Sittin On A Porch

Sittin On A Porch
Our little back porch

Monday, March 17, 2014

Willie, Lily, George and the girls

I can't believe I haven't posted more about the ducks and chicks.  I have loved all of my chickens, but this little funny flock of ducks and peeps are too precious.  I have settled on the ducks names, Willie and Lily Ponns.  Willie and Lily.  I love their little top knot of feathers.  It is like a yamaka perched on the crown of their heads.


Willie, George and Lily

Lily and Willie

George, a fine white leghorn

George is twice the size of the other peeps.  He is as big as Lily now

Lilly, George, and the girls
The sleep together, the little peeps crawl under Willie and Lily like they would under their own mothers.  George has no feathers on his chest, belly and butt so sometimes he sleeps on top of the ducks.  They love each other and cluster up together to sleep or when they hear loud noises.  As the storms charged through and the lightening and thunder caused the dogs to shutter and hide, the baby flock crowded in their bunny house and peeped and cheeped as loudly as their little voices would go.  John C and the girls in the coop next door cooed and clucked, clustering on their roosts. 

George is easily as big as Lily, the smaller of the two ducks and twice as big as the rest of the peeps.  Willie, Lily and Rudbeckia all come up and will eat their treats out of my fingers.  I pull up tender weeds and grasses for them but every other day I cut up spinach, strawberries, grapes, kiwis, whatever healthy fruit or veggies we have in the frig.  Pansy looked like a baby quail when she came home but now her down feathers are blue.  Rudbeckia and Periwinkle look a lot alike but Rudbeckia has a redder head.  I am still trying to find the color or personality of each to name, but this will take time.  They are just getting their feathers and have not gone into that teenage time where they get tall and straggly.  They will be next week.  I found all of them playing in the rain this morning.  The peeps did not look like they were enjoying it nearly as much as Willie and Lilly I noted.  They will have to learn the difference between duck and chicken, but I will be there with them.

I have always been fond of just sitting with my animals.  Because I am worried about the safety of the chickens I have kept them locked in their coop more then they would like.  I sit on each side and spend time with both flocks.  If things continue to work like they have been, I will have combined the two flocks by the time we move.  They will not be allowed to range free at the new place because of the red shoulder hawk.  The hawks were there first so we need to work around them. 

With the rain, the gray drippy weather all of the cats and dogs are asleep around my feet in the house.  I love my animals, all of them, and this time of rain and temperatures that keep running up and down, is perfect time to rest and snuggle with my kids.

But the rain seems to be passing and I need to go pick up some cabbage.  It is St. Patrick's Day and my middle brother's birthday.  Maybe I will make some soda bread, but I doubt that I have that much humph right now. 

I think the lymph node under my arm is smaller and hardly noticeable.  That makes me feel better.  I have had such a hard time the past couple of days of staying awake.  I had this amazing ability to sleep day or night, but I did not take the muscle relaxer last night and I did not sleep. I did sleep, but not well.  I watched the clock as it ticked away the hours.  I would sleep for half an hour or so, but then be awake and finally I could not tell when I was awake or asleep.  It was not restful, and as tired as I am, I am not that drugged sleepy feeling.  I have made it up to 120.2 pounds today.  I have been trying to get above 120 for a couple of weeks now, and as of this morning I am there.  I will go see the doctor tomorrow.  I don't know that she will have much to say.  Sometimes I worry about what I must get done in this life.  But then I step back and think, will I really be so upset if I don't get this done.  Will it really matter. 

I don't know.  But the music festival is at the end of this week.  We are going to tent camp there this time and take our bikes.  The golf cart is giving us trouble and really we can ride our bikes anywhere we would want to take the cart.  This is the coming together of "my" people.  It is a huge gathering of tie dyed clothes, hammocks, children and child like parents celebrating spring and the music and the gorgeous woods and yahoo!  I am excited to go.  It is close enough that we could come home each day to take a shower and check on the kids. 

Well, I guess I really didn't have that much to say today.  I just wanted to share some photos about my little loves.  I think George will be a fine rooster and is already good with the girls.  I think Willie and Lily will love their pond.  The dogs will love the pond and the swamp.  The cats, well, they will adjust and I am excited about moving.  About moving to our new home, our swamp. 

I am happy.  I guess I could have just posted the photos and

"Happy"

and that would have explained it all.

3 comments:

  1. The chickens are cute, Kathleen. Hope that things are going well with your new house.
    Sadly, I wanted to tell you that my first sponsor in Al-Anon was diagnosed two weeks ago with Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer. He is not sure whether he will do chemo or not. He has COPD and a weak heart. It is sad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so sorry to hear that. He is no stranger to challenge. I understand his reluctance on the chemo. Thank you for sharing, and please pass on my love to your friend. It is all I have to share.

      Delete
  2. Came here from Syd's blog...but April 1, is the last I read from you here. Truly I am hoping that you are in as little pain and NO stress--if possible. I will say prayer for that today....
    PEACE and LIGHT, Kathleen.

    ReplyDelete