Hoppitus Nibblia. Short of lizards, these bunnies are the most common lifeform (well, okay, ants) we see around here. There are probably more than a dozen of them that live in our yard. I was avoiding posting this picture for a long time, because I was hoping I could get a jackrabbit picture to contrast him to. I always thought jackrabbit was just a word for wild desert bunnies, but no. They are
very different! They stand up on their legs instead of huddling flat to the ground, they are
huge, and their ears are
huger. They actually look like little deer with giant ears instead of antlers. They're also very skittish, so I never got to take a picture of one. Interestingly, all the bunnies we have around here have a very distinct rust colored spot on the back of their necks. A quick google tells me "May be caused by fading through over-exposure to the sunlight, dirty hutches, or dead hair about to molt." - I'm guessing it's the sunlight (although their hutches are holes in the ground, so they're not exactly clean). And now, the wrath of nature, since we only had 4 kitties to share with you:
This is a dry wash that runs through our yard. Or at least it was until the most intense rainstorm in the history of the world, about 2 weeks ago. As you can see, it became a raging river! See how it's eroded several inches down the left side? It was pretty much flat ground before the rain started (about 10 minutes before this picture). What rain, you ask?
This rain. Look at the ground. Oh that's right, you can't
see the ground because there's an inch of standing water over our entire yard!
I have it on good authority from someone who's lived here for more than fifteen years that this is not anything like normal weather. And actually, the weather has transmogrified since then... it's so beautiful now. Every day warm and sunny with a strong breeze, but not hot. It feels like the beach! Luckily, for now, without the water. I no longer lock myself away from the absurd heat, I can leave the windows open all day. The biggest problem now is that the nights are getting rather brisk. You know, it can snow in the winter around here. That'll be something to see!
