We had such a great time! It was too short, but we are glad we could get back for Sam’s hockey game and team photo. Grateful for every minute being unplugged and hanging out together as a family. Thanks, Dave, for an absolutely wonderful time. So glad, especially, that you could be with us this time. I hope you enjoy the pictures – they are nearly all annotated to capture the stories. Click on the photo below to go to the album. There are also some very funny movies that Sammy took!

Dave cooking dinner at our campsite!

Very foggy so had to switch which ferry we took. Truck likes having a kayak on top this time – Dave is able to come! Yay! Also first time using a roof rack. More evidence Dave is with us! Boys are having fun already 🙂 Ben is telling one of the animals with us which site we have “pythie we have site 17 which is really big and nice on the water! “

Merlin watching over the hens as they get a treat.

Merlin the day we got him in October 2011. He was only about a year old. Hadn’t crowed yet, according to his previous owner!

Merlin presiding over chicken family portraits in November 2012. This was the day I will never NEVER forget where he scared the livin’ #%*@ out of me! I was in a zen state snapping pictures when I suddenly noticed he had come up to check out my boot laces! I reeled back, still holding the shutter down (so yes, there are pictures of a blurry Merlin comb!) and fell into the compost heap, then did it all over again while yelling for help! It is hilarious now…

Today Merlin passed quietly. He was such a tremendous presence here adding drama and beauty to our lives. Whenever someone would come over we would show them Merlin and talk about how Gordon is his son, born on Ben’s 4th birthday. Sam noticed how odd it was that Merlin passed exactly 2 years after Gordon hatched – to the day! I guess he had decided that Gordon had apprenticed enough and was ready to step up as guardian.

The boys and I shed tears over the grand rooster as I scooped up his still-warm and limp body. It was the hug I had been wanting to give him for a long time.  I could never turn my back on him or enter the run without my hoe. He never got used to the fact that I was friend, not foe!

I wish I could remember everything the boys said as we sadly buried him. They were very sweet, thinking about how Merlin was such a strong rooster. Sam noted that now “the girls might get some feathers back” and Ben said something about “If Merlin knows about God…” and I missed the rest. He is in his final dust bath under the maple tree. Rest in peace, big boy. We will sure miss you! Here are a couple of the things I already miss and it’s only been a few hours:

Hearing a big kerthunk as you hop off your roost at night to get a snack. I jump back every time!

Seeing you in your spot on the roost closest to the door so any predator has to cross by you first before getting to the girls. Your spot is open, like the missing man formation.

Hearing two crows and knowing if it was yours or Gordon’s.

Your chuckle as you point out a nice treat and never take a bite, saving it all for your girls. (OH – Sam put an earthworm in Merlin’s grave because he always gave them away – OMG I cried hard at that gesture it was so incredibly thoughtful.)

How you trained Gordon in the ways of roostering.

How I always called you “Mister Puffy” because I knew you didn’t like that nickname, referring to your soft rump feathers.

I’m sure I’ll add to this list, I’m just too sad right now to dwell on your passing.

We had hockey tonight (new player drop-in to skate around and get some time building skills, meeting the coaches and other players). Then with 12 min to choke down a PB&J for dinner we went to guitar/ukulele. Instead of being exhausted, they were totally on it, leading the lesson and asking for more challenge! I say “serendipitous” because of all days they might choose to have a mania, this was probably a good one. I wish mine had arrived on the same day…I’m wiped! It was really hot out, too – 82 degrees at 5pm. Ben is practicing his slap shot and scoop shot while Sam skates. The team also brought a ton of snacks and popsicles, water and cookies. Amazing group! So as further evidence of the mania, Sam came out of the shower, threw on jammies, and grabbed a cube, saying “I want to get REALLY fast at this, like REALLY fast. Ok if I look up some L2L algorithms?”

I had so much stuff in my car they could not believe it.  I suggested we take bets so I bought candy for the winner.  This lady was so funny – she kept revising her bet as the stuff came through.  She started with $150-170 then she noticed the subtotal was $201 already so she said “Ok!  $150-250!”

This poor hen got really picked on after a blissful first afternoon integrating 4 new hens into the flock. The first afternoon I carefully monitored “recess” and let the hens mingle. Roosting time went without incident and all four new hens managed to get a roosting spot just fine. Wow, I thought to myself, this is why people integrate several MATURE hens at once. It was super easy compared to my usual experience trying to integrate pullets (which takes a good 4 days of high-maintenance managed segregation then integration with separate pens, food, water and coop apartments).

Anyway – when I opened the coop the next morning I thought all was fine until I found this poor hen had one eye closed. I quickly scooped her up and put her in my infirmary in the garage to rest, eat and for observation. I came out a couple hours later to check on her, gave her a walk in the grass and noticed the swelling in her eye was pretty good. I couldn’t even tell if she still had an eye, unfortunately. I felt so badly. Humans should not let this happen to animals. I gave her some yogurt, water and grass time, and hoped for the best. That night I built an apartment for her in the coop so she wouldn’t get too out of sync with the others (it would only make reintegration even worse because she’d be new all over again vs. part of a pack). More careful watching, feed, rest, and care…swelling was going down. I still couldn’t tell if she had an eye.

Skip to three days later – I see the eyelid is opening and part of an eye is visible! It’s a little low, maybe damaged tissues, maybe displaced by swelling…I didn’t know but was so glad she could see a little out of that eye! She was flying out of her separate run and roosting with the others, too. What a scrappy little bird she is. By the fourth day her eye had nearly completely filled the socket just like normal. She just had a bit of a black eye left. Here are a few pictures of her out on a little jaunt. She is a fearless little bird, and seems to like us humans because we are a source of safety and protection for her now.

Little hen with hurt eye on day 1, out getting yogurt and grass.

Day 3 – can you see her eye now? Doing better already!

Is anyone home?

Seriously…I know you’re in there!