The Danger Lurking Close By

Mid July may be the most dangerous time to year for certain residents of Peterborough. There is a danger lurking close by. This is specially true later at night and early in the morning. No it is not street gangs or burglars. It is not some nasty person that will sneak into your garage or storage shed to steal something. The danger lurks however – very close to the homes that we live in. It is extremely frustrating for some.

It is the time of the local bunny population to move with stealth from yard to yard – from garden to garden. Each is checking out the succulent gardens and flower gardens in their backyards. Remember that the bunny was here first. I am sure that they appreciate so much the hard work we all go to as we get these beautiful gardens ready for their late night appetite satisfaction.

A friend of ours gave my wife about six cornflower plants. My wife did see one flower appear on one of the plants – but so did Mr. Bunny. It was gone the next morning. In fact now – most of the cornflower plants are reduced to a few leaves. The tops disappear when they reach about six inches. (This is a borrowed picture -not our flowers at all)

Now you must know that my wife loves animals – especially rabbits. She will call my attention to the smallest bunny that she sees along the way. Yesterday it was different – as we drove down the street… her comment was, “There he is, Mr. Bunny! You rascal – go to someone else’s yard.” Something has changed for Alida… she is not so nearly appreciative of these rascals now. In fact she is checking her flower garden often as the potential is there for more damage each night.

Friends of ours have more problems than we do. They have a full garden that is situated on one of the green belts of the city. Most of our Mr. Bunny’s relatives live close by. It is a wonder that the lettuce is of any size at all. Special little creatures are coming at all times to check out the “bargains offered” in these neatly planted rows. Harvest will be soon I am sure – just before the gardeners want to sample their hard work.

Walt Disney built a character out of this kind of garden invader. Walt and his story creators knew this was a common problem for many people – and they knew that people loved rabbits. Thus the unusual, fun loving and fearless character of Bugs Bunny appeared. All of us remember the violence and the threats of violence offered by Porky Pig. I think it was Elmer Fudd that chased, pursued and attempted to murder the “waskal wabbit” in his carrot patch. It was likely our first display of guns and violence on TV. Bugs would always punctuate the scene with his patented, “Eh…What’s up do?”

Dilemma...
Cute to say the least, and a good caricature of the monster that lives in our yard. But what do you do? They are not afraid of much. A scarecrow doesn’t work on bunnies. They are fast as lightning and scurry away at the least sound of danger.

Being Canadian – I can’t carry a gun. I need to make application and prove my worthiness to have a fire arm. I must be registered with the police and the government to have a rifle and not even think of having hand gun without filling out many forms – red tape galore. So I can’t shoot the little creature.

One time when I was much younger, on a farm in rural Saskatchewan, I did an execution for my grandmother. She had a rabbit that was pesky and was eating her garden produce. Arming myself with a gun I waited for the rascal to show up – and then, “Blam” I let him have it. It wasn’t a pretty site. The shot was good but the death was slow and the rabbit looked at me all the time it died… whimpering as it did.

I am marked for life and seared in my conscience for what I did that fateful day. I was 12 years old and a murderer.

Life Applications…
We see it differently – Mr. Bunny and Me. He sees it as survival – I see it as a nuisance. He sees it as his yard – I see it as my yard. A pesky little creature to say the least. We see it differently.

With Mr. Bunny the solution seems to be simple. Don’t plant cornflowers where you have bunnies. They don’t take a second look at the other flowers that we successfully planted. Plant smart – and don’t lose sleep over the rabbits. Side by side survival is important for both of us.

My thoughts drifted this morning to the streets of Peterborough. As I walked downtown not long ago I met some street people. These folks ranged from their mid teens to late twenties. They were dressed differently from me. All were trying to make a few loonies as they panhandled their way along life. Pesky little creatures but side by side survival is so important to our community.

I see the street kids differently now. They are someone’s kids. They are someone else’s grandkids. They belong to us all. They are not a danger lurking close by – they are us and belong just like Mr. Bunny does in my yard.

~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~

Bugs Bunny