Dumb Bunny

I am blessed to have a partner in life who indulges my inner child. At least, he indulges the inner child who is charming and fun. I am not sure he is quite as enchanted with the whiny one who missed her nap.

This year, as in past Easter seasons, Max hides one of my family of small bunnies in our living or dining rooms. I would clarify that they are fake bunnies, but I don’t want to hurt their feelings. This activity, a spin-off of our Elf on the Shelf revelry, is not exactly a Lenten devotional. However, given the intensity of this Lent for me, the bunnies do provide a certain comic relief. There are three sizes of bunnies- Archibald and Arabella are the parental bunnies and are each about the size of a small mandarin orange. Winken/Blinken (these two are literally joined at the hip), Nod, and Tumble are slightly smaller. They are still in diapers, however. Eenie, Meenie, Miney, and Mo are the tiniest of tiny. These little pink babies are each about the size of a sugar cube.

Those rabbits get up to no good. They are very sneaky little lagomorphs. They hide places that I cannot easily mine. One day, after several pointed hints, I found Nod sleeping on one of the Plantation shutter slats. This would not have been so remarkable except I had LOOKED THERE multiple times. The thing is, Nod is white, except for his sweet little purple diaper. The Plantation shutters are also white. The way he was sitting on the shutter, the diaper was not visible. A small white rabbit sitting on a white shutter slat has found a darn good hiding place!

My record in past years for finding bunnies and, for that matter, for finding the Elf on the Shelf, has been pretty good. Max has become a talented bunny hider, gaining expertise and nuance every year. This Easter season, the bunnies are winning. Either the bunnies are getting smarter, or my bunny-hunting skills are in serious decline. When I read articles about aging, they never mention that the bunny-hunting skills are the first to go.

You’ve heard the phrase “dumb bunny?” I think, in my scenario, I am the dumb bunny, not the rabbits!

What Easter traditions do you keep? Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com.  Happy Easter!

Terri/Dorry 😊

The Bunnies Are Running!

Everybody’s heard of the Elf on the Shelf.  Some people also have the privilege of having a “Bun on the Run.”  I’m special that way. 

I have a whole family of bunnies in different colors and sizes on my kitchen table.  I originally had two bunnies… but, you know, they are rabbits.  They multiplied, as rabbits are wont to do.  See my own personal Rabbit Hole:

Here is where Archibald, Arabella, Wynken, Blinken, Nod, Tumble, Eenie, Meenie, Miney, and Mo live from Ash Wednesday until Easter.  Most people give up chocolate for Lent.  I indulge in bunny hunting.  Every morning, Max hides a bunny somewhere in the front living area of our house and I stalk the missing “bun on the run.” 

My bunnies have an active life.  They have individual personalities.  They manage a series of complex, interconnected relationships.  At least they do in my own mind. 

Archibald and Arabella are the mommy and daddy bunnies.  Archibald always looks long-suffering.  He doesn’t have two carrots to rub together. Arabella, frankly, always looks exhausted.  She is afraid she is losing her girlish charm. Archibald and Arabella, being the largest, are the easiest to find.  This is a problem for them because all they really want is five minutes of peace and quiet away from those kids.

The diaper babies (Wynken, Blinken, Nod, and Tumble) are also easy to find.  They are each about the size of a ping pong ball. Wynken and Blinken are very close and never go anywhere without each other.  Nod tends to fall asleep as a defense mechanism against his chaotic childhood.  Tumble is a little behind his siblings developmentally and is always “falling” behind!

Those newborn siblings (Eenie, Meenie, Miney, and Mo) are the sneaky ones.  They are out of control.  You cannot blame Archibald and Arabella too much.  Just imagine if you gave birth to quadruplet babies while still having quadruplets in diapers at home.  Rabbits running rampant is the requisite result of riotous reproduction.   Kids, please do not try this at home. 

I often need several hints to find the hiding newborns.  They are each just a touch bigger than a cube of cheese… or the tip of a baby carrot.  Meenie and Miney are especially clever at the game.  They are the most competitive of all the kids and like to “get one over” on each other… and on me. 

The first time I almost gave up on the game of bunny hide and seek was when Miney decided to hide on a small support disk under the kitchen table.  This first picture shows what the scene looked like before I started rummaging about looking for Miney.  The second picture shows him perched on the table support.  Would you have found him?

The next time I almost surrendered, Meenie was hiding in the wireless television headphones.  Various creatures- both bunnies and elves- have sidled over to the headphones before, but this was the first time one actually climbed INSIDE the ear covers.  It was kind of gruesome… like the earwig scene in the Wrath of Kahn.  Happily, I found Meenie before some poor sap unknowingly donned the headphones and had a rabbit burrow through his or her brain. Again, here are pictures of what I saw before I found Meenie and what I saw once I spotted him.

I have a couple of weeks left of my bunny quests.  Both Max and I are enjoying them.  We live such a full and rewarding life!

Your turn?  Where would a bunny hide in your house?  Why would you WANT to hide a bunny in your house?  Please share your perspective by leaving a comment.  In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com.

Happy Easter!

Terri/Dorry 😊

P.S. I know Easter is more than bunny running.  It is the most important day of the year to me.  As I write this, it is a beautiful spring day and I am just playing with y’all!