Who's a Pretty Birdie?

Lest you have forgotten the tale of this little bird, I shall remind you . . . my friend Mrs. E became weary of reminding her young son to care for his parakeet pair. She tried selling the birds on facebook, but they would remove her post because she doesn't have a live animal selling permit (who knew?) The birds were sometimes forgotten while the family took various week-long trips to visit relatives, but somehow managed to survive without food or water. 


Buck heard of the birds' plight. Remembered how much he enjoyed the parakeets he had as a kiddo (I think that's how half of this menagerie started; animals Buck remembered having as a kid--our poor future sons and daughters-in-law :) Thought of how relaxing bird song would be during his surgery recovery period. So, I offered to take these birds off my friend's hands as a gift to Buck and a relief to Mrs. E.

During VBS week, we chatted with the young owner about taking these birds into our collection of pets. He was ready to send them our way. He even cleaned the cage for us, putting the birds into a Tupperware bowl (that had plenty of air, his dad later told me, but not a lot of space) . . . and then forgot to put the birds back in the cage. Only one survived, and Mrs. E said the other wasn't looking good. However, a month later she texted, "Still want the bird?"

So, on Thursday, Mrs. E delivered "Neon" to our door. We took the bird inside, observed it for an hour or so, and then Buck said, "He doesn't trust us. He's not singing. Do you think he needs a friend?" Oh, you know what's about to happen!! :)

I found a youtube video of parakeets (a.k.a. Budgies) singing. The second I played it, "Neon" started squawking and hopefully looking around for other parakeets.

I tell you . . . you could have heard the hearts breaking in our living room and kitchen. "He needs a friend," dramatic, tear-filled whisper. Nodding tear-filled heads, all those eyes looking pleadingly at me (well, at least that's how I remember it ;)

So, the kids pooled their money and off to the pet store we went; they practically greeted us at the door with a cardboard box complete with breathing holes. It's like when the guy on Cheers walks into the bar and they all say, "Norm!" We walk into the pet store and they all say, "Cha-ching!" Animal carries lifted high. Lol :)

Of course, we had to debate names for our budgie buddies. We learned online that two boys are best, because females get very territorial. You can tell if they are boys or girls by looking at the area around their nostrils, above their beaks. If it is purple or blue--it's a boy! If it is pink or beige--it's a girl! Usually. "Neon" is about three years old, so we know he's a he. The new bird is probably only a few months old and the colors are still coming in. We're 90% sure he is a he, but I guess we'll see as he gets a little older. These birds live for 16 years, gasp!!! And will be going with the children to their homes as they grow up and move out of ours ;)


So what names will stand the test of time--we're out of Lord of the Rings characters, we thought about NFL players but the soft pastel colors of our birds ruled that out, candy?, cookies like the guinea pigs? I was thinking something more tropical--Bermuda and Bahama :) But budgies are from Australia, so that didn't really work either. Finally, we settled on names from the books series the kids bought me for Mother's Day . . . Taliesin and Merlin!

This series, written by Lawhead, takes the King Arthur legend from a Christian perspective. Taliesin is Merlin's father (hence, the older bird "Neon" is now the father character). Merlin is a king himself, and not so wizardy as in most legend. He's a noble teacher, follower of Christ, trained in traditional (druid) methods that God uses to help him help the British aisles. Kind of an interesting take on things. So, Merlin is the pretty blue, black, and white bird--half his tail is teal and half white, it's very unique.

We skipped all the introductory stuff and just plopped them in the same cage together. They seem to be buddies, so that's a win! At about 7:30 a.m. they start "singing" a.k.a. squawking, and it's usually at Chauncey. Poor Chauncey, he never asked for any of this :) They are fun to watch, and they make music with the bell that is in their cage. Of course this led to the It's a Wonderful Life quote, "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." Look at that, two days in the house and already our birds are making angels (ha ha, just joking, we know that's not how the angel-thing works :)

So, there you have it--two more additions to the petting zoo; only so far these two are not fans of being petted. Feathers and fur is a-flyin!

