Jonah Huffman gets all bright-eyed and bushy tailed when it comes to garage sales. Oh sure, he may have his ailments—a persistent runny nose, serious sinus problems and a lack of teeth after most had to be pulled—but those problems never get in the way of his bargain hunting.
“We put the harness and his leash on and you can tell he’s excited. He knows he’s going somewhere,” says Mel Huffman.
Jonah isn’t some feeble-minded old geezer. He’s a cute, fluffy bunny—a 3-year-old, 2 pound Holland Lop (lop meaning floppy eared as opposed to those that stick straight up). For Mel and his wife, Jeanne their love of bunnies began just a few years ago when their son Forrest, who was 11 at the time, saw a frightened, orphaned bunny hiding under wood planks in a construction site. Mel figures the wayward bunny had likely been a discarded Easter gift since it was just a month after the holiday when they found her. “People don’t realize that bunnies need a lot of care and once they reach one year old they are harder to handle. So, they give them up. It’s really sad.”
The Gilbert couple began researching the plight of bunnies and discovered several rescue facilities in the Valley, including the non-profit organization–Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue in Scottsdale—where they would adopt two more hares including Jonah. “Bunnies are just an awesome pet. And they’re so misunderstood. They do have different personalities. They’re very clean and they can even be litter trained,” Mel says. Their three bunnies, not unlike cats, have free reign of the house.
The Huffmans love to garage sale and in fact much of their home is decorated with garage sale finds. So, they decided to combine their love of bargains and bunnies by taking them along for the hunt. Mel says sharing their love of bunnies educates people about them and helps to show folks just how sweet they can be.
And then there’s this:“Look honey, a bunny,” Scott Prygocki says to his wife, Rosa. Scott and Rosa were having a garage sale when Mel, Jeanne and Jonah walked up their driveway. They also like rabbits and have had several in the past. “Everyone has such a fun reaction. That’s the part I like the most. People usually say ‘I’ve never seen a bunny out before’,” Jeanne says.
They also pick up most of their supplies for the bunnies at garage sales. On this day, Jeanne bought a small straw basket for a quarter, not for sleeping but rather eating. Turns out rabbits love to chew on anything made out of natural, untreated straw. They also search garage sales for blankets, baby teething toys and stuffed animals for their brood. They even found a playpen at a garage sale for $5. Jonah sleeps in that each night. Jonah is kept on a leash while garage saling but don’t worry he gets a lot of coddling since Jeanne carries him wrapped in her arms. “He just acts like a little baby. I don’t think he’ll ever grow up. He’s just so attached to Jeanne. He gives little kisses and he’s just the sweetest little thing,” Mel says.
If you’d like to know more about adopting a bunny then hop on over to Scottsdale to the Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue or visit the Web site: www.bhrabbitrescue.org (pic provided by Lynda Hammond) Mel and Jeanne Huffman of Gilbert take one of their three bunnies garage saling almost every weekend. Jonah (center) tends to go most often.
Talk to the Garage Sale Gal!
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Do you have a question or comment about garage or estate bargain sales? Email the Garage
Sale Gal: Lynda@GarageSaleGal.com.
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Lynda Hammond is a former television anchor who left the anchor desk for the love of garage
sales. Contact her at Lynda@GarageSaleGal.com. Lynda also does garage sale segments on
local TV stations.
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