Rabbit!

About three weeks ago, we got a pet rabbit (from a girl who advertised him on Craigslist). Especially since I've mentioned him here a couple times already, I figured this blog is overdue for a cute picture--or two. So here's the rabbit exploring the bookshelf (which is now off-limits since he tried to eat too many books):

And here he is in a slightly more natural habitat, about to chew on his favorite rug:

He is a dwarf rabbit, five months old now, and he is utterly adorable in action. We call him Pipkin, after the little rabbit in Watership Down (which, upon recent re-reading, I think is my favorite novel).

As it turns out, his personality is nothing like that of the original Pipkin, who is timid and constantly in need of reassurance. Our Pipkin turns out to be a bold explorer. He has ventured, for instance, into all the heaters he has access to, and dug out diverse small objects therefrom, such as coins, buttons, and a pink plastic Easter egg. We keep having to chase him out of those burrows when he starts assiduously yanking out the insulation or whatever it is that sticks out between floor and wall... A couple days ago, after I moved his cage closer to the couch, he figured out that he could jump from the top of his cage onto the arm of the couch. He is sitting there now, in fact, cleaning between his furry toes with his tongue.

When I started this post a couple minutes ago, he was racing back and forth along the couch, reveling in the fact that he can run properly on this fabric surface. (On the hardwood floor he slides hilariously when he tries to change direction too fast.) Then he hopped carefully onto the back of the couch, and looked out the window for a long moment.

Now he is lying on the armrest at the cage-end of the couch, ears up but hind legs sprawled out. This position signals supreme relaxation and security. With his legs out behind him, he wouldn't be able to get away as quickly if a predator came at him. It makes me happy to see him so confident. He surveys the living room like a king on a throne.

A moment later, he is up again, compacted, attentive. Listening: What's going on? Will I need to run? I wish he would let his guard down more of the time. There really aren't any dangers here at the moment; there's no need for him to be on the alert, nervous, wired. (Of course, I do the same thing so often. I stress about things that don't matter or that end up not happening. I carry tension in my body when I could be resting. I probably look a lot like Pipkin from God's perspective: real cute but way more worried than I need to be, and inclined to chew on a lot of things that are bad for me. Hopefully one day Pipkin and I will both learn to really rest, trusting we're safe.)

He is always changing. But whatever he's doing, he is always adorable and I love to watch him do his funny, bunny thing.