Thursday, December 25, 2014

And Christmas Just Keeps On Getting Better. Thank You, My Darling Kathleen And Her Beloved Bug

This afternoon Mr. Moon and I went down to Bug's house to see if we could capture and bring home two ducks and three hens.

Three out of five ain't bad.

Mr. Moon caught the first hen with a long-handled fishing net. Pretty easy. Then he went for another hen and she and the other one took off over the fence for the woods. Chickens sure as hell CAN fly when they want to.
Next he caught the ducks. They cannot fly so that wasn't so hard.

We had them in little cages and let them sit awhile and Mr. Moon and Bug threw a line into the pond which Kathleen loved so much. They caught a fat bream and another fish, I don't remember what. They threw them back in and we brought the ducks and the chicken home.
We got the coop all sorted out with fresh food and brought in the cages and let them free.
And here they are.


The hen. I know she had a Kathleen-given name but mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, I do not know it. Neither did Bug. So we are calling her Camellia. Kathleen loved to give her chickens the names of flowers.


Here are the ducks. Their names are Willy and Lily. We think they are both females due to the number of eggs that they lay. I can't tell the difference between them. One of them seems slightly fatter than the other. Bug says they called them the "chucks" because they think they are chickens but they are ducks. 
Can I just say that ducks (or chucks) are hysterical? They peck at their food like machine guns whether at the feeder or in the dirt. We filled up their little tub and they drank about a quart of water each. Bug and Kathleen had both told me that when you give them fresh water in the tub they get in it and immediately begin to fornicate. Even though yes, they are probably both girls. 
So Mr. Moon and I took our seats in the chairs by the coop and split a lovely Belgian beer and watched for the possibility of fornication and also simply to observe all three birds as they explored the new space. They seemed fine with it. Camellia ate and drank in regular chicken fashion and she went into the roosting box and came out again and repeated the maneuvers. Willy and Lily had no interest in the box but happily ate and drank and pecked at whatever ducks peck at in the dirt. 
But no fornication. 
Elvis and Trixie seemed pretty darned interested in Camellia but they were separated by wire. Same with Maurice who knew something was up. 
The ducks do everything in tandem. Walk together, eat together, drink together. When they talk they bob their heads and let go with a string of vocalizations which remind me somewhat of Gibson when he gets going. It is most definitely a conversation but I have no idea what's being said. Probably something along the lines of, "Hey, let's go drink some more water!"
"Excellent idea! You lead!"
And so forth.

We finally got chilly and I needed to start supper and so we came into the house but I peeked at them from the back porch a few moments later and here's what was going on:


They were in the tub and one of them was having her way with the other. I called Mr. Moon and he came out and we watched as this went on for approximately thirty seconds and then the duck on the bottom had had enough and leaped from the tub. They shook themselves off and quacked a bit and ate some more food.

As I said- hysterical. 

When Mr. Moon poured our beers we toasted Kathleen. 
"We are going to take care of your birds the best we can!" I told her. And we will. We already sort of love them. They made us laugh. 

And so there you go- the three new members of the Moon family and we are so happy they are here. I can't wait to see the chucks waddling about the yard and discussing the bugs and tasty weeds. I will remember not to refresh their tub water before the boys get here. Because...really. No. 
And while we were watching the birds, we saw Elvis mount Miss Butterscotch which was reassuring because he may be old but he's not THAT old. 

Golly gee. It's been a merry Christmas. 

And we are going to continue to try and capture the other two hens and we will see how that goes. Our family just keeps getting bigger and bigger and better and better. 

Stay tuned for more adventures from Casa Luna where chickens and cats roam and chucks have hot lesbian sex. 

Your intrepid reporter...Ms. Moon



19 comments:

  1. It makes my heart happy that you have some of Kathleen's birds. My feral chicken was injured by something last night. She was screaming like I have never heard before, she was not killed. She does have a injury on her back, that doesn't look too bad. She ate today. So send some good thoughts her way, I really hope she makes it. I have fallen in love with her. Gail

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  2. I love your new additions. Kathleen must be smiling to see how happy they made you. Merry Christmas!

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  3. This is the best Christmas post ever. Absolutely hysterical. I sort of wish that I were a chuck.

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  4. You are an incredible writer in bringing everything to life so vividly. I love that you have some of Kathleen's birds. Those Chucks do sound fun. Enjoy the rest of your evening! Sweet Jo

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  5. Oh my laws! You had MBags & me cackling! I think we may fill a tub & have some hot duck action. Sounds fun! Especially after a day of kids, kids, kids.

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  6. Sounds like things are beginning to sort themselves out some. Sounds like a sweet little day.

    And hey... you have hot Chuck lesbian sex to entertain you! Quack! Quack!

    Merry Christmas to you and the gang.
    xo m

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  7. Wait, I'm counting three out of five, not four out of six. Am I missing something?

    I love the ducks. My Dad kept ducks and also geese, and they are a riot. Noisy, though. (At least the geese were.)

    Kathleen would be so happy to know you're taking care of her birds.

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  8. Oh, I see, you're counting the fish too. Duh. I'm slow. :)

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  9. No, that still doesn't add up. That would be five of seven. LOL! I'm confused. :)

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  10. Gail- I wonder if a hawk tried to snatch her. I hope she's okay! I've come to care about her too!

    Mel- I COULD feel her smiling. I swear.

    Elizabeth- They surely do seem happy.

    Sweet Jo- We did enjoy our evening. I made a tiny Christmas dinner for the two of us.
    Thank you for your always sweet comments. I cherish them and you.

    LBags- Just don't let him hold your head under water which seems to be part of duck fucking.

    m- Thank you! Yes. We are never at shortage for amusement around here. Of course, we've set the bar pretty low.

    Steve- Well, it is obvious that I cannot do first grade math. I changed it. Thanks, sweetie!

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  11. I can't find her this morning. I hope she is hiding somewhere. She was molting and looked like a hot mess. I think it was more likely a raccoon or opossum, since it happened in the middle of the night. Gail

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  12. I remember when my sister had chickens and ducks. They were very entertaining. and when she gave them away after her husband died, that's exactly how they caught them, with a long handled fishing net.

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  13. ducks!

    may your blessings continue in the new year.

    xxalainaxx

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  14. Oh my, your family is happily expanding. Kathleen continues to shower her blessings. I had a good chuckle at the chucks.

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  15. The ducks are really fine looking. I've always wanted ducks.

    I think one of new members of the family ought to be named Keith Richards. Maybe one of the forthcoming chickens???

    Love you SO.

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  16. Did Kathleen name her chuck after your Lily? It is such a pretty name.
    Will all the chickens eventually live together?

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  17. Gail- You are probably right. Keep me informed. I am worried about her.

    Ellen Abbott- That seems to be the tool of choice.

    Mrs. A- And yours too, my love.

    Angella- I know. It's so true. Kathleen...she will always be with me and making me laugh.

    Ms. Bastard Beloved- We shall see. Would definitely have to be a rooster and in that case, Mick Jagger might be more appropriate.

    Birdie- I am not sure why Kathleen named them Lily and Willy. But yes, they will all hopefully live together. In, you know- peace and harmony.

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  18. Ha! Well, I'm glad my editorial skills are still with me. :)

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