4/5/09

Some notes about the end of an era

  • It took me over 3 hours to clean up all of the things I have collected for rabbits over the years - and to reclaim over 75 square feet of my basement. It's sad for me that my "basement will just be a basement without him down there shuffling around"...
  • I told Bill it was always a little shameful to me that I was the only 35 year old I knew with a pet rabbit, and a dirty one at that since he never wanted to use his litterbox, especially at the end - but I don't like being more respectable now.
  • The kids are quite obviously fine, though they shed the appropriate tears and decorated the grave site in a very cute manner, with rocks and drawings and smiley faces. However, they did ask their father, "Why is Mom still crying? Why is she still sad about Phineas?" after only about an hour of crying! He explained that I had had my rabbit for longer than I had them.
  • After thanking Bill for letting me have a rabbit and care for him for all these years, he said a few funny things. 1) "I got a lot of jokes out of that rabbit..." and my favorite, 2) "That's just the cost of doing business with you, honey." He also told me I could get another rabbit immediately when I was hyperventilating with my crying. (not really hyperventilating, but it sounds good)
  • There's not going to be another rabbit, really, even though Bill said yes and Julie is placing secret bets. It is so much work for not much snuggling, and it is hard to snuggle if they can't hold their pee (this was particular to Phineas, especially during the last few months). And it is hard to find time to snuggle if you have 3 kids who need it, and an elderly dog, and 2 cats, and a puppy that you don't really want to snuggle yet, but you feel like you must so that she becomes affectionate and happy in your family. It's too much work in general, totally not worth it unless you are completely committed to that individual as I was to that rabbit. I even got 2 companion rabbits for him! And chose guinea pigs instead of a hamster, in case he or Lydia was alone for the last part of life (bigger, better size to be companions).
  • Dagny is such a kind, sensitive dog. I brought her with me to dig the grave, and she solemnly sat while I dug. When I held Phineas for the last time and cried, she nosed his little face gently, and then sat closer so that we were touching. She sat solemnly while we buried him, and then came close to me so that I could bury my face in her fur and cry. I took her for 2 long slow walks alone, without the bad Puppy, to thank her.

2 comments:

lori b said...

my money is there with julies. i wouldnt get rid of those rabbit things. regardless of what you say; i can see more rabbits in your future. (along with...i dunno....groundhogs, lemurs, skunks, sloths, penguins...etc...)

pl said...

I do still have 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 guinea pigs...and I've been saving my extras (which I used to give to my rabbits) for SUNSHINE AND SIERRA! Now if the weather would stop being so pissy...