Mom and Chicks

Snoods

There's something wrong with your snood. Here let me fix it.

George III

King of the roost, handsome guy with lady friends. Runs a tight ship.

Up the Lazy River

Adventuresome old lady sets off in rubber raft to explore the high desert turned marsh.

Retirement

My sister asked what do retired people do?  Well, you sit in the morning sun in your slippers with a good book while the cat looks out the door in envy. Note the recycled bath tub to the left that catches water off the roof. And you sit in the easy chair with a cat on your lap and take a snooze. What more could you want in life?

All the Chicks Hatched

All six of the eggs Mama Hen was nesting have hatched. The first hatched about 6 PM Sunday evening. The last hatched yesterday morning. There are two black, two gold with dark markings and two yellow. John looked at them and said there are three more eggs in there. I said, no that can't be because I've been watching to make sure no one else laid in there, but by gosh John was right. Some hen had sneaked three more eggs in there. So neighbor Diana came last evening, after helping another neighbor catch a stray bull, and she took the warm eggs to her broody banty who's been sitting two eggs. Mama and chicks are doing well. They have their own house until Mama decides to take them outside to forage which should be in a few days. When I go into the shed, she calls them all to her, if they are out and they scramble to get under her for safety.

The Swallows Return

This morning about 7 AM I was outside to feed the fowl. I had left the pretty bird house up I thought the female swallow had abandoned after yesterday's tragedy. There she was at the bird house with a new mate! She reminded me of that wife that had fallen in love with the house and just had to have it, no matter what the cost. Maybe it was the pretty green ivy my uncle had painted on the outside. Added to that a second pair was helping them celebrate! Maybe they were all on the honeymoon together. The male tree swallow has iridescent blue and green on the back of his head and shoulders. The female is black and white. Swallows have to be the most elegant fliers of all birds. Their distinctive pointed tails and wings and swooping flight patterns are unmistakable. They like to feed on insects which is a plus for us because we have mosquitoes by the billions since we have water this year. I immediately enlisted John's help to move the bird house so that cat couldn't get them. His solution was to hoist it up in the tree. See photos. Maybe the bats will come back, too. Hmmm, need to get the bat house up. (Bottom photo is newlyweds at original location, top two are the male at the new, higher location. They seem to like it.)