Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - Our "Pet" Rabbit Has Returned!
He (she?) isn't really ours--he's a wild cottontail that lives around here. We live sorta out in the country, and there are a lot of rabbits that live out here. Most of them are jackrabbits, but there are a number of cottontails, as well.
This one has been hanging out on our back porch most days, in the corner behind our Little Tykes sandbox. We don't feed him, so we have no idea why he comes around, except maybe to get out of the infernal winds we get here. He doesn't show up when it's much below freezing, though, and whenever I don't see him for a few days, I wonder whether a dog or a coyote got him.
A week or so ago, #4ds was out on the back acre chasing rabbits, and we didn't see "our" rabbit for several days afterward. I was concerned that maybe he'd scared "our" rabbit away, but lo and behold, he's back. Ds has since been told in no uncertain terms NOT to chase cottontails from now on! (Jackrabbits are fair game, though. . .)
It's possible that "our" rabbit is the same rabbit that took to hiding behind that same sandbox as a baby a while back. I decided one hot summer day to arrange the sandbox cover to give him more shade. I checked around the sandbox and didn't find him, so I figured it would be a good time to do it. Much to my surprise and chagrin, the rabbit WAS there, hiding UNDER the sandbox! Needless to say, he was frightened and ran away, and we didn't see him again (unless he's the same rabbit who has since "adopted" us).
I'd love to post a photo of him, if I could just figure out what's wrong with the digital camera. One of these days, maybe I'll catch him leaving and see where he goes at night. . .
