Chewy wanted to check in tonight and just say hello.
Flapper was not quite as interested in chatting. He is not too fond of the camera.
Everyone is doing well. We’re having some major yard work done in and around Flapper’s night pen and aviary, so the ducks — and the people — are a little busy these days. But once that’s settled we’ll be back with more fun and more photos.
Quacks.
Chewy took a bath in the tree trunk pool today, and then showed off his feathers as he preened them.
First he got some oil from his oil gland on top of his tail.
Then he spread the oil onto his long wing feathers.
Some feathers were hard to reach, but he managed to preen them all.
He even scratched his chin feathers, which gave me a close-up view of his fuzzy butt.
Finally it was time to flap off the last of the water droplets.
Chewy even flapped to show off his buff chest feathers. He has been working out.
The bright sunlight showed off Chewy’s colorful feather details once he was all clean and preened.
Lookin’ good, Choo Choo. Right down to the last freckle.
“Thanks.”
After preening, Chewy laid down next to his wingman Flapper for a nice Saturday afternoon nap.
I was laying down on the other side of Flapper, so we all took a nap together.
On the other side of me, even O’Malley settled down for a nap with Petunia and Olivia the chicken.
Simon gave us the stink eye from across the yard, because he doesn’t like to nap near flapping birds. Too bad, Simon.
We hope everyone had as nice of a Saturday afternoon as we did.
Happy summer weekend, from Chewy and the whole crew.
Flapper thought you would like this photo, even though it is blurry.
As you can see, Olivia is good buddies now with Chewy and Flapper. The three of them are always together, especially Chewy and Olivia. Flapper can’t walk very well anymore because of his arthritis, so Olivia joins Chewy on bug hunts and they get along really well together.
We’ll always miss Racquel, but it is good to see that life goes on and new friendships can help to ease the grief of friends who are gone.
In other news, we rescued a new kind of animal.
Okay maybe it’s not an animal, but it does need some rescuing. This is my childhood motorcycle. My dad brought it to me when he came to Seattle for my graduation. I am planning to restore it back to good working condition and use it to get lattes and breakfast and such. Maybe we’ll even add a sidecar for Flapper (kidding).
It is an early-1970s Indian motorcycle with an Italian engine. Probably 80cc engine. We’ll know more when we get it cleaned up a bit and do some research. For now it lives in the living room. Yes… the living room. 
Flapper is off to the vet today for a quick check-up to make sure he is doing well, and also to get some medication for his arthritis.
Have a good weekend everyone!
This weekend was full of antics and silliness.
For instance, did you know that chickens like applesauce?
Well they do. But if you plan to share with them, make sure you take your share first, because they get dirt in your applesauce.
In other news, O’Malley was the victim of a sneak attack.
“It was scary!”
He was walking by Racquel L’Oreal in the yard, and Racquel thought he was way too close. She thought he was going to attack her so she made a pre-emptive strike and FLEW through the air right at O’Malley’s face.
HI-YA!
“I wasn’t attacking her, she attacked me. I was just walking by her and she went kung-fu on me.”
“I have conquered. Who is next? Wax on, wax off. HI-YA!”
Calm down, Racquel. No one is after you, silly muppet.
“I’m going to stay in my pen for awhile. Will you close the door?”
Sure thing, O’Malley. I’m sorry buddy.
Racquel is growing some new face feathers, so maybe she is just a bit sensitive.
Here is what we call a “Racquel Eclipse.” She stands behind Olivia sometimes and we can’t find her.
Everybody else is doing fine. Chewy loves napping in the long grass.
And Flapper does, too.
“Wait! It’s not nap time until after treat time.”
Good point, Flapper. I’ll go get some treats and we’ll wish everyone a good week for now.
Have a good week, everyone.
This morning we started with a great breakfast.
The bagel has Earth Balance non-dairy buttery spread on it, and Olivia made the eggs for us. Thanks, Olivia!
“You’re welcome. How do I get back in my nest to lay another egg?”
Oh, I’ll help. Let me open the door for you, Livi.
