Finding What Gives You Joy in the Rabbitry
- Tammy Vaughn
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
A real rabbitry day filled with heartache, show prep, Angora wool, and the magic of creating with rabbits.
Some days in the rabbitry are full of excitement, progress, and big plans.
Other days remind you that rabbits, livestock, and life itself do not always follow the plan we so carefully wrote in our heads.
Today’s live was one of those real rabbitry days. The kind where you show up with coffee, a slightly ridiculous microphone clipped to your hat, a rabbit who still needs to be sheared, and a heart that is holding both grief and gratitude at the same time.
I talked a little bit about Mr. Giggles today. He was one of those rabbits who had done so well on the show circuit and had become pretty special to me. Losing him unexpectedly was hard.
Sometimes in the rabbit barn, we do everything we know to do. We keep them cool, keep them warm, feed them well, give them clean water, hay, grooming, care, and attention.
And still, sometimes we lose them. That is one of the hardest parts of raising rabbits and livestock. There is not always a neat little answer. There is not always a clear reason. Sometimes it just hurts.
I also shared the story of Sweet Thing, one of those once-in-a-lifetime unicorn rabbits. She had the body, the wool, the mothering ability, and the kind of quality we all hope to see in our barns. She gave me five kids, and I had big hopes and carefully laid plans for that group.
But as every breeder knows, best laid plans do not always pan out.
Coats get chewed. Rabbits go underweight. Show prospects become stay-home rabbits. The timing changes. The plan changes. And sometimes, the only thing we can do is step back, make the best decision for the rabbit, and keep moving forward.
Today Miss Harmony was the rabbit on the table. She has beautiful wool, but she is also one of my most curious, busy, impatient girls. I just adore her! She needed to be finished, and while I had hoped she might be part of the bigger show plan, the better choice is to shear her, let her rest, and help her get back into better condition.
That is real life in the rabbitry.
It is not always ribbons and pretty pictures. Sometimes it is scissors, second cuts, bony little backsides, wool piles, and making the right call even when it is not the call you wanted to make.
But then there are moments that bring the joy right back.
Behind me in today’s live was the shawl that my friend Terry knitted from my Hearts & Hares pattern. This pattern has been something I have toyed with for a couple of years. I have made hats, cowls, washcloths, and little pieces of the design while trying to work through the math, the lace, and the crescent shaping.
The lace has little hearts and little bunnies tucked into it, and seeing it finally come to life in a full shawl almost left me speechless.
That is the magic.
Not just the finished shawl, but the whole journey.
The rabbits.
The wool.
The harvesting.
The sorting.
The yarn.
The knitting.
The friendships.
The problem solving.
The moments when something that lived in your head finally becomes something you can hold in your hands!
That is what gives me joy!
Even when the rabbitry is hard. Even when the show plan changes. Even when the losses hit hard. There is still so much beauty in this process.
Today was a reminder that we do not have to love every single part of the work to love the life. There are pans to clean, wool to harvest, air conditioners to maintain, websites to update, shows to prepare for, and rabbits who have their own ideas about what they are willing to do.
But when I walk into the bunny barn and they hop around, when I pull one out for grooming, when I see their personalities, when I hold that soft wool in my hands, I remember.
This is why I do it.
This is where the joy lives.
Speaking of what gives me joy! Look at what just came in the mail! The comfort colors brand, the color "Crunchberry." Newest design by Andrea Evans, supporting NARBC!
BTW, if you want to join our Colored Giant Village on Discord, Here's your way in;
We’re creating more reasons for people to stay engaged, to show up at shows, and to fall in love with Angoras all over again. And that right there… is what this is all about.
Stay Fluffy My Friends,
Tammy,
Life’s just better with a Giant Angora hug
PS Keep an eye out, my next blog, coming in a day or two. I will be publishing a quick didy on my recommendations for an alternative to Gigi numbing spray.
I loved that stuff. It worked great. Now what?
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