Today Nathan finished his last final for the semester. I took my math final on Monday. We've decided to take another class during the 2nd summer session end of June to beginning of August. I will miss the time on-campus. I think that Nathan is looking forward to the lighter weight on his shoulders.
The rabbits have been adjusting to fresh grass as part of their daily diet. I hand-cut it from the borders around my flower/tree islands. When Brent and Nathan mow, the edges don't get weekly attention. This is a good reason to have them let me take care of at least some of the areas. Part of the challenge in this, though, is that right now, at the beginning, they have softer stools and so I have had to taken their rugs away. I cant's keep up with the volume of washing necessary to keep the buns "on rug." They need to be washed and re-washed every day clean out the "smudges". Kind of gross to think about, so I don't. They love the grass and it is actually a good supplement to their fortified timothy pellets and hay. Roo continues to love popped popcorn (unbuttered, unsalted)--Peter and Oops won't even try it. But she isn't happy at all with the generic corn puff cereal that I offer to her brothers. All of them love dried field corn, I will pop off a dozen kernels for each of them every few days. The ultimate treat--the one for which Peter will scale Nathan's upheld arm and Oops and Roo will cram themselves onto Nathan's lap-- is a freeze-dried apple bit. Specifically, it is an apple bit made by Gerber and distributed as "Graduates For Toddlers" mini fruits.
The weather has turned hot. It is still lovely and cool in the early evenings. The yard is in full bloom. The gardenia tree was so heavy with flowers that I had to prune it to keep the outer branches from breaking off. The jasmine has kept the back half of the property full of a honey-sweet fragrance. I planted starts by the trunks of two of our pine trees four years ago. They have taken root and climbed to 20 feet or more. One of our back fences and gates have become covered also. The chain link is now completely blanketed--beautiful and luxuriant. For its ability to convert an eye-sore into a wondrous, pleasant place--I am grateful for the vine's abundance.