Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Bunnies and Daffodils


It doesn't say spring more clearly than this! I have since stuffed two vases full of fresh cut daffodils which my local Safeway has been selling for weeks now. I will be sad when the daffodils are gone--they are exquisitely lovely and my favorite flower. The rabbit dish was a special Christmas gift from my mom. I cherish it. Ironically I usually serve up carrot dishes in it!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Review: The Easter Bunny That Grew Up


When Gretta Parker lost her beloved rabbit Flopsy this past December, she did what many of us rabbit moms want to do but somehow never have the time, courage, or emotional will to do--turn his life into a call to help all rabbits who need a home and are facing almost certain euthanasia in shelters. Gretta was doing this before Flopsy died, of course. Her brilliant photography skills enabled her to put his sweet face on creative and eye-catching posters promoting rabbit adoptions and responsible rabbit care. I myself have Flopsy pajamas (visit her CafePress store) and Flopsy's face peers out at me every morning from my fridge on the "Carrot Thug 4 Life" image. She also founded a nonprofit group, Baskets for Bunnies, which donates toys to rabbits awaiting homes in shelters and rescue groups (you can get to it via a link on this blog, in the upper right corner.)

Then December 28, 2011 came and the world lost all too soon its spokesbun for all rabbitdom. I,like so many of Flopsy's followers on Facebook, was heartbroken. (I myself would keenly feel Gretta's pain two days later when my beloved Boo died very unexpectedly.) He was so special, this lionhead bun whose face had truly become representative of all rabbits--truly he was the first bun to become a celebrity for his kind.

The book THE EASTER BUNNY THAT GREW UP (published by AuthorHouse) is not only Flopsy's story, as charmingly written by Gretta Parker herself, but it is perhaps the story of most rabbits these days who are given up by people who adopt these animals but who never had a clue or took the time to provide their rabbit their care and love they require. Complete with moving illustrations by Maya Tolliver and photos of Flopsy, the story is told from Flopsy's point of view (a perspective, I would argue, more people need to take into consideration before they bring a rabbit into their home). The story follows Flopsy when, as a bunny named Marshmallow, he is given up by a family and left at a shelter, only to be found by Gretta, who gives him a new home (and a lovely companion named Bella). Gretta takes his story up to the sad day when he leaves for the Rainbow Bridge, and it is hard not to cry when reading this. But look at Flopsy's legacy - in so many ways, this is a happy story because more people now have a better understanding of rabbits. I urge everyone--if you know anyone who is contemplating adopting a rabbit or getting one for their children, if you know any children who are clamoring for a bunny, PLEASE PLEASE get them this book, and consider the message Gretta's book imparts. The greatest tribute to Flopsy would be for people to make wise sensible decisions in adopting a rabbit AND for the right people to seek out and make a lifelong commitment to that special furry companion waiting for a family at a rescue or shelter.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

The Springtime

The Springtime
By Denise Levertov (1923–1997)

The red eyes of rabbits
aren't sad. No one passes
the sad golden village in a barge
any more. The sunset
will leave it alone. If the
curtains hang askew
it is no one's fault.
Around and around and around
everywhere the same sound
of wheels going, and things
growing older, growing
silent. If the dogs
bark to each other
all night, and their eyes
flash red, that's
nobody's business. They have
a great space of dark to
bark across. The rabbits
will bare their teeth at
the spring moon.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Even Rabbits Are Irish On St. Patrick's Day


"You're not going to make me wear that stupid green hat, I hope?"

Friday, March 16, 2012

Just Rabbits

I have yet to understand why people lean toward ridicule and sick jokes when it comes to situations or incidents involving rabbits.

This week, during the setting up for a press conference to introduce to the German public their latest zoo acquisition--a "rare" earless rabbit--a cameraman accidentally stepped on this bunny and killed him/her. The obvious questions aside--why was this rabbit on the floor, why put a rabbit in a zoo in the first place-what really deepened the sadness of this incident was the appalling responses many in the public made regarding this poor rabbit. Go on any news site reporting this story; you will find some cruel reactions out there. Here are a few gems from the MSN.NBC site:

"Kill the rabbit, kill the rabbit."
"Sooooo...is Easter cancelled?"
"That reminds me, I need bunny slippers."
"I am horrified and laughing my head off at the same time."

Somehow i suspect that had this been a puppy or a kitten the reactions would have been much more sympathetic. This was "just" a rabbit, right? Why should people care?

Even more galling was the zoo director's reaction. As if this was a comforting thought, he assured us that Til, the 17 day old rabbit, died instantly, that "it was a direct hit." Yeah, I feel much better hearing that. The latest news is this poor rabbit has been frozen--so eager for a new exhibit, the Germans plan to stuff Til and put him on display. What kind of perverseness is this?! Incidentally this rabbit, claimed by some to be rare, in fact simply had a birth defect. There is no special earless breed of lagomorphs; in fact, some rabbits being born near Fukushima power plant in Japan are coming into the world earless. This is a deformity and apparently the Germans thought that would bring in the crowds---an animal freak show. Sadly they may be right--we are a very sick species in that way.

I am so tired that rabbits get so little respect in this world. Such gentle loving creatures deserve so much better. Certainly the tragic fate of this baby bunny deserves better than sick jokes. He surely deserves better than to be a taxidermist's pet project.

Rest in peace, little Til. In so many ways, you are better off than living in a world with such a cruel, heartless species like humankind.

Monday, March 12, 2012

She Who Must Be Obeyed


So what are YOU lookin' at?