Peaches

... shoes or cords, shoes or cords, shoes or cords ...

Thank you, Monica!

PS: Follow Peaches on her FB page at https://www.facebook.com/peachesyoknis/

Buddy (left) and Minnie Mouse

Buddy here tells me his carrotini tasted funny. Now we have your passwords.

- Thank you, Laura!

Milo

... I heard that M*nd*y coming two days ago. Double that carrotini, hoomin, will ya!

- Thank you, Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue and Erika!

PS: Milo is from BHRR. The rescue is conducting a fundraiser to cover their CC bill after taking in 38 rabbits in March of 2017. This week we will be featuring their buns and trying to spread the word.

X-Plus Bun - Red Hop, Pt. 15

Author's Note:Last week Zoomer interrupted Mr. Toes and his storytelling because it was getting late. As much as Zoomer like the story, she thought it was more important for both of them to get some decent sleep before a busy day. However, they got an unexpected reprieve in their schedule when the Center notified them of a delay in the arrival of the repair probe. After a bit of good-natured banter with Zoomer, Mr. Toes carries on with the story.

“Of course, we wanted to start the day with a nice breakfast, but Abby was very suspicious of all the greens the bipeds offered us and insisted we couldn't touch anything until we were entirely sure they were not contaminated. We took samples from the cart and put them in a freezer. The lot, strangely enough, turned out to be clean. We found a few bugs and snails here and there, but one would expect that. Indeed, the gift of greens appeared to be just a gift of greens.

Breakfast

We processed the food in a sanitizer, and we had a wonderful feast. After all, we didn't expect much from picnic grub, but it turned out so delicious and exceeded our greatest expectations. After the grazing, we talked about what effect the previous day's show might have on the locals. 'If the bipeds start perceiving the divinity of local hares, I'm fine with that. Who knows, they could make the same connection with the rest of the creatures here,' said Abby. Molly flashed a hopeful look but then shook her head in silence. She grabbed one more stock of dill, nomed it nervously, and turned her attention back to Hopmeric. She took a break from sitting next to him but would not take her eyes off the infirmary monitor. The guy was still out but breathing steadily.

By late morning, we started arranging the stone slabs around the faulty landing skid. Joey would grab each of the pieces and set it upright. He arranged them in a circle around the skid following Molly's markings on the ground. It was a slow and painstaking process because he had to be very careful not to hit any parts of the ship, especially the skid. Abby again had to relieve him when he got tired. They switched places once more before the job was done. The hardest part of it involved placing some of the stones like cross beams on top of the upright slabs. Those had to be handled in a horizontal orientation, and that pushed the loading dolly to its limits. So we had to be careful. We only had one dolly and no spare parts for it.

Hopmeric snoozing Joye

At last, we were done by midnight, and we were mentally exhausted. Some of us slept in the next morning. Ava and Penny were up at the usual time and were kind enough to fix a big, fresh breakfast salad. Joey had a double serving and then went back for another nap. Abby wasn't doing much better. She grimaced from a sore neck and shoulder pain. Pancake looked her over but didn't find reasons to be alarmed. It had to be tension related to yesterday's work. Abby put a heat pack around her neck and relaxed in a couch on the flight deck.

Pancake switched places with Molly on the Hopmeric watch, and now Molly and Penny prepared the landing skids to be manually controlled. We retracted them very slowly until the ship contacted the stones slabs as it got closer to the ground. Then Molly disabled the retracting mechanism for all the skids except the damaged one. And this one we raised very slowly, so the weight of the ship could be transferred to the stones. As we held our breath, Ava kept raising the skid centimeter by centimeter. We heard one of the stones shatter, then another as the ship begun putting pressure on the slabs. I was getting worried that all this work might have been for naught. Alas, the rest of the stones held. Ava finished raising the skid off the ground, and then we waited.

