As the holiday that celebrates all things rabbit is upon us, I took an inventory of my own fluffle. There are more than 41 rabbits in this warren. FORTY ONE rabbits! How do I feed them all? Care for them? Keep them clean?
With a duster of course!
One Rabbit Brings Many
When you have a real live rabbit, friends and family bring you rabbit things for every birthday, holiday, festive dinner party or just because they saw one and thought of you.
At every turn in the house, there is a rabbit motif of a pillow, a painting of a rabbit, a mug, a tee shirt, even a pair of scissors that resemble a rabbit.
It started slowly. I got a door mat with a welcome message from rabbits in the early days. Then a concrete statue for the front steps. Oh, one for the garden too. Peter of course.
Then a friend gave me a mechanical wind-up rabbit they found in a yard sale. Someone else gave me a glass paperweight rabbit (I now have two of those). Then came the decorative plates – a spring theme, a fall theme and a big Holland Lop on one. That wasn’t enough. I had to buy soup bowls with rabbits at the bottom so when you finish your soup there is a cute bunny saying, “well done you ate your veggies.”
Things started to get expensive. We had portraits painted of our first rabbits, Honey and Bear. They hang above the bunny shelves…you can guess what are on them. Bunny sculptures made of wood, ceramic, metal and porcelain. Sometimes you’ll see a real bunny digging among them.
What to Do?
Go with it. I love them all. Each one has a different expression, color and memory attached to them.
I have a rabbit themed cooking apron that goes well when serving to friends with our rabbit themed dinner napkins -- after the variety of rabbit cocktail napkins they used earlier in the evening. Topping off the dinner theme is the decorative metal wine bottle topper. The night wouldn’t be complete without rabbit salt and pepper shakers.
In my bedroom I have a few stuffed toys that were given to me as a child that I couldn’t part with. Tiny rabbits made of wool and one sewn from tie-dye silk. I even have a rabbit ring holder! Curtesy of a flea market.
Not Quite a Museum
We don’t buy many rabbit replicas for ourselves. We have our four live companions to remind us of their beauty, funny faces and crazy antics.
We do change things around for the seasons so different rabbits get showcased in the front room. It is like a changing museum exhibit. More for ourselves than for anyone else. We want to appreciate all the styles, colors, moods, materials, craftmanship and emotions they evoke. During the spring season, we have a very large display to admire all the wonderful gifts our thoughtful friends have given us.
There are a lot of rabbits in this home. Everywhere I look makes me smile. Why not? How many do you have? Let us know in the comments.