At my new job this week, back at my old career as a LMT. I told the manager as the evening rolled in that my husband's bunny, Aspen had suddenly stroked out and passed just the morning prior.
She had a couple of bunnies in the past. I remarked, "It's so weird now. The older bunny of the two free-range bunnies was expected to pass first, primarily because she was partially paralyzed for the past four months and had been on a bunny form of Meloxicam since mid-May 2024 daily."
She, Nibbles had been getting more arthritic since November 2023, yet didn't seem to struggle until May 1st 2024. Her hopping and running around ceased about August 2024. Her ability to leap was November 2024. However, by July 2021 our youngest daughter started calling her, "The Confused Bunny." As it appeared that she was forgetting where she was. I thought that to be a possibility, because so many things had changed and were happening in our family. My husband became terminal suddenly near the end of 2019. Hed then decided to let the bunnies be in three rooms 24/7. Leaving their cage doors open when they wanted a rest from us or each other. The bunnies were now ages 5 (50 in years) and nearly age 4 (near forty in people years). Originally, the bunnies were out two to three hours per day when we were home. Sometimes longer, as the family would watch television together at night. They liked the original "Star Trek", the most. They'd watch the screen attentively when it was on.
Soon Covid arrived accompanied with a shut down mid-March 2020. So, our bunnies and our little Guinea Pig had people around 24/7, many times in the same living space for over three months, till I and our oldest were allowed to go back to work. However, the children's school was still remote. Karate was remote as well throughout that summer.
It was a hot summer indeed, as June rolled around and there was less movement coming from my husband. Less foot traffic where the bunnies were by him. The bunnies entertained him at times as they ran through the living room, dining and our kitchen. Two places we had litter boxes for them. They'd adjusted well to all the changes.
When my hubby passed in mid-July 2020, the bunnies kept wanting to find him. They'd run up the stairs to our bedroom areas and wait by the gate that prevented them from going further.
From time to time in the past one of us would let them upstairs to run around for twenty minutes. Indeed we would have to monitor them, for we'd not raised any wires, nor plants up as we had in the three rooms they were free-range in. Everything there was bunny proofed.
After my husband's passing, I had to let them up nearly every day so they knew he was gone. This went on for a few weeks. Soon, our daughters were hybrid schooling in September 2020, and I decided to take a rest from my LMT career, going on a Sabbatical for ten months in August 2020 although unsure of what was next. Early September our niece needed help with her four school-aged daughters as she'd gone back to work in education. Their school too was hybrid learning at that point. The daughters were, 5, 7, 9 and 10. So I gave two days in the afternoons when they were home for lunch and classes for childcare for her family a few towns over.
I continued my writing as much as sixteen hours per day, mostly screenplays, short articles and some book writing. Yet, my regular career of nearly thirty years now I'd put on the back-burner. I was spiritually fried from caring for pain patients, the elderly and the terminally ill.
Before I knew it as we were still in Covid regiment, I had to re-start our college visits for our oldest. My husband had done five college visits in 2019 with her. I knew I'd do at least that many or more for the field she was interested in. Eventually, she and I covered seven more university visits by mid-April 2021. I knew back in the summer of 2018 she would pick a university nearly 3,000 miles away. We'd been out west for a long family vacation in the summer of 2018. I could see it in her eyes. She was so relaxed out west. I just knew she'd want that area to go to school in and reside in.
By May 1st 2021, sure enough our oldest picked her college and it was exactly where I'd thought she would end up, nearly 3,000 miles away. The school had the major she was interested in and the weather she'd wanted. I saw it from a social standpoint as well. That it was best for her learning and comfort zone. Meanwhile, our youngest was evermore occupied and getting her driver's license.
By July 2021 both children were working full time. The oldest worked three jobs and worked as much as 70 hours per week. Our youngest had two jobs and was working 36 to 48 hours per week. I went back to school school in August 2021. I closed my business permanently by December 2021. Yet, I'd kept my license and business insurance along with the industry's membership.
Our youngest began taking tennis lessons about once a week in end of 2020 and I'd started sometimes playing tennis indoors with a few other parents who'd been into playing tennis. I hadn't played tennis in over 40 years. I'd been and remained a long-distance runner since 1976, adventure runner since 2001-2009, and spent a decade as a grappler and a fighter 2009-2019.
By the first week in September 2021 our oldest was out west ready to begin a new chapter. I'd forgo childcare for our niece and gone back to school fulltime taking ten courses in eight months. Too, I'd learned how to play the piano by April 2022. Then the time had arrived for college visits for our youngest. We'd begun in April 2022 visiting the schools by our oldest daughter out west. By then, I stopped playing tennis and maintained my long-distance running and pursued once again adventure and ultra-distance running. As much as I had and still have the urge to grapple and fight again. It had become a thing of time and money.
Meanwhile our three pets had the life. All three ate dinner and snacks together. Upto four hours per day our little Guinea Pig hung out with his two bunny sisters outside his cage. They'd eat and nap together.
It was still a busy house. I was still home writing crazy hours, having meetings with a producer or editor or lawyer here and there. Too, still wrapping up any loose ends on my husband's passing. I'd play the piano 4-7x a week for as much as six hours in a day. Our youngest, now driving on her own before the end of 2021.