Joey again

The slabs held, and we didn't hear any more explosions. We waited most of the day to see if the ship would settle or not. We had to be sure this stone support was stable. It would be an awful shame to go out there and get smashed if the support had collapsed. We watched and watched the instruments for signs of shifting attitude, but the indicators didn't budge. Finally, Joey volunteered to go out and have a look under the skid. His nap had to have done wonders because he was as rested and giddy as ever. He hopped out in the full EBA suit with the helmet on so he could stream the video. We had our eyes glued to the screen.

And there it was. A gash in the bottom of the skid the size of Joey! Not only that, there was something wedged in that deep wound. 'Yeah, we're gonna need a bucket or something to collect this rubbish,' mumbled Joey. 'What are you talking about?' snapped Abby. 'This stuff wedged in the gash. Don't you want to know what this is? We'll have to chisel it out from the skid. I bet it's compacted in there pretty badly... Yep, looks like it,' Joey carried on.

Mr. Toes

He got on the hover-stand to get closer to the bottom of the skid. Joey grabbed the little hammer and chisel I used to take samples of the stones, and proceeded to chip off a piece of that substance. He struck the stuff once, and a chunk of it broke loose, bounced off the hover-stand, and fell to the ground. Joey got back down, picked it up, and showed it to the camera. He looked at the gush again and shook his head. It was getting late, and Joey went on board the ship.

He came up to the flight deck and put the sample in front of Abby. Molly checked it for radiation, but the sample was cold. Abby looked at it and exclaimed, 'I think this is our lucky break!'”

Credits:
- Renee: taking care of critters, photography
- Mr. Bun, Ijon Thichy The Nth: story, illustration
- Mrs. Angie: editing

Follow the Characters of X Plus Bun on FB
On Instagram @dollyalittledisabledrabbit

Visit our About X Plus Bun page to learn more about the cast members and catch up on other stories!

Espresso and Charlie Update

"What's with this 'artisan lettuce', hoomin? It tastes like lettuce to me. The dill's OK, but the lettuce..."

"Nothing, nothing at all, I thought you would like a fresh snack."

"Hm, you're up to something. What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing my foot, hoomin! Oh..., I know, you want us to take the Saturday post, don't ya?"

The silly hoomin clears his throat and waits.

"You're messin' up our routine, you know. It's gonna cost ya this time."

"OK, how bad is it gonna be?"

"Double everything, hoomin. Twice the saaaalads, twice the headrubs..."

"Oh, oh! And the saaaalads better be twice as srispeh and snappeh!"

"Look hoomin, we know where all your cords hang, capeesh?"

- Espresso

Hudson

So, do nutriberries float in a carrotini or do they sink to the bottom?


- Thank you, Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue and Erika!

PS: Hudson is from BHRR. The rescue is conducting a fundraiser to cover their CC bill after taking in 38 rabbits in March of 2017. This week we will be featuring their buns and trying to spread the word.

A little bit about Hudson:
AGE: 2017
WEIGHT: 4lbs
BREED:  Californian
COLOR:  White w/black
GENDER:  Neutered Male
LITTER BOX HABITS: Good

Jade

Don't tell me you messed up the "everything saaaalad." What part of "everything" didn't you get, hoomin?


- Thank you, Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue and Erika!

 PS: Jade is from BHRR. The rescue is conducting a fundraiser to cover their CC bill after taking in 38 rabbits in March of 2017. This week we will be featuring their buns and trying to spread the word.

Mister

Why, yes, hoomin! Disapproval is a superpower!

- Thank you, Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue and Erika!

 PS: Mister is from BHRR. Info on his page states:

AGE: 2016
WEIGHT: 3lbs
BREED: Lop Mix
COLOR: Brown/White
GENDER: Neutered Male
LITTER BOX HABITS: Fair

Experienced rabbit home only – VERY strong personality – no children. Please do not consider if you are a first time bunny owner.

