“Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin’ down the bunny trail, hippity hoppity Easter’s on its way,”
… Bringing Angelkeep such joy, Starburst Jellybeans to deploy, more than enough to last all Easter Day.
Angelkeep’s Easter has long been and will continue to be more aligned with the religious resurrection celebration than fancy eggs, glazed ham, or chocolate bunnies. After all He has risen indeed.
The menagerie of baby Angelkeep bunnies, Angelbunnies, appeared well ahead of the late season that Easter landed on this calendar year. How does one acquire a ready annual supply of Angelbunnies? It’s all due to habitat.
Bunnies, especially the youngest babies, are officially called kittens. Many a rabbit lover has shortened the name to kits, or kitties, just like the feline babies. It seems to have more to do regarding a bundle of fluffy fur rather than tail length.
One month ago while strolling beside a brush pile (an Angelbunnie habitat necessity) known in the past for sudden evasive movement of rabbits, two Angelbunnies popped out. One flew at breakneck speed to the north. The second opted to shoot south. The camera failed in both directions. Bobbing white-tails were last seen diving into tall grasses.
Angelkeep learned long ago about the small animal and bird sanctuary aspect of small piles of brush and limbs scattered around Angelkeep’s perimeter. When the critters were happy and felt safe, then Angelkeep was happy. If you like to live within a natural zoo, it’s what you do. The six brush piles also provide potential campfire kindling when needed. Everybody wins, and that’s also the Easter story.
Christ suffered, died, and was resurrected for everybody willing to believe and receive.
Bunnies, Resurrection, and Easter were united since time immemorial, worldwide, according to Bluffton Chronicle 121 years ago. It referenced an African legend of the rabbit once living on the moon and you could make out its face and shape on the moon’s face. But the moon informed said rabbit, “Go and say to men, ‘our Lord, the Moon, sends you word that even as I die each month and rise again, so shall they die and rise again.’”
This moon kit, with a leaning toward atheism, delivered an opposing version to earth-folk, which angered the Moon Lord, who split the hare’s lip. The bunny fled to hide in a hole, and has been timid ever since.
China claimed a benevolent rabbit that offered itself as food for Buddha which led to a continent gifting moon-shaped cakes stamped with a rabbit figure for Easter. Angelkeep yet preferred Starburst Jellybeans.
In German lore, Mr. Rabbit stumbled upon a nest of eggs after the wicked fox ate the mother hen. Mr. Rabbit sat on the eggs, hatched downy yellow chicks, who in turn called him Mama. Every German child desired an Easter Egg Nest (aka basket) carried by the Osterhase, or egg-laying hare.
Romans indulged in egg games, sport devised from swan’s eggs. Persians began coloring eggs. France and Italy, before Eastertide, gifted a priest eggs for blessings received. Russian ladies handsomely painted eggs for gifting, a kiss always claimed with each egg presented.
Angelkeep would be quite happy with an Easter meal of a large bowl of finely shredded lettuce, cut fine as Easter grass, garnished with a pair of pickled eggs over an ample supply of pickled beets. No dressing needed. It has the smell and taste ambiance of resurrection Easter from childhood memories. For dessert a bowl of chopped angel food cake, strawberries, and whipped cream can’t be topped. It all sounds like a meal fit for a fluffle (or colony) of kittens of the rabbitery variety.
With any luck, come Easter Sunday, some Angelbunnies will lose their timidity and arise from the burrows, or from under the many habitat brush piles to enjoy some sweet clovers growing in Angelkeep’s lawn.
As the reporter wrote in 1902 about his olden days he noted men hailed every person parading on the street with the glorious Easter morning message, “Christ is risen,” to which came the invariable response, “Christ is risen indeed.”
Who knew that phrase was as old as Easter’s Peter Cottontail hiding Easter eggs?
Mr. Daugherty is a Wells County resident who, along with his wife Gwen, enjoy their backyard and have named it “Angelkeep.”
