Eva’s Friends

[N F C]

Terrific photos as always!

 

[Evadig]

This may be one of the last posts featuring Eva's friends. A kind lady here on BYC has offered to take in the chickens, and they will be going to their new home shortly.

The ducks still haven't been claimed, but I am working on finding homes for them as well. Matilda has a promised home and will be taking up residence there when the chickens leave.

The ducklings are quacking, and it's clear that two are boys. Angelica is now Ronald, Greg is now Doris, Doris is now Greg, and Moira stayed the same. Confusing, isn't it?!

Last Friday we found more mold/water damage, this time in the downstairs bathroom - resulting in yet another insurance claim. We will be moving out for the next few months as now both bathrooms are practically unusable.

I did catch the stray cat under the shed. We set a trap last night and it took her about three hours after dark for the tuna to overcome her suspicion. I actually don't know if it's a boy or a girl but we named her Francine for now. I contacted a couple rescues but one was full and I don't like the looks of the other so it may be that we will have a third cat! My family does not love cats, so this must be thought out carefully.

I have been going through all the boxes that were in the basement and are now in storage. We have given away a lot, but there's so much "useful junk" that is the bane of my existence.

You know, the package of erasers you will need a couple years from now when your existing one runs out, or the six Allen wrenches (just in case you lose one), or the five hundred plastic baggies that somehow fell out of their box and got scattered to the four winds.

To make matters worse, nearly all of these miscellaneous objects is connected to a memory, and I know that if I get rid of them that memory will be forgotten. But I have been plunging ahead and telling myself that in ten years I will have new memories, and if I don't give away some things now, I will have ten times the amount of useful but unused objects, and also have become insane from being overwhelmed by it all.

My family has had to make the same journey - my mom finally chose to give away the clothes we wore as babies, my sister agreed to get rid of the doll accessories she hasn't used in years, and my father...well, all his tools are still extremely useful and important so he doesn't have this problem!

I think that when this thread has run its course I will have it moved to the Family Life or Random Ramblings, or maybe just start a new one. What do you think?

I did not take many pictures because I've been busy at the storage. I will be sure to get some of the all the birds before they leave for their new homes. I just want it over with before I can change my mind...

Beautiful fall day

Eva happy after a long walk at a battlefield

Left to right: Doris, Greg, Moira
I am surprised at how white Doris is - she almost looks like Claire!

Meet Francine!

 

[N F C]

Best wishes to you and your family @Evadig

 

[Callender Girl]

Well, I ran through a gamut of reactions when I read your post!

First off, I thought, "Oh, no!" when I read that there might not be many more posts about Eva's friends because I have enjoyed reading about them all and getting to know you.

Good thing I read the entire thing so I know that you aren't going to completely stop posting! I will read whatever you write, wherever you post it on BYC

Congrats on finding a good home for your chickens, and best wishes for finding homes for your ducks.

It's a good thing that I live too far away to even consider taking them, because I don't need ANY more pets, especially ducks. My drakes are still being stupid with each other even though mating season is well past.

BTW, I had a similar confused gender situation with my newest chicks. Theodora, an Ameraucana who I was expecting to lay blue eggs, is actually Moses, a rooster whose voice is still pretty shaky but is getting stronger.

It's great that you've captured Francine; the three formerly stray cats are living in my basement but I wish I could have found other homes for them. Both of my old cats are headed to the vet tomorrow; one is favoring a front leg, the other may have the initial stages of a cancer that took her mom and three siblings.

Going through stuff that has memories attached is tough for me, too. As is getting rid of things I MAY need some time in the future. I have some friends coming this weekend who may be able to pry some of the stuff out of my hands, for my own good!!

Sad news about the additional mold and water damage, especially that you will have to move out for a while. Hopefully, it won't be too long and it will all get fixed properly.

Again, I'm glad you aren't leaving BYC!!

 

[Evadig]

Well, half of Eva’s friends have gone their way…the ducks went to their new home on Friday. I wrote a poem about them to help process it all.

The ducks are gone to their new home
And I sit sadly all alone.
No more to hear their joyful quack
No more to hear their feet pit-pat.
The pools lay empty in the yard.
The duck door now is closed and barred.
Nothing more there is to tell:
They’re gone - farewell.

Henry
Hilda
Winnifred
Phyllis
Claire
Margaret
Ronald
Doris
Greg
Moira

The chickens are still here - their home-to-be fell through and there’s a chance we might be keeping a few anyhow.

Francine is doing well, getting a little less scared of us. I have to make an appointment to get her fixed but the low cost vet is $90, which is more than I can afford right now. They used to take coupons but now they don’t. I’ll have to try to find another place.

