Just a hare of trouble . . .

In many ways, Raleigh's house has become my home. I have my own key, a pile of shoes by the front door, clothes in the closet, a toothbrush near the sink, books in the living and bedroom. I know in which cupboards the dishes belong, how to operate the X-Box as a dvd player, where Raleigh hides his dirty work clothes, which kitchen tools are Ral's favorite (and which ones he uses to improvise when he doesn't have exactly what he needs), and how to hold open the windows that don't stay open on their own. I clean the kitchen after meals, often water and trim the flowers out front, and say hi to the neighbors when they pass by.

Two of my most favorite neighbors come to visit often yet don't say much. Jake and Jennie are new to the neighborhood (by about 3 months) and often like to hang out in our front yard. Jake is the bigger of the two and usually seems to be the one in charge, yet lately Jennie seems to be hanging around with a bit more frequency on her own. (I think Jake is up to regular teenager mischeivious antics . . . ) Anyways, it's always a pleasure to see them and I enjoy greeting them in the mornings or evenings as I exit and enter the house and chatting (usually with Jennie) while I play in the garden or sit out front to enjoy the view.

Now, speed up to today, and this morning started out like any other. I got out of bed after hitting snooze 3+ times, brushed my teeth, curled my hair, threw on some clothes, slid into my shoes, and began gathering my things to take to the car. I opened the front door to see Jennie quickly run away from the front gate, presumably to hide behind the flower bed on the side of the house as she usually does. It was so refreshingly cool outside compared to the inside of the house (Ral doesn't have A/C yet), I decided to leave the front door open as I loaded my things into the trunk of my car. (That's not unusual, since Raleigh and I often leave the front door open just to get some fresh air.)

As I was placing my stuff in the trunk, I thought to myself, I wonder if our friends would ever try to go inside? "Nah," I said, "They're too smart for that." And without a second thought, I walked back up the steps and into the house for load number two. As if on cue, there, sitting right in front of the television, ears perked straight up, nose quivering with excitement, eyes aglow with that "I'm-in-trouble-now" look . . . was Jennie. I could almost see her smiling.

One step toward her, and she jumped towards the couch and positioned herself behind the ottoman. Then, as if she thought it were a fun game, we played hide-and-seek and catch-me-if-you-can in the living room. Jennie is a smart bunny (I knew she was), as she seemed to know exactly which direction I was going to go; I'd move one way, and she would intuitively hop the other. And quick! Man, I knew that girl had spunk, I just didn't know how fiestly she could be! Thankfully, our time together this morning only lasted for a minute or so before she headed towards the kitchen, spotted the open door, and darted back outside.

I could only shut the door with a big sigh of relief and a little giggle (how might I have told Raleigh there was a bunny rabbit loose in the house?!), and quietly climbed the stairs to say goodbye to a sleeping Raleigh. I awoke him with a kiss, and then told him I had an exciting morning as Jennie came in the house to pay us a visit. His eyes got big, however I quickly reassured him it was only a short stay, as she was safely back outside where she belongs. We both then started giggling hysterically on the bed, and Raleigh so aptly pointed out that Jennie now had a great story to tell Jake and all her friends. And now, so do I.