3 Weeks on the Planet

I thought much more time had gone by since he hatched out, but it was 7/22 so it's just 3 weeks Sunday. He's feeding himself, though I'm not sure how efficiently. He's trying anyway, though I haven't seen him take any water. It's hard to resist being "mom" - pushing food and water in their beaks. It's hard to let nature take its uncertain course and trust that things will work out right. He lets me carry him around the yard (well, he hasn't much choice really!) and takes great interest in these sight-seeing tours. I like to take him over to stare back and forth with his 'uncles' in the flight pen, and let him sit in the grass and just generally see the big wide world. [new pic to follow!]

This morning, he made it up to a perch in the little coop and was up there with his papa looking out the window at me. At first I thought it was mama up there and wondered how she'd gotten so dirty, then looked closer and realized it was Junior up there after all. I examined his wings last night and thought his flights looked fully developed so I'm not surprised that he got up there, just marking another milestone. The grow up so darn fast. In just another 1-2 weeks he has to learn about dinner time (food isn't always at hand in real life!) and whistles and trapping and and and...because I mean to let this little one, born to the loft, fly free as much as I can.

I'm going to move the little family into the large loft as soon as junior can fly a bit, and I'm certain he's feeding himself, and everyone's had their preventatives and PMV vaccine. I'm also getting two new hens - $5.00 each, shipping up from Tennesee from someone who has to reduce his flock. They should arrive next week, and will spend a month or so in quarantine before being allowed into the loft with the boys. I'd like to be able to use the small coop for quarantine/hospital/breeding, so it would be good if it's vacant and scoured out when they arrive. Pics when they land!

I spent a lovely weekend with mom and dad, my two sisters, one brother in law and my niece, up north at the lake. The weather was perfect for 3 days straight; I played hookey and stayed an extra day. Sunday was the peak of the Perseids and I was treated to a glorious view from the beach, the northern/northeastern sky completely unbroken. Some of the biggest ones managed to disappear behind the tree line into the southern sky, and one must have broken up gloriously over there as I saw the flashes of light from behind the tops of the trees. That's a rare sight and I'm sorry I didn't have a clear view of the entire sky. It was a new moon and cloudless, so it was very near perfect for sky gazing. There was a strong wind off the lake (kept the bugs at bay) though and I was COLD, imagine it. I'd managed to secure a good sunburn so I was uncomfortable and had to wrap up in layers. Anyway I lasted several hours, passing the time between "Ohh!"ing and "Ahh!"ing fantasizing a star-gazer's tent completely made of screen with a zip-off outer shell for normal use. I might have made it all night in one of those, if such a thing exists. Eventually paranoia about carnivorous nocturnal creatures overcame the appeal of more shooting stars and I bailed out and went to bed. [pics to follow]

Back to work on Tuesday, I was overwhelmed with undone tasks and am just now finding a moment to take a breath. I'd like to be on permanent vacation.