The rescue is conducting a fundraiser to cover their CC bill after taking in 38 rabbits in March of 2017. This week we will be featuring their buns and trying to spread the word.

Basil Rathbun

Hoomin, ask not what the bun do for you, ask what you can do for the bun!

- Thank you, Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue and Erika!

 PS: Basil is from BHRR. The rescue is conducting a fundraiser to cover their CC bill after taking in 38 rabbits in March of 2017. This week we will be featuring their buns and trying to spread the word.

Sabrina

Don't tell me the weekend is over...

- Thank you Mellissa and Collected Moments - Bunnies

PS: Follow Camilla, Sweeney and Melvin on FB at
https://www.facebook.com/Collected-moments-Bunnies-447426932128463/

X-Plus Bun - Red Hop, Pt. 14

Author's Note:Last week, Mr. Toes told us about the offering of fresh greens from the bipeds and how the crew discovered that Hopmeric, the local hare, had a leg injury. They decided to mend his wound.

"Major? Major!" It took me a moment to realize Zoomer was interrupting me. I guess I didn't put her to sleep after all. She continued, "Major, I love the story. It's really good, but it's getting very late. We have to get some sleep before tomorrow." "Oh, you're right, of course. I lost track of time. It's a good thing you called me out," I said with a grin. I meant it, too, because bad things happen when young crew members feel so intimidated by their senior counterparts that they defer to them on everything. "Good call, Zoomer. We'll finish another time," I reiterated.

Zoomer study

I heard Zoomer rustling under the blanket in her sleeping pouch, and soon, the cabin became quiet again—well, as quiet as the mechanical bowels of the capsule allow it to be. That's when the master alarm started flashing. Zoomer sprung out of her couch and was at the console.

The light stopped flashing. "Well, the probe is delayed. We have a twenty-four-hour wait," Zoomer announced and wondered out loud, "Twenty-four hours—what gives? Now what?" I couldn't tell if she was upset or excited or really didn't know. "Nothing, we wait, we get some sleep, eat, and so on. We'll have a busy day tomorrow anyway. They'll find something for us to do. They always do," I said.

Hopmeric study

Zoomer slowly drifted back to her couch, and her long hair waved like an exotic and delicate creature in the depths of an ocean. After a short silence, she started again,
"Well, about that Democrythera solution. How did you trick the formulator to give you something for a specimen it didn't know?"
"Oh, you want to know the rest of the story? Are you sure?" I tried to sound surprised and to be honest, I was, a little bit.
"Yeah, I'm sorry I got snappy there, now we have a whole day. Tell me, Major; you never had stasis in your life, have you?" Zoomer went on.
"No, why?" I asked.
"It's just the way you pull the strangest stuff out of your ...."
"No, I did not, if you must be so nosy," I cut her off mid-sentence.
"I eat right, and I exercise," I added smugly.
As she tried to wiggle herself back into her sleeping pocket on her couch, Zoomer grinned at me with a smirk, "Of course, Major. So, how did you ..."

Hopmeric snoozing

"We created a generic profile for Hopmeric because all we could do is approximate the data. I worried that if the treatment didn't kill him, the ensuing adjustment to life as he knew it might. I mean, that stuff will rebuild the target organism from the molecules up. We just wanted him to have the ability to cope with the pus, but we knew that the treatment would react to him like some hopeless case in need of complete restoration. So, I worried what would happen when he would start to discover things he didn't know he wasn't supposed to be able to do—with his paws, for example. The first time he would grab something, he would have a lot to think about. And then, the thinking about thinking would come. What would happen when his kin would start to notice the changes? And, what about his offspring being very different from the other kits in the warren? Hopmeric was in his prime, you know."

I paused and looked at Zoomer. Her nose was twitching again, so I went on. "Abby and Pancake took care of his wounded leg, and then we had to wait and hope for the best. We got him set up for the recovery on the floor of the infirmary. We made him a nice, soft bed and lined it with hay for familiarity. Molly stayed with him there because she didn't want him to come to, whenever that would be, all alone.

