They. Are. Back.  Yes, I thought that it was over this year, but no.  We got a new fence, so I thought that put an ending to furry creatures getting into our backyard, but no; they found a way.

To stop my dog from barking at me in an annoyingly loud voice- I went down in the basement to play with him a bit.  I got out his toy (a funny, total coincidence), a squeaky rabbit to play with, until he began ripping out fuzz.  Through the sliding glass door of the basement, all of a sudden a cute little bunny comes leisurely hoping along my back patio.  It’s exploring my backyard, hoping over to the flower bed where she nibbles the long grass left by Matt’s mower,  (hopefully that and not my flowers!) all while Chazz the dog’s loud barking and my tapping loudly on the window do not deter her.

***DISCLAIMER: this is not the picture of the bunny that is outside my house. It’s a cute picture resembling the bunny closely that I found online.

The bunny from last year has returned.  This time, it looks as if she’s bred, and we have a smaller version of bunny #1.  Two years ago when we had first moved into this house, we found a very small bunny living in our backyard.  At first I thought it was cute.  Last year a bigger rabbit had come to our backyard, (it was so funny, Matt said ‘no, its a different bunny because it’s much bigger.’  Not having taken into account that it had grown) and we tried all we could think of to keep the rabbit out.  Planting marigolds (which are supposed to not attract bunnies) and placing bricks all around the holes in the fence.  It seems like Chazz gets so enamored with this bunny, that he keeps digging and poking around to get his scent.  As a result, we get a dog dragging his dirty paws around our nice clean (sometimes) house.

The returning with hard core dedication of the bunny is comparable to the determination that I used in the rehabilitation from my car accident, the life changing event that has left me with a traumatic brain injury.  I tried so hard to get better after my injury, especially physically, I just wanted to be “normal” and blend in with everyone else in high school so I tried so hard in my rehab.  I wanted to look normal, walk normal, and be back to my normal place in the high school social standing.  Who knows?  Generations of that bunnies relatives could have grown up in our backyard and that is the bunnys’ normal.  Is it right for us as homeowners to try to change that?  I have a feeling this bunny’s family will always find a way.

This year, the third spring/summer season, I am determined to keep the bunny away!  I have made plans to spread lots of small white rocks around the shed, to keep Chazz from sniffing and getting his paws brown and dusty in the dirt.

Talking about persistence, there’s a bird who has built her nest on the boards under our deck and right over our porch swing 4 times this season!  Matt keeps moving it to a nearby tree, but the bird just doesn’t get it.  Since we have last moved one on May 23rd, no nest has reemerged, so I think the bird has finally gotten the hint.  The extent to which this bird has made her nest blows my mind!  She builds the new nest very strong, with thick supports, and when we take one down, the beginnings of another comes back in the very same spot two days later!

a finished nest, all strong and tidy, before getting this one down, we looked inside to make sure there were no eggs already laid

I feel so bad for the poor little bird, but C’mon, find a new place!!  We can’t have a nest which only means bird poop all over the beautiful swing and the nice new back porch.

Oh!  AND we have a woodpecker that has returned to banging on the corner edge of our house.  (The edge that is not connected to other townhouses.)  That little bugger showed up when we first moved in, and was probably at the house before we ever got there.  The home owners’ association in our neighborhood has already cited us on the holes in our wood siding on the sides of the building (or something like that).  The problem is that my Dad did repair it last year, although he did ask me if he should fix it with like covering the sides with metal, and then painting them, or the easier task of just caulking the holes and painting over the sides.  My vote went to the latter, easier option, as I thought the woodpecker was gone.  But here he comes again this year, banging on the other edge.

It’s just like day after day, I always try to stay awake after waking from my nightly slumber to walk the dog.  I drink cup after cup of coffee (usually only two) to stay awake, but most times I am overwhelmed by the desire to take a nap only waking up in time for Days of Our Lives my favorite daytime TV show.

People (and animals) have a sense of determination once they are in a state of mind; a firmness of purpose, resoluteness.  If anything should help us remember this, it is like the steam engine who could.  I believe it is all about a state of mind, if you think you can-you finally will begin to achieve.  Never give up, and wonderful things can happen in life.  A person can prevail and emerge from the darkness.

Darkness, rain, grey skies with clouds.  It’s pouring here.  The rain will not stop falling.  This means no pool for us this afternoon, but it also means I will not need to water my flowers.  When you weigh the bad and look for the advantages that can result, you are a winner.  There are many ways in which this truth can be displayed and the positive can be found from the negative.  It’s all a state of mind.