Rabbits

Jethro was quite certain that the rabbits had not spoken to him the day before. After searching his memory he was positive that they had never spoken to him on any occasion. He did not think there was anything special today that should have made them talk. He had delivered the food and water just as he always had and took away the waste that was always left for him by the entrance to the cage.
He briefly considered asking his father about the incident but decided it would only end in another lecture about asking questions. His father had a very low opinion about people who asked questions. Jethro was painfully aware of his father's opinions. He had learned the hard lesson when he was very young. Like most children he had asked any number of seemingly normal questions, such as , where do rainbows come from or why is the sky blue. The only reply he received was a fierce beating and his father's admonishment to keep his nose out of other peoples' business or someone was going to rip it off. Jethro has been told that anything he needed to know he would be taught in school and if it didn't come up there he was not to wonder about it.
Jethro was certain his father already knew that the rabbits could talk. He knew all kinds of things. His father knew the secrets to keeping the lawmen from coming onto his farm. He knew what the weather was going to do. He knew how to take care of all manner of plants and animals. He probably knew all kinds of things that Jethro did not know and would never know.
The next day at school Jethro had worked up the courage to ask one of his classmates whether any rabbits had ever spoken to him. He was promptly informed that he was an idiot and that rabbits did not talk. He was not convinced by this answer though, since in early conversations about rabbits his classmate's rabbits did not seem to behave like his father's rabbits at all. His classmate had told him about how he had taken rabbits to the county fair and won prizes and how they would butcher the rabbits and eat them. Jethro had been horrified to learn of all this. His father had never done any of these things with the rabbits. The boy had asked him why they bothered to keep rabbits at all if they were not going to do anything with them. Jethro had only turned away in shame, not knowing how to answer. He became terribly afraid that somehow his father would find out that he'd been asking about rabbits. Jethro swore that he would never ask anyone about rabbits again but the talking was just something he could not get out of his head. So he had asked and once again been made to feel like a fool.
When Jethro arrived home his father was not in his study as he usually was. Most days Jethro would wait outside the study for a few minutes and his father would come out and tell him of any additional chores he needed to attend to before he made dinner. Today the study door stood open and his father was absent. Unsure of what to make of it Jethro set about his normally appointed tasks of caring for all of the animals and plants. He saved the rabbits for last. As he approached the enclosure he distinctly heard someone or something say “Please.”
Jethro stopped dead in his tracks and looked all around. He spotted no one who could have uttered this word. Working up his courage he continued about his task determined to ignore what just happened. As he was placing the food in the cage he heard the voice again. Just the simple word “Please.”
“Please what?” said Jethro.
“Oh goodness you can hear us” uttered the voice.
“Yes I can hear you. Who or what are you and why do you keep saying please?”
“I, of course, am a rabbit. We were afraid your father had done something horrible so that you would not be able to hear us. Speaking for every rabbit present I would very much like to ask that you leave the door open just a bit so that we might have a nice breeze. It does get so awfully stuffy in here.”
“I'm sorry.” Jethro managed to mumble.
“There is really no need to be sorry. We could not expect you to anticipate our needs if you do we do not share them with you.”
“I suppose you are right” Jethro replied, feeling very much like he was either dreaming or going mad. “I can't leave the door open though. My father told me I had to make sure it was shut at all times.”
“I am quite sure that he did.” said the rabbit angrily.
“I really shouldn't be talking to you. Rabbits are not supposed to talk anyway.” And with that Jethro quickly finished his task and ran back to the house before he could receive a reply.
Feeling quite disturbed by the whole incident Jethro set about making dinner in an attempt to take his mind off what has just transpired. Once dinner was finished and set on the table Jethro returned to the study to see if his father was there. It was empty. Jethro was worried by this emptiness. His father had never been missing before. He began to go about the house calling for him. As he passed by the bedroom he heard a slight moan from behind the door. He very carefully opened the door and stuck his head in. His father was there in bed. He looked horribly pale and seemed to be tossing and turning. Jethro came to the edge of the bed.
“Father what is wrong.”
The words seemed to have an immediate effect. His father sat upright and started at him with his eyes wide. Jethro stepped back. He knew the look his father had just given him. It was the same look he got when he asked questions.
“Fool boy, why did you not come to me sooner?”
“But father I didn't know you were...”
“Sick.” His father spat the word at him. “Well I am and I'm quite sure you have caused it somehow.”
“I'll call the doctor.” Jethro said, trying to be useful.
“You will do no such thing. What you will do is bring me my dinner. Then you will go out and search all of our land for rabbits. One of the little devils must be out there somewhere. You will find it and kill it. You will not rest or eat until you have done this thing. If I find out that you have done otherwise you will wish that you were that rabbit.”
Jethro hurried from the room. He brought the dinner back to his father. Neither of them spoke a word. He then set about searching for this rabbit his father insisted was there, not really knowing what he would do if he found it. He searched for hours. The sun had gone down and he still had not seen any sign of a rabbit. Completely at a lost he found himself wandering past the rabbit cage. He was struck with an idea.
“Excuse me.” Jethro said in his most polite voice.
“You again. Changed your mind have you?” replied the rabbit.
“Not exactly. I was sort of wondering if you knew whether there was a rabbit around here”
“There are a fair number of rabbits here but I am quite sure you are already aware of that fact.”
“That wasn't what I meant. I meant a loose rabbit.”
“That is another story entirely.” said the rabbit in a way that made Jethro think he was about to burst out laughing. “So your dear father is worried that a rabbit is here working some sort of mischief?”
“I guess so. He's sick you see.”
“That piece of information is quite fascinating.” the rabbit replied gleefully.
“You shouldn't sound happy about it. What if something happened to him.” said Jethro defensively.
“I should think something already has. Please pardon me if I seemed to respond in a way that was not pleasing to you. Perhaps I have not yet mastered the subtleties of your language.”
“I guess it is okay.” Jethro said, not really knowing how else to respond.
“Perhaps we can come to an arrangement. I think I know what it is that is plaguing your dear father. If I tell you what must be done what will you do for me in return?”
Jethro gave the matter some thought and decided he did not really have another choice. “Okay what's wrong with him?”
“Not quite so fast young sir.” the rabbit retorted. “First your promise of what you will do. Then and only then shall you have the information.”
“I suppose I could leave the door open a crack to let some breeze in like you asked.”
“Suppose you could or will?”
“I will but you have to promise that you won't leave the cage.”
