Diana

Years ago, before I knew that Bradford pear trees were not long lasting, I planted one in my front yard. It was a beautiful tree that gave me an exquisite view of autumn colors from my picture window. One day I looked out my window and found that a large branch had split off and fallen on my daughter's car. Not long after that another branch came down, this time on my car. A third branch was leaning toward my house, so I decided that the tree needed to come down. We left two large branches extending from the stump. Seeing the shape of it freshly cut, I thought it should become a bunny carving.  I waited years before I had the courage to begin shaping the wood. I had no experience carving wood and had never operated a chainsaw. I began in spring, and it took a few months to complete. Neighbors watched my progress as they passed by walking their dogs. After staining the wood with several stain colors and coating with the same sealer used for Alaskan totem poles, my bunny was finished. I named her Diana, the goddess of fertility and wildlife. This spring, a female cottontail had two litters only a couple of feet from Diana. The babies have been a delight to watch. Diana also serves as a welcome to my clients, who bring their house rabbits to me for boarding. I hope she has a long life in my yard.