DUCKS ARE NOT EASY! I MISS CHICKENS! Whew. OK that’s out of my system. So arranging my back yard to accommodate a nice little bunny and five #@!%#$% ducks is consuming a lot of my day. But, I signed on for this adventure and I’m going to see it through. Until they can fly, they will be with me for at LEAST four or five more weeks. The first lesson I learned about the care and feeding of ducks is that they need “pond weeds” to eat. This is the mucky stuff that grows along the edge of the lake near my house. They need the nutrients in the plants and micro-organisms that grow in the water for nutrition. Plus domestic ducks who will eventually released in the wild NEED to learn to eat this stuff and get their digestive systems used to it so they will know what it is when they are returned to the wild.

This stuff is GROSS and the first time I got some I almost fell in, plus I got goose poop all over my knees! So guess whose job it is NOW to get the pond scum (this is our pet name for it). Poor Jim. He retrieves this gunk every two days so the ducks can have their yummy and disgusting treat.

The next thing they need is a place to swim. They know how to swim instinctively of course, so I didn’t need to get them a Red Cross instructor, but they do need to practice so they can exercise their muscles. Their wings need strength so they can fly and they need to learn to dive to get most of their food. It’s so fun to watch them in the water. Their first pool was a small Rubbermaid tub.

Later they graduated to a pink baby pool.

There’s lots of information about what to feed ducks and I’m trying to get the stuff they need from feed stores and pet stores. They’re transitioning from “starter” food to “adult” food gradually. We give them worms when we find them, plus chopped lettuce and all the bugs and grass they can eat from the yard. So far this experience has been 50% fun and 50% pain in the butt. Bunnies and kitties are sooo much easier!

Tony is very low maintenance.

Bella sleeps indoor with us most nights and sometimes Mulder gets confused.

That’s MY house you stoooopid cat!

I’m sure she misses Bandit, but she has a very pampered bunny life with us.

Why yes this salad IS organic!

That’s all the animal news for now. Some readers are anxious to see the results of the Memorial Garden and I can’t wait to show you how it turned out! Jim has a couple of tweaks before I’m allowed to share so keep coming back please. It’s the most beautiful project we’ve ever undertaken and I’m very proud of my smart, creative, hard-working man. Don’t tell him I said this. He HATES mushy stuff. 🙂

So my five ducks are growing nicely despite MY COMPLETE IGNORANCE on raising waterfowl. I keep the inter-webs burning up with constant questions and guidelines on proper care and feeding of these little quackers. The average age of the two groups is three weeks, but in truth, the two oldest are probably 4-5 weeks old and the smallest are 2-4 weeks old.  Our target release date is between June 8-13th. It depends on their ability to fly so like our president is fond of saying “We’ll see what happens”.

Rowdy plays lifeguard on their early swimming lessons.

Friends continue to drop by to visit the zoo. Last evening the Norris team stopped in for a ducky experience.

Most full-grown females turn into little girls when playing with little kitties, bunnies, chickens…or ducks. Michelle was no exception.

Poor Bella has been displaced from the coop by these annoying little guys. Fear not, we have temporary accommodations for her during the day and at night she sleeps in the house with us. After they leave, she’ll be queen of the coop once again.

Bella planning the demise of the #@!#@ DUCKS!

So much for my pet projects. Jim’s has nothing to do with pets but he has been working like a DOG!

Memorial garden in progress!

We changed our minds about hiring out this project. If you know us, then you’ve figured out it’s because we’re frugal (cheap) and wanted to save money doing it ourselves. But another reason is that it’s actually fun and more meaningful this way. Yes, Jim has all the grunt work and engineering problems to work out with the rocks, waterfall and pond, but then I’ll take over with the plants and “pretty-ness”. We (he) works on it each night when he finishes teleworking, and most of the weekend as well. It should be finished by this Sunday so stop by for an inspection.

Now I have five baby ducks. Yesterday I got a call from a friend and neighbor, Melissa asking if I could take more. The story is kind of complicated, but the gist is that her friend’s mother who lives in Mobile had three orphaned ducklings whose mommy had been killed by a feral cat. So Melissa’s friend, Sharla (a Waters neighbor I had not met) told her mom that there was a person in the neighborhood who rescued ducks. The ducklings made their way from Mobile to my house last night about 6:30 via Sharla and her daughter.

Good vibes indeed ladies! 🙂

Their three babies are at least five days behind my original two. Look how tiny she is in her hands. I tried to get a picture last evening when we put them all together in the coop but it was too dark to get a clear image. Within 10 seconds of putting the new babies in the coop all five were huddled together like proper siblings.

I have been keeping my original ducklings in a little cage in my dining room for the first week. I put a heat lamp on them since they can’t regulate their body temp right now.  I was astounded by Rowdy’s attentive care and concern for their welfare.

I’ll make sure nothing hurts these little duckies on my watch!

Later Sammy joined her in her vigil to protect the babies.

