Hodge, Yoshimi & Acorn

This statement will not surprise anyone: I completely adore my pets- and the pets of my friends- and the pets that walk past me on my way to work- and the entertaining pets that make up much of my internet fun time (I'm looking at you Cute Overload). It takes an effort to edit myself and not just coo over fluffy creatures all day. But sometimes, it is Friday night and you are coming down with a cold and your bunnies are sleeping nose to nose in a little heart shape and you need to just let it all out.


A few days ago, I had some friends over and Acorn got a bath before they arrived so he could look presentable. He still had no manners but at least he wasn't offending anyone's nose. The picture looks like I'm being all mean and splashing his face with the water but the silly guy just walks right under the stream and gets all huffy and mad. The photo up top is post-bath drying session. Please note the back foot in the air yoga action. So after he was all washed and dried, I let him waddle around the kitchen for a few minutes and made a beeline straight into the dustpan and got his quills all wound up with Hodge and Yoshimi's shed fur! I'm beginning to think he likes being dirty.


Hodge and Yoshimi are the opposite. They love being clean. They lick themselves and each other for the better part of the day. Sometimes they offend me by cleaning themselves after every time I pet them. My hands are perfectly clean guys!


As pretty and tidy as she is, Yoshimi isn't above jumping on top of my belly and stealing a bite of my banana.

And Hodge eats hay that he finds under the bed. So, whatever dudes.

After I finish writing this, and watch Maru fit into a small box and a Corgi tresspass on a golf course, I'm going to go drink some tea sitting down on the floor hoping some bunny friend will join me.

Recently, my friend's pet rat passed away and someone else I know has a dog that they love very much who is currently missing so I'm appreciating my animal family even more than usual... which is a whole lot.

Vampire Hedgehog!

It has been months since Justin and I adopted Acorn (our curmudgeonly hedgehog companion) and I announced that he would surely inspire many Argyle Whale illustrations as our bunnies have. To my surprise, having him around didn't give me any ideas for hedgehog illustrations.

Acorn is kind of a hard guy to get to know. For starters, he's primarily nocturnal and even when we'd take him out to play, his idea of fun was crawling under a blanket to take a nap. It wasn't until I got a quick peek under his chin that I noticed he had a pair of little fangs and a slight overbite.

The discovery of fangs paired with his nocturnal ways finally triggered my imagination and I started picturing Acorn as a vampire. I considered the pairing of adorable woodland creature with the sexy dark imagery associated with vampires and realized that Acorn didn't have what it takes to be an immortal bloodsucker. Clearly he was disappointed but I was happy to finally have a hedgehog illustration!

So, I am delighted to present "Almost Vampire" featuring our dear Acorn sporting a high-collared cape, looking into a mirror and coming to the tough realization that "Little fangs and a satin cape do not a vampire make." His reflection mocks him with his own personal reality. *Le sigh*

I promise that I'll make him a more triumphant character next time.

Acorn is a new man.

Justin and I just gave Acorn his first spa day. Which began with a bubble bath in the tub followed by a fresh rinse in our sink. Then we wrapped him snug in a warm towel and watched an episode of The Daily Show while he dried off. We trimmed his toenails and finished off with an olive oil massage to keep his quills slick and his ears soft.

He is now totally exhausted and napping in his blanket nest under the heat lamp. Oh, to be a hedgehog!

By request:

Acorn in action. Two minutes of couch exploration. I promise that my blog has not turned into an Acorn fansite but I just can't help myself right now; he's so delightful!

Acorn! Acorn!

We have given our new hedgehog a name. Acorn seems more like a member of the family now that he has one. He is sweetening up to us and beginning to explore his new home. He really is a funny little guy.

I'm looking forward to drawing Acorn and his little black nose. I was never able to draw a hedgehog very well but now that I have a lovely model all the time, I'm sure someday I'll be as comfortable drawing hedgehogs as bunnies!

new friend

As if my family wasn't adorable enough with Hodge and Yoshimi, Justin and I have adopted a new creature. He-who-has-not-yet-been-named is a big prickly hedgehog and he's currently toasting himself under a heat lamp while he adjusts to his new home. He was an unexpected addition but we couldn't resist bringing him home after seeing that our neighbors were giving him up on Craigslist. Eeee!