my fuWWy wabbit


of course I had a loyal and loving companion when I was a child. My Wabbit was always there for me. He was sweet and fuwwy, understanding, uncritical. He waited when I was at school, he hid when Others insisted I was too big to carry him around, and when I reached high school, I disguised him as part of the "decor" in my room, which was easy, since before the days of TV-team interventions on the rooms of teenagers, parents just closed their eyes and gritted their teeth. They certainly didn't venture to hunt for Wabbits that they thought had long been outgrown.

A Wabbit doesn't care if you didn't finish your book report, he knows you were just being too polite to say what you really thought about Silas Marner and thinks the teacher ought to be grateful you didn't write about Silas Mariner.

I was thinking of my Wabbit the other day, in the sad gray of the late afternoon. I had some things to convince Anthropologie to take back, belated gift returns, nothing that I could hold on to for another few weeks and pass off as Valentine's Day tributes, so they had to go back. Wouldn't it be nice, I thought, if someone knew me well enough to get me a Wabbit? Not a big stuffy thing from FAOSchwarz, not a costly collectible thing from Steiff,  just a nice fuwwy Wabbit that gives you snuggles and cuddles and doesn't have a list of questions that only you can answer immediately, with documentary support.

The very closest Anthropologie to me looks like it was once the ballroom of a small catering operation, there's a "not much" entry, if you go one way you wind up in a small room full of crockery and sale racks, and if you go the other way you confront a curved open staircase, which takes you way way down into the main selling area. There are some little niches along the way, and then I saw them - a whole basket of WABBITS. Lovely fuwwy wabbits. I picked one up, he snuggled up under my chin and into my neck. I couldn't put him down.

I didn't. He came home with me. He will live in a basket in my closet, and remind me that no matter how bleak and dreary the outlook, love can come unexpectedly and joyfully, and joy can come lovingly and hopefully.

And so I wound up buying two Wabbits, so my Wabbit wouldn't be lonely. Since we all know what happens when you have more than one Wabbit, I'm hoping there will be enough Wabbits to share with young visitors when they come to play. Love and Wabbits should be shared. And if you have a moment when you think noone is listening, hold a Wabbit and listen later.

Tell me about the Wabbits in your life.

37 comments:

  1. My daughter has your Anthro wabbit and he is indeed a most cuddly beastie.

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    1. and now I know that the Wabbits are tasteful as well as loyal. Cup running over.

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  2. This post actually made me tear up a little. I don't have a Wabbit, but I have Monkey and Potbelly Bear. They have lived with me in 6 homes in 3 different states. I talked to them a lot after my grandfather passed away.

    Your wascally wabbits are very cute :)

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    1. Hi. Whitney, my sister has Milo the Monkey! Neither of her ex-husbands understood Milo but frankly she made the right choice. Each time.

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  3. Dear wellfedfred,
    I am very new to the world of blogging as I only discovered it within the last couple of months. Through some route that began at JCA and twisted and turned at numerous intersections, I found your blog. I have to admit, it is a real favorite and I look forward to reading each new entry. It has also come to my attention that we move in the same circles since you have mentioned the NYC collection store and in this entry the Anthropologie on 3rd,. which was a movie theater in its previous life. I spend a good bit of time in my Upper East apartment. Thanks for all the restaurant recommendations as well. My husband enjoys Daniel but I am afraid my personal palate is unsophisticated and simple. it is indeed a spectacular spot and totally worth the experience.
    As to the question at hand, my answer is probably trite and has only been in my life for 3 years but it has to be my darling granddaughter. Taking her to the mall just to ride up and down the escalators - pure joy!

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    1. welcome, Teacups, and thank you! I adored riding on escalators as a child, what a lovely grandma you are! and thanks for reminding me that the Anthro was a movie, it's been nagging at the back of my poor brain since the store opened.

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  4. What a great post! I love your wascally wabbits. My younger son had a bunny he called "buns." Weally. I love your new header too!

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    1. Thank you, KnitYarns, The beasts and I are glad you enjoyed!

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  5. The wabbit in my life is my 13 year old Norwich Terrier, Finn. He's worn around the ages, his fur is turning gray, but he is faithfully, always there for me to cuddle. Lovely post...I think I'll go give him a nuzzle, he's right on the floor next to me.
    Jennifer

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    1. what a lovely Wabbit, Jennifer, and how nice that he's a snuggler.

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  6. Oh I love them. I cannot resist fuzzy critters and have to keep reminding myself they'll be dust collectors or I'd have way many more than I have now and I'm way, way past that age. Very much like Jennifer, my ultimate wabbit, was Bo, my fluffy cat who was more of a sweet dog personality and I used to say he was like a live teddy bear. He was always exactly what I needed, played tag, hugged and made us laugh every day. And I still tear up when I think of him.

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    1. hi, tiffany rose, my friend Sharon had a cat whom she taught to play catch and bring her things. Also the fluffy boneless kind, she could wear him around her neck on cold days. How lovely to have a cat who's patient enough to indulge its staff.

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    2. The fluffy boneless kind, that's perfect description. The first night I had him home, he was so tiny he slept snuggled into the crook of my neck. I was then mom.

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  7. Love this Fred and I am so glad you got two wabbits! I always regretted not getting two dogs when I got Indy so he would have company!

