A Mystery Kill and Vanishing Views

We have seen more deer around us in the fields this spring than during previous years. When we lived in the city they would come up from the river valley in the winter to eat the acorns on the lawns and at night they would walk right down the middle of the street. Out here there is not much cover for them until the corn grows high enough during the summer. That rabbit that Dean shot on Mothers Day must have just had time to do his duty before he bought it because there are at least four little bunnies hopping around the place now. The dogs tear after them, and Steve almost caught one the other day that had run into a dead end but at the last moment it turned and ran right past Steve, who was slowing down to turn and was caught off guard. Marley, our 13 year old lab, is still in the game and brings up the rear huffing and puffing with her bow legs galloping as fast as she can move them. We were walking around the acreage the other day when the dogs stopped ahead of me sniffing around very intently. Usually when this happens they have found something dead or poop, and as I got closer I could see it was an adult rabbit, maybe the mama. The curious thing was the head was gone, the backbone was half pulled out and the pelt was hollow but intact. Whatever creature did this had somehow removed almost everything inside without tearing through the skin of the body, with the exception of the missing head. We spotted a groundhog waddling down the drive a couple of weeks ago but thankfully have not seen it again. Because of the dry spring the lilacs barely flowered at all, but we are keeping the flowers around the house well watered and most of them are thriving, as is the garden. We have two chairs outside of the garage facing the west and every day we sit there we notice the fast growing corn covering up more and more of our view.

Photo: Steve (left) and Marley on Bunny Patrol