Wednesday, July 3, 2013

The Story of Squirrel and Rabbits

Several years ago I picked up a little red{ish} rabbit statue at Target
and brought him home. Doug teasingly {and lovingly?} called me PJ.
PJ was my mother-in-law's name, and I think at that time Doug may have been concerned that one day, in the not so distant future, our backyard space might resemble his mother's - full of whimsical statues and figurines and what-not's. PJ loved herself some whimsy!
 
And back in the day when Doug's dog, Misty was still around, there was a regular routine of a tennis ball being thrown in our backyard. One evening as we relaxed on our patio - me sipping wine and Doug tossing the ball for Misty {over and over and over and...}, I noticed that he appeared to be deliberately aiming the ball at the rabbit.
 
When I asked, half-expecting him to deny it, he sheepishly admitted that I was right - the rabbit was his target. "What?!?! What has that rabbit ever done to you?," I asked. "Uh...well...he's staring at me," was his comeback.
 
Thus began the story of the red rabbit, and his friends who came to share this space.
 


Not long after the red rabbit arrived, we I added a squirrel to the mix.


Next thing you know, a gray rabbit arrived...

Now, you might be thinking, "Where is this post going, Deb?!?!"
And I'm about to tell you. 
 
 
These three garden friends, simply known as "Squirrel and Rabbits" around here, get moved from time to time. In fact, every time Doug cleans up the backyard, he moves these three into different positions. They've been known to tell each other secrets, be mad at each other and stand back-to-back, stand in a row facing a sun symbol {worshiping the sun...}, and most recently, they were caught playing hide-and-seek.
 

{you can see the gray rabbit way back by the fence...}
 
I love that this little collection started with the thought that I was just like PJ, but what I love even more is that Doug's sense of whimsy is more like his mother's than we knew in the beginning. It's always so much fun to see what he comes up with when he moves these garden friends around.
 
Perhaps Squirrel and Rabbits will make future appearances on this blog.
I wonder what they'll be doing next...
PS: PJ was born on the 4th of July, so tomorrow we'll remember her on her birthday. She was red, white, and blue through and through, and she spent her life serving in a volunteer capacity in her community and also as the wife of a career Marine. Long live her lovely memory.

16 comments:

Cheri said...

It's so fun that your garden friends have stories!

Ruth said...

I love how the ornaments link together with your family's history.
Happy Independence Day for tomorrow! x

Irene said...

I love Doug's sense of humor. Reading your blogs always makes me smile. Today's post made me giggle. Happy Fourth of July.

Becky said...

What a fun story. Happy Independence day for tomorrow.x

scrappyjacky said...

What a lovely story...love how D moves the animals around...whimsy is obviously in the genes!!

debs14 said...

Love this post! I bought a white wooden duck home for the garden and everyone laughed at me as he has his feet on back to front!

alexa said...

Isn't it funny how an inherited or learned characteristic will make its appearance under another guise! Wishing you a Happy 4th July and may memories be honoured and cherished.

Maria Ontiveros said...

What a wonderful post to remember your MIL. Great photos, too. I'm still thinking about putting my mom's Lladro collection out and now realize part of the reason I haven't is because Paul will roll his eyes!
Glad Doug never managed to hit the rabbit.
Rinda

Abi said...

This story make me laugh! I love Doug's sense of humour. Happy 4th of July!

Anonymous said...

Love this post - it has put a smile on my face to start the day with and a very Happy 4th July x

Sian said...

We have a little grey rabbit in our garden! he has lost his ears due to frost damage, but we don't mention it and neither does he :)

Happy 4th July!

Rachel Brett said...

What a great story! That is very sweet that Doug joins in.. Can't wait to see what they do next! :)

Candace said...

Our street t-bones into another street and down that street about 3 houses, for years, some of the neighbors have been moving these 3 yard pigs around. They will mysteriously move from yard-to-yard in the dead of night. Although I think some of the original players have moved away now and the pigs don't travel as much anymore.

Miriam said...

We have a little squirrel hiding in our garden, I saw him only yesterday. I love that your garden pals play together.

Anonymous said...

What a delightful story!

boysmum2 said...

I love that he is having fun with the friends in the garden

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