I’m hoping that cage can support the combined weight of these voluptuous lades.

Earlier in the day, the ducklings took their first swim in a pie pan.

Trust me, they had a blast in their little swimming pool but jumped out every time I tried to take their picture.

My sweet bunny Bella seems content without her brother, but how can you really know what  bunny feels? We pay her lots of attention and give her good food and treats. Here she is enjoying her morning salad.

Bella and the ducklings share the coop for now. She doesn’t seem bothered by them at all. They think she’s a big scary monster trying to kill them. Most of her coop time is spent upstairs and all of the duckling’s time is spent downstairs on the grass so fortunately they don’t get in each other’s way. Bella gets run-around time in the yard, but the babies are too little for that. At this point, they can slip between the pickets of my fence. When they’re bigger, I’ll let them take over the yard as well.

I’m doing the best I can. Ducks are waaaay harder to raise than chickens, I can tell you that! Anyone with advice is more than welcome to give it to me. I’ll try not to “quack” up!

Hmmmmmm…does that sound a little racy?  Calm down. I just have an influx of female visitors since I gained some animal cuteness in my back yard. Soon after I was gifted with a tiny duckling last week, I was the happy recipient of ANOTHER abandoned baby by a kind neighbor who rescued it from certain death. (Thank you Vicki!)

duck…duck…

This was lucky for both babies since they have a much better chance of surviving together rather than separately.

These beauties named them Molly & Milly. But they might actually turn out to be Bobby & Billy! 🙂 We won’t know for several weeks.

And they just keep coming!

YOU again?!?! 🙂

This little cutie may LOOK evil, but she was very gentle and sweet.

Can I have your hair?

Some “older” young ladies also made an appearance on my back porch for some ducky snuggles.

Or should I say “well seasoned”

I wish I only had happy stuff to talk about today, but I have sad news about Bandit. After consulting with the “Bunny” Doc at Auburn Vet School, I made the decision to have him euthanized. His break required complicated surgery and then weekly bandage changes for a couple of months. The doctor was also skeptical that Bandit would even survive the anesthesia and/or surgery itself. Jim and I are very sad, but I’m sure we’re not as sad as Mary who was his mommy for eight years. She is a kind & beautiful soul who has spent many years rescuing bunnies and other animals. I’m very sorry Mary. I promise to give Bella the very best life she can have without her sweet brother.

I was feeling quite satisfied with our new bunny situation when we had an unexpected setback on the third day after the arrival of Bella and Bandit.  Our cats were lazing in the back yard while I let my two new little pets run around and enjoy the weather. My cat Tony got the idea that Bandit wanted to play so he joined in the frolicking.  My cats have grown up with bunnies and chickens all their lives and know that they are not allowed to harm them. But I should have known that it was a bad idea to let Tony near them so soon. How could Bandit know that he wasn’t on the menu.

That kitty scares me! Stay close Bella!

Bandit did what all bunnies do when they are scared and want to signal danger. He THUMPED. A lot. At first I wasn’t concerned. I just picked Tony up and put him indoors. Then I saw Bandit limping. He had broken his foot. He’s an old guy and I guess his bones weren’t up to the vigorous thumps. Of course we took him to the vet and they did an x-ray. Yep. Broken. We weighed all our options and made a plan. The vet wrapped his foot, gave him an antibiotic and pain med and I took him home to recover in my laundry room. He may walk funny the rest of his life but hopefully his bones will stitch together on their own.

So sorry Bandit. Your other mommy had you for 8 years and you were fine. I have you for 72 hours and you have a broken foot. 😦

His vet is confident that he will mend and be back to normal in a few weeks. Meantime we give Bandit and his sister, love and lots of treats. He’s eating, drinking and getting around well. He just holds his foot off the ground when he moves. Poor baby.

At least Miss Mattie got to visit you before you were hurt.

And then…

This happened.

A baby duck was found alone in our neighborhood. No mommy or siblings in sight. A neighbor (thank you Raina) captured him and she and her sweet daughters brought him/her to me. So now I have two bunnies in my laundry room and a baby duck in my bedroom.

I had all the supplies from my baby chick days.

Mulder gave her a quick pat on the head before I put her in her new ducky house.

AND…

These guys will be at my house Saturday looking for a forever home!

More on these hooligans later

So I’ll say ta ta for now from the Burlingame KittyBunnyDuck Rescue Ranch and Spa.  It’s a madhouse, but it’s a fun house. 🙂

The title really should be “Coop Sweet Coop” because we ordered an ultra fancy chicken coop and modified it for bunnies. The Roost & Root Coop (roostandroot.com) company is your one-stop shopping for really well-made, beautifully designed coops. I have coveted them for many years and finally my dream has come true! (I have very weird dreams)

This is the smallest model they make. It’s built to house three full-sized chickens with access to a chicken run.

