Springtime in the Rockies the Iris War
Posted: Wednesday, May 19, 2010
by Marijo Phelps
My iris need water and fertilizer so I am braving the winds. It is 46 degrees after being in the 60s over the weekend, those rascals on NOAA, our online weather “channel" are saying an inch of snow this afternoon and another overnight.
Then I see what I have been fearing since we live trapped one of our two rabbits a day ago. Nimrod, the hunter I am married to humored me and bought a “live trap". We caught one of the bunnies and transplanted him about five miles away in a lush field with some rocks and a culvert for hiding places. With one down and one to go, I could only dream they were both boy bunnies. As I get ready to water my flower beds I now realize my grave mistake. There is a tiny little heather gray little one looking at me with great brown eyes. It is the size of my open palm. I am thinking kitten only this is no feline. This is an iris munching herbivore with huge front teeth. Oh, no, maybe both of our “guests" are female.
Some things I consider vermin. It doesn’t bother me in the least to dispatch them with a shot gun. Now before you have a tizzy, let me remind you I am referring to the Richardson ground squirrels better known as “picket pins" because they stand straight like a picket fence. They also were digging tunnels under the concrete which supported our propane tank – a couple more holes and splat-boom the propane tank would hit the ground and possibly blow up. These squirrels have carried bubonic plague in nearby Colorado Springs. They are so prevalent that they run all over our roadways. You see them flattened every few feet this time of year. They eat their own buddies who have been run over and look like rats. OK?
Back to the bunnies, notice I am not referring to them as rabbits. Our orange tabby was that size when we brought him home as he fit in the palm of my hand. I am getting all misty eyes thinking of Hooney as a kitten and relating that to the bunnies. This will not do. I glance over at what used to be a healthy iris leaf and is now a nub. Whose side do I take, the flower or the bunny-rabbit?
I have called Nimrod to wish him a happy father’s day. We are both thinking out loud. What if we relocated their mother? How will they survive? Hum, judging from the looks of the garden they seem to be learning really fast. No one else has gone into the trap to get those apples either since our first catch.
Then I see another little one. How do I know I am not seeing the same rabbit twice? This one is smaller than the other. Oh, no. Now I am pretty sure they are both females, hence the difference in size of the babies.
I look at the ponderosa pines across the road, dark green,swaying in the wind. exuding peace. My tummy is tied in knots.I close my eyes and see our five acres bounding with bunnies. Did I mention we also have a jack rabbit. The other night at dusk I saw a huge critter loping across the yard and wondered if some neighbor’s dog was out, no, the gait was strange. Oh, my goodness, look at those ears! It was like a small kangaroo that jack rabbit. I could see my iris garden going in one night with him around. Yes, all rabbits are HIM until I sadly find out otherwise.
Back to those babies, I have now seem four of them. They scurry back into the fenced propane tank area. I catch one going into a roll which is cardboard with some rubber matting material rolled on it. Hum, about twelve feet long and eight inches in diameter, great bunny warren, bet Mick, ah, Nimrod is going to wish he’d stored that in the garage.
Well, we are going to have our work cut out for us. We didn’t buy the live trap so we could exterminate the bunny clan. What is next on the agenda, how to catch those babies, the other mama and reunite them with our exported Mama Bunny.
BAM! Nimrod is home. No, it was not a bunny, he got one of those pesky ground squirrels.
And to think I thought springtime in the Rockies meant fertilizing my iris. Sigh.
(C) Marijo Phelps all rights reserved. Use with proper credits.
Marijo Phelps,saved by Jesus grace in 1974, from 9 years atheism into His loving arms. She is wanting to spread the good news about His redemptive plan for our lives through written media. Her name is pronounced Mary Jo. She was an RN for 23+ years, missionary with YWAM,statistical analyst for Every Home for Christ 9 years. Her first poem published when she was four years old. (her mom had much to do with that!) She has been writing ever since.
