EMPTY NEST

“Well, the baby bunnies are gone.” I said sadly as I sat down at the dining room table for dinner with my husband, Steven and our two boys.

The past few weeks had been a whirlwind for me, ever since I'd discovered the bunny nest right in the middle of our front lawn.

It had been an early evening and we were about to get a huge thunderstorm. I'd just pulled into the driveway, trying to beat the storm, when I noticed a tiny baby bunny, all alone, leaned up against my front steps.

“Oh, honey!” I cried. “Where's your mother?” I looked around the yard hoping to find a frantic Mom waiting for me to go inside so she could save her baby. But no luck, she wasn't anywhere to be found.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do as the rumble of thunder got closer.

I went back to the baby, “I can't bring you in the house.” I explained to the statue like bunny. “Because if your Mom comes to look for you she won't be able to find you.” I pointed to my living room window. “But, I'll be right in that window watching to make sure she comes back before the storm hits. Okay?” We stared at each other, the bunny and I, for a few moments before I went inside and took up my post on the living room couch.

Luckily, it wasn't long before the Mommy bunny showed up in the middle of the front yard and the baby hopped over to her and climbed under her.

As I watched I could see a few more bunny heads pop out around her. She had come to feed them. I was thrilled to see everyone seemed safe and accounted for. When Mommy hopped away, a few minutes later, I went outside to where they'd been and found a ball of bunny fur tapped down in the lawn. “So there's your nest.” I said. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before. “Nice hiding job!” I called after her.

But once I knew where the nest was I couldn't help myself. I was checking on it morning noon and night.

Before I'd go to work I'd watch the babies hopping in the tall grass, practicing their freeze-like-a-statue skills. When I got home from work I'd check to see that the fur lid, on the nest, was in place and the babies were resting. Then when evening arrived I'd sit by my living room window watching as they'd practice hopping and clover munching. I was loving my babies bunnies.

I was also taking my responsibility of keeping them safe very seriously.

So, when our the lawn guy showed up to mow, no one in my family was surprised when I was right there positioning a plant stand over the nest so he wouldn't mow over it.

“You know, they just stay in the nest.” he said. “I mow over rabbit nests all the time.” He tried to reassure me as I taped a sign to the plant stand that said BUNNY NEST with a arrow pointing down. Just in case he forgot why there was a plant stand in the middle of the lawn.

“I'm sure that's true,” I said. “But we really can't be too careful with this litter.” I said “The Mom seems a bit nervous and high-strung.” I explained as I headed back to the house.

I'm not sure if he realized I was talking about myself but Mommy bunny and I had worked too hard to get them this far and I wasn't going to take any chances.

But now weeks had gone by I was sitting at the dinner table with my family I couldn't hold back my disappointment any longer. “I just checked the nest and they're all gone.” I said sadly.

“Wow! That was quick!” Alex said.

“I know. They only need to be in the nest a few weeks.” I explained. “Then they're weened and off to make it on their own.”

“That seems kind of harsh.” Alex said.

I shrugged my shoulders. “It's all the time they need with their Mommy.” I explained.

Alex smiled as he gave me a little pat on my back. “Lucky for you human babies stay a lot longer!” He passed me the bowl of potatoes. “By the way I finished off the last of the milk, bread and orange juice at breakfast this morning.” he gave me a big smile. “You might want to add them to your grocery list.”