However, it didn't get too much quieter. My house chores increased as of the passing of my husband. I now mowed, and raked our acre, and shoveled snow. I took down trees and destumped with hand tools many that the arborist wouldn't do or destump completely per the contract he'd stated and signed. I redid one bathroom walls in March 2021. I redid our kitchen cabinets in 2022. By late 2022 I was considering re-upping back into the military. I could, even at my age at least go on reserve duty per an old staff Sergeant I'd stayed in touch with over the decades. She'd vouge for me. But I knew our children were opposed to my going back into the military, even on reserve. One day I'd received an email where I could apply for federal work, full-time, yet a three month temporary job outside for charity. I was all in. Our kids were cool with it. So, our pets still had each other, and both daughters were home working for the summer. As I worked outside in the woods five days per week during the summer of 2023. Our youngest picked a university closer to home, so the planning and moving were less. Yet, come September 2023 I'd be back home full time writing, and for the first time in over 20 years there would be no children's voices. And now in my life, along with my daily running excursions there would be no human voice in the places I resided in since I'd been born. It worked, for I'd always been a loner. Too, our pets only heard my voice in the days, weeks and months that ensued, until one or both daughters would be home for the holidays.
In the summer of 2024, now only one daughter was home in between studies.. The other had gotten a full time job out west.
And we remained bunny-proof. Our oldest bunny needed more care. There was more cleaning up after her. Just to start with, sweeping was a minimum of two times a day in the three rooms they resided in.
By Mid-November I started a new part time job, in an industry I'd never worked in, but wanted to. Within a week of that our Guinea Pig suddenly took ill. That night after work I rushed him to the Vet ER. He'd never needed any medical attention. I had to quarrentine him from the bunnies. He only was out of his cage in my lap late at night, yet no play time with his bunny sisters. Nine days later, he died. He died on what was his eighth birthday (144 years in people years old). Now it was suddenly even quieter in our home. No Guinea Pig squeaks or rumbles were heard. It was one less voice in our home.
A tad less cleaning, but not by much for seemingly a moment. Suddenly, the cleaning increased, as our older bunny now well over 100 years old needed her underside cleaned every week by me. Her bunny sister, Aspen would clean Nibbles face and back for her daily. Nibbles wasn't reciprocating. Partially was Nibbles absolutely had dementia in full swing now and she had gone blind by December 2024.
Our daughters came and went with the holidays. I received an email for a position for my old career that I'd maintained schooling, my license and my insurance for. I waited a week to answer. Soon enough, I was in a two hour interview and then got the part time position there. Now I had two part time jobs.
Bunny care in the morning five years ago was 15 minutes per day and my husband did most the care. Now, the pet care expanded to 45 minutes to well over an hour every morning before even having a cup of coffee. Then to about 15-30 minutes at night. Which five years ago was about 5 minutes. Two days per week cleaning cages 6 years ago took 20 minutes. Now, with the free-range elder bunny pet care I was contending with.
By end of January 2025 I was I full swing with work. Elder Bunny care was still a top priority. The care increased to checking and cleaning Nibbles' underside for 15-20 minutes every 3 to 6 days. Oh it was a job. Changing the areas around the litter boxes increased in the one area Nibbles and Aspen could easily access and was also warmer than the other area.
This past Thursday it all changed. Wednesday night at about ten, I heard a loud thump from Aspen. It was perhaps the loudest I'd ever heard her thump. I looked for her and realized she was hiding in the boxed apartment I'd built for them between the dining room and living room areas. Nibbles had eaten the kale and apple earlier and ate some pellets. However, Aspen had not partaken in the kale and apples earlier that evening and neither had she been out for pellets two hours later at just after 7 that evening.
Then to just after 7 Thursday morning. I'd arrived downstairs to start their day and mine and give them a small morning snack. Nibbles arrived slowly as was now her usual pace. Aspen usually arrived before Nibbles and then would go into a chase with her, that I'd encourage Aspen to calm down. Now, it hadn't occurred. Nibbles took her snack from me as usual. I got up and went around the corner and there Aspen lay on her left side still breathing. Her breathing was not labored. She'd had a stroke effecting her left side. Her right side was still mobile. I stayed by her with my phone and called our regular veterinarian office. They were unavailable for a visit. I spoke with two friends, one my pet-sitter from around the corner. Both her and one of my neighbors had great suggestions to ease the bunny's distress, and who else to call for help. The new animal hospital suggested by my friend and pet-sitter from around the corner called me back in three minutes. Aspen died about thirty seconds before I received the call.
Aspen was my husband's bunny. She would've been 9 years old (90) on March 14th this year. I expected her to live for at least 18 more months. She was sharp, and fully functional and on no meds.
Thursday morning I wrapped her body in a towel. I covered her for a later burial. Afterwards, I cleaned all that she'd touched, cleaned the wood floor where she passed. I cleaned her cage and put it out. I kept a few toys so Nibbles could remember her by. I soothed Nibbles. I'd redone the litter box and surrounding toweled areas. Thirteen hours later as I lay in bed, I realized I no longer needed our upstairs to be gated off. It was the first time in over ten years that we didn't need a gate at the top of our stairs leading to our bedrooms.
It is now 36 hours since I took the gate down and over 48 hours that Nibbles now rides solo with no furry companion. It's a first for her. She seemed to be adapting without my knowledge as of Wednesday evening. Yet, it is still weird for me. I don't hear racing pitter-patter of Aspen's paws across our living room and dining room floors. And I now walk freely from upstairs to downstairs with no gate to unlock and rehook again.---Jody-Lynn Reicher
Wow! That was awesome, thanks for sharing!
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