Mulberry Jam

I thought I’d write a bit about a new neighbor who’s taken up residence around here. Since April, Mark and I have noticed a young rabbit who moved into the garden and made himself at home. We’ve christened him with the not-too-original moniker of “Mr. Bun”. He’s clearly a youngster, and was tiny back in April. By this time he’s grown to nearly full size and filled out a lot, thanks to the rich crop of clover in our grass.  Thankfully, he hasn’t done much damage to my mesclun lettuce. Maybe the varieties I planted this spring are too bitter for his sensitive palate.  However he has turned out to be quite fond of my Siberian Iris, which now look like a weed-whacker has been at them.

I’m not sure why I have such a soft spot for the little guy; early exposure to Watership Down, I suppose. And he was pretty darn cute back in April. Now he’s more handsome than cute. His grown-up body is rangy rather than round, with a beautiful dappled brown coat. He’s quite unafraid of us, and seems very comfortable hanging out in a front corner of the vegetable garden to catch a few rays. He washes and grooms himself just like a cat, stretching out those long back toes to clean in between, and licking a front paw to clean behind the ears.

Years ago, I fell in love with a short cartoon from the comic strip “Mutts”. This is from a series the strip’s creator, Patrick McDonnell, developed about adopting animals from shelters:

From "Mutts", by Patrick McDonnell