Manatees & More

It's been pretty busy here at what we like to call the "Lazy G Ranch".  After somewhat of a pause in rabbit production, we now have two litters of kits.

 

Plum had three kits a couple of weeks ago but we lost one.

 

Peaches had nine kits just a few days ago and we lost two.  They aren't very cute yet!

 

We finally ordered and installed a lazy-susan in our corner cabinet.  Now all of my baking supplies are neat and organized instead of being piled up on each other.

 

 

My biggest project has been to paint the living room.  We decided to paint it almost the same color, which made things a lot easier around the edges - especially since it has a cathedral ceiling!  It also made this room fairly un-satisfying since it was a lot of work and looks almost the same, haha.  The walls no longer have huge holes and marks in them though and we can now hang our photos.  I have also painted most of the trim and that really brightens up the room.

 

Last weekend I made a quick trip down to Crystal River, Florida with the science center staff to swim with the manatees.  Although I am generally against this sort of exploitation of wild animals, this area is managed quite well and the manatees do seem to enjoy the interaction.  There is also something about the experience that fosters an appreciation for the natural world that simply cannot be taught or read about.

 

We visited Three Sisters Springs where the water is very clear but there was only one  manatee.  The fish were just as enjoyable for me though!

 

 

The group.

 

 

We went to another area that had less people and several resting areas for the manatees (no people allowed).  At this stop the manatees kept coming over to us, checking us out, then rolling over and wanting us to rub their bellies!  They are quite itchy due to the algae and barnacles that grow on their skin.  It was pretty amazing to have these 1-2 thousand pound animals swim right up to you rub against you.

 

 

And who couldn't love that face?

 

 

On the way back to the dock this double-crested cormorant kept pace with the boat and we were able to get a real up-close look at him.

 

In this short video you can hear the young manatee calling for its mom at 0:04.