Into the Archives VII: Bunnies Galore

Hello dear friends.  

This time I have taken it upon myself to sneak into the archive boxes in the storage room.   I, the little feisty one, Sweetie, have decided there must be other feisty critters in Grammy's past and I found a few.  There are four lovely bunnies that Grammy had after PowderPuff. These four came in pairs, years apart.  Two dwarves and two long-eared beauties. I'll tell you about each of them - two today and two next time.

The first two who followed Puffy were Twink and Wendell.  Dwarf bunnies with their short ears, cobby bodies and large brown eyes they were adorable.  Both loved to play in the garden and with each other, practicing their wooing skills on each other.  They would take turns chasing each other around the house mounting whatever part of the others' body was closest - head, tail-end, shoulders, left hip, right hip - it didn't matter.  Silly bunnies.  BUT, it was a nice change for Grammy.  Her ankles were no-longer the focus of bunny loving. (see Into the Archives IV: The Bunny Who...)

Twink, with his Siamese Sable colouring was chocolate brown on the ears, face, paws and tail and cocoa coloured on his body.  He was sweet, gentle and loved to have his head and ears scritched.  He wasn't a very active bunny with Grammy preferring to sit and be snuggled. In after-thoughts it was probably because he had cancer.  Poor little duffer didn't last long before he was diagnosed and had to be euthanized. There weren't the options we have today for sick animals.  Grammy was heartbroken to lose her little chocolate truffle. 

​But, she still had little Wendell, his buddy to care for.  Wendell, who was originally called Smokey, was smoky coloured over his body and charcoal grey on ears, face, paws and tail.  Wendell's only issue was his teeth.  He had an overbite and had to have his front teeth trimmed every few weeks otherwise they'd get so long he couldn't eat.  The effects of not being able to chew properly caused stomach issues and eventually took him too but he lived a number of years with Grammy. He was, as you'll see, sweet and loving and above all, feisty and playful (like me).  

​Unfortunately the photos from that era have disappeared over time and through a bunch of moves so the collage below is made from stock photos of bunnies similar to them.

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This was a stressful time for Grammy.  We won't go into details as it pertained to a traumatic car accident involving parents but affecting the whole family.  We'll just say that she moved a couple of times to accommodate family needs. Finally, when things settled she left her home and moved into an apartment taking Wendell with her.  

While there wasn't much furniture in the new digs things were comfortable.  Kitchen had a table and chairs and was otherwise basic but sufficient.  Bedroom was comfortable as it contained her own furniture from home: bed, nightstand, dresser and a lamp.  What more could one need?  The livingroom was sparse, rocking chair from her bedroom at home, a floor lamp, and a small cabinet that housed her record collection and on which sat her stereo and amplifier.  It was her very own little nest with resident bunny.  

​Wendell, actually named after Oliver Wendell Holmes, was a great little fellow.  He loved to eat, play and sleep and settled in with Grammy quite happily.   The bonus was that they moved in warm weather so Wendell settled on the balcony quite readily and early on determined it would be his home.   And why not!  It was a 25 by 5 foot rabbit run with cement ends, solid metal on the railing side and entrances to both bedroom and livingroom.  Grammy set up his litter box at one end beside his cage - always open, and a huge planter in which to grow carrots and greens, installed green outdoor carpet the whole length of the run and set up a patio table and chairs at the north end for her socializing.  At first there was more seating area for humans outside than inside.  AND it was glorious.  

​So, the new life began, Grammy worked, visited family, came home to Wendell and socialized with friends and family at home when she could.  BUT she and Wendell had their special time in the evenings.  

​​Wendell and Grammy played hide and seek, tag, and other silly games. Of course, the old dear was more agile then and could romp around on her knees.  Can you picture it?  I sure do and it's pretty funny. 

When Grammy got tired she'd sit in the rocking chair, pick up her book and read.... but that would elicit another thump from little Wendell and despite being tired another round of tag.  Not tag as we know it.  This was bunny tag.  Wendell would thump his hind feet, wiggle his nose and then hop like the wind into the bathroom and hide, ears and nose twitching behind the toilet.  Grammy would get down on all fours, chase him in there with an 'I'm coming to get you' and thump her hands on the floor, then reverse and return to her chair chased by a swift little sooty cottonball.  He'd thump and run, again and this would go on until one of them (usually Wendall) had had enough and headed to the door to be let out into his rabbit run.

As autumn approached Grammy started to worry about her little bunny and the coming cold weather.  Wendell loved being out in the fresh air but the nights were getting colder and colder and Grammy was concerned about him living outside during a harsh Canadian winter.  So, she decided to bring him indoors and let him outside to roam on warmer days. 

He could only be out of the cage while supervised... Grammy found that out within a day or two when the covers on her books were nibbled and torn, and though litter trained outdoors, his indoor manners were abominable.  Being caged after having free run outdoors didn't suit the little fellow.  He moped about and was miserable.  Grammy was afraid he would become ill. 

​So, Grammy decided a winterized outdoor environment was necessary and would only bring him indoors for play time and when the temperature dropped too low.  He still had free run of the balcony but Grammy hoped he'd snuggle in his winterized cottage/cage but he never used it except as a latrine.  Contrary little duffer, just like me. *Sweetie giggles*

What did the smart little hopper do?  He built himself a little snowy igloo.  Yes, he burrowed into the snow on his carrot planter box until  he was completely encased in a cave just big enough for his body.  He loved to huddle  fur fluffed, ears flattened against his head and paws tucked under just inside the entrance.  All you could see were his twitching nose and twinkling eyes.  He was happy and free.   Of course, he came in for his evening games and his social hour with Grammy but he was free to be himself in HIS domain.   Now that's quite a life, don't you think?

​So friends, as you know we just love to hear your comments.  Let's keep them light and fun though.  ​

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