Mr. Toes

The next day, Pancake kept a lookout on the hover-stand by herself. Molly kept us updated on Hopmeric, and finally, we were able to get on with the repairs."

Credits:
- Renee: taking care of critters, photography
- Mr. Bun, Ijon Thichy The Nth: story, illustration
- Mrs. Angie: editing

Follow the Characters of X Plus Bun on FB
On Instagram @dollyalittledisabledrabbit

Visit our About X Plus Bun page to learn more about the cast members and catch up on other stories!

Espresso and Charlie Update

Hellos Everybunny,

Sure, why not, we'll take the Saturday post again. You know, it's "the doodles" again. Whatever.

The hoomin called us the "binary disapproval system." We spin around the idea that when the hoomin gets up in the morning, we expect treats. Then we spin and run around in circles around his leg. Unfortunately, the phenomena are very difficult, if not impossible, to capture. The act of paying attention to it slows down the spin and compels the hoomin to get on with the treat dispensing. After the treats are served, the spin is gone.

Then came the headrubs, so we loaf nose to nose and grit our teeth in contentment. And then we loaf some more.

- Espresso

Finn

You're working on our pawty saaaaalad for the weekend, right? Hoomin?

- Thank you, Rondi!

PS: Follow Mango and Finn on their FB page at https://www.facebook.com/mangoandfinn/

Lucky

Hoomin, it's not me, it's you, with the clicky thing instead of plate with greens!

- Thank you, Kathy!

Sami

Hoomin, let me sing you song about the raspberrini I want. Right now!

- Thank you Angel Tommie, Kiara & Sami

PS: Sami is a rescue, follow him and Kiara on FB

Mandi

No carrotinis, no yellow snow, hoomin!

- Thank you, Kathy!

Clover

Greeting homins, now where's my salad and make it snappeh!

- Thank you, Ken and Kaci!

PS: Ken says, "

In reality Clover is a cuddle bun and a member in good standing with The Desert Warren."

X-Plus Bun - Red Hop, Pt. 13

Author's Note: As Mr. Toes continues to recall his adventure for Zoomer, during the last episode, he told us how the bipeds received an unexpected offering of a cart piled up with fresh greens. We rejoin him at the time when Molly towed the cart close to the ship.

"My paws trembled as I rummaged for the tranquilizer. Once I found it, I read the instructions out loud, just to be sure. I was so upset that I didn't trust myself to be able to follow the simplest of directions. Finally, I clenched my paw around it and hopped toward the loading ramp as fast as I could. This was my craziest race against time I had ever done, hoping every second that Hopmeric wouldn't get spooked and run off into the woods. Once I reached the ramp, I saw Molly on the hover-stand with the veg cart in tow and Hopmeric still grazing on something. Maybe it was cabbage, but now I'm not sure because his back was turned toward me. I stopped as softly as I could and immediately aimed at his hind leg. I took a breath and released the charge. The dart almost missed him. Hopmeric got startled and became frantic, trying to reach the spot where the shot went in, desperately trying to reach it with his mouf. Then he tried to claw at it, but that didn't help either. At last, he jumped off the cart, tried to run, took one hop and wobbled, trying to keep his balance. He took another hop and fell. He kept moving his front paws as if he was still trying to steady himself and, after a moment, became still.

Mr. Toes at the med cabinet Mr. Toes at the loading ramp

I heard Abby in full, heavy gallop behind me. She carried a blanket and a small duffel bag, passed me, and went right by Molly and Pancake, who stood frozen still with confused looks on their moufs. Abby motioned to them to follow her. I tried to catch up as fast as I could. Joey jumped off his loading dolly and was rushing in to help with—something, anything. He had a frazzled and disoriented look about him, and he could not tell what was happening. I yelled to Joye, 'It's OK! Keep a lookout with Ava and Penny!' It seemed his body understood what I said and tried to turn away from all the commotion, but his eyes had a hard time letting go of the bun pile that surrounded the knocked-out Hopmeric.

