I hate rabbits

A stuffed bunny is the only kind of bunny I like.

Last night when I let the dogs out, they raced toward the spirea bush over by the fence, and out sprinted--actually, lumbered--a very fat, rather slow rabbit. I do not know how it is that Rosie did not catch that thing but I am profoundly glad that she didn't. It scooted across the yard, squeezed under the back fence and disappeared into the alley.

This explains the dogs' eternal fascination with the spirea bush.

I suppose the rabbits are living on fallen bird seed, as are the mice that we see skittering around from time to time, and I sure wish that owl would come back. He could live all winter on the bounty of our yard!

A neighbor texted me last night to tell me it was hooting on her street around 7 p.m.  She lives only two or three blocks from me--that's nothing for an owl! They can fly that far in three seconds! Or two! Please come back!

Angus let me sleep in this morning. It was beautiful. Rosie jumped down from the bed at 4:40 a.m.--perhaps the newspapers had arrived and she wanted an early start on the crossword--and Angus chirped a little and I sleepily told him to hang on and the next thing I knew it was 6 o'clock. Bliss!


I put them both outside and they did their business but Angus always needs to do it twice--once right away, and then again a few minutes later. So I put them back out around 6:30 and this time I did not stand and watch them (mistake no. 1) because for cripe's sake it was three below zero and I was cold.

When I went out to get them, Angus was hoovering up the little rabbit pellets that are scattered across the snow. I ran out and tried to chase him away--who knows what sicknesses those things hold?--but there are a million of them. I thought briefly of getting a mutt mitt and cleaning them up but I knew it would be futile.

So, instead, I let them in and let them play (mistake no. 2) and the next thing I knew I was saying, "What the heck is that smell?"

Yes, Angus, my dear sweet lovable I-thought-he-was-housetrained dog had taken a giant crap in the far corner of the front hallway.  Dog lovers will sympathize with this post. Everyone else will be thoroughly grossed out, and for that I do apologize.

Clearly, he had been so busy in the yard with the rabbit turds he had forgotten about his own.

I yelled "What's THIS?" and he wagged his tail but Rosie looked so agitated that I felt guilty and gave her an extra treat.

Thank God that Doug got back this afternoon from ice fishing. He has been gone since Thursday.  I was counting the minutes, I swear to God. His turn.