Her new blog can be found: http://myincrediblelord.blogspot.com
Her new blog can be found: http://myincrediblelord.blogspot.com
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More commentsI love your stories, Marijo. Can't imagine you dispatching anything, though!The only thing I have killed in my life was 2 of those pesky ground squirrels - I hunt each and every year with my hubby and have never seen anything "legal" during hunting season except a mama deer with 2 babies with her - that was a no brainer - we didn't need meat in the freezer that badly. We get some fabulous exercise chasing the illusive"Buck-bi" though. Thanks for reading Jennifer and your comments!
The english format was difficult for me (I'm a foreigner), but you certainly cut my spirit with enthusiasm and your fluid story. Hope you rescue out some Irises!thanks Samantha si puedo hablar en espanol todo el tiempo entonces aye, fue muy malo - estoy de Minnesota y estudiar espanol en escurla (1960-64) muy muy muchos anos pasada! Gracias por hablarme aqui!
Marijo,Ahhh....living in the country! planting a garden can be like laying out a smorgasbord for the local animal population. Sounds like you and Mick really have your work cut out for you! I can imagine you both on bunny transplant operations for awhile! We just had a huge moose meander through the property yesterday (I don't imagine live traps would work too well there!) See, things could be worse! Thanks for providing my morning laugh, I do feel for you though, we have our share of little critters here too. Keep smiling! life is good.Washed windows today and saw none... they aren't interested in the live trap either - maybe learned from their mama's adventure. Hum....Thanks Kim!
Marijo,Welcome the world specially here in the Rockie Mountains, I guess you need to stay on guard ready with your shoot gun. Great article, our chipmunks love English daises, Do you have any? will ship them to you.We have something called 13 stripers.... they have 13 stripes on their backs and look sorta like a chipmunk but we don't see very many of these!
I can just see your soft heart soaking up all those tears like a sham wow, trying to hide them.. Let us know what you really do with the bunnies, they probably like the looks of those beautiful iris' peeking through the snow. You have a hard decision to make. God bless.Haven't seen any for 2 days now and we only relocated one... who knows? It was almost 60 today - sunny, no snow and blue skies!
I am not sure exactly what the point here is except you have a rabbit problem. I have never had a rabbit problem. Except maybe when I was young, 7 or 8 ,and my Uncle John was driving me and my younger brothers and siter back from Thanksgiving lunch and we stopped at a gas station that was giving away a free rabbit with the 100th tank of gas which was us and we jumped up and down and begged uncle John who said yes because he thought it was a stuffed rabbit and oh-boy my Dad was so mad and we named him Feffer and he lived in the laundry yard and eventually got eaten by the dog next door.Just trying to relate.See, you could write a piece about this! The point was to give the reader a snip of life in the mountain meadow and to give the reader a chuckle or two...thanks for your comments and coming by!See, you could write a piece about this! The point was to give the reader a snip of life in the mountain meadow and to give the reader a chuckle or two...thanks for your comments and coming by!
Wow!! what can I say....this was a great article, very funny and entertaining. I love the way you put your words sounds like you could be from Australia. I will be reading your article more, thank you much,shonellShonell welcome to Searchwarp! I have a friend coming in a week who lives in Australia but I am from Minnesota originally and Colorado now. Thanks for reading and your encouragement! That way to smart rabbit has gotten apples out of the live trap 2 days in a row and never gets in far enough to trip the trap. We want to give her an all expense paid vacation to a forest nearby!
I think you have a great story to tell, avoiding cliches would help the readability much more.Thanks so much for your suggestion! Some are there for tone and effect but some could probably go!
Marijo-I read this a few days ago, but just now found time to comment! :) I love Irises but you paint such a sentimental picture. I am on Team Bunny! Save those babies! :0Good news! I was watering today and turned around and there was the tiniest bunny IN the live trap eating apples - he/she was so tiny that the trip plate didn't get tripped - I walked up and the bunny went farther in the trap to get away from me and I shut the door. We just now took him/her down to the same place we let the mother rabbit go and let the little one out. (My niece says they don't need the mama but it is the idea.) Lots of rocks there and a nice culvert - much green grass and trees and an ELK herd right down the way! thanks for your comments - I could do a children's story about mama and baby reunion!
ahhh, thanks.Thank you for coming by and your kind comments! The best news is we live caught another baby bunny yesterday and took him to a lush, green pasture (with many rocks to hide in)where we dropped off his mama a couple days ago.
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