Small Town Connections

Usually on the Fourth of July, we go to breakfast at our former Bible study leaders' house and enjoy visiting with the dozens of guests who also go to brunch. This year, our neighbors invited us to a parade in a small town about half an hour away, and Buck wanted to pursue this option for celebratory fun. Away we went in a caravan . . . totally forgetting our parade roots. We used to be pros! We brought chairs and a blanket--but totally spaced things like candy bags and sunblock. As it turned out, a very nice lady let us set up camp under the shade of her massive tree--with about 4,000 of our closest friends, lol!

I remember the near-constant stream of parades that used to march past our last abode, and I remember how I felt a little miffed when people would just plop down on our lawn or in our driveway to watch. Not that I minded them being there, but it is nice to be asked--especially since we usually expected a large crowd of family and friends to join our prime location for parade viewing. So, we made sure to seek out the owner, and she seemed tickled pink to have so many visitors at her front door :)

One thing we did NOT do, was ask to use her bathroom. I thought it was so weird when total strangers would ask that of us. Um, no, you can't come into my house!! Only once did I say yes, and that was to a very pregnant woman who wasn't going to make it anywhere else :)

Unlike the parades that we had grown accustomed to, this was mostly a machinery parade--advertising local towing businesses, drilling businesses, farming businesses, etc. They still threw loads of candy, but those giant wheels and those heedless children diving for dum-dums!! Not ours, so much. They did remember that side of parade safety :) 

There were some neat old fire trucks, a few classic cars and trucks, a handful of horses, and one marching band. My favorite was the wee little red-headed lad with two suckers stuck crosswise in his mouth, cheeks filled with candy like a four-year-old chipmunk, doing his best to throw candy over the window ledge that was at his chin level. The kids' favorite was the older kid who would scoop up huge piles of candy then yell, "JACKPOT!!" as he showered them over the waiting crowd :) 



We came home to eat lunch (Buck grilled hot dogs!), and then headed half an hour in a different direction to see a car show. Again . . . we used to go ALL the time, but it has probably been as many years as we've been here, since we've sought out the classics. This was a fun venue--a shady park with live music and a super sketchy swingset (the sideless steel slide 15 feet in the air brought back elementary school memories of gasping for breath on the hard, hard ground after falling off such a slide). 



Buck and I have decided that if we should ever own a classic car for the specific purpose of cruisin' we would get a Bel Aire. They are our official favorite :) Now, not HIS official favorite (I'm sure he'd have other ideas if he were dreaming just for himself), but for us BOTH--Bel Aire :)





Back at home . . . I suggested we roast marshmallows on our rarely used firepit. Just marshmallows, I never remember to get chocolate, and we ate all the graham crackers a couple weeks ago :) Buck decided to do so, we needed additional seating. So, he gave Brennen a list of tools to gather from the garage, and then the boys scoured the scrap pile for pieces to make benches. They turned out really cute--just need a coat of paint (you know, to protect them from the weather ;)




Cozy little setting we have up on the first hill!



I was trying to be artistic with my marshmallow picture, but it didn't quite focus. Still . . . yummy :)


Caelan had the idea that if we could get to the top of the second hill, we would be able to see fireworks all along the horizon line. The only problem is, the second hill is covered with prairie grasses, bugs, and those plagues--ticks!! Buck used a bug fogger to clear some of the area, but then they all decided a pathway would be better. How cute is my manicured nature?! It reminds me of the paths through the forest my dad would cut for us when we were little. You can't even see it from the house; it is very cleverly disguised. Here's Gabby on the section that goes through the trees.





Quite a view from the crown of the hill! We could see fireworks all around--and isn't it funny how they burst like a star at the top of this little tree? Christmas in July :)





A few minutes after this a CRAZY wind came up!!! The little trees around us were about bending in half. The grasses were whipping, and I declared it was time to head down the mountain--and fast! We left the little benches, but gathered up all the other gear that had made the trek. 