“Done.” said the rabbit without a pause. “There is indeed a wild one of our kind just outside your house. You will find him outside the window of your father's study. When you come upon him you must tell him it is time. He will come with you willingly. Take him inside and cook him up for your father. Once your father has eaten him all will be set right.”
“How do you know?” said Jethro not quite believing anything that was going on anymore.
“I know a great many things.” the rabbit replied. “The how of it is not what is important. Be quick now as I am sure you would not want your father to get any worse.”
With that Jethro cracked open the cage door and set off to the window of his father's study. There he found a small white rabbit looking at him as though he was late for an appointment. “It is time.” Jethro said. The rabbit twitched his ears and started off toward the door to the house. Jethro ran after him and got to the door in time to open it. The rabbit hopped inside and went directly into the kitchen. Jethro put on a pair of gloves as he had seen his father do when butchering other animals and set about the nasty work of preparing the rabbit. When this was done he hauled himself to bed giving thanks that he did not have to go to school the next day.
Jethro woke feeling as though he had not really slept at all. He vaguely remembered having dreams where he was running but beyond that they quickly evaporated within his slowly waking brain. The light coming in his bedroom window told him it was far later than the time he usually got up. Then he realized his father had not woken him and with that awareness came back the events of the previous day. As he stumbled down to the kitchen he was willing to dismiss all of it as bad dreams until he saw the rabbit. There it was in the refrigerator. Then he knew that everything that he remembered had happened. He also remembered the advice of the rabbit on how to make his father well. He immediately began putting together a stew for the rabbit to go in. Once he'd put this on to simmer he set about his chores for the day.
As he came to the rabbit cage he noticed that the door was standing open far more than he had left it. “Rabbits, are you there?” he called.
“Rabbit, actually.” was the reply he received.
“What's the difference?” asked Jethro.
“The difference is that one is plural and the other singular and as there is only one rabbit here it would be horribly inappropriate to address me in the plural.”
“What do you mean only one rabbit?” Jethro said angrily. “You promised that if I opened the door you would stay there.”
“Before you go any further with that piece of logic I feel compelled to point out to you that I did promise to say here and that is what I have done. I made no promises for my brethren and as you can see they have chosen to make good on this golden opportunity.”
“You have to help me get them back. My father will kill me!”
“Yes yes” the rabbit said suppressing a chuckle. “I am quite sure that we can bring them all together again. It will take some planning and of course you'll have to let me out of here.”
“And why should I do that?” Jethro asked. “You are responsible for the trouble I am in already why should I listen to you any more?”
“Because I am the one who gave you what you need to heal your father and because I am the only one who can bring them back. If you like go ahead and try to catch them but as sure as I am talking to you now it will not do you any good.”
Jethro realized the rabbit was probably right and really did not know what else to do. Reluctantly he said, “Alright, what do we do?”
“You and I shall have to apply ourselves to separate tasks if we are to succeed. I shall pursue my wayward brothers and sisters and you shall return to the house and attend to your father. See that he eats all his food and tonight with any luck our paths shall cross. Now if you should be so kind as to release me from my promise to remain in here I shall be about it.”
“Oh yeah, you can go out.”
With the a rabbit shaped creature hopped from out of the shadows at the back of the cage. It was the biggest blackest rabbit that Jethro had ever set eyes on. It proceeded to push the door open with one paw, take two huge hops and disappear into the grass. Jethro proceeded to close his jaw and walked back toward the house.
Jethro was struck by the smell as he walked into the house. His stomach made the kind of noise that told him it had been far too long since he had eaten and something desperately wanted him to eat it. He went into the kitchen and took a taste of the stew. It tasted amazing. He dished some up in a bowl and took it into his father. Thankfully his father was asleep when he came in so he left the bowl beside the bed with a spoon and made a point of closing the door loudly on his way out, hoping to wake his father but to avoid actually having to talk to him. As no yelling followed his closing the door Jethro made his way quickly to another part of the house. He spent the rest of the day finishing up his homework and cleaning up the house. Both of these tasks took up a great deal of time and were totally normal. Jethro was almost feeling like things were going to be fine when he noticed that the sun was setting. He got up and went to look in on his father. His father was totally still except for his breathing. The bowl was empty and looked as though it had been licked clean. Jethro took the bowl and noticed that his father seemed to be doing something really strange. He was smiling in his sleep. Jethro could not really recall if he had ever seen his father smile before. Taking it as a sign his father was starting to feel better Jethro quietly made his way out.
Jethro went out to finish up the chores for the day wondering what exactly would happen that night. Feeling very anxious he hurried about his work and as he finished up he found himself standing outside the empty rabbit cage. Not really knowing what to expect he opened the door to make sure the rabbits would have no trouble getting in. Since he couldn't think of anything else to do he went back to the house.
Jethro entered the kitchen to find the black rabbit sitting on the table waiting for him.
“Well well well.” the rabbit said as it finished brushing one ear.
“What?”
“I am surprised you managed to follow my instructions. From what we had seen and hard from our cage we had the impression that you were not really that capable.”
“What kind of thing to say is that?” Jethro said feeling very hurt.
“It is the kind of thing that is what it is. We were happily proven wrong. Now to other business. I have succeeded on my end of the bargain as well. All of the escapees are currently assembled in your father's room.”
“Oh no!” Jethro yelled. “Please tell me you are kidding.”
“I should think not.” said the rabbit. “I said that everything would be set right if your father was fed the stew and I will not fail to follow up on my end of that bargain. Now if you would be so kind as to pick me up I should very much like to accompany you to your father's room.
Jethro leaned down to pick up the rabbit. As his hands touched the rabbit's fur he felt a slight tingling sensation spread through his hands and up his arms. The feeling disappeared just as quickly as it had come. As Jethro came to the door to the bedroom he heard the sound of children giggling. He pushed the door open and walked in to a scene he was not prepared for in the slightest. Standing around the bed were a number of his classmates laughing and giggling as though someone had told them the world's funniest joke. As he stepped up they parted and he could see his father's form on the bed or at least what was left of it. Most of it looked as though it had been chewed to pieces by very small teeth. In front of each of the children sat a rabbit not quite as black as the one he held. Each rabbit was in the process of grooming the blood from its paws and face. Jethro felt like he should be doing something but he could not quite remember what it was. He set the giant black rabbit down on the bed and started to laugh.

