Rabbit & Cavy News

I am about half way finished with the redo of my main website.  Learning CSS has not been too bad, although there are just some little things that show up differently in different browsers that I can’t seem to make work the way I want. 

Tables, tables, tables, there will always be a place for tables, despite CSS.  I ended up using a few here and there just because I can make them look the way I want, quickly and without fuss. 

I hope to publish within a few weeks - and then I’ll make a decision about the other directory/information website.  I am not sure if it is worth having that site. 

Well I hope 2008 finds you and your family healthy and happy, and your nextboxes full!

Cathy

I know, I know…..I haven’t done anything with my blog or my websites - when am I going to get off my butt?

Well I am making good progress on my redo of my main website, LaReau Lops & Cavies - my old site was made entirely with tables - and lots of bulky code.  Although the site looks OK in most browsers - any changes I want to make to the site must be done manually, page by page. AARRGGGGHHH

This is specifically what killed my interest in my other large directory site, The Rabbit & Cavy Directory - that site grew quickly, but I became overwhelmed with requests from breeders to make so many changes, so often, to their listings.

Now, that doesn’t seem unreasonable to the average web designer - in fact, info on a site should remain updated - but that site, like my main site, was designed with HTML pages using tables also.   All changes had to be done manually on each page, and since each breeder listing was on multiple pages, this quickly grew into an unmanageable fiasco!

My redo of my main site will be done using CSS.  As with the HTML sites I had before, I am learning (CSS) as I go.  Sometimes it takes me a while to tackle a specific fix or problem because I’ve got to learn as I go (the hard way….) but how satisfying when I figure out how to make something and it finally turns out the way I want it!

Of course it took me a week to make my first page, but I had to experiment with different looks, styles and layouts before I could decide on one: Now I can use this one page as a template to quickly grow my site!

Once I get my main site finished and working the way I want - I’ll begin working on the new rabbitbreeder.net site - my replacement for The Rabbit & Cavy Directory.  Hopefully I’ll make that entire site using CSS, and also incorporate a database so changes to information can be made in one place and will update on all pages - and of course, I know nothing about databases.

I can’t close until I mention a special thanks to Robert up in Alaska - I could not do all this without your help (and your cool graphics)  If anyone is looking to spice up a page or website with some cool graphics, be sure to visit Light Speed Web Graphics!

My rabbits are doing well - they haven’t even noticed all the dang snow we’ve gotten around here!  I’ve got a couple does due tomorrow and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

All for now

Cathy

Wow did we get the rain here last night - drowned those worms right out of the yard! 

Glad my rabbits are behind screens - as this will surely be a busy season for mosquitos and bugs of all sorts.  Lately, I’ve seen some flying bugs that I can’t even identify; kind of short, fat fly-beetle looking things, kind of like flies on steroids - they look imposing to me so of course I’ve got to run from them, I hope they don’t bite!

Well I think Jessie Miller is coming down this way Sunday to pick up one of our large cages.  I am hoping to start powerwashing cages today, but may put it off till Friday depending upon our plans today. 

Happy 4th to you and your family!

cathy

Yesterday, the first day of summer, I lingered in my rabbitry after I finished chores.  I looked around to the many empty cages and thought of all the different French Lops that had once inhabitated them.

Those very first rabbits from Creek Haven Lops - how Kelly was so excited when we brought them home!  Our first litter, which Kelly took out and played with for hours- feeling sure that every one of them was a grand champion!  Kelly’s first win with Creek Haven Janet.

Breeding, learning to identify faults and buying rabbits to correct those faults.  Kelly developed a natural eye for these large rabbits and became very accomplished at producing her own quality French Lops.

Our first significant win with her own-bred rabbit, Thunder, was memorable and so worth all the hard work that brought us that far!   The subsequent wins…rise in the points…more litters born….producing several more grand champions.

I never thought it would end so suddenly with Kelly!  She had always been such an ‘animal person’ and I never thought she would pass by her rabbits, so readily, for other interests!   She has decided to move ahead though and seems to have the ability to simply move on without looking back.  I wish I could do that so easily!

So here we are, with only Thunder and Star left as permanent residents, and only two more French Lops to sell.  Tons of empty cages.

After I get over the ‘finality’ of it all and get moving,  LaReau Lops & Cavies will go through another transformation.  I am not sure exactly which direction I’ll take, but I have no intentions of getting out of rabbits myself. 

I will always have the Hollands - no bones about it, they are permanent here and I’ll continue to breed but with more gusto, now that I have a lot of cages to play with!  My Polish endevour is still new to me, and I’ll keep trying with that breed to.  I may decide to pick up a new breed, perhaps a rarer breed.  Not sure. 

Our website will need a major overhaul too.  It is still painful for me to look at, so many memories and rabbits that were once here.  I’ll have to redo a lot.

Well, the one thing I am really looking forward to is getting back to rabbit shows, beginning this fall.  Now I can just pick up and go without so much work!  I really am excited about this…….

Well, have a great weekend everyone

Cathy LaReau 

Usually by this time of the year, I have a full-blown case of cabin-fever - but I think it will bypass me.  It seems we have endless chores to do in the rabbitry lately; the cleaning is ever challenging, especially in this cold weather, and of course we have nails to trim, molting coats to groom and nestboxes to wash.

Show season is just around the corner now and we should be excited, but at this point, I am just trying to figure out how to arrange all my weekends to accomodate everything there is to do - in addition to the weekend rabbit shows, Jody has taken up playing airsoft - which is almost a type of roleplaying game, similar to civil war reenactement, but using modern day military uniforms and replica military and assault rifles that shoot non-lethal plastic bbs.  These ‘games’ are held throughout our state on weekend days so we have these to add into our schedule, not to mention the already-planned soccer games and soon-to-start high school track meets.  My head is spinning.

I really want to do two things most of all:  1)work on my websites using my new computer (yes, I have a guardian angel who saw to it that I needed a new computer…..one I could never afford on my own), and 2)breed and show my Polish rabbits.  But who am I to think I can expect to eek out some time for just my own pleasure??  foolish idea…..

Rabbits are all doing great, we have a couple of nice looking young Hollands that should be ready to show come April or so, and Kelly has two litters of French Lops almost ready to be weaned - her next new show string hopefully!

Kelly has sold out of all the rabbits she intended to sell, well actually, the last two she sold - she should of really kept them as we are going to the ARBA Convention this fall in Michigan, but she was convinced she’ll end up with some good stock from these litters she has now.  Hope she is right!

Bitter cold expected this weekend - button up everyone!

Good morning everyone!  Finally we are back to blogging about our rabbit hobby.  I found WordPress.com through an internet search when I was continuing to have major trouble publishing on our other, soon-to-be-extinct Blogger blog.

I am very excited to have found this service through WordPress - so far the response and tech support have been absolutely to die for!  Very fast, very impressive…

Later this week I’ll be publishing the link to this new blog on our website, LaReau Lops & Cavies, plus I’ll be setting up the blog for our other site, The Rabbit & Cavy Directory too.

Recently I made the skeleton of a website for my Wisconsin breeder friends, K&J Rabbits -  I’ll have to change to one of these WordPress blogs for them also!

Have a great Wednesday,   Cathy