and enjoying his basket, I quickly got to work introducing my new stuffed bunny to my bearbun.


Then I got busy playing with my new baseball and bunny keyring.


Then I swiped a treat from my basket and went into one of my favorite corners to savor it. By the time Mom took this picture all that was left was a pile of crumbs. :)

Finally I asked Mom to help me hang my new food basket and wooden chew toy in my cage. I think they really brighten up my space, don't you?


Hoppy Easter everyone from the McHugh-Johnston household (and Pacer too!).

Friday, April 10, 2009

Meet My Friend Pacer!

Hi everyone! I have some VERY exciting news. I have a special visitor staying with me this week. His name is Pacer.


Pacer is the traveling BunSpace mascot. I am a proud member of BunSpace and I have been reading about his adventures. I can't believe he decided to stop and visit my house as he travels all across the United States! He gets to travel like my friend Flat Michael. How cool is that?

Here we are meeting for the first time.


Immediately, I gave Pacer a tour of my room. I started with the one place my Mom does NOT want me to be: on top of my cage. Hehe...Pacer and I are such rebels!


Here I am explaining the special technique required to jump on top of the cage without my Mom knowing. :)


My Mom did let us stay on top of my cage long enough to take a few photos but she quickly made us get down. Thump!

Next I introduced Pacer to my bearbun and I even let him play inside my FAVORITE box (for a few minutes).


Then I put Pacer through the paces of my "racetrack" tube. Get it? Paces...LOL! I raced into the tube and Pacer followed....


...Mom snapped this picture as Pacer was exiting the tube and I was getting ready to run back in the other side (see me in the back of the photo).

Once we were worn out from doing the "Bunny 500" I showed Pacer the finer points of shredding a box. I think he is a quick learner, don't you?
Whew! I am exhausted. I think Pacer and I will take a nap now. In the next few days, I am going to make sure Pacer gets to see my town, Muscatine ,before he heads to his next stop.
I'll keep you posted. Bye for now!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

I'm Back!

Hi everyone! It has been a LONG time since I updated my blog. I apologize...on behalf of my Mom. See...Mom is the person who helps me update my site and she's had a busy winter. But don't worry, I've been up to my usual antics.

Now that I FINALLY have some computer time, I thought I would share with you what I've been up to in the past few months.

I don't know about you, but I've spent FAR too much time watching the snow fall since my last update.


The snow does NOT make my Mom very happy. So I do my best to keep a smile on her face (well at least when she isn't out traveling somewhere). Here's my plan of attack.

First, I strike my "look how cool I am" pose for Mom.


Pretty good, don't you think? Second, I jump all over her (making sure to leave LOTS of fur on her clothes) before licking her face.


This technique never fails. Mom is ALWAYS happy when I do this.

Part of this winter my Mom spent her final months working at her job making radio programs. I know Mom is very sad she is no longer working and I am sad for her. But I think my Dad is kind of happy Mom is going to be home more often. See, I have developed a MAJOR craving for boxes. Give me a box and I will shred it to my liking in no time.




And if I'm not shredding my boxes, I am playing in them.




Check out the new hole I chewed through my favorite big box!


Isn't that awesome?! Dad tells me I am super talented at making a mess. And I really don't like to disappoint my Dad...so sometimes I throw my hay all over my room. Hehe...


I did have one very special day in January. Mom let me watch the inauguration of President Barak Obama. Don't tell anyone but my Mom cried when President Obama took the oath of office.



Well that's my winter update. I hope now that Mom is home more often that I will be back to blogging more. And I certainly will have to update you on the big festivities of this weekend (Easter...or as I like to say...BUNNY SUNDAY). Mom says I am going to have a special friend visit this weekend. I can't wait!

Bye for now!