this house is a nursery

Allen and I are staying with two very generous friends of his, who have offered up their basement as our temporary home. They are animal lovers, and when a bird starting nesting in an old hanging planter in their breezeway, they let nature take its course. The bird, "Chirps," started bringing his girlfriend home and then there were little chick heads popping out of the planter. So, consequently, this house might as well be an animal nursery, with five chicks adding to Cricket's antics. The baby birds hopped the nest for their first flying lesson yesterday, and most didn't make it out of the breezeway. So, they are taking their sweet time getting their fly on, and we have to take Buddy out front to use the bathroom. I still take Cricket out the back, but carry her through the chick danger zone. She's still pretty little, but there's no reason to risk the little chicks lives. Currently, of the five chicks, one died, one is outside in the trees in the yard, two are still in the temporary box nest, and one is missing (presumably outside too?).


Buddy, meanwhile, is warming up to Cricket's presence. He tries to play with her some, and seems to know to be gentle with her. She loves the attention, and fights back with little paw swipes and snaps at his face. Buddy is scheduled to visit the vet tomorrow to be fixed.