By the time I caught up with Abby and the others, they had Hopmeric placed on a blanket. 'OK, let's get him up the ramp and into the quarantine lock. We all need full decontamination, including him!' said Abby, pointing to Hopmeric. 'Ava, Penny, Joey! Bring it inside!' commanded Molly from the hover-stand. Molly, Pancake, Abby and I each grabbed a corner of the blanket with the hare, and we carried him toward the ship and then up the loading ramp. We laid Hopmeric on the floor and waited for everybunny to get back in. Once Joey ran back out and brought inside the hover-stand, we closed the ship. We got into the decontamination lock and began to disinfect bun another. On the other side of the airlock-grade door, the loading bay was getting baked with ultraviolet radiation and deadly gases, hoping to kill off any microorganisms. I'm not sure there was any point to that since we've been going in and out of the ship for days now, so the entire vessel needed a good scrub.

Hopmeric out, first study Hopmeric out

But I know what worried Abby. We had made contact with a local native. Even if we did not get infected by anything Hopmeric carried, the opposite might not have been true. And if he had no immunity to our bugs, neither would his kin.

The scrub felt like it lasted for an eternity. Once we were as clean as we could get, we waited for the bio-scan to complete and give us the 'all clear.' But instead of getting the green light we got the yellow one, and the door to the ship would not open. Abby went up to read the console and after a moment said, '... the thing is sensing a bacterial infection. Did we miss something?' She looked at us puzzled. 'Oh, my!' Pancake exclaimed suddenly and turned to Hopmeric. She picked up his, big right foot and looked at his ankle. She put her paw on the ankle joint and felt it, 'Look, Abby, at first I thought nothing of it.' Abby looked at the enlargement and felt it; then she squeezed it a little. The enlargement popped open! Blood and yellow pus oozed out from Hopmeric's leg. Abby felt around the wound and grimaced suddenly. After another moment she pulled out something sharp from the injury, a thorn.

Hopmeric on the table

Pancake handed us wash wipes, and herself tried to clean up the wound. Abby got up and went back to the console. She confirmed the cause of the alert and entered a manual override command to open the door. 'Well, let's get him to the infirmary,' said Pancake. The infirmary wasn't any bigger than a closet, but you could handle some small emergencies there. We lifted the blanket with Hopmeric and placed him on the table. Abby kept looking at him and kept wiping her paws nervously. She looked like she was just trying to tear out the fur from her limb and Pancake touched her on the shoulder to stop the fidgeting.

'Well, let's get the solution ready, you're not just gonna stand there a let him die, are you?' snapped Molly. We all became even more uneasy. 'If we... help him ... we'll alter the entire ecosystem of the planet, you understand,' Abby slowly measured out her words. 'I was gonna say I don't care, but I do. I do care very much, so be it!' Molly continued.

Mr. Toes

Whether or not we had the right to interfere on such a scale in the course of life in this place is a whole different discussion. In the end, everything came down to the fact that we like the guy. And we only saw the good that could come out of our intervention. We picked a side and put our paw on the scale. Molly pressed it with all her, tiny, ferocious might.

Abby and Pancake prepared Hopmeric for the treatment, and I helped Molly ready the Democrythera solution."

Credits:
- Renee: taking care of critters, photography
- Mr. Bun, Ijon Thichy The Nth: story, illustration
- Mrs. Angie: editing

Follow the Characters of X Plus Bun on FB
On Instagram @dollyalittledisabledrabbit

Visit our About X Plus Bun page to learn more about the cast members and catch up on other stories!

Espresso and Charlie Update

Is that how I got my ears? Grandpa was a Spit?

Dang! Who knew? Grandpa was a Spit!

Not gonna say anything about your design, hoomin, but now you have to start taking out weight.

