Saturday, May 7, 2011

B is for blessed and bunnies!!!!

I know that where I live is a blessing. I’m grateful for it everyday because I’m surrounded by nature, peace and tranquility.  Rarely do I have to endure sirens, traffic or noisy neighbors.  The most I hear are birds twitting, my neighbors Guinea hens “buck-wheating'” and the occasional squirrel fussing about whatever.  It is green here, lush really and even though I’m only a short distance from civilization most days it feels like it’s hours away.  So I count my blessings and often.  Today I got another blessing, one that while most gardeners would shudder at, well I embrace as a wonderful gift.
I was gathering up my plants that I’d purchased earlier in the week, loading them into my cart to haul around back. Something moved and at first I thought it was a chipmunk, but when I looked closer I realized it was a baby bunny!  A tiny little puff of brown fur no bigger than my hand sat looking at me with big dark eyes.  I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from squealing with delight!!  I scurried into the house to grab my camera to get a picture of the tiny little critter nestled in among my flowers.
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My next thought was what is it doing here?  I’ve seen one rabbit down here and that was a couple of years ago, I saw it twice in one week and then never again.  Was this baby lost?  I came inside and searched for information on baby bunnies and learned that mom leaves them, (them"?) behind for the day while she goes off to eat.  Them"?  I went back out and began to look around and sure enough there were other furry little bottoms under my front porch!  There is lattice that skirts the porch but it’s not enclosed entirely. It is however a very safe and dry environment for a bunny nest! 
For me this is another wildlife victory.  I know many will never understand my stance on this and that’s ok.  There are so few places left where animals can go and feel safe, have food, wood and shelter.  If my little place here provides that I’m happy to share, even if it means that some of my flowers won’t look perfect or that I might miss something blooming because someone decided it tasted good.  I’ve been living with the deer and we’ve come to an understanding, if I remember to spray they don’t eat it lol.  The flying squirrels, the raccoons, the foxes, the owls and the hawks are all a part of my life.  Just like the hummingbirds, the chipmunks and those nutty red tailed squirrels that make so much mischief.  We live here together, sharing this piece of property and I think that is one of the greatest blessings of all…
You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name
Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sun sweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth
The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends
How high will the sycamore grow?
If you cut it down, then you'll never know
And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
For whether we are white or copper skinned
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind
You can own the Earth and still
All you'll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind

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