Welcome to The Rookery, the early 19th-century home at Cottontail Cottage Animal Sanctuary. The old house sits atop a knoll giving a bird's eye view to the beauty that surrounds it. Our "Rookery Notes" will let visitors in on upcoming events, fundraisers and our visions and hopes for the future. Please check back often. We may have something new to share.
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May 30, 2019 - The lilacs are beginning to bloom! Their scent is heavenly. There are so many lilacs aroud the Rookery that I am afraid in time, we will become sick of them (this is entirely untrue, because I  love lilacs.) I plan on filling the cottage with as many bouquets as I can manage to fit. It has been a wet spring so far. Our poor barn build has been on hold due to the holes we dug for the poles continuously filling with water. We go out and empty them with a little bucket tied to a string and push it down with the back end of a hoe. It is tiresome work. But in my head I can already see the barn and it eggs me on!
April 7, 2019 - Make way for ducklings!
​We received a call for help from a lady whose tenants had left two baby ducklings in a bathtub! They say rabbits are bought and abandoned around Easter-time and this is wholly true - but the same can also be said for ducks and chicks. Too awful! We ran and rescued the poor babies who were in rather rough condition. They smelled horribly from living in filth. When we got home, I put them in the shower and they came to life running around with their little yellow flippers that remind me so of galoshes, and standing as high as they could while leaning their heads back to catch every drop of water. Such sweet things. After their cleaning my daughter Emma and I gathered them in soft, fleece blankets and gave them a good rub down. We put them in a basket by the old cookstove to dry. Their little peeps sound content.
April 3, 2019 - Such a heavenly day! The sun has shone so brightly it makes one's heart soar and mind believe that Spring really has come. We marked out the spot for the barn today using the footprint of the old barn that no longer exists. Mat has sworn that from here on out - until the barn is complete - he will not shave. I like his commitment (but secretly wonder what kind of a mountain man he will be, by the time the project is finished.) We plan to do a video log showing our progress. We hope to break ground (using our feet and good, old-fashioned shovels) within the next few days. I worry though, the forecast calls for more snow! What kind of sultry, April maiden is this?
March 15, 2019 - We have a barn to raise!
​And the plans have come. Unfortunately, we had a grand, old nor-easter last night and the world is once more returned to winter. But this doesn't stop us from dreaming! The new barn will be a residence for goats and sheep and bunnies. Spring! You are not too far off - and then, we will break new ground.
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March 5, 2019 - What a dear, old, quaint place this is! The Rookery is full of curious nooks and hidden places. We have already become acquainted with the wise, old pines that grow in the forest; and following rabbit tracks in the snow has become a curious game. The view out the window is glorious and we find ourselves being beckoned continually by the shift in clouds and bright tidings from the sun.