Captain’s Log – Babies and Springtime

We got baby chickens. The mean ol’ momma hen and a couple of her sisters hatched another batch of babies about two weeks ago, and they are the cutest little things you've ever seen. 

Except for the Emus. 

Yeahhhh…you read that right. Last year, Brian Byrd was teasing that I should add some emu to the flock at the Boyer Bunny Ranch when his breeding pair of emu were nesting a batch of their babies. I was not even tempted. 

But those dang animal people know just how to get you thinking, and here we are. Two sweet little emu chicks are growing exponentially in their emu pen next to the baby chicks. They’re about ready to graduate to the goat pen, where I’m afraid they’ll be able to indulge their anti-social behavior and never be cuddly again.

They weren’t really cuddly to begin with. I thought if I held them every day and hung out with them, they would bond and we would be great buddies, but alas. They did not. They’re fearful of everything and run around their pen, flinging their heads at the end of their necks like a good game of Snap the Whip. 

And then we took a bunny for a gal on the book of faces who had rescued him from the streets. Quite literally, he was hopping across South Taylor when she thankfully missed him with her car, then chased him down with the help of four Navy kids. He’s a tiny little lop-eared bunny who doesn't match the fancy angora bunnies, but he's a pretty light yellow color and full of personality. Just ask Shania, who was cuddling him at her desk until he took a bite out of her arm. 

But best of all, last weekend I got to go to North Dakota and spend time with my 9-year-old, Rhett, and this weekend I got to be there for Tabor Outlaw to turn 1 month old. 

What a joy this is, being a gramma. With Rhett, I got to go on this crazy obstacle course that’s 20 feet off the ground, and they strap you in a safety harness so you don’t fall to your death in front of the child and scar them for life. And then with Tabor I got to sit in a lovely recliner for hours and hold him while he slept and ate and smiled at me. 

Heaven. 

So while we appreciate this end of the generational spectrum, we’ll always be right here…

…Keeping you Posted. 

Rach