Cottontail rabbits used to abound here. They would congregate in the orchard for morning meetings and use the driveway as a freeway from here to there, always busy and going somewhere. Occasionally there were also the big jackrabbits. I haven't seen a cottontail in years, but lately, in early evening as I water the deck plants, I've seen more and more jackrabbits under the old fruit trees in the front orchard. Large rabbits with long, long ears, they are perfectly camouflaged in the tall weeds. After some unsuccessful, exhausting forays, Bessie Anne has learned it's not worth her effort to chase them, and so we watch them together.
Back in the 1980s, I was reading The Stand by Stephen King, in which he referenced another book, Watership Down. I couldn't think that one author was actually touting another so felt it was part of King's fiction. Rarely can I pass a book store without popping in, and one day there it was: Watership Down by Richard Adams. While all the characters are rabbits, it is not a children's story. It is full of good and evil, romance and tragedy, deceit and triumph. Just as Trekkies know the Klingon language, Adams put in a glossary of lapine language. "Tharn" (frightened into immobility) and "Hrududu" (any motor vehicle) have become part of my own vocabulary. If I could only hear the the rabbits, I know I could interpret what they are saying.
I realize that rabbits can be pests but, as with the other wildlife that visit or live on the farm, I do enjoy their company. That said, I am glad the garden (such as it is) is fully fenced. I wonder where the cottontails went.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Maybe they are cyclical??? When I first moved here 4 years ago, the tiny lot had been cleared, and I planted petunias, other tender morsels, and grass/sod. I used to see the little bunnies cross the street (We are NOT rural) and the new grass was eaten down to the dirt constantly, and the petunias didn't last. I was even stupid enough to buy a flat of dichondra and leave it out overnight. Ha! In the morning, half of it was "mown." Now...no bunnies...although there have been a few coyote sightings...even in the daytime! The bunnies are SO cute, but I did get tired of providing a fresh "salad bar!"
Post a Comment