Back on the lower level, Buck and I watched as the wind tried to pick up our swing (the one Buck was sitting on earlier in the pictures). We took the top "sail" off, but the metal corkscrew holders (that we have twisted into the ground to brace the swing from tipping over in the wind) bent the cross bars into 'V' shapes!! It was insane! I secured the chickens, and we hustled into the house before the rain hit. The storm knocked over our tomatoes during the night, but we think we got them settled back into the dirt. They're starting to turn red, so we don't want to lose them now!

So, that was our Independence day--food (Buck grilled for supper too, hamburgers with guacamole, sweet corn, watermelon, yummy!!), friends (at the parade, we also saw loads of people, in the random spot we chose, from the little church--LOADS! plus familiar faces from the big church), and fun (car show, building project, prairie path, fireworks and fireflies :) The only one who didn't have fun was the dog--this is his least favorite week of the year by far. You wouldn't think that such a big beast could turn into a fussy puddle of jelly so quickly, but he is so afraid of the fireworks that he would be most comfortable in one of those baby wraps moms carry newborns in . . . doesn't that paint a funny picture? :)

Landscaping

Since the boys discovered football cards, Buck has established a work system that allows them to earn special cards he's discovered on Ebay mostly, for them. Each boy works four hours, and then viola--card owners :) Brennen spent two days in the HOT heat, but in the shade working on this tree landscaping project. As the ground shifts, water falls, roots grow, the circle had become all spread out and wonky. B made it tight and neat again!



As you can see, he had a little helper on day one :) Our "three-in-July" neighbor came over to supervise, jump as high as she could to touch the tree leaves, and hand Brennen the level whenever he might (or might not) need it :) He's a very patient guy.




Day two--still working away! Okay he did come in for supper and to sleep ;) You can see the top layer of pavers lined up behind him on the sidewalk. He redid and releveled both layers. 

You may have also noticed how wonky the pavers in front of the window are from *yesterday's* pictures. That might be the next set of football card earnings . . . btw, this round is for a signed Carson Wentz rookie with jersey piece attached; it may also be numbered. It's like the most epic card in the land!



Wowza! Looks amazing!

Fairy Eggs and Onions

We were surprised and *might have* squealed when Buck discovered this wee little egg in the nesting box. Known as "fairy eggs" (eggs with no yolks) they are practice eggs for new layers. That means one of the black baby chickens is already laying! They're not supposed to start until six months old and she's only about four, but we'll take it :) Our egg production has been quite low lately, so it's nice to be back to a sort of half dozen every now and then.







We also harvested a few odds and ends from the garden--beans, peas, and an onion that the deer stepped on. Everything needs to grow more, but it's fun to see it coming along! I have to get some pics of the watermelons . . . they are smaller than the fairy eggs, but still look like perfect little green-striped grown-ups. Seriously, the cutest of all garden produce at this stage :)



Graysen took a run at using up a few of our eggs by making Monster Bars--umm, yummy!! Poor kid got stung in the face while we were checking out the garden. Several black hornets had begun building nests under the railing around the garden fence. G$ was the one to discover them :( The left side of his face has been swollen for three days. He says it jiggles when he runs . . . you know what we do to things that jiggle when they run around here, right? Lol :)

Block Party Part I

Buck had a really fun idea to get all the neighbors together for a block party. The guys were all excited to show off their meat grilling/smoking skills, and the ladies were happy to fill in the gaps with salads, desserts, and chips. There was an ENORMOUS amount of food--we all maybe overestimated how hungry we'd be on a 103 degree day. It was sticky, sweating, steaming hot out . . . but, sweet corn!!!!

It was the first sweet corn of the season and we bought three dozen ears--THREE DOZEN! We decided to go fancy like Chip and JoJo. One of my recent magazines shared their thoughts on grilling corn, so we peeled back the husks, removed the silks, lamely attempted tying them back closed with green leafery, soaked the cobs in water flavored with a bit of sugar, and then on the grill they went to cook and steam--delicious!! Gabby even made a couple of the fancy butters they printed recipes for in the magazine.

