Thursday, August 18, 2011

Of bunnies and blown quads. Thursday 13.

Dear Diary,

13. Saturday, I did this run. And yes, it sucked as much as you might think. However, I did not suffer as much as I might have a year ago. I seem to be getting used to altitude. The last mile was basically climbing stairs, for a mile, over about 800 feet, starting over 11,000 feet.
And then...trying not to fall down on the descent.
I was not first. And despite starting last, I did not fimish last.

12. On trail runs, I love watching the youngsters and first timers bolt when that gun goes off. Basically, the older runners step aside and let them rush past, then offer quiet encouragement later, much later, when the course has taken its toll and they are passing them.

11. It is absolutely true that you can do more than you think you can. No where is this more true than when you are mosying down a mountain a hear a loud, deep crack of thunder, practically in your ear.

10. And by the way, having blown quads is just like having a blown tire. Other than you can't call AAA or just show some leg and get a stranger to change it out for you. And you feel like you might falll down the mountain at any second. But other than that, they're just alike.

9. Sunday, I ran the Rio Grand Half Marathon. I was good for the first eight or so miles, and then the prior day's steep descent and it's effect on my quads began to speak to me.
Eventually I just couldn't lift my legs as effectively as i had. It wasn't my slowest time. It wasn't my fastest time
2:20 or 2:21, for this course.

Found this when looking for information about caring
for rabbits.  Wrong.  So wrong.
8. On sunday Chloe the Wunderdawg cornered a rabbit in the yard. This wasn't exactly a feat: it turns out this is a completely domesticated bunny. It's small, soft, allowed me to pick it up. Definitely not going to last long out there: it is dark black in the high desert and there are hawks: big, hungry hawks. And owls. And coyotes. No, I just had to cut this bunny's camping adventure short.  MIND YOU, I AM STILL A HARD ASS.
But I cannot abide a soft furry creature with an adorable twitchy nose being someone's evening meal.

7. I gave s/he a couple of nuggets of cat food, which s/he vacumed up rapidly, but then I realized that bunnies are herbivores and cats are not, and for all I know, there might even be some rabbits in that food, which is just wrong, so wrong.
So, I googled.  AND. Apparently, they'll eat just about any leafy thing. So this week I have played the game: "what else will the bunny eat?" the Hollyhock leaves where VERY well received, as were the geranium leaves. Topping the list is apples, which we have a ton of, thanks to the apple tree in the yard. Also, the little plants that grow from the millet the birds don't eat, and chocolate mint. Not liked: basil, and wisteria leaves.
S/he shits like crazy.  It's not messy, just little tiny shit balls.  The first day or so, I think she must have been starving or something.  And then about the third day after I brought her in: constant little shitballs, which I clean up daily.  It's easy enough.  Just has to be cleaned daily.  For now, she lives in the guest room bathtub.

6. I don't plan to keep s/him indefinitely, but as s/he will eat stuff from the yard (no, i do not use chemicals on the grass) it's easy enough to keep for now. For now, I call shim "The Bunster."

5. Holy crap, my legs hurt on Monday.  And, they hurt on TUESDAY.  I did not run Tuesday.  I did not run Wednesday.  I slept in, and then woke up, blinking, 30 minutes before it was time for me to leave for work.  I mosy'd into work this week.

4. Monday, I thought about relaxing with a nice glass of wine. Then "Interevention" on A&E featured a show about a raging alcoholic, and well, it just felt awkward. So I saved it for tuesday.  And Wednesday.

3.  Today I had a root canal scheduled.  I first talked about my bad teeth a couple months back, and if you're just tuning in, no, I am not on meth.  (If I was, I would be WAYYYY faster.  Don't think I haven't considered it.)
The doc went to the trouble of completely numbing my mouth with one of those enormous, large-guage needles, and then said, oh, gosh, this tooth can't be saved.  No charge, but I drooled for the rest of the afternoon.  Meanwhile, I am planning three extractions, a couple of implants, and partials.

2.  Okay, this is by far the most important and incredible thing that has happened all year: I had a maid service come clean my house today.  Oh. My. God.  I tried another maid service, and I was all, meh, but these guys from Eco Maids: Oh. My. God.  They cleaned things that I never clean Because remember, I. Am. Lazy.  I could get totally hooked on this.  I"m already planning on what I can sell to have these guys out at least once a month.

1.  Tomorrow, the Sweet Baboo and I head out to Leadville, where he is pacing a friend of ours.  I may hang out at the May Queen aid station before dawn and offer to be a pacer for anyone who needs one that doesn't run faster than 11-12 minute miles.  We'll see.

...

5 comments:

  1. Climbing stairs for a mile. That sounds waaaay less fun that getting your ass kicked in a crit (which, btw, I did). A maid, on the other hand, would be the answer to my dreams...if she didn't call the health dept on us.

    And the tooth thing. Sigh. I'm babying along two teeth (right up front OF COURSE) that are going directly to jail do not pass go, but I can't deal with the thought (or cost) of implants or partials right now and so am happily staying in denial until I'm forced to do something about them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Who will take care of the bunny while you are away? They need food available at all times because their digestive systems are such that any lack of food causes potentially fatal GI stasis. Also, a rabbit's health can turn quickly, requiring a trip to a qualified exotics vet.

    You can get timothy hay and orchard grass at Petco or Petsmart, and give the bunny as much as it wants. Plenty of water, too. Go easy on sweets, like apples. Bunnies love sweets but too much can disrupt the balance of flora in their systems and cause problems. Leaves, (try apple leaves), lettuce (all except iceberg), carrot tops and parsley are all good choices. My bunny usually gets spring mix from Whole Foods or Central Market.

    Do you have a litterbox for the bunny? Rabbits litterbox train with almost no effort. Fill the box with paper litter, such as Yesterday's News, put some of its little poops in there, and the bunny will figure out the rest. Just don't use clay litter - the dust isn't good for the bunny.

    Well, those are the basics. I believe there are some rabbit rescues in the Albuquerque area, if you can't keep it. They may ask you to remain its foster mom if they're currently full, but they'll make every effort to get it a good home.

    Let me know if you have any questions.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Forgot one thing about litterbox training. The bunny should by now have chosen a place do most of its pooping. That's where you should put the box. Rabbits naturally pick a spot that's "the bathroom" and you'll get best results by respecting its choice of location.

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  4. I had a rabbit in my classroom when I was teaching. I don't know if APS is a "no pets" district or not. You might check with some of your area charter or private schools and see if they would like a rabbit in one of their classrooms. I found that the the rabbit was a good pet for the classroom. Of course I also had hamsters, rats, a hognosed snake, a cockatiel, an aquarium, and gerbils. The only yucky pet I had was a guinea pig; they stink like crazy.

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