When we first got the Cove House and were beginning to fix it up, each night when we left from working on our soon to be new abode there would be a cute wild cottontail rabbit sitting in the middle of the big front lawn eating some of our many weeds. I instantly loved her and each night would try to sneak closer and closer to take a better look. She would only let me get so close.. maybe ten feet, and then she would dash as quick as her feet would carry her into the Fitzer Bushes for safety and security. We decided that her nest and hole were probably buried in those horrendous evergreen bushes so you can imagine my concern when the day came that the Fitzers were to be eaten up by the backhoe.
In my mind I knew that the bushes had to go.. they were taking over the whole yard and they were so ugly and menacing looking, but I also worried about the rabbitt.. if we took her habitat away she would be homeless and forced to relocate like those poor Islanders whose islands are being covered with water due to global warming and forced to move to New Zealand. I was certain that my new bunny friend would dig her way to New Zealand and we would never see her again. Then I started having nightmares about what would happen if the rabbit was in the bushes when we demolished them and I started seeing grotesque images in my head of bunny blood, orphaned bunny babies and worse, my bunny getting knocked unconscious by the backhoe and waking up in the landfill having to fight off rats or worse.. the wood chipper....... holy shit. I have to save her.
So I talked sweet John into taking out all of the Fitzers except the one where I thought the bunny lived. I told John I could shape the bush and make it look nice. It was really in the best interest of our already sad looking yard (see how I work?). So John took out all of the bushes but the one. After a couple of week there was no sight of the rabbit and it was clear that the last remaining Fitzer had to go. It was so intertwined with the other bushes that as soon as the others were gone, the bush began to die. So I said goodbye to the bunny habitat and goodbye to my rabbit friend. She never came back.
Well... to my surprise and utter happiness the bunny returned a few weeks ago! (I realize it could be and probably is a totally different bunny but I like to think it is the same one.. let me have my fun) Only this time she showed up in the backyard. With all of the trauma of the front yard demolition I don't blame her! I quickly got to work earning her love and trust back. This has included an assortment of farm share greens, carrots and now rabbit pellets. John and I put a ground feeder out on the back lawn full of feed for the doves, quails, peanuts for the scrub jays and I have recently added the pellets for my furry friend who we decided to name Phyllis.
There is nothing cuter than to look out and see Phyllis up in the feeder with a dove and the quails wondering around below them. I need to get a picture of that!
Last night as John was working on the back patio and I was watering the plants, Phyllis layed out on the back lawn and watched us. I walked over to her and slowly walked by maybe two feet away from her cute self and she looked up at me and didn't move an inch. I see it being two ways:
1. Either she was daydreaming and didn't notice I was so close until it was too late to run and decided to do the whole "if I hold perfectly still no one will ever see me" act. Or..
2. she knows we won't hurt her and she is perfectly fine sharing the lawn with us.
I hope it is the latter.
So without further adue.. Meet Phyllis
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