Harvey

I'm behind on blogging, as it happens. There are so many things to catch up on, and a couple of blogs on current events that won't make it to daylight (go ahead and assume you know which events I'm talking about and what teeth-gnashing stand I'm making).

However, I feel there is one thing we need to discuss, right away, and that, my friends, is the current state of wildlife around the new place. I know, this is neither the most relevant or political of topics, but perhaps we just need a moment away from all of that to focus.

Focus on the animals.

As you all know, Eric and I have a fascination with wildlife, be it the neighborhood bear that haunted our last place, to the tigers we petted in Thailand. Part of getting to know a place (whether living there or visiting) is to get to know the local flora and fauna, and flora and fauna are different out here on the prairie.

There are antelope down the street, and they have their winter fur. I hope they never ask "Does this winter coat make my butt look big?" because the answer is  "yes, yes it does." Their rear ends look like fuzzy targets with their winter coats. Good thing bikini season isn't until June.

We have lots and lots of bunnies. Near the road and in the front yard, there must be 200 little bunnies that tool around the neighborhood and end up as road kill on a somewhat regular basis.

Somewhere around the playscape in the backyard, the species makeup changes.

Did I mention there are industrial-size power lines out back?

We have rabbits the size of Labradors back there, and this is not an exaggeration.

I first saw these rodents of unusual size after a run several weeks ago. I took a walk around the property (since that is, in fact, part of my job in caretaking). Most of the snow had melted and it was a good day to inspect the grounds. The lot is a very deep one, most of the acreage straight back from the road, so it's quite a distance from the house to the back lot line.

I looked out and went, "Is that an antelope in the yard?" As a walked closer...

Rabbit.

Not. kidding. This thing weighed between 20 and 40 pounds (I don't estimate rabbit weight well), and took off at high rates of speed, thundering like a galloping Clydesdale. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but those thumping paws were LOUD.

I saw two more, of roughly equal size, on my jaunt around the property, and very nearly peed my pants each time they hopped out of the tumbleweeds and crossed my path. I promise I was not hallucinating - Eric and our cadets saw one the next day, although perhaps not as big as the first one I saw. Unfortunately, they bound too fast to be caught on camera, so you'll have to trust me when I tell you...

They looked like this!