See? Like this. I'll start with the base.

Greetings, Everybunny!

The hoomin says he has to flip the posts again. He ran out of time again to make the doodles. Says he was arting a lot to get the six pieces finished for an art show this week. You know, we tried to help. We really, really did, and we have pictures to prove it, but did he listen?

Well, we were very curious about the commotion in the art cave. I even bit into a tube of white paint. I tried to inspect it, but I got caught and, you know, the hoomin didn't let me sample any of it. Instead, he made us a big dollop of homemade treat from Sarx food and a bit of nanner. That kept us busy.

I discovered how I got my beautiful, elliptical ears! My Grandpa was a Spitfire! My ears are perfectly shaped and efficient at generating disapproval. It all makes sense now!

So, you'll get your bun fiction fix tomorrow, and we'll keep you posted.

- Espresso

Fiasco

If you're done with the saaaaalads for the weekend, go. And stay out!

- Thank you, Kayla!

Camilla

You took my bed so I ate your saaaalad, you all!

- Thank you Mellissa and Collected Moments - Bunnies

PS: Follow Camilla, Sweeney and Melvin on FB at
https://www.facebook.com/Collected-moments-Bunnies-447426932128463/

Oscar

Sharing, shmerign! Get your own box.

- Thank you Mellissa and Collected moments - Bunnies

PS: Follow Camilla, Sweeney and Melvin on FB at
https://www.facebook.com/Collected-moments-Bunnies-447426932128463/

Melvin

Bet you a cawwot you're gonna forget to lock that gate. You will; you know you will. I'll be ready.

- Thank you Mellissa and Collected moments - Bunnies

PS: Follow Camilla, Sweeney and Melvin on FB at
https://www.facebook.com/Collected-moments-Bunnies-447426932128463/

Miss Ears

What do you mean a carrotini or a raspberrini? It's M*nd*y, haven't you heard of multiflasking?

- Thank you, Jane!

Espresso and Charlie Update

Greetings, Everybunny!

Yep, it is what think it is. Well, we just don't call "that" these days, not when it's February. Let's call it an all natural branch, twig, and pine needle assembly, with lights. Our hoomin donated it to us for experimental bunstruction. And we do enjoy bunstructing it, nom by nom.

Well, we let our hoomin art in that room, and it's become a cave of sorts, but whatever. He serves us saaaaalads and treats in there, so we don't mind.

We'll keep you posted,

- Espresso

X-Plus Bun - Bun Fiction Update

Greetings, Everybunny!

Tuesday night, we decided to rewrite the opening paragraph of the episode scheduled for today, and all was going well at first. The rewrite started innocently enough, but six pages of longhand later, we began to suspect that we had a whole new episode on our paws. Well, such are the tangled webs down the bunny holes.

Of course, you might be wondering where this story is heading. Sometimes, we wonder that ourselves. It started out as a three, maybe five-part production, and now, we are cleaning up episode thirteen and counting.

Remember poor Zoomer? Mr. Toes wanted to tell her a little story, not a saga. Poor Zoomer—she has probably fallen asleep by now, and Mr. Toes doesn't even realize it. He'll go on and on like this and won't get any sleep before the difficult day arrives.

Well, we will be back on track next week, and we have only a few more episodes to go. In the meantime, let's contemplate some space-grown lettuce.

- Pancake

Lettuce photo credits:

FB: NASA Astronaut Randy "Komrade" Bresnik
Official NASA page: Randolph “Komrade” Bresnik (Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.) NASA Astronaut
Additional information:
International Space Station - Veg-03 (Veg-03) - 01.31.18

Credits:
- Renee: taking care of critters, photography
- Mr. Bun, Ijon Thichy The Nth: story, illustration
- Mrs. Angie: editing

Follow the Characters of X Plus Bun on FB
On Instagram @dollyalittledisabledrabbit

Visit our About X Plus Bun page to learn more about the cast members and catch up on other stories!