Sometimes, I feel a little crazy as I spend my days doing my domestic dance around the house, as my bunny rabbit Otis lies complacently in his throne of litter and hay. Since there is no one to talk to and I have a need to exercise my vocal cords (in case the phone rings) I can usually be heard calling out to my pet in squeaks and squeals and coos, so he will learn his name and connect with my voice. Sometimes as he sits, mute and wall eyed as if in a daydream, I'll suddenly blurt out, Yoo-Hoo, Otis...Yoo-hoo bub! Other times, he will get the baby talk coo... "Who's my bubster boy" or the chant, Oti, Oti Oh...Oti, Oti Oh... to which he will generally squint his eyes, like an annoyed teenager whose thinking, good lord woman...shut up! When he was a wee rabbit, I would hold him, stroke him lovingly and sing 'Here comes Peter Cottontail' through the entire song (as I remember it). He would shut his eyes back then and take a little snooze. But lately to get his attention, I have been developing what I consider songs for Otis, and they come out of the blue. The Peter Cottontail song, which is really in honor of the Easter Bunny, who is little more than a past childhood memory for me, doesn't quite seem appropriate. So the song is sung but the lyrics have changed, " Whose my little Oti man, sitting in his litter pan...I'll spare you further detail. Or maybe if I'm in a nostalgic mood, I might take the song Oh, Yoko by John Lennon, and sing Oh Oti-O, Oh Oti-O, my love will keep you strong. Again, he just sits and tolerates it. Another favorite of mine, that seems to perk up his antennae ears is when I sing Yellow Submarine, with the lyrics, "We all live in a cozy litterbox..." ( I haven't got more than that one line of verse yet). But when I think he needs to pay more attention, I might howl out the song (Farmer in the Dell) "The rabbit and the fox, the rabbit and the fox, hi-ho the scary-o, the rabbit and the fox." That's usually an attention grabber. But the coup de gras, is when I sing his own song (kinda the music of Barney Google with the goo-goo googly eyes) as, Otis Felotis, he's the oatiest fellotin in townnn... and then in vaudeville fashion, I shake my open hand at him with the finale... you lit-tle stinkkkk. That is sure to swivel his ears, and he will poke his head out of his cozy litter box... because usually to reward him for this auditory abuse, I will then offer him his favorite snacky snack.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Songs for Otis
Sometimes, I feel a little crazy as I spend my days doing my domestic dance around the house, as my bunny rabbit Otis lies complacently in his throne of litter and hay. Since there is no one to talk to and I have a need to exercise my vocal cords (in case the phone rings) I can usually be heard calling out to my pet in squeaks and squeals and coos, so he will learn his name and connect with my voice. Sometimes as he sits, mute and wall eyed as if in a daydream, I'll suddenly blurt out, Yoo-Hoo, Otis...Yoo-hoo bub! Other times, he will get the baby talk coo... "Who's my bubster boy" or the chant, Oti, Oti Oh...Oti, Oti Oh... to which he will generally squint his eyes, like an annoyed teenager whose thinking, good lord woman...shut up! When he was a wee rabbit, I would hold him, stroke him lovingly and sing 'Here comes Peter Cottontail' through the entire song (as I remember it). He would shut his eyes back then and take a little snooze. But lately to get his attention, I have been developing what I consider songs for Otis, and they come out of the blue. The Peter Cottontail song, which is really in honor of the Easter Bunny, who is little more than a past childhood memory for me, doesn't quite seem appropriate. So the song is sung but the lyrics have changed, " Whose my little Oti man, sitting in his litter pan...I'll spare you further detail. Or maybe if I'm in a nostalgic mood, I might take the song Oh, Yoko by John Lennon, and sing Oh Oti-O, Oh Oti-O, my love will keep you strong. Again, he just sits and tolerates it. Another favorite of mine, that seems to perk up his antennae ears is when I sing Yellow Submarine, with the lyrics, "We all live in a cozy litterbox..." ( I haven't got more than that one line of verse yet). But when I think he needs to pay more attention, I might howl out the song (Farmer in the Dell) "The rabbit and the fox, the rabbit and the fox, hi-ho the scary-o, the rabbit and the fox." That's usually an attention grabber. But the coup de gras, is when I sing his own song (kinda the music of Barney Google with the goo-goo googly eyes) as, Otis Felotis, he's the oatiest fellotin in townnn... and then in vaudeville fashion, I shake my open hand at him with the finale... you lit-tle stinkkkk. That is sure to swivel his ears, and he will poke his head out of his cozy litter box... because usually to reward him for this auditory abuse, I will then offer him his favorite snacky snack.
