Uno (the yellow one), Dos (the striped one) and Tres (the black one) are now 2-weeks old. We thought children grew quickly? How about chickens! They now have most of their wing feathers and some of their tail feather are coming out, too. They have 6-more weeks before all their feathers are in and they are ready to live outside full time.I've decided, if they can live through the first 2-weeks at our house, they can live through a hurricane! There are many funny stories to tell of the misadventures of these fluffy friends -- funny only because they have survived this crazy life I'm so used to living: living among children.
Adventure #1:
Daddy: [goes downstairs and notices there are no chicks in the box] Girls? Do you know where the chicks are?
Bettina: Yeah.
Daddy: Well, could you show me? I can't see them.
Bettina: [takes a break from watching SpongeBob on the TV and walks downstairs and over to the play shopping cart. Pulls out the child-sized purse from the cart and unzips it. Out come three little chicks.] They're right here, Daddy. Silly!
Daddy: [comes upstairs after replacing the chicks in the box and looks at Mommy.] Did you know that Bettina zipped up the chicks - all three of them - into her purse?
Mommy: Ah, no....
[Mommy and Daddy wonder how long those poor chicks were stuffed into that little bag. Mommy quickly adds the purse to the dirty clothes pile.]
Adventure #2:
[Mommy is trying desprately to make the most of her *free time* while Baby Brother naps. She's on the phone trying manically to sort out business with a friend. Mommy stops talking in mid-sentance after peering out the window, hearing loud, unhappy chirping sounds from outside.] OMG, Anne, I have to call you back. Somethings going on with the chicks. [Mommy goes downstairs and sees Bettina with the garden hose. The back patio is drenched.] Bettina! What are you doing! You know not to play with water without an adult....
Bettina: But, Mommy, we're giving the chickies a bath.
[Mommy notices a totally soaked yellow chick trying to hide in the corner. It takes us three minutes to find the other two who are equally drenched and shivering from cold and fright. Mommy wags an angry finger at the two girls explaining how chicks can get sick and plops the chickies down under a heat lamp. Half an hour later, they are dry and fluffy again.]
There are also the unknown stories...questions like, "Why is there bird poop on the tops of all the books on the bookshelf?" or "Is that bird poop on the top of the guest bed?" I just shake my head, not bothering to ask what kind of carnival ride or game the poor chicks had to endure, and do a lot of laundry.
