Funny Kids and Not-So-Funny Legislatures.

I babysat for a new family tonight that has three boys. They lived in this area before and then moved away and have now come back. They go to my church, and the littlest boy had been in my Vacation Bible School class earlier this summer. They were sweet kids and definitely rowdy boys! It was fun to be with them.

I'm saying all this to say the middle boy, who is going into second grade, looks at me and goes "Do you have a boyfriend?" And I was like, "No I don't, but thank you for asking." To which he says, "Um ... you might want to think about getting one!"

Duly noted. :)

They also asked me what I did, and I told them I was in school to be a teacher. Later in the afternoon, the youngest boy asked me to do something, and I said, "I didn't hear a nice word in there!" And he said, "Oh! Please!" And then the middle boy was like, "You are going to be a really good teacher!"

Loved it!

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In less fun news, the State of West Virginia is developing legislation, known as the "Dangerous Wild Animal Act," that would prohibit certain animals from being owned in the state. Like a lot of people, I (incorrectly) assumed that this list was created to prohibit ownership of things like mountain lions, bears and certain breeds of snakes.

As it turns out, the list includes, among other things, all breeds of rabbit. Not just wild rabbits, but ALL rabbits, meaning Baby Snicks. (You can read the full list here.) What's curious is that things like Komodo Dragons are allowed, while my house rabbit is not.

A photo of the "dangerous wild animal."

I know it might seem silly to ask, but if you are a resident of West Virginia (or have a vested interest in the lives of precious West Virginia bunnies), I was hoping you might be willing to email the Department of Agriculture and voice an opinion about rabbits. At this time, I think it's rabbit breeders (that sell rabbits as pets and for meat) that are most concerned since it's their livelihood, but obviously in my case it's because I'd prefer to keep Snicks alive and where he is -- with me. The proper person to email is Jodee Martin at jodeemartin@wvda.us. You have until noon on August 1. Something to mention might be that rabbits are the third most popular companion mammal in the United States after dogs and cats. (Source) And, personally, Snicks is neutered, litter box trained, lives inside, is free of disease and sees a vet once a year for a physical.

I think Snicks may be grandfathered in since I already have him, but there was also talk of applications and $100 fees. My questions are things like would they require me to cage him or keep him outside? I don't know. That's not his life. And when Snicks dies one day, which I don't like to think about but he's not immortal, I can't adopt another homeless bunny?

When I emailed Ms. Martin I told her I'd be happy to bring Baby S by to meet her at her convenience so she can see what he's like in person. Maybe she'll take me up on it! :) I'm prepared to argue that Snicks is calmer, better behaved and less of a threat than some people's dogs and cats.