I’m on a road trip right now, so there’s not many pictures nor much to say. I’m really busy packing the house and organizing the storage unit (which there was a live mouse in there! And a dead one in one of the boxes ).

I guess that as long as I have the hens this thread will keep chugging along, slowly through the beautiful fall footage (we were going to take a scenic train trip but there weren't any tickets available). I’m listening to the Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton as I write so if this all sounds a little disjointed that’s why.

A toad

All ten of them, the day they left

Moira and Doris

Potomac River

Evadig and Annabee in the fall sunshine

Eva and Annabee at the river

Two pictures of Constance

Evadig

 

[Callender Girl]

The poem about your ducks is sweet; I know you will miss them.

I don't remember why you are rehoming your poultry, but would it be a bad thing to keep a few of the chickens?

Hurray that Francine is coming around!

Not so great about mice -- dead or alive. The farm fields around me are being harvested right now and it's getting cooler at night, so mice are looking for new homes -- it's just a matter of time before they find mine.

I'm hoping the three stray cats I took in will keep the mice in the basement and not allow them upstairs.

Hope the house repairs go quickly!

 

[Evadig]

I'm back home. I didn't feel like doing any of the chicken chores because I get irritated when I look at the duck pen - I just finished making it all nice and then I have to go and give away all the ducks - but it was a nice day and as the song goes, "I'm looking over a four-leafed clover that I overlooked before..." The duck pen will make a lovely catio with a few upcoming alterations.

Liberty has been a pill, forcing Viv and Dolores and Patience to mate with him. He's sleeping in the rabbit pen tonight for an attitude adjustment.

Honor isn't much better. Like Stan, he delights in egging on Winston to fight through the fence. It drives me nuts.

Francine is really getting better; she doesn't even really hiss at me anymore. I am pretty sure she's a girl because I see that a corner of the litter pan is clumpy and wet.

I don't have any pictures of the hens tonight but plenty of the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

Annabee

Fall foliage

Evadig

Constance

Two manta rays

A tiger shark

Three pictures of a jellyfish

A different kind of jellyfish

Yet another species of jellyfish; I was not able to take a picture of their glowing tentacles.

Looking down into the fish tank

A strange kind of ray

Some sort of catfish that lives in Australia

A caiman, if you can find him

Blue macaw

The World Trade Center in Baltimore as seen from the deck of the USS Constellation.

There are two pieces of the Twin Towers outside, but you can't see them from the picture.

The USS Constellation was the last all-sail ship to be built for the Navy. It was built some time in the early 1800's and worked in slave ship interdiction until the Civil War. In World War II it was actually still in use and served as Admiral Ernest King's alternative flagship, while his own was in combat. It was decommissioned in the early 60's.

This is the USCGC (US Coast Guard Cutter) Taney, which was built in the 1930's and was one of six Secretary Class ships, which were the largest cutters in the Coast Guard until recently. The Taney saw action at Pearl Harbor and is the only ship from that day still in existence - the others that survived the attack either perished later in the war or were sold for scrap . Taney fought in the Vietnam War and was decommissioned in the early 80's.

 

[Callender Girl]

Enjoyed all your photos -- as I always do, but especially the ones from the National Aquarium. I visited it years ago and LOVED seeing the rays. At least at that time, it had "Wings Under the Water," an area where people walked under a glass "tunnel" so it appeared the rays were sailing over your head.

This summer, my sister and I visited an aquarium in Duluth with a tank where we got to touch jellyfish. Cool for us, probably not for the jellyfish. The aquarium also had an octopus; my sister is obsessed with those, and this one came out from its rocky hiding place while we were there.

Glad to hear you have plans to convert the duck pen; you worked so hard on it. Good history lesson. Sorry the boys are being jerks. But, at least Francine is beginning to appreciate you!

 

[Evadig]

There is nothing to report on but I have photos I wanted to share…if I waited till Wednesday there would probably be an overload!

Friday I moved all of our largest storage unit to a bigger unit. That took six hours working non-stop. It would have taken a lot longer if my mom and sister didn’t come to help.

Sunday we went to church and then drove all the way down to a park and a battlefield in the Shenandoah Valley.

Minna playing dead

Antietam Battlefield National Cemetery

Dolores

Vivienne

Seven Bends State Park

Fishers Hill Battlefield - happened after the Third Battle of Winchester, another Union Victory

General Philip Sheridan vs. General Jubal Early

The Confederate position was where I am standing, on top of the hill.

 

[Callender Girl]

Good to know that Minna is only playing dead! I know chickens do that, but I'm still worried for a split second every time I see one of mine doing it.