Crazyville Zoo

(A brief break from Frugal Feasting. I'll post
Last Thursday was not a good day. I was in a great mood until I got a call from my daughter.

"Mom, can you think of any other reason for a bunny to pull her fur?" Rabbit's pull their fur out to create a nest when they are about to give birth. That is how we knew our bunny, Thumper, was going to have babies four weeks ago. But pulling fur again? No way, I kept them separated! There was no way she was having more babies - her other babies were only 4 weeks old!

"No, I don't. But I take a look at her when I get home. I'm sure it's nothing." Please let it be nothing.
I arrive home an hour or so later to a crazy house. Did you know that four children can make a lot of noise when they all work together? I went down to check on the bunnies.

"Oh crud!" It was obvious she was preparing a nest. And she was frantic - the "big" babies were all over her (she was snapping at them to get them to leave her alone), the daddy bunny, RCookie was, ahem, all over her also (he was "fixed" two weeks earlier, but still, give the woman a break!!). I put the "big" babies and RCookie on one side and put the wall in to give Thumper her own side. What was I going to do with even MORE baby bunnies??

I came back upstairs. Same daughter greets me with, "Mom, what is all this stuff all over the couch and windowsill and floor?"

Sigh. "Looks like someone has let the bunnies play here a little too long." Droppings were everywhere.

"No one had the bunnies up here. Plus, that doesn't look like bunny stuff." She was right. It was different.

"Oh great! There is something living in my couch!"

At this point, I went to bed. Really. I just went to my bed and shut the door and turned on the TV. Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away. Besides, I suddenly had a raging headache.

Hubby came home a little while later to find me still on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"I have a headache. Thumper is going to give birth again, and there is some critter living in my couch!"

"What do you mean, 'critter in our couch'?"

"Go ask you daughter." He did and she showed him, and he said, "oh." and went on with his night. I got up to fix dinner.

After dinner I went to check on the bunnies. Sure enough, she had given birth to five more baby bunnies. Now I have eight. Eight baby bunnies that I have to try to find homes for. Sigh.

I call my sister to complain. While I'm on the phone with her I decide to pull the couch out and check behind it.

A SQUIRREL! "Oh great, there's a squirrel behind my couch!" Hanging upside down from the windowsill. How do they do that?

"Hang up and call me back when you deal with it." My sister doesn't even want to listen about squirrels in the house, let alone see them.

Now, I have to explain that we live near a green space and we have lots of squirrels around. We've even had them in our house before so this wasn't earth-shattering news. But still, Hubby had left again by then and I was all alone to deal with it. Would this day ever end?

I got the squirrel out by building a "path" to the open sliding glass door. We pulled the other couches out and then "swept" the squirrel out with a broom. He or she was not very happy with me and let me know it! Squirrels are almost as loud as four kids.

By night's end things had calmed down. The squirrel was gone, babies were born. I would have a great story to tell at work the next day.

Then I came home from work the next day.

The squirrel was back! Build a path again, sweep it out with the broom, again. I really need to steam clean my couch.

We think we've fixed the problem. They were coming down the chimney. We put wire mesh over the top of it. But if I find another squirrel in my house today . . . . !

Anyone want a baby bunny?

Jill