We set up all the food under the neighbors' tents, we plugged in all the fans hiding in neighbors' houses and garages, and then filled the area with sporting event chairs.

The idea was to start late enough that the kids could play in the cul-de-sac while we waited for the sky to darken. Well, the sky did darken--incredibly quickly! And then the rains came down.





For a little while, we all huddled under the tents, and then I (because everyone seemed to think I was in charge of this event, lol) said, "Let's go home, enjoy our a/c, and meet back out here if the weather lightens up." Everyone liked this idea, and scattered.



When there was a break in the rain, everyone would run out their doors with their lighters to set off the fireworks we'd each bought a supply of . . . a little mist can't fight the power of explosives--





--but what that cloud had to offer sure could!! It went from day to night with alarming speed. Even more alarming--God's version of fireworks, lightning and LOTS of it! We (and our chickens too) decided hunkering down for the evening was a much better plan than being out in all that business.

Block Party Part II

After the crazy rains the evening and night before, Sunday was spot on gorgeous! We originally chose Saturday for the celebrations because Buck had to work early Monday . . . but then, he didn't. In fact, he is done working until after the surgery (which we hope will be approved a.s.a.p.). So, he was able stay up Sunday night to help with the day two fireworks . . . and there were just a few of those :)




Neighbors--moms, toddlers, and babies--(at a safe distance) on both sides of the cul-de-sac :) 

The boys and men had quite a set up in the middle of the road. They screwed down the canisters to a plank of wood. Then four to five of the adults would run out at a time, light the fuses, and then run for the edges of the street. Only once, the night before, did a firecracker do something unpredictable-it shot directly at one of the neighbor's throats, burnt his shirt, and cut the skin in that little hollow at the base of his neck. Super scary! A good reminder that even when you're being careful, fireworks can be very dangerous.



And beautiful! Fun to see my guys enjoying the glow (and yes, Buck is in his pajamas, but don't tell anyone that I told you so ;)





I switched the picture order, so it looks like everyone is looking up at the fireworks :)



Neighborhood boys





We had some pretty impressive displays for at-home fireworks! When the five mortars went off at the same time, they really made it rain (ash and debris), but it was pretty :)






You can see Buck standing as a marker as to where all our fireworks debris was located, as another neighbor left for work at 10:30 PM. We kind of made a mess :) But the neighbor whose throat burned had a leaf blower, and with that a few shovels, the street looked pretty good in a short amount of time!



And because it's red, white, and blue week at karate . . . :)

Art, Soap, and Visitors

The kids have been taking art lessons from Mr. K for more than a year, now. He wondered if they'd like to try something more than sketching and shading, and suggested watercolor painting. They said, "Yes!!" So now, each week the kids have a homework assignment to work on whatever technique they learned during lesson. When they turn their assignment in, Mr. K gets to guess who painted which picture. Can you guess which picture Mr. K painted? :)


Caelan is ever on the look-out for more do-it-yourself products. She's done face things, lip things, lotion things, and now she's making her own soap! It is pink and smells like roses :) Hobby Lobby helps her in her hobby beauty products line. Here is the soap . . .



Here is the soap maker! (I missed her actually making the soap because I was checking summer school stacks of books; p.s. she is NOT eating the soap in this picture--it is one of the million desserts that have been produced in our kitchen in the past week or two :)



We had some sort of surprise guests this week. I say "sort of" because mom did text me the day before and mentioned they might be stopping by. Then Aunt Ellen texted to say, "Google thinks it knows where you live  . . . we want to see that poor chicken." Lol! She and Mark took a full tour of the house and pet populations; Aunt E got to pet a hedgehog and a chicken--she's a good sport :) It was only an hour-long visit, but Graysen made them banana bread (one loaf with chocolate chips) and we got to catch up a little before they continued their trip East.