Another weekend with rain; it's a sure thing, every weekend there seems to be a tropical storm in the Atlantic that passes by (not too close, though!) and we get wet.
I noticed over the whole summer that our rabbit friend comes out in light rain or afterward, when the grass is cool and wet. And today, I saw one near the hedge out my window this morning, and again in late afternoon, just sitting there quietly. They like it. Or, I should say that this one likes it.
It was raining here.
A moment later, and he was gone. Which was just as well, for one of Dianne's cats came by, sniffing around. He may be getting too old to chase rabbits, and just wants to snoop around; I hope. I like seeing these little neighbors.
I suppose the local cats are also our neighbors, but in a different way - they have a home.
There is a very interesting quote today on the Trappist monks' blog, something from Robert Louis Stevenson. But even though I've linked it, I want to put it here:
"the Trappist world appeals to me as a model of wisdom...so infinitesimally is the day divided among different occupations. The man who keeps rabbits, for example, hurries from his hutches to the chapel, or the chapter-room, or the refectory, all day long: every hour he has an office to sing, a duty to perform; from two, when he rises in the dark, till eight, when he returns to receive the comforting gift of sleep, he is upon his feet and occupied with manifold and changing business. I know many persons, worth several thousands in the year, who are not so fortunate in the disposal of their lives...We speak of hardships, but the true hardship is to be a dull fool, and permitted to mismanage life in our own dull and foolish manner."
My apologies to the monks for stealing their blogpost on the day they posted it.
Meanwhile, I am trying to get away from regular wheat flour, and am re-doing some favorite recipes with gluten-free mix, einkorn flour, spelt, buckwheat, rye, or mixtures of these. It's interesting and unpredictable.
I, too, have seen our rabbits hopping about in the rain. (But, not lately, for we’ve had no rain for awhile.) The Stevenson quote makes me want to be more careful of “mismanaging life in a dull and foolish manner.” I will be interested in reading about your cooking adventures without wheat flour since I eat gluten free.
ReplyDeleteI think of you often when we have so much rain, and other areas that are too dry. :(
DeleteI haven't seen rabbits recently. We see them for a few months and then they succumb to myxomatosis or another of the awful diseases they are now prone to and disappear for a while. They usually come back but there aren't as many rabbits in the country as there used to be. The babies are so sweet!
ReplyDeleteWe have had a lot of rain in the last few days. Severe flooding in many parts of Britain and even we were cut off by floods for a while on Friday/Saturday. Our home was untroubled by water as we are surrounded by deep ditches. We had to put a barrier of sand-bags outside my mother's door on Friday and fortunately they kept her safe.
I think RLS and the monks have got it right. Useful work and a good routine to follow keep us happy and heathy.
I had to look up this disease, and it seems you can blame us for it! Well, indirectly - it isn't fatal to our rabbits, but was introduced to Europe in the fifties to control the rabbit population. How unfortunate! I know they're known for their fertility, shall we say, but what an unfortunate business. I feel I should apologize to you and your native rabbits. :(
DeleteTwenty or thirty years ago they were very scarce around here, but they've come back, and everybody likes seeing them. I don't know what made them disappear, or what made them reappear.
So sorry to hear about your flooding!! That is scary.