I am deliberately calling this rodent a bunny, not a rabbit, in an effort to feel less outraged by her raiding my garden, where she not only ate the two early cucumbers, but gnawed through all five vines. I am growing cucumbers – or, I was growing cucumbers – for my niece, who is fond of them and helps me in the garden. My niece was a vegetarian for a while, so on the one hand I’m trying to channel her bunny-sympathetic vibe, but on the other I’m wondering how to get the local hawks to hang out in my yard a little more. Or the eagles. As you can tell, this is not a Beatrix Potter moment.

the perp

I inspected the fence and found the long section of chicken wire which, though fine three weeks ago, was broken at ground level now. Unless the bunny had wire cutters it must have rusted through. This realization slightly refocused my outrage on sellers of supposedly galvanized but extremely short-lived chicken wire.

Doug mended the fence and I sprayed rabbit repellent, and then I bought plants to replace the ones I raised from seed. While he was at the hardware store buying more chicken wire, Doug asked a farmer there how he kept the critters out of his crops.

“We don’t,” the farmer replied.

I have only a few vines, not fields full of cucumbers, but I’d be willing to share with the bunnies. They don’t get that concept. When eat or be eaten is all you know, I guess you take what you can get when you can get it.