The Hocus-Pocus of Focus - Bruce Atchison

 I can't help but notice that my story-telling desire has been focused on the things I loved. That makes sense as we all love to talk, or write, about what we love.

I was unpopular in school. To gain some favour from my peers, I often told jokes or funny stories. The boys were busy playing sports so it was the girls whom I entertained.

Once I had a computer with a synthetic voice to read what I wrote, I began writing about my long-time love: electronic music. Two fan magazine published my reviews of CDs and cassettes of musicians who weren't popular except with my friends. I also had a few articles published in underground "zines" before I decided to go professional.

Since my freelance writing teacher said to write what I know, I tried querying magazines about what I knew. But most publications weren't interested in electronic music, radio listening, or house rabbits.

Undaunted, I quit freelance writing and wrote 3 memoirs. The one about my house rabbits sold moderately well but the books about my time at a school for the blind and how a cult-like house church messed me up didn't sell at all.

While all that happened, I blogged on the topics I was writing in my articles and books. My hope was that people would read my posts and decide to buy my books. That only helped me sell a few copies.

So I retired from writing in November of 2021. Because Canada Pension Plan kept a watchful eye on me, presuming me guilty until proven innocent, I felt compelled to promote my books and blogs. Now I'm free of the pressure and enjoying life. I do plan on writing and perhaps publishing two books I was working on but I'm in no hurry

GOD BLESSED ME THROUGH RABBITS - Bruce Atchison

I think God overdid it with bunnies. He gave them far too much sweetness. He also gave them incredibly clever and mischievous minds. Sadly, rabbits are the most under-appreciated and abused pets in North America. This is why I'm a strong advocate of proper house rabbit care.

Many folks don't know that, unlike dogs or cats, bunnies fear being picked up. This is why they instinctively struggle when uneducated people bend down and grab them. It's like being caught by a predator.

Additionally, rabbits play differently than carnivorous pets. Instead of chasing and catching things, they enjoy tossing noise-making objects. Since their teeth keep growing, they need to chew on things to wear their teeth down. This is why they enjoy chewing on cardboard boxes and ripping up papers. When two doors are cut in an empty box and an old phone book is placed inside, rabbits spend hours joyfully ripping and chewing.

Contrary to the Bugs Bunny cartoons, rabbits can die from eating sugary foods like carrots. They need plenty of hay to keep their digestion going and to wear down their teeth. Pure canned pumpkin is also a good treat as it is rich in fibre. A proper diet can help bunnies live to be more than ten years old.
Many people don't realize that house rabbits can be litter-trained. It's in there nature not to soil their burrows. Even those poor bunnies imprisoned in cages end up using only one corner for their toilet. Some folks have used wood pellets for litter but, being a cheapskate, I use junk mail scrounged from the local post office. My long-eared fur friends never minded that.

Also, bunnies need to be spayed and neutered so that they will be friendlier and cleaner pets. Once their drive to reproduce is gone, they become more affectionate to their humans. Neither do they spray and hump everything in sight. Additionally, female rabbits develop uterine cancer after five years when they're not spayed.

The reason I love rabbits is that it's a special blessing to earn their trust. Neither are they clingy like dogs or aloof like cats. To me, they're friends who like to hang around me, yet they don't mind if I leave for the post office. I also love the way they get all worked up and excited when they know a treat is coming. My current rabbit, Deborah, has a white tail which flashes like a beacon when she hops. Just seeing her excitement and flashing tail at feeding time puts a smile on my face.

I've written so much more about the wonderful facts I've learned, and the fun I've had, with bunnies in a book called When a Man Loves a Rabbit: Learning and Living With Bunnies. You can read more about this memoir of my life with these misunderstood creatures at my Bruce Atchison's books page.

Is Love A Verb? -- Bruce Atchinson

Have you ever had to do something that broke your heart, yet you knew it was the most loving thing you could do? I've had many occasions when I faced that dilemma. One of those times was when my dearly-beloved rabbit, Gideon, suffered from a prolapsed rectum. The local vet didn't know much about rabbits so he only gave me a topical cream to rub on Gideon's bottom. As the days passed, he remained in agony. In fact, he was actually gnashing his teeth because of the pain.

On February 16, 2005, I made the decision to end his misery. I placed Gideon in a pet carrier and gave him some lettuce to eat. Then I waited for my friend from church to drive me to the clinic
Because of my love for my long-eared friend, I wept all afternoon. Gideon taught me so much about his kind as well as being such a sweet little rascal. The only comfort I felt was that my dear fur-clad lad wasn't suffering anymore.

DC Talk were right when they sang Love is a Verb. Love isn't love if no demonstrations of it take place. Of course the greatest demonstration of love was Christ's death on the cross for whosoever would give their lives to him. By dying to self, we gain eternal life. The good works we do as a result of having the Holy Spirit living in us only serve to further the love of the Lord to others.

Gideon was the inspiration for my first book, When a Man Loves a Rabbit: Learning and Living With bunnies. See the left side of my Bruce Atchison's Books page for details