Rabbits @ MindSay 
bunnies
I've been taught by my spiritual teachers to always keep an eye out for auspicious omens just before any holy day. Well, late Friday night or early this morning, I woke to the sound of what I thought might be the cries of a baby. As I rose out of my bed, blinking and wondering if I had imagined it, I heard the cries again, but this time more wild, high pitched, and urgent. Where and when had I heard that sound before? As I approached the living room window, the sound pierced my ears again. Now I was worried. What could it be? I cautiously parted the curtains...
A large group of cottontail rabbits, numbering 6 to 10 (there were more out near the trees in the dark), were out having a grand time. One was larger than the rest, so big it could've been a jack rabbit (rare for Wisconsin), and it seemed as if the smaller rabbits were "fighting" over the big one. I've only seen a gathering of rabbits like that during the spring and summer months when mating's going on. The cottontails will get close, but not close enough for you to touch them, then they scatter all crazy-like. I've never seen them all together like that during the winter. They seemed to be fighting or playing, and they were crying. I didn't know rabbits could make such pitiful sounds. At some point they scattered, probably because they noticed they were being watched, and then they disappeared into the night. The only trace are their footprints, dozens of sets of prints everywhere, and it seemed quite magical. I put on my boots to follow the prints, but they went too deep into the woods and I seemed to spook them pretty fierce.
It reminded me of the folklore of the Irish hares... If you see a group of hares gather in a circle, it means that those aren't hares you're seeing, those are witches shapeshifted into the bodies of hares having a secret meeting. Seeing this is usually good luck, a potent symbol of fertility and sexuality. I don't know if there is such folklore over a "cottontails' parliament" here in North America, but this sighting came pretty close.
I only wish I had my camera on hand, but those rabbits were gone in seconds!
So how can such an omen pertain to my life?
I've decided that I need to make a concerted effort to invite the following into my life:
1. Be more open to love, not loss.
2. Get published.
3. Go back to university.
In order to put effort into those three areas, I have to have some financial abundance and GUMPTION. Using the cottontail rabbit as an omen, I discover, upon researching the animal's behavior, that I am very much like it. Cottontails are nocturnal, territorial, they prefer to be in open areas where they can also obtain cover quickly to hide from predators... I've been doing that a lot. I'm most active lately during the late night and early dawn hours, I get jealous easily of anyone who comes near me getting the attention I crave from others, yet I'm too damn shy to step too faraway from my "hiding" places. And what of those cries those rabbits were making? Apparently the mating season for cottontails starts in February. The group I saw were definitely having that kind of happening going on.
So my thoughts turn to wondering if I'll ever have a mating session of my own. I'm not talking about group sex, I'm just talking about getting a "mate" of course! I often believe I will never marry. It's not because I'm unattractive, I just seem to avoid dating because I believe it to be a ritual of humiliation. Like job interviews. You get all dressed up, present your creditials, hope your old relationships don't come back to sabotage a potential new one, but no matter how confident you appear, the person you're "applying" a relationship for may not accept you. And when they don't, it's hard to keep going through interviews. You wonder what you did wrong... or wonder why people are so stupid for passing you up.
It's also not that I'm not willing to give someone else a chance with me. It's just no one has given me that "look" yet -- the one that sets a spark, lets me know I've met a kindred spirit, tells me that I've just met someone intelligent or creative, someone who can give me those pangs of love and yet who can also let me let my hair down around.
What am I getting at here? I go from talking about rabbits and folklore to my goals to a quest for love.
I guess with me it all comes down to one thing: I just want to be loved. It really is what it's all about, isn't it?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070416/ap_on_fe_st/hungary_rabbit_accident;_ylt=Av2mCLP1NzT5UkOVCkkWSmouQE4F
Just goes to show you have to be at the right place at the right time.
God help us, one and all...the Easter bunny has forgotten where he hid the Easter eggs!
...and that's the tail end of this Easter story. With that, Thumper must bid you all farewell -- he has much work to do and not much time left to get it done.
The next day...
Ah yes...the work is done. And a good time will be had by all (except for the pigs, lambs and rabbits on the Easter dinner tables), while the Easter bunny can go back to his ordinary hopping, leaping, thumping, gnawing, nipping, and relatively useless, mundane life of being a pampered pet.
For all those kind folk who may have had concern over his dilemna yesterday regarding the Easter egg shortage, you will be glad to know that the expected quota was met indeed – albeit with a little discomfort – and the Easter bunny is relaxing in lazy bliss this morning from his harrowing ordeal.
He DID want me to extend a special thank you to Sandyquill, for her reminder to remember the Tucks – they DID come in quite handy.
Here's wishing our wonderful Mindsay friends a very happy Easter, from the wild and whacky rural household of the Sojourner!
From underneath the lean-to beside the pond to underneath the gas tank beside the fence.
Kendall made an interesting discovery yesterday when attempting to cajole Thumper back into his hutch for the night. Evidently, Thumper does not deem my own offerings of shelter to be adequate for his needs. Instead, he has dug himself another hole…and TUNNEL. The hole starts under his lean-to beside the pond and tunnels to the den he had dug out for himself earlier this summer, underneath my gas tank. Had he not been hungry and thereby susceptible to the allurement of a fresh meal, it is doubtful he would’ve come out for ANYthing.
Now, I understand the rabbit’s inherent need to dig in the dirt. My biggest concern is the elaborative nature of this particular dig – the tunneling aspect that extends for approx 3+ feet from the point of entry. With such digging events as this, it would not be long before the little bugger managed to dig his way OUT of the backyard altogether, which would be disastrous for Thumper. Not really attuned to life in the wild, Thumper shares quarters with house dogs and house cats and has no clue that under more ‘normal’ circumstances, such fellow creatures would NOT be his play pals. Not to mention a host of other unpleasantries that could result from such ambitious endeavors, nor to mention what manner of damage he might do to the backyard, etc.
Nonetheless, I felt compelled to capture the monumental discovery in pixels. It was an architectural accomplishment on Thumper’s part, that at the very least, deserves recognition, before it is obliterated. I wonder where the NEXT dig will be located? At least between Thumper, the local groundhogs and the prolific ant population around here, I’ll never have to entertain any concerns about keeping the soil aereated…
On another note, it’s been COLD AS SNOWMAN SNOT around here lately! Tis’ the season for hot, homemade veggie soup. Mmmmm, I smell some cookin’ now…
What a wonderful morning it was.
Fed the horses, goats, rabbits, llamas, alpacas, burros, rabbits, and jack and I'm certain that I'm leaving something off.
I wouldn't want to have the grocery bill for this crowd. I enjoyed my couple of hours at the farm of a girlfriend. Fed the horses (some are hers and some boarders). Now this is a very laid back group of critters. If they weren't, I wouldn't have volunteered for the task. I am so glad that the farm owner had everything so organized that it made my tasks easy.
You know you can put all the feed out there for them to eat. But what is really fun and interesting is to watch what comes nornal to these animals. Eating, sleeping and just hanging out. I enjoyed hanging out with them.
Horses are always pushing each other around. Goats are always hopping on something and butting heads, burros were flighty with trying to out do each other. Llamas, well they are so curious and can run faster than I can move the camera to take a shot. Really, they look like and act like aliens from another planet--a bit goofy too.
But really there was such a peace and quiet at the farm this morning. Nothing too complicated. Animals didn't know that this earth is in such a horrible state that we humans have made it that way. These critters are just being themselves. Not too complicated. I got to do a bit of soul searching and realized, I have a great life. Enjoy and be thankful. I am blessed to have this short time with these not too complicated creatures.
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