There is a whole big long touching story about these bunnies in our back yard. I'll tell it when we get back from getting some ice cream. The story is better than the quality of the pictures.

I'm back, so here it goes. About a week ago, I was painting the fence surrounding our backyard pool. The folks that owned the house prior to us had planted "stuff" all around the outside perimeter of the pool. I took a weed whacker and cut it down, except for a few selected hostas, a prickly rose bush and some irises, so I could paint. Well the afternoon was really hot, I was painting (actually staining) this natural wood picket like fence that had been ignored for years, when below my right foot I heard this little squeaking/squealing like sound. I stepped back and from under my foot crawled this little tiny rabbit, that at first I mistook as a mouse. I watched as it crawled away and realized I had unknowingly hurt this little rabbit. I further inspected the ground below me and saw it moving, I reached down and pulled the grass away and saw more little tiny bunnies in a burrow right next to the pool fence. I right away moved the grass and fur that had covered the bunnies, back over them and went after the little bunny that had exited the hole and was making his way toward the pool. He hit the cement fringe that surrounds the pool and obviously felt the heat of the sun on the cement and began to squeal a bit more. I knew he was hurt. He was dragging his hind quarter. I went inside the fence on to the cement lip and picked up the bunny relocating him to the grass under the fence. My son and his girlfriend raise rabbits, I quickly pushed button 2 for Ben. He said, he didn't think any of his mothers would adopt the little guy and he confirmed what I already knew that I needed to put the little guy out of his misery. So, apprehensively, I did that, quick and sure. I then took him into the rough behind the backyard and buried him. Now I was concerned for the little rabbits remaining in the burrow. I had not seen the mother when I pulled back the grass, and wondered if she'd come back, now that I had disturbed her burrow. Could I have hurt them also and they are in the same agony the first little guy had been? I decided to let them alone and wait for the mother to make her move. I continued painting being careful to avoid coming near the burrow. I checked the condition of the grass that night and I could not tell if the mother had come back. I, again, didn't want to disturb the nest so I put a carrot out next to the burrow hoping the mom would nibble on it and give me some clue she'd been back. The next morning I saw that the carrot had seen action. I was hopeful. I still noticed no movement in the fur and grass that covered the rabbit hole. I still was not sure the other kids were ok. The next night more carrot was gone and I could tell the burrow had been disturbed. That was encouraging, maybe they will be ok, I wishfully thought. Daily I would see one or two adult rabbits hopping along and feeding off the clover in the backyard not knowing how they were related to my bunnies. Then two days ago, as I usually do, I took my morning coffee out to the backyard and while walking around noticed a big, what I first thought to be a leaf floating in the pool. As I opened the pool fence gate and walked closer to the pool I could see it was a little bunny, drowned in the pool. He must have fallen in while running around in the night. I used the skimmer to retrieve him and buried him next to his sibling back in the rough. Now I was really feeling badly for my bunny family, but was encouraged that at least this one had survived and been healthy enough to run around and ill-fatedly fall in my pool. But, are there more that are alive? How are they? Well, I came home early today from the office and mowed the lawn. As the 22 horse Husqvarna with its swirling blades passed the fence I notice a little movement in along the fence. I was avoiding getting too close, anyway, but this little rabbit was freighted. Ran like a rabbit along the fence, made a sharp left and over the cement approach and right into the pool. Well, I discovered little bunnies can swim, so his poor brother probably swam like crazy a couple nights before until he just couldn’t swim anymore. I hopped off the lawn tractor and ran to the pool but couldn't reach him. My wife had seen the action and yelled from the screen in the kitchen, "Get the skimmer". So again the skimmer came into play only this time saving a life rather than just recovery. Well, I deposited the bunny onto the grass under the fence and he took off into the bushes. I felt better knowing at least another bunny had survived. I now knew there was one bunny, for sure. Well, while we were eating dinner tonight I noticed an adult rabbit standing watch over the burrow and assumed it to be mom. Sure enough a little bunny made his way up to mom as she sat on her haunches and he plopped himself down on his back and began to nurse with his little feet kicking up in the air with pleasure. I thought I'd get my camera and would try to get a picture without disturbing them, if I could. I grabbed my 50D with the 70-300 still on it and walked out the front door curling around the west end of the house back into the back yard and got close enough, behind some of the "lovely" landscaping we bought, to see him and mom nursing. I snapped a shot and she looked up and hopped off way from the bunny. And, to my surprise this revealed two other bunnies. I was pleasantly surprised that there were two other little bunnies that had also been sitting under mom. I shot these without getting close enough to really bother them. The pictures are not sharp, but they tell the story. I was so happy. Mom had three babies. She had five, but three is good. I look forward to watching them grow (and eat my lettuce in the garden). They can have the lettuce. I feel like I have buddies in the backyard now.