MANNY AND THE CHRISTMAS BUNNY - December 14, 2017

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Since we've come to the big city of Calgary, our French bulldog, Manny, has been on the naughty list. Short on walks and free runs, he has way too much energy. This morning he was just spoiling for a fight, grabbing my Birkenstock sandal and daring me to take it back. After ten minutes of his snarling and snapping, and my grabbing for his hurtling body, I was able to pin him down and get his leash on. At suppertime, he repeated this performance with Carl's shoe. Another alpha roll and he was taken to the RV in disgrace.
When the dishes were done, we set off to drive around Arbor Lake Park where there is a stunning holiday light display. Manny sat quietly beside me on the dinette bench and peered out into the darkness. There are rabbits and hares everywhere in Calgary, and Manny had already seen them on walks iin the neighborhood.

Back at home, we began readying the RV for the night, when Carl poked his head in the door and said, "Manny is running around out here in the street." Sure enough he was. I came outside just in time to watch him flush an all-white, long-legged hare from the cover of an evergreen tree. Hare and dog streaked past us, their nails making scraping sounds on the asphalt as they scrabbled for footing. In seconds they had reached the head of the street where they made a left and disappeared from sight. "Well," I said to Carl. "That may be the last we see of Manny."

So Papa in his slippers and I in my socks, flung up the blinds and started the engine. Reversing always sounds a loud beeper and that must have brought our boy to his senses because we had no sooner set out to follow him, that he appeared on the doorstep of the house asking to be let in. When after fifteen minutes of cruising the area, we once again pulled into the driveway, there was his dear whiskery face peering out from the glass door at us. Carl offered up a prayer of thanks, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to kill or kiss him! One thing is for sure, he gets coal in his stocking!

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