Hare Today

A story of spring's fever, the old-fashioned way, so children can hear it.

As Hamlet Hare hopped along the bunny trail, he stated, "What a wondrous day! I am mentally whisk away with thoughts of Springtime Flirtatiousness and a Summer Filled with Romance."

"You are so full of Balderdash," replied Buck Bunny, "you should be more concerned with where our next meal is coming from. Need I remind you that we have become unemployed and no longer are needed by the King's Gardening Brigade?"

Hamlet thought for a tiny bit of time, then said, "I am quite knowledgeable about our predicament, I assure you. But we must not lose sight of the world around us, and the ebb and flow of the seasons. Love is in the air!"

Buck laughed as he stated, "Ebb and flow all you want to, but as far as my stomach is concerned, I'm going to apply for work today."

Then away he hopped in a bothersome manner.

Sometime later, and as Buck scurried along, a fine Mare that was grazing along the edge of the trail happened to notice him. So, the Mare asked, "Where are you going in such a hip-pity-hop-pity hurry?

"I'm looking to find work so I may eat," Buck replied. I was removed from the King's Gardening Brigade, two days ago, and I haven't eaten since."

The Mare whinnied and then replied, "I'm very sorry for your loss. I, myself, am employed by the king.

For my services as a coach horse, I receive a feedbag of oats every day, so I totally understand and wish you the best of luck."

Then the Mare went back to nibbling on the grasses alongside the trail.

Buck continued on, and when he reached a wall along the trail, he found a little lamb who was munching on the Ivy that was growing there.

The Little Lamb was very young and had never seen a bunny in the process of hopping before, so it inquired, "What's Yah Do-in?"

Buck replied by saying, "I'm going to find work so I may eat. I was removed from the King's Gardening Brigade, just two days ago, and I haven't eaten since then."

The Little Lamb giggled and said, "I don't know a hill of beans about whatever work is, I was ask-in why you were jump-in in the air like that."

"Oh," Buck replied as he scratched behind his ear with a hind leg. Then Buck stated, "Well, to tell you the facts of the matter, I am a Rabbit and that is how rabbits sometimes run, it's called hopping."

"Is it fun to hop?" the Little Lamb asked.

Buck replied, "It can be, I guess, we'd have to teach you how, to see if you liked it."

So for the next hour Buck ended up teaching the little Lamb how to hop. And to no-one's surprise the Little Lamb liked it so much that she included hopping into her way of moving from one place to another.

It was mid-day when Buck applied for work at the Duke's estate. The Duke had no need of a bush trimmer, or a weed eater, so Buck was off to the next estate along the Bunny Trail.

And it was during that time when he happened upon the Billy Goat who was eating some sort of cactus plant.

Buck was shocked to see the goat eating cactus, so he stopped and said, "That cactus is not very nutritious. Not only that, those thorns can really hurt your stomach."

Billy made what sounded like a goat giggle, and then replied, "I can eat almost anything, if I can get in my mouth, and nothing seems to hurt my stomach. But if I had my druthers, then I'd eat oats, they are my favorite. However, I don't have any oats so I eat whatever keeps me alive; some of it is good and some is not-so-good, but I manage.

"Hmm," Buck said as he thought with his thinker. "All this information gives me an idea for a hopping song. And I love making up Hopping songs as I hop along!"

So let me see, what would the words be? --- Ah yes!

"Mares eat oats, and goats eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy".

"No, No, No, that's not the way the rhyme goes!" said a lady rabbit named Doe-ie; she was munching on some carrot fronds in Princess Gloria's Garden.

Then the pretty little DOE proceeded to sing the nursery rhyme, "Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey, --- A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

Buck seemed upset as he shouted, "That's not my song! My song goes, "MARES eat oats, and DOES eat oats, and Little Lambs eat ivy.

Wouldn't Kids Eat Ivy Too, --- with you?

Doe-ie scooted over near to Buck, and then she said, "Couldn't we sing it both ways, you know, --- together?"

Buck acted very shy, and he then stated, "I don't have time for singing, I have to find employment before I starve to death. I was removed from the King's Gardening Brigade and I haven't eaten since then."

"Work? questioned the Lady Rabbit, "Why do you work when there are so many free things to eat? Just for instance, try these carrot fronds, they are very good and good for you."

"Oh No," Buck stated, "this is Princess Gloria's Garden and I'm sure she would have us exterminated if she knew we were eating the food meant for her and her family."

Doe-ie giggled and then replied, "You Silly and Adorable Buck. Most people don't eat the Greens of carrots, radishes, onions and a lot of other things that grow under the ground; they throw them away. So why would they care if we eat them? Besides, the Princess at this castle thinks we rabbits are adorable, especially the baby rabbits. She and her daughters love watching us scurry around the grounds. So, she has forbidden her gardeners from hurting any of us."

Well, as Doe-ie was talking, Buck was sampling the carrot greens. Then the radishes, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, Turnips, and even the Parsnips. The poor rabbit was so hungry that he could not stop himself, so he ate way too much.

Doe-ie was amazed at the amount of food Buck ate, she even commented that he was so full he could hardly walk. So she offered him a place to rest in her spacious and comfortable rabbit hole.

Her Den was neat and tidy and the sounds of singing from down there seemed to echo across the green and spacious grounds of the castle.

"Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey, --- A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

No, no, --- "MARES eat oats, and DOES eat oats, and Little Lambs eat ivy. --- Wouldn't Kids Eat Ivy Too, --- with you?

"With Me? --- Wouldn't You?"

"I would if you would."

"I would --- and I will."

"You will?"

"Oh Buck!"

Well, a little over six weeks have passed, and we find Buck munching on some cast off carrot greens.

At the same time, Doe-ie is busy showing their baby rabbits around the gardens.

I guess Hamlet Hare was right when he said that these were wondrous days to be mentally whisk away with thoughts of Springtime's Flirtatiousness, and a Summer filled with romance.

Hmm, --- I wonder how he's doing?

JE Falcon

05-18-2021

Reviews

[mattavelli]

Hello, JE! :)
I read it and enjoyed it, and I'm glad Buck found happiness. I've been reading through your posts, and what stands out to me is a style of clearly phrased thoughts that feel gentle to read; and which struck a sharp contrast with "Mairzy doats and dozy doats", making this one fun. Thanks for sharing.

[JE Falcon]

Well, you just never know what brings those wondrous days of Springtime's Flirtatiousness, it just could be a silly song sung in two different ways. Or not :)

[JE Falcon]

“Mairzy Doats” is a novelty song written and composed in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston. It contains lyrics that make no sense as written, but are near homophones of meaningful phrases. The song's title, for example, is a homophone of "Mares eat oats".
Milton Drake, one of the writers, said the song had been based on an English nursery rhyme. According to this story, Drake's four-year-old daughter came home singing, "Cowzy tweet and sowzy tweet and liddle sharksy doisters." (Cows eat wheat and sows eat wheat and little sharks eat oysters.)
Drake joined Hoffman and Livingston to come up with a tune for the new version of the rhyme, but for a year no one was willing to publish a "silly song". Finally, Hoffman pitched it to his friend Al Trace, bandleader of the Silly Symphonists. Trace liked the song and recorded it. It became a huge hit, most notably with the Merry Macs' 1944 recording.