“Thank you.”
After breakfast, we had a surprise guest who put on quite a show!
A juvenile bald eagle showed up! Luckily the crows were there to give him a hard time. Here’s a play-by-play of the eagle show.
1. Eagle! Run, chickens! The chickens ran under the shrubbery, even though they weren’t in danger since I was outside with them.
2. Crows on attack. Look at the size difference!
3. Whoops! Upside down eagle. Nice one, crows.
4. Close-up of the eagle.
5. Eagle gives up. This is more trouble than it’s worth.
6. See you later, eagle. Thanks crows!
Here’s a close-up of how BIG the eagle is, compared to the crows.
And here’s the top of the eagle.
We think this was a juvenile bald eagle. We’re sure glad we have an aviary!
After the eagle show, our resident crow kept an eye on the sky, just in case the eagle decided to make another pass.
Then he settled in for a nice nap.
Thank you for keeping such a good eye on the sky for us, crow.
“You’re welcome.”
Racquel L’Oreal the fuzzy muppet came out from under the shrubbery and started hunting for bugs.
O’Malley preened his belly while Petunia settled in for a nap.
Chewy found a comfy spot on the grass to sit down and rest.
And as usual, Flapper took comfy to a whole other level.
Happy weekend napping, and a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.
Hi, Flapper. Why don’t you tell us about the weekend?
“Hi mom. It was a pretty busy weekend around here.”
“But I think I’m going to need some treats to give me enough energy to tell you about everything that’s going on.”
Okay, Flapper. You got it.
“Can I get a little bit of that treat action over here? I prefer worms.”
Sure thing, Chewy.
“I need those extra treats so I have extra energy to MOVE FAST when O’Malley is chasing me.”
Good point, Flapper.
“Okay, so Simon the furball was outside with us this weekend. He likes to keep an eye on the crows.”
“The crow is gathering extra food for his girlfriend and her nestlings. We’re not sure if they’ve hatched yet, but he is stockpiling food.”
“He carries the food from the fence up, up, up…”
“Up to the gutters to hide it for later. Then he takes some to his girlfriend at her nest.”
“And then the crow comes back to hang out with us. Here he is watching the Stellar’s Jay.”
“The Stellar’s Jays are nesting nearby too, but we think they may have lost their eggs or nestlings to some other crows. Sorry, Stellar’s Jays.”
“O’Malley and Petunia spent time this weekend hunting for bugs.”
“Petunia is really good at it because she concentrates really hard.”
“Chewy and I just took some extra naps.”
“Oh… Olivia and Racquel L’Oreal hunted for bugs, too.”
“And Racquel had her butt feathers and face feathers trimmed… hee hee.”
“I think that pretty much sums up the weekend. Why don’t we end it with a few more treats?”
That was a good weekend update, Flapper. Thanks, my buster. I will go grab you some more treats.
Happy week, everyone.
Hi Flapper, how are you doing?
“Oh, hello. I am just preening my feathers after the sky sprinklers got me all wet.”
Your feathers are looking really good, buster.
“Thank you. Now I just preen my belly.”
“And shake the rest of the sprinkles off.”
“Oops. I missed a spot.”
It was a beautiful weekend in the yard.
Flapper and Chewy enjoyed the rain showers and the great sunshine.
Petunia enjoyed hunting for bugs.
“Did you see any bugs?”
I will keep an eye out for them for you, Petunia.
“Thank you.”
O’Malley and I had some deep conversations.
And then he sang a song for me.
That was a beautiful song, O’Malley.
“Thank you.”
The yard is in bloom and everyone is doing fine. What more could I ask for?
“Peas?”
Ha ha, I guess so, Chewy. I could ask for peas. But that was just an expression.
“How about waffles?”
Okay, Racquel. I will ask for peas and waffles for you and Chewy.
“Oh, now the weekend is perfect.”
I agree, Chewy. All we need now is a nap.
“Great idea. Let’s go take a nap.”
“I’m way ahead of you. ZZZzzzz.”
Hi Livi. How are you feeling today?