Dinner last night

Meyer lemon and basil fettuccine with blood orange velouté sauce.

Mix

For Christmas I received a beautiful black Kitchen-Aid mixer. Since then I have also acquired the following attachments:

Grinder - grinds meat, veggies and evidently bread
Slicer - This is awesome. Yesterday I made hash browns from scratch and it took about a minute to work through the potatoes.
Juicer - This one is great. It is the kind where you can extract juice from fruit for canning. I am very excited and once I have a canner the trouble will really get started.

Sausage stuffer - That's right! I now have the technology to make sausage.

For today I am settling for making a ragu from scratch. And yes I will be grinding my own meet and using fresh tomato sauce that I'll be making myself.

It is going to smell great here in a few hours.

I hope everyone out there is having a fabulous new year.

Officially

I am officially horrible about keeping this up. Tim has been down to visit and so I have been distracted. That and it just seems to be the last thing I get to in a day. I need to make a time slot in my head for updating this thing on a regular basis.

The issue is in part caused by the fact that I can't just do this on a moments notice. I'll have a great idea while I am at work and by the time I get home I won't be able to capture it in the full fervor that occurred earlier.

I shall have to try keeping a small notebook handy and doing it that way.

Thanksgiving Meal

Here is what I have planned

Leg of lamb baked in brioche
Rice Pilaf with Roma tomatoes, broccoli, and carrots
Bosc Pears poached in Merlot
And some sort of yam thing..

Fire Pictures

A Proposal

I have decided to start writing short stories. Ideally I would like to do it regularly. What I need is a bit of something to work with. What I want is three words upon which to base the story. Leave a comment with the three words you want to see form a story and I shall do my best from there. Bear with me though as I may be a bit rusty.