May 16, 2004
| In this issue of BunFun:
new items | clearance items | favorite items | the boutique News and Notes from Leith Petwerks Inc.
I'd like to give a huge thanks to Devin, our neighbor's grandson, for being a HUGE help! Meet CareBear, this month's Ambassador. Yes, yes, he really is a rabbit. His Mom, Pamela, describes this four year old as the "perfect house bun!" CareBear is also Ambassador to Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue Inc, the Rhode Island Chapter of the House Rabbit Society. We're always looking for cuties! We might feature your baby in a future BunFun, or if the picture is especially outstanding, we might send you a little surprise gift to share with your long eared compadre! Drop your cuties, funnies, adorables and trouble makers to info@leithpetwerks.com. Bunny Art Contest: Part 1 Back in the day, online communication was done through a mono-spaced font (usually on screens with black backgrounds and amber or green text). No full color images, streaming audio or dvd-quality movies! (I was programming in BASIC and geeking around online in 1988 while in high school on local dial-in bulletin boards.) That didn't stop people from being creative, however; ASCII art emerged as people created distinctive images using only characters from the standard character set… and adding color if you're getting really fancy. This art form lives on in in our ever-more-digitalized world of streaming video and smart refrigerators as signatures attached to e-mails or Usenet postings. I've noticed as of late that a lot of them seem to be adorable bunnies—but that probably speaks more about the online venues I frequent than anything else. =-) If you're not sure what I'm talking about, here's a sample: ()() See how the punctuation marks form a picture of a rabbit? In one of a number of contests we will be having that celebrates the rabbit through mediums of expression, we introduce Bunny Art Contents: Ascii Art! If you have made a cute little bunny sig in your e-mails and postings, send an e-mail to us titled "ASCII Art" before June 1, 2004 to enter the contest. Our staff will get together and pick a winner, probably the one that makes us giggle the longest! The winner will get a basket of goodies that will be fun for bunny and fun for them, worth around $30, and mention in BunFun! Please send in your OWN art only; if you would like to nominate someone else, feel free to forward us a copy of their art found in a public message posting, along with their e-mail address. And if you'd like to join but don't use one as of yet--get cracking, and send us in your brand new creation! (This example is not eligible; I already contacted the person who uses this and asked her if I could use it as an example, and will be giving her some goodies, too!) Gardening for your rabbit
This year we were asked more than ever, "Can I grow things for my rabbit?" The answer is an enthusiastic, "Yes!" Think you can't garden? Do you live in a fourth floor walk-up with no balcony? If you have a sunny windowsill, you could plant an herb such as basil and have a beautiful plant that you can pluck little leaves off as treats for your bun in no time. If you have a patio or balcony, you could save a bit on the amount you spent on vegetables each week by planting a few boxes and planters of greens and herbs! And if you have a spot in your yard to put a simple 3x6 foot garden, you could grow enough for you and your bunnies to eat most of the season, saving a great deal on your grocery bill! If you are just starting out, my biggest piece of advice is: although you may buy a whole packet of seeds, you may only need one plant. Don't plant four hills of cucumbers or zucchini your first time -- your friends will really get sick of hearing, "Hey, do you want some zucchini?!" My favorite herb to grow is basil. It grows fast, and if you keep pinching it back, it will bush out and grow many leaves (otherwise it grows tall and gets straggly with woody stalks). Bunnies will love a nibble, and if you plant a few plants, you can make your own pesto, to boot! If you're really interested in gardening, your local library will have many books to help you. But don't get overwhelmed.. just visit your local greenhouse and choose ONE herb like basil that you want to grow ONE plant of, and ask them to set you up. It'll only cost you a few bucks, and with just a moment of attention every few days, you'll be sharing your environment with another living object! Leith Petwerks Inc. staff profiles!
Michelle, shown to the left, primarily handles our order fulfillment and customer service. You'll often talk with her on the phone, or receive answers to your questions from her in e-mail. While initially a cat person (sharing her home with Scruffy and Tweak), we've brought her over to the long eared side as well. Shortly after starting with us, she fostered a pair of feisty girls for Indiana House Rabbit Society. Michelle came to work with us a few years ago quite by accident. We knew each other through a mutual friend; due to staff changes we were looking for someone, and she was looking for something. While sometimes it's bad news to hire friends, this decision is one we're both happy with! Hilarious web links The past few weeks have brought a pile of hilarious bunny-related things to my inbox. It's a watch that has a a pair of primative bunny drawings doing primative things--—in a variety of positions. Touch the watch's face, and the hands will move to select a position, pause, then return to the time. Yes, I've ordered one. I couldn't stop myself. The design was rolled out with huge billboards in Time Square. Reactions range from tickled to amused to disgusted.
Someone sent me a link to this
Flash animation and I spent the next half hour replaying it, collapsing into
tears of laughter every few seconds. I LOVE IT! The Fine Print Thank you for being a member of BunFun. BunFun is written for Leith Petwerks Inc. by Amy Young-Leith, wife of Leith Petwerks Inc. owner/operator Scot Leith, bunny mom, Chapter Co-Manager of Indiana House Rabbit Society and VP of Leith Petwerks Inc. For more information, including how to subscribe
and unsubscribe, please visit us at http://www.leithpetwerks.com/Bunfun/,
or our main Web site at http://www.leithpetwerks.com. If
you have difficulties unsubscribing, please e-mail us directly. Copyright 1997-2004 by Leith Petwerks. Product prices and availability subject to change without notice. Please send questions or comments to info@leithpetwerks.com. |
Our
Open House on May 1st was fantastic. It was overcast, but the weather
held out with no rain. We were prepared with a sidewalk tent just
in case. Friends, neighbors and family came by to see our funky
building, learn a little
more about what we do, or just enjoy
some free snacks. Attendance was probably somewhere around 150,
very similar to the evening open house we held in the fall. 
This
article may seem a little untimely, for in all areas of the northern
hemisphere, the traditional time for
starting seeds has passed, and many have already planted. But the
fact is, the items rabbits love most—mustard greens, spinach,
lettuces, herbs—can
be planted late or replanted later in the growing season, or
grown indoors. This article is more to urge those who do not garden
normally
to
give
it a try! 
We're
a hardworking staff of four real people who get to know a great
deal about our customers from talking
to you about your needs, your rabbit's silly antics and more.
To help share a bit more about us, here's a sneak preview of
a staff profiles section I'll be placing on our Web site soon. 
Easter Bunny Rap