The Countdown
How ironic is it to be fearing that I am only walking into another proverbial gilded cage by allowing myself to call this place, "Home" rather than "the job site" while simultaneously being excited about the arrival of a luxury chicken coop?
Whatever the ever of that what, the coop is scheduled to ship today and I am quite excited about building another flock. Given the amount of real estate I have to work with, I feel free to allow the anticipated flock to grow into a multi-species flock, but I haven't allowed myself to browse those possibilities too closely yet. Coop first. When it arrives, I expect it to be the biggest puzzle box this veteran puzzler has ever opened.
Birds of a feather most assuredly flock together, but there sure is allot of gossip between those natural divisions. Since I have been prepping the coop site with the assistance of the three remaining GK chicks, the wild bird flyovers have increased dramatically. It appears that a pair of feisty purple martins is nest shopping near the farm compound. They have been acting proprietarial enough to make me wonder if they have already found their niche and are nest building. Their flyovers of the coop site are getting casual enough to make me wonder if they are applying for a room in the bird condo.
The resident pair of hawks who have been nesting somewhere nearby for longer than I have been calling this place, "The Job Site" appear to be getting closer to pausing to say, "Howdy." I suspect them of being the ones who snagged Blondie, leaving me with only Speck, Peck and Dagwood. I kinda hope so. I do have dreams of helping our birds of prey through their environmental crisis. Keep checking back, my friends. I hope to have The Red Hawk cafe open for your culinary pleasure soon.
As interested as the hawks are in the coop developments, they seem even more interested in the benevolant mowing I have been doing in the horehound test field. I unwittingly set up little rabbit habitats in the favored patches and the rabbits are looking rather comfy in those patches. They need to cross the mowed strips in order to go from patch to patch. Girl howdy, those hawks are watching those mowed strips. I wonder if I should set up little rabbit dining rooms to help with their nutritional needs. Just wondering.
We see what grows.
Replies
Setting up nature cafes seems like a great way to expand the range in the gilded cage. who cares if they are in a cage if all their needs and interests are being intrigued. wild life observatories sound interesting.
A sign may be need for the coop. Prey Cafe'
Your life sounds beautiful Arfie!! How nice to be building something outside and be able to take in the rhythms of nature. With the mention of hawks and chickens I am reminded of the bugs bunny cartoon that had s chicken hawk in it l. Good luck with everything. Worries aside it sounds like a lot of fun!!
All lives are beautiful, Mark. One of my favorite things about life is that when my own life is looking ugly to me, I have the option of kicking back and appreciate the beauty of other lives.
I don't care to do the research, but I'll bet you dollars to wishes that every bird of prey on the planet has been called a chicken hawk by farmers defending their flocks. Still, I don't believe the bugs bunny producers weighed themselves down with reality too often. At least, not on screen.
Among the names which have been bounced around for my fantasies of helping out our birds of prey is, "Prey Inn." I think this might be my preferred name for it, but I'll let the marketing department handle the final name for ^it^. I'm just part of the development department.
My preferred name:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33DWqRyAAUw
From my perspective you’re leaving the doors open to your gilded cage my friend, as well as all the windows.
I’m love the idea of a nature café. It is awe inspiring that you are so conscious of both the need to care for the natural habitat as well as the domestic. I would love to visit your Job Site. It sounds so harmonious.
If I may be so bold, in my opinion you have found a solution to having freedom and ability to roam in this place. You’ve often spoke of your love for the wild, for roaming, for escaping the domestic world. I think your making a place where you can roam as you wish, allowing the wild to come to you as well as the freedom it represents.
I grew up with a home base, as my father was a journeyman and often we traveled to sites if he was to be there longer than 2 years. When I married my husband, my home base stayed with my parents for a while and then was transferred to Alaska as the military shuffled us from one duty station to the next. I wonder if you would find it more liberating to think of ‘home’ as a base to return to but not as a gilded cage?
I’m apologize my friend if I’ve misunderstood or spoken out of turn. To me, I see freedom not cages in your descriptions.
Hugs & love and support, Arfie. May the doors and windows of your golden cage always remain open to life’s adventures.
that hawk scream reminds me of the movie "Splash", when Daryl Hannah (the mermaid) is asked what her name is.
She said it may be hard to pronounce and then she goes into a screeching fest and the glass on the TV explodes. :)
The image of you in your Mary Poppins outfit, singing "A Spoonful of Sugar" popped into my head as I read your synopsis, Mighty River. Far from offensive, but equally far from accuracy. I envy you your birthrights as much as you seem to envy mine.
Lack of home base is a prominent symptom within my cPTSD portfolio. Hence the "trafficking" addendum of the child sex trafficking charges. It took all 50 states working against each other to create the mold which made me. I didn't go international until I joined the Army.
My shrinks seem pretty unanimous in holding my fear of entrapment as a natural by-product of that child sex trafficking birthright. Natural, but not so okay. Cancer is natural too.
Sorting. . .
A line I stole from "Blue Bloods" is, "Life should be a series of daring adventures launched from a secure platform." That secure platform is nowhere in my birthright, but? ? ? I have wondered a time or twenty if I might, indeed, have succeeded in building one, at last. Just wondering. Que sera sera.
That sounds cool Arf….. I like chickens..... So will they be protected from the birds of prey in the coop?
It's nice that you're helping the wee critters.... I love watching the birds and squirrels around here but it's sooooo city
I think I'd do well with a chicken coop and a mini horse and goat in my yard.....smile.... xo
I plan to give the wee critters a fair chance, Jan, but loss of hunting habitat is high on the crisis list for our birds of prey. I won't make you watch those cute, wee critters helping with their survival. Even an endangered eagle needs to feed their babies. It rocks when mom and dad get to eat, too.
The breeding of urban sized livestock has come a long ol' way in recent decades. You might, indeed, do well with your backyard vision, Jan. Go you! ! ! Work the vision, my tender-hearted friend. The Bantam (miniature) chicks GS suckered me in to buying for him are growing into feisty little companions. I can see the you in my head loving them heartily. My mini surf on "Bantams" fed me the still unverified tidbit that you need two bantam eggs for a recipe that calls for one large egg.