Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Because everybody needs a buddy. Our Rhode Island Red and our lone rooster.

This guy is going to be popular!

We bought seven chicks and a rooster. We are hoping to have fresh eggs by fall.

Birds

The kids and I spent today having fun together. We went a Lowe's workshop this morning where they each made a treasure box. We picked up a few more items or our garden while we were there. Then we were off to the nature center for bird day.

Little Lady had a mountain blue bird painted on her forehead, Crazy Fox went with a bald eagle (always his first choice when it comes to birds) and Digging Badger chose a mallard. They each made a nest complete with chocolate robin eggs and a bird feeder made from recycled water bottles. Then we went to the owl pellet station where they were able to dissect the pellet to discover what the owl had eaten. Crazy Fox really enjoyed this and glued all the tiny bones he found on a display board. They had a station teaching about different bird beaks for different types of food, a bird Olympics station where the kids could compare how fast they flapped their wings compared to a crow or a hummingbird. They all flapped 11 times in 10 seconds. Crows flap their wings 30 and hummingbirds 700 times per 10 seconds. Then they played a life size board game to teach about migration.

They were each banded for tracking during the game, but unfortunately after they were let free, they were all killed by a pellet from a BB gun, which brought the game to an abrupt end.

We walked around the paths, over bridges and along the creek. We had a wonderful day learning about some of God's creatures.

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

Solomon

Fun with Dad

The Zoo Keeper was long overdue for a haircut, and with the weather warming up, he decided a short buzz was in order. I much prefer his thick, black, hair to be a bit longer, but I will be the first to admit that his hair is unruly.

The boys have been wanting to shave the Zoo Keeper's head for over a year. (They were going to surprise me when I got home from a weekend getaway last year, but ran out of time.) So the clippers came out and Crazy Fox got right to work.

Because the Zoo Keeper's hair was so long, he decided to have a little bit of fun with it.

Then it was Digging Badger's turn. He finished off the rest.

Who needs a haircut now?

Crazy Fox has apparently inherited his dad's wild locks.

Kittens

Spring is finally here and there is a new litter of kittens at the Thompson Zoo. They are about three weeks old. Their eyes have all opened and they are starting to play together. Each one has distinctive markings giving them character.

This is pinstripe. . . because he has a thin white stripe.

Here is dip stick . . .

. . . not because he isn't so bright, but because his tail looks as though it has been dipped in oil.

This is Skunk, or Skunkers and sometimes Stinker due to the white stripe that goes down the middle of his nose and back.

And this is Batty, the favorite kitten an cuddle victim of Little Lady. He has been held and squeezed and wrapped in baby blankets and carried and poked and loved more than any of the other kittens. He is a cutey, and he will probably be the best cat we have ever had if he makes it through his initiation period with Little Lady.

Hamburger Seeds

The following is a typical dinner conversation at the Thompson Zoo.

Little Lady: "These are hamburger seeds. We should plant them in the garden."

The Zoo Keeper: "What would grow if we planted those seeds in the garden?"

Little Lady: "Hamburgers!"

Crazy Fox: "Those are sesame seeds, not hamburger seeds."

Little Lady: "No, they are hamburger seeds".