Dear Kid,

If you had been around in 1940 (you weren’t) and if you’d been paying attention (you probably would have been looking in the other direction), you might have been aware that there was a new cartoon. If you’d been time traveling, you might have understood the implications of a buck-tooth bunny. Otherwise, you might not have immediately grasped the implications.

Bugs Bunny first appeared in his own short (A Wild Hare) on July 27, 1940 (which makes him older than you), and he shot to stardom like a cartoon character jumping on an Acme Products trampoline.

FACT: Mickey and Bugs were the first cartoon characters to have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Bugs is a US Marine. (Hard to imagine him with Gibbs.) In 1943 Bugs wore a Marines uniform in the movie Super Rabbit (one of the Private Snafu instructional cartoons) and the USMC decided to make him an honorary private. Then he was promoted. And then promoted again! Rinse and repeat until Bugs was a Master Sergeant. [Extra points if you know what Snafu stands for.)

FACT: Bugs Bunny was the first cartoon character to appear on postage stamp.

Mel Blanc provided the first voice for Bugsy and it was originally supposed to sound more like Daffy Duck, but Mel went in a different direction. Also, he actually chewed on a carrot while he voiced the carrot-chomping parts (and then he spit the chewed up carrot pieces out so he could go on recording).

Love, Mom

SNAFU stands for Situation Normal All Fouled Up.

Dear Kid,

It’s that time of year again. Yes, the rabbits are out. This thrills the Puppy who is eager (and by “eager” I mean desperate) to make a friend. It is less thrilling for Dad who is not eager to share his garden bounty.

This year, the rabbit likes hiding under the holly bush in the morning and foraging in the backyard in the evening.

For reasons that seem fairly obvious, the holly bush with its prickly leaves feels like a safe place for the bunny. For reasons I don’t understand, the rabbit does not seem to be bothered by the evening mosquitoes. Which is good because I doubt the rabbit would hold still for hydrocortisone.

Turns out that rabbits have just about three-sixty vision (the better to see predators while you’re picking lettuce). Their only blind spot is right in front of their nose. Which leads to a certain irony when they misplace something.

With the exception of the rabbit in The Secret Life of Pets (we saw the movie this weekend) and possibly Peter Rabbit, rabbits are affectionate little dudes. Snowball, the psycho rabbit in Secret Life (definitely one of my favorite characters), was determined to eliminate all humans. Most rabbits (a la Peter) spend their time plotting to eliminate Dad’s garden. (Seriously, there are rabbit seminars on the specific topic of your father’s garden.)

Jackrabbits, which belong to the genus “Lepus,” have been clocked at speeds of 45 miles per hour. Jillrabbits, which belong to the genius “Of course I know the answer,” have been watched (get it? watch? clock?) even faster.

New word of the day: crepuscular. As in “rabbits are crepuscular.” Which means they are most active at dawn and at dusk and when being chased by an overly friendly puppy.

Rabbits can’t vomit, even after a night of raucous drinking. This is important because they eat their food twice. Like cows, except grosser. Cows burp up their cud and rechew it for digestive purposes. Rabits poop their first attempt at the food, then “reingest” (which means “eat their poop”) to be sure they’ve gotten all the nutrition they can from that particular lump of grass. Or clover. Or whatever.

Ick.

On the plus side, they are dang cute.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

Not only is there magic in our everyday lives (for a reminder, see Notice the Magic Before It Disappears), there is magic in nature.

This time of year, there is magic in the crocuses and daffodils fighting their way through the last of winter. There is magic in the delight a warm day manages to spread over all of us. There is magic in each bud that unfurls (how does nature get all of those buds so equally perfect?).

And of course, there is nature’s magical way of making us all sneeze simultaneously.

I love spring (not so much the spring allergies, but it’s the price we pay in the Midwest). I love watching the way the trees and plants come to life slightly more each day. I love hearing the birds discuss the joys of being alive in spring. I love the way the deer wander through the front yard, heading directly for the tasty tulip leaves. (I joke, I do not exactly love sharing the tulips with the deer, but I don’t dis-love it enough to stake out the front garden and hand out reprimands. That will come later in the season.)

Behold! It is the Springtide of the Year (and all that).

The weather is magical. Warm one minute, frigid the next. Bam! Magic.

I love looking for babies in spring. The baby chipmunks that pop up to see if mom and dad are around. The baby bunnies so tiny they can hide in the lawn (especially if we’re a little behind on the mowing). The baby birds who demand mom and dad bring home dinner. The baby deer who freely help themselves to whatever they can reach (OK, not the parent deer, but the babies I will share with).

None of these babies are around yet. It’s still too early. But that doesn’t stop me from looking for them. Remind me to plan a trip to the zoo for Zoo Babies later in the spring.

It’s spring, it’s the season of renewal, and I think it’s magical.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

I’m a little concerned that you are missing a critical part of your education.

I’m not sure you know to say “Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit” on the first day of every month. And tomorrow is the first day of the month.

Not everyone agrees that you’re supposed to say “rabbit, rabbit, rabbit.” Some people think you’re supposed to say “White Rabbit.” Some people think one “rabbit” is sufficient. Everyone agrees that the capital letters are optional.

There are many other variations of rabbit-ness. Some people say you have to say it up the chimney (no word on what happens if you live in a fireplace-free abode). Some people say you have to say “Brown Rabbit” the night before (right before bed) and then “Rabbit, Rabbit” when you wake up.

According to My Friend the Internet, the tradition of saying something lapin on the first day of the month goes back to the 13^th century. This of course is before anyone you know was born, so we don’t really have an ear-witness account. But if MFtI says it’s so, who am I to argue?

The tradition apparently started in England, so it might help if you say it with a British accent.

Most of the “experts” on the internet seem to feel that the reason for saying “rabbit, rabbit” (remember? the capitals are optional) is so that you will get a present before the end of the month. This tends to be most effective when you choose to say “rabbit, rabbit” the first day of your birthday or anniversary month. Or December.

Some people say that you’ll have good luck (and perhaps monetary fortune) if you say “rabbit, rabbit, rabbit” first thing on the first day of the month.

I believe that you won’t get the plague if you say it (I, personally, have never gotten the plague, so it must be true).

Some children say you’re supposed to wear pajamas inside out and say “rabbit, rabbit, rabbit” right before going to bed to ensure a snow day the next day. Those children generally had school they next day so I wouldn’t rely on it as a get-out-of-studying technique.

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit (I like the capitals).

Love, Mom