Daily Distractions

My grown-up responsibilities often get in the way of my life. I have to keep the house reasonably clean. I have to feed the children three or four times a day. I have to go grocery shopping, and run errands, and balance the checkbook, and worry about money, and the kids health, and the dog's arthritis, and do we have any clean socks. I want to volunteer at the school, and knit, and sew, and create, and play with my kids, and laugh with my friends, and occasionally see my Husband. There's always something I want to do distracting me from what I have to do, and something I have to do distracting me from what I want to do.

Sounds like normal grown up life doesn't it?

Now I'm gonna tell you an unrelated small story.

Way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day I had a house bunny named Georgia Anne. She was the most awesome of awesome bunnies. She was litter trained and would hop happily around the house. She was a bunny, so the corners of my papers were all chewed off. She had a red ball she would push around with her nose. She would run circles around our feet oinking as she hopped. Her greatest joy was to grab the handle of a plastic grocery store bag and run through the house at top bunny speed reveling in the noise it created. She was, to quote The Greatest, "money." I was heartbroken when she died of old age right before I became pregnant with Pork Chop. I've been too grief stricken this past decade to even contemplate getting a new bunny (it's been a decade?!!! where does the time go?). But over the past year the subject has come up from time to time in lazy conversations as The Greatest and I contemplated the things we wanted for our family. We'd decided we wanted a Flemish Giant but there are no breeders near where we live. So the idea dropped for the time being to be picked up again in a future dreaming session.

Until Gabe came home and asked me if I wanted him to surprise me, or if I wanted to pick. I love surprises, but hate the anticipation. I asked him a few questions trying to get clues out of him and he just smiled his most happy of smiles and quietly made rabbit ears with his two fingers and hopped his hand across his arm.

PICK! PICK! PICK! I WANNA PICK! I WANNA PICK! I WANNA PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!!!!!!!!!!

So Saturday night he took me to what can only be described as BUNNY HEAVEN!

In the backyard of a lovely little house, tucked away in a lovely little neighborhood, under a giant mulberry tree, a warren of rabbits hopped and dug and played. The bucks had free run, and the does resided peacefully in large wooden hutches. As I looked at the toys and the bunnies and the cuteness of it all The Greatest could see the wheels turning in my head. He caught my eye and firmly told me "No!" So no warren of happy bunnies playing in the backyard for me.

The children fed the bunnies fresh carrot that they ate out of their hands. I held as many as I could get my hands on and wanted to take every single one home with me. They weren't pure Flemish Giants, they were Angora/Flemish Giant mix, so they were huge and soft. They were perfect!

After an agonizing decision we chose a pretty set of 8 month old sisters

So I've foolishly added one more distraction to my list of things to do.

Actually two more distractions.

Aren't they cute?

I know the timing is suspect. The cat is missing and thought to be dead (the HOA Landscapers called, they'd found a cat they think is ours, it had been hit by a car *sob*) So we bring in a new pet to replace her.

But that is not the case. Nothing can replace our sweet cat. NOTHING. I'm still hoping the landscapers were mistaken and our cat will wander back any day now, just strolling in as if no time has passed. She would love the bunnies.

This just happened to be the moment that the stars aligned and free bunnies were placed in our laps.

Since they are older bunnies and not used to being handled as much as my children want to handle them, we are slowing adjusting them to family life.

Sunday the children were permitted to sit in the room with the bunnies but not touch them. They decided to spend the time taking turns reading to the bunnies.

Doesn't that just melt your heart?

So we have two.

Neither have names.

For the moment we call them Alpha and Bravo.

Alpha is the friendlier of the two. She already endures the petting without running, and even seems to enjoy it. She actually licked The Greatest on the nose the other night. She is very sweet. She is a pound heavier than the other with white around her ears.

Bravo is smaller with black trimmed ears and a dark nose. She will only let you pet her when she is in her hiding spot. But she is also the more curious of the two. She is scared of us, yet can not resist coming over to see what we are doing, only to turn and run when we notice her. The exception to this rule is Sweet Pea. She is completely unafraid of Sweet Pea, and even played a game of chase with her this morning. (Sweet Pea chased her, she chased Sweet Pea, and back and forth they went for a bit)

The kids want to name the Cookie and Brownie. Or Sarah and Lashia. Or Dewie and Flopper.

I've vetoed all those idea.

The Greatest vetoed Alice and Bella.

So I sit quietly in the bunny room and knit while they hop around me, sniffing my needles, and think of names.

So yeah, I've been a little distracted lately.