And Then There Was One

I'm not one for writing bunny obituaries, but I feel as though I need to pay some kind of tribute to Walter. It still seems unreal, and yet when I walk to their cage to feed them every morning and to let them out every evening when I get home from work, I now only find Jack, huddled in the corner looking just as sad and confused as I am.

I came home from work on Wednesday of last week and found Walter lying in the cage. He was dead. It was totally unexpected, and it broke my heart. I know he was just a rabbit, but if you know me, you know that I love my bunnies like children, so it was really painful to say goodbye. Thankfully, I have some amazing friends who came over to help me bury him. We reminisced about our memories of him for a while and then took him out back, dug a hole by the tomato plants, and placed him in it. I covered his body with dirt and cried. You know you have great friends when they cry with you. You also know you have great friends when they bring over beer for the occasion. We ended the evening with a few drinks, some laughter, and a few more tears. 

I got the pair (names after Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau) back in October and have thoroughly enjoyed  their company. Here are a few picture highlights of my time with Walter.

This was taken the first night I got them. They were both pretty timid, although Walter's always been the braver of the pair. They were brothers, and they loved hanging out together.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Walter. What a handsome young man!

One of my favorite memories about Walter is that he loved to jump on top of his cage. Sometimes when I would leave the top of their cage open, he would jump out and run around. Jack could never do it, because he was always smaller.

Walter would generally jump on top of the cage while I was cleaning it out. I guess that was his contribution. 

Jack and Walter had a play day in the leaves. They loved it!

So cute.

Look at those ears!

Around Christmas time, I bought miniature apples for decoration. Walter decided they'd be better as food than ornaments.

In his short life, Walter got to experience a number of road trips. I took the bunnies home to Michigan for Thanksgiving last year.

The last road trip was for Easter. Jack and Walter were great companions.

I let them run around the yard. They loved it.

I love this pose.

This picture perfectly captures our relationship. I love that Walter is sticking his tongue out. He made a habit of being defiant.

Just as all good things must come to an end, so my time with Walter is done. Looks like it's just Jack and me now. I suspect that we'll make a grand pair!