arghhh...a dream gets dashed

All my life I have wanted to take a pottery course -- you know, the one with the potter's wheel? I finally decided that I would. I signed up a couple of months ago for a continuing ed course taught at a local studio. I have been looking forward to it all summer. I dealt with any fear I had about looking/feeling clumsy because every new potter probably looks like an idiot. The friend I was going to take the class with, had to back out.

But there I was tonight, showing up alone and sooooo happy.

There were four of us in the class, a nice small group. The instructor in the tiny studio seemed lovely.

At one point I thought I saw something moving behind my left shoulder, but didn't see anything when I turned around. It must have been a trick of the light, I thought.

Then my eyes began to water a bit -- must be the dust.

My asthma started to appear just the tiniest bit. No worry, I thought.

Then my eyes started to itch.

Then I saw it -- about 20 minutes in to the class, I saw it.

A big, fat, gray rabbit the size of a turkey. It was mammoth! I swear it must have weighed a least 25 pounds.

And it was hairy.

I am severely allergic to rabbits. I mean severely.

I had allergy tests done this summer and all rodents are on my personal enemy list -- mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, squirrels and RABBITS.

This rabbit has lived in the studio for over 3 years. There is rabbit dander everywhere.

Oh damn.

I resigned the course.

Now I need to find a teaching potter in the area who is affordable and has no rabbits. Or rodents. Or cats. (Cats are also on the hit list.)