Questions, unusual pets

Mama and I are still up in the air about fostering children. When I read through the requirements and expectations by the state of the home where the children are kept I get very anxious about giving over to what seems to be excessive control of our private residence. The obvious safety concerns would be no problem to comply with. It is the seemingly silly restrictions like not having any homemade jellies or canned fruit and not reusing food containers (like Cool Whip containers) for left overs that seem overbearing and intrusive.

Maybe I was not in a good mood last night as Mama read through some of the lengthy list of obligations within the home but I got more edgy as item after item was read with which I was uncomfortable. We will pursue the idea as far as we are comfortable taking it but we will not begin until the classes come around in May of this year. My guard is up now so we will ease in carefully to the idea of someone telling us what we can and cannot do in our own home.

Maggie sent a video of Catherine being entertained by a chicken. It was unusual because they were in a carpeted living room of a home in Juneau, Alaska. The chicken looked like one of the Silkie variety and was quite comfortable pecking at the carpet in front of our granddaughter. Catherine was squealing with pure delight at the spectacle. I hope that does not give Mama any ideas about housing her brood of chickens.

I was not sure at first that the chicken was live. In the video there appeared to be a plastic device on its back that could have been a battery compartment. Mama was told by Maggie that what I was seeing was the plastic tape band that was securing the diaper on the bird. I suppose a chicken is better than a monkey; definitely better than a cat. Although, I imagine the diaper makes laying an egg problematic.

We are up to nine to twelve eggs per day with Mama’s little flock. It is time to cull the flock but Mama has a problem assigning the death sentence to any of her little birds. Since we have almost twenty hens and are only getting half that many eggs some need to be cycled into the freezer but the process of getting them there is troubling to Mama.

The joke is told of a parrot that went on a verbal tirade so embarrassing to his owner that in desperation to quiet the bird he grabbed it and threw it in the freezer. After several minutes, the cursing stopped and the man carefully opened the freezer door and allowed the bird out. With head hung low the parrot said. “I humbly apologize for my past behavior and assure you it will never happen again.”

Being the forgiving sort the man picked up the bird and acknowledged his acceptance of the apology. “Now that that is out of the way, can you tell me something?” asked the very contrite parrot. “Of course”, his owner answered, “What would you like to know?” The bird asked, “What did the chicken do?”

My ankle is getting better quickly. The swelling has spread around the foot and that has lessened the pain somewhat. It is starting to show a pretty large bruise now but that will pass soon. I am already walking almost normally.

By the weekend I should be in pretty good shape.