“I am doing good.”
And how is your backside after the unfortunate bite last Saturday?
“How does it look?”
It looks fluffy to me. I hope it is healing well.
Do you think you could forgive O’Malley for biting you?
“Why would I forgive him? He hasn’t even apologized to me!”
O’Malley? Do you think you could apologize to Olivia for biting her on the butt?
“I am sorry.”
And what are you sorry for?
“I am sorry for biting Olivia on the butt.”
And why are you sorry for that?
“Because it hurt her. I am sorry for hurting Olivia.”
That was pretty good, O’Malley.
What do you think, Olivia?
“I think I see a bug!”
Hmmm… I think you may have to keep apologizing for awhile, O’Malley. Give it some time. I think Olivia will forgive you eventually.
“You tell that overgrown, buck-beaked turkey that if he comes near Olivia again I will karate chop him, crouching chicken style!”
Wow! Okay, Racquel L’Oreal. I will tell him.
“Nobody messes with my friend Olivia. Nobody!”
“I wouldn’t mess with her. She told Chewy if he looked at her funny one more time, his face would stick that way… and look!”
“Help. Me?”
Ha ha, sorry Chewy. Better steer clear of Racquel. And maybe steer clear of Olivia for now, too.
We hope Olivia’s backside is on the mend, and that she eventually forgives O’Malley for biting her on the butt. Flapper is feeling okay for now, and that is good, too. Chewy has a little limp from Racquel chasing him (seriously) but we think it’ll be okay. That’s the update for now. We’ll post another update when Olivia is feeling more forgiving.
“The breakfast treats are missing!? SUPER DUCK TO THE RESCUE!”
“I will find you, missing waffles. Super duck will save the day!”
“This is my trusty sidekick, Chewy. Every superhero needs a good sidekick.”
Flapper received this super awesome cape from our friend Terrie. She makes all kinds of quilts and aprons and such, and sells them in her etsy shop. But we think super duck capes may be her new calling. THANK YOU for the awesome cape, Terrie!
Now back to solving mysteries and rescuing treats in the yard. More SUPER DUCK tales to follow in the future.
Hello! Hello? Hey everyone, I’d like to take a family photo. Can you cooperate and get into your places for me?
“Is this good?”
That is pretty good, O’Malley. Yes. Oops. Simon? Can you back up a little bit?
“MOM! O’Malley is not posing. He’s chasing!”
O’Malley NO! Come back. Chewy, wait! Awww crud.
“I am going on a bug hunt. Let me know when everyone else is ready.”
Okay, Chewy. I don’t think it’s going to work, so maybe I’ll just use this composite photo instead.
Aaah yes, this is much easier. There we go. What do you think?
What is it, Flapper?
“Why didn’t you just do that in the first place, instead of making me stand close to O’Malley?”
I don’t know, buster. Good question.
“I am ready for my close-up.”
That might be a little TOO close, Racquel.
“Is this better?”
Oh yes. That is very pretty, Racquel.
“You didn’t forget us, did you?”
Oh I’m sorry, crows. I wasn’t sure you’d want to pose with us since you’re wild.
“Is this my best side?”
“Or is this?”
They’re both very dashing, Mr. Crow. Thank you for posing.
Well we didn’t get everyone to pose together, but they all wanted to wish everyone out there a very happy new year.
And now that I have all of my family’s attention, I have a message for them.
Dear feathered and furry family members:
Over the past month or so, many of you have not been feeling well. Simon stopped eating for a while, Chewy got a random infection, O’Malley had feather cysts and Racquel had a cold.
Now that you’re all feeling better and all doing well, please… PLEASE take care of yourselves. Or at least learn to take turns getting sick.
In December we had way, way too many vet visits. So let’s start the new year by resolving to stay healthy, okay? We’ll cut back on treats a little bit, get extra rest when we need it and stay out of the rain (this means you, Racquel). Don’t hesitate to let me know if you’re not feeling well, but let’s do all we can to stay healthy.
Lots of love,
Your devoted human
XOXOX
