Buffy was a very special rabbit who lived with us almost 6-1/2 years. She developed a sweet but self-defining personality and let us know when she was having a bad hare day. She also had a very strange appetite for human food. Some of her favorites (given in nibbles) were tortilla chips, apples, strawberries, bananas, broccoli & parsley. She also loved cheese crackers, but her most favorite of all was biscotti. You could say over the years she became a little spoiled...like reclining on her favorite couch or expecting action when she thumped in front of the refrigerator when wanting a snack. Usually she got what she wanted! Buffy taught our oldest granddaughter, Tommie Shanel, at a very early age that this was her house and Tommie had to share with her, whether she wanted to or not. This included Tommie's toys and food, too, if she wasn't careful!

During January & February, Buffy traveled with us to California. She really liked that because she got more attention there as I wasn't working and could be home with her. She craved attention (second only to food!). Like all animals, Buffy's love was unconditional, and she brought much joy & laughter to us. All she wanted in return was to know we cared, and we showed her in many ways.

To understand how Buffy became such a large part of my life, I must take you back to a bright summer afternoon in 1992. I was working in my yard when suddenly a snow white rabbit with bright pink eyes appeared. Excited, I immediately tried to pick it up or at least pet it or see if it was hungry, but the rabbit wouldn't have anything to do with me and ran off. The next day it reappeared, but this time I was more cautious and just ran to the store and bought some rabbit food! Unbeknown to me, this rabbit would be Buffy's grandmother.

Over the summer the white rabbit grew to trust me, eating the food I left out, and even allowing me to pet her. She became Bunny Foo Foo, a fun part of our summer as she came & went. Then one day in late August, Foo Foo left. Sadly, I looked for her everyday until finally early in September she returned, but not alone! Two little gray bunnies hopped with her. Now there were three, and like their mother they came and went, wandering between our home and their burrow.

Fall flew by, and winter came early that year. Bunny Foo Foo left and this time never returned, but her gifts to me stayed! At first snow her youngsters decided to take up residence under my garden shed, directly behind our house. Over the winter my husband kept a path shoveled between the buildings. At first both bunnies regularly showed up on the back deck to eat, and how fast they grew! But in early January, 1993, only one was showing up regularly, and we felt we would only have one come spring. Of course I gave it a name, Bunny Boo. (Yes, I got some teasing about these names!) Again, unbeknown to me, this one would become Buffy's mother.

Early one March morning, before my husband left for work, he happened to look out back and noticed with surprise first one, then another & another little fur ball running in & out from under the shed, frolicking in the snow. He quickly realized that Bunny Foo had a family, and went out to see them. Of course when they spotted him they all scampered back under the shed, except for one that ran behind the shed. Rounding the corner, Larry found a very scared baby on a snow bank, and scooped it up. Once the little one was inside, snuggled in a warm blanket in a box (but still scared), Larry called me at the store. It had started....

Over the next two months we live-trapped two litters of baby bunnies, and eventually found homes for all. What a variety of colors...white, gray, light & dark brown, black & white. At first I was going to keep a white baby, like Bunny Foo Foo, but as I cared for the babies and watched them interact, I decided on the little gray runt my husband caught with his bare hands that cold March morning. Buffy was home.

Buffy stayed small, while her brothers & sisters (we occasionally saw them in their new homes) grew to be twice her size and more. Her size was one of the things that made her special, as she fit in anywhere and often found spaces we didn't know existed. It didn't curb her appetite, however!

I cannot begin to express to you the overall effect Buffy had on my family and me, especially the unconditional love and joy she gave. We truly loved her, and miss her very much. She lies buried in our back yard, right by the garden shed where she was born.

After about a year I was able to adopt another baby bunny, Flopsy. We were told he was a girl, but surprise! He is going to be enormous...at eight months old he's already twice as big as Buffy and still growing. His personality is somewhat different except for two special things: he craves attention and enjoys the couch! I sure hope he likes to travel as well as Buffy did. He will need a much larger cage ("home" for him when we aren't in the house and he comes out to visit).

I've been glad to share with you this story about Buffy and a little about Flopsy. If you have a house rabbit, I hope you'll share some stories, too. Please email me at buffyscorner@povn.com. Bye for now!

(A little note here by "Aunt Serena" who often took care of Buffy when Cindy & Larry were away. Buffy lived for her "Mom" and knew when Cindy was gone and definitely didn't like it! Cindy & Buffy shared a special bond that I've never seen before with a rabbit. Buffy loved Cindy more than anything. She would snort & carry on with the rest of us (those bad hare days), but "Mom" brought out all her sweetness.)

Below: The joy of Christmas, with Cindy & Buffy.