"Mama, You Want to KILL rabbits, RIGHT?"

Another attempt at ethical eating, also doomed to failure.

What animals can you raise in your back yard for food without annoying your neighbors too much?  Not all that many if your backyard is as small as mine.

But what about rabbits?  They're small, provide fur and meat, and seem to be easy to care for. There's that whole problem of them being so terribly cute, which could really get in the way of the project.

Then I had the entirely unrealistic idea of letting each of my daughters designate one rabbit as a pet that would not be subject to our culinary needs and desires.  Rhonda just shook her head. The girls looked at me in horror, but then they seemed to decide that I was crazy and couldn't possibly mean what they thought they had heard.  Not really.

So a week or two later, we were in Austin and went to our favorite pet story there: Zookeeper. They always have a bin of bunnies and guinea pigs in the back, and the kids run straight for it to hold and pet the furry little things.  Then there are the furry tarantulas, but we usually just watch them through the glass. It's always good for a cheap thrill.

This particular Saturday, Leona was cradling a beautiful gray bunny against her chest, tucked under her chin.

Suddenly, in her so-far-from-quiet voice, Leona calls out, "Mama, you want to KILL rabbits, RIGHT?"

I froze and refused to make eye contact with anyone. "Leona, put down the bunny. Put down the bunny NOW."

We escaped.  I don't know how long it will be before I feel like I can go back to Zookeeper.