    I actually still have teddy bear along with a little dog that my sister gave me when I was 5 years old! They sit on my dresser and are looking threadbare, but they make me happy and feel loved even on those days I don't feel like loving myself!

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    1. hi, Wendy, I'm so glad that your bear and doggy are still with you!

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  8. Wuv your wabbits! We have a little moose who loves to watch films with us. At one point we had real rabbits, but they bit us so frequently not fun to cuddle at all.

    My youngest had a bear called Fuzzy who still dwells in her bed when she is home from college; she pulled bits of his fur out and rubbed them on her uppper lip while sucking her thumb when she was 2.

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  9. hi, Lane, a boy gave my a real live rabbit when I was in 9th grade, he was a very unsatisfactory pet (rabbit, boy vanished of his own accord) and to this day I believe that the only reason the rabbit didn't wind up as hasenpfeffer was that my parents couldn't agree on hoe to pronounce it.

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  10. What a delightful post! I smiled reading how you found another cuddly bunny at Anthropologie. Several years ago I was also returning a few things to Anthro and met a little puppy who was part of a local humane society event. The Anthro was good enough to host the event to encourage adoption. I fell in love with the little man and after making my returns, he came home with me. He is warming my lap right now.

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    1. Desert Fower, it's amazing what you can come home with when you set out in good faith to make returns! and I love the tale of your puppy!

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  11. Your wabbit is adorable and even sweeter that you got him a friend. I always had stuffed animals as well as a menagerie of very fluffy, furry dogs and cats as a kid. I still have my original Zippy the Chimp, Snoopy and Raggedy Ann dolls that have moved with me over the years. Although they sit in my closet collecting dust, they are a reminder of simple comfort as a child. A friend recently pointed out how much they are selling for on ebay but I guess that I am just sentimental to part with them. These days, my two big fluffy dogs (including a 100lb briard) and two furry cats fulfill any need for fluffy coziness-of course the stuffed animal kind don't shed all over your house or require a pet sitter when you go out of town.

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    1. oh, I so wanted a Briard! The time was just not right, I'd just started a new and demanding job with really evil hours, and couldn't commit to a Briard puppy. But the real host at a beloved restaurant was a Briard, greeted the guests, waited for them tone greeted by the owners, then wagged his tail and sat back down, a true gentleman. Now I live in an apartment building that doesn't allow dogs unless you present a letter from your doctor. We're slowly turning into an urban haven for depressed dog-lovers so if Himself sits in the lobby moaning long enough, a canine companion is not out of the question, although a Briard in a city apartment... well meanwhile, there are the stuffed rabbits. I mean Wabbits.

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  12. None for me, but I have seen your Anthro wabbit and love it. It's perfect. :)

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    1. thank you, Gigi, and may I suggest that if mini-G doesn't already have a surplus supply, this would be a Great time to grab a rabbit or cat for her and hold on to it til she needs it,

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    2. WFF, I agree! Mini G has a doggie-doggie-doggie. We specifically went on a lovey shopping trip. We gave her different ones and picked the one she held onto and loved the most. She has a couple more, but doggie-doggie-doggie is the fave. I'll be sure to keep him forever, though, per your post. Good idea. ;)

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  13. I love this story- dewightfuw wabbits! Did you read that sweet story in the NYT about the library that has been loaning out an American Girl doll on an honour system for the last ten years?

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  14. thanks, TDGD! Yes, I loved the Times story, I have to tell you, every librarian I've run into is just lovely, but “I tell the kids that the library belongs to them," that says it all.

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  15. Love this WFF! Your new addition from Anthropologie is adorable. I think you're never too old to have a fuwwy confidant, or three. I have a bunny also, and George the monkey, along with a Bear Bear.

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    1. thanks, ABC! Your little community of friends sounds warm and adorable.

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  16. I had a pink rabbit named Pinky. (Even as a child, I was imaginative...) In my first grade class, we had to do an art project where we rolled crinkly paper into little marbles and glued them to a paper in the shape of a rabbit. We then were to paint the rabbits. This was for "parent teacher conferences." Otherwise, my teacher would never have done anything so frivolous with us. I suspect she wanted them to think she was the kind of the teacher that she was not: arty and full of fun. I painted my rabbit pink. She handed it back to me, told me that there were no pink rabbits in the world and to paint it a proper color. I held out for pink. It was my first rebel stance.

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  17. good for you, Maria! and I'm sure your rabbit appreciated your courage.

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    1. MMMM...Gigi...that is the absolute best beastie commercial ever. Thanks.

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  19. Your Wabbits are so adorably cute. I have a hidden stash of furry friends. One of my favourites is a small, cuddlesome black poodle called Sugarpuff. My other is a squishy teddy with a recording of my Mr. Sulky professing his lurr..ve for me. My little morkie pup demands that they all stay in the closet!

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    1. I love the idea of the jealous pup looking suspiciously at the closet door, sulky!

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  20. Two wabbits so they can keep each other company - I like the way you think! :) My twin sis and I have teddies that are almost as old as we are, and much worse for wear, but still treasured - I always take them out when she comes to visit. :)

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  21. Hi, Carrie, welcome, and I'm glad you liked the post!

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