The coop didn’t have a second floor because chickens can fly up to the roosts for the night. Bunnies can’t fly (you didn’t know I had so much animal knowledge, did you?) so Jim added a ramp and a floor for them to  use as their penthouse. The coop comes with a nest box, but bunnies like to call it a “snuggle” box because they don’t lay eggs. (I TOLD you I was smart!)

They personalized it for us. Zoom in. 🙂

The lid was not designed to be removable, but I requested that it comes off for easy access to food/water and cleaning. So Voila!

Jim made the roof removable and built the ramp and the second floor. (I don’t pay that boy enough)

I think it looks great and it fits the bunny lifestyle perfectly. As soon as they went inside, Mulder was there to welcome them to their new home.

Hi, my name is Mulder, and I’m the boss around here, see?

Mulder tried out the nest box too, but produced no results.

I think this thing is bwoken.

Bandit & Bella pronounced it a perfect bunny home as they happily explored their new coop/hutch.

Dis da BUNNY BOMB DIGGITY!

Go away now! Too much paparazzi! See you tomorrow. Bring parsley!

It’s been a long time since there’s been any “Bunny” in the KittyBunnyChicken. Here’s the 411 on our new family members.

So I have a dear friend, Mary who has been in my life since I first homed a foster bunny to her many years ago. Mary runs a bunny rescue, but she’s also “rescued” a foster chicken for me and another bunny as well.

Our first bunny exchange. Summer 2014

A visit to Mary’s home in 2015.

Mary’s husband died two years ago and recently she has had to make the decision to move into a smaller home and leave her beloved acre in the woods.

Bird feeders, wind chimes & houses for her feathered friends.

So Mary began to find homes for her chickens, bunnies and a beloved hound dog while she put her woodland home up for sale and started searching for a beachy new home close to the ocean. So, when she asked if I might help her out with this, how could I say no?  I said I would take two.

Meet Bella!

…and Bandit

They are a brother and sister bonded pair and they HAD to be homed together. These are old guys (around 8 years old) and reasonably tame. They’ve lived their whole lives outside in a bunny paradise of modified coops, tunnels, warrens and dens. My yard will not accommodate such bunny engineering, but we have provided luxury digs for these two. (more on this later)

Our meeting place is Elba, AL. It’s halfway between Pike Road and DeFuniak Springs where Mary lives. We had a takeout lunch from THE RABBIT HOLE (I kid you not) and we enjoyed some sandwiches while social distancing on an outdoor table.

Highly recommend the Juicy Lucy and the Reuben!

Another reason to admire my friend Mary (other than her HUGE heart) is that she was an Army nurse for many years. She’s still in the health care profession and, my hat goes waaaay off to her and everyone working in this field right now. THANK YOU !!!

The people I meet in the animal rescue world represent some of the very best in humanity, and have found a permanent home in my heart.  (Hi, Debbie!)

As soon as we arrived home with our new buns, Tony was kind enough to introduce himself and welcome them to the BURLINGAME KITTY BUNNY CHICKEN RESCUE RANCH AND SPA!

These guys look DELICIOUS!

Tune in later in the week for more on Bella & Bandit. We are already having too much fun! 🙂

Well, this is the last post about the Green House. The only thing that we had to wait for was painting the fence since the boards have to “cure” for a while before they can be painted. So here are some  photos of my lovely fence!

The pickets are white and the privacy part is stained the color of the porches.

This is the side yard next to our neighbors Martha & Irl. I hope they like how it looks. Plus we can see our yellow house from here. It’s for rent if anyone is interested!

This is the back yard and the future memorial garden where we hope to have a babbling fountain and small pond with flowers and shrubs. It’s still in the planning stages and we’re happy to get ideas from anyone who has done this in their yards. PLEASE!

This is my favorite part. It was Jim’s idea to paint the back gate red. Since our front door, back French doors and the storage shed doors are all red, we decided to stick to the theme. I love it. My house looks like Christmas all the time with all the red and green! 🙂

The guy who painted my fence did a beautiful and professional job. His name is Jamie and we’ve been lucky enough to avail ourselves of his many talents for a few years now. He’s good at most things that involve painting, yard work and muscles and I’m happy to share his contact info with any of my neighbors.

And here is a picture I meant to post at Christmas. Thanks for everyone who followed along on our Green House adventure. It was a labor of love and worth all the trouble.

I have some very happy news about Bobbi! I have found her a home with a friend in Starkville, MS.  We’ll take her there next week. I went to college in Starkville so it’ll be fun to look around my old stomping grounds too. I know she’ll miss her best friend, Mr. Mulder. Here is a sweet video of him giving her a bath.

The light show is back.

If you missed a previous post about the chandelier light show, let me recap. About ten weeks ago we were astonished to find that our living room had turned into a shower of tiny prisms of refracted light bouncing off the crystals on our chandelier. It happened again the next day, but it was not as spectacular, and then…nada. We thought that it was probably just some kind of cosmic magic that happened once and then went away. But Noooooo! Yesterday at around 4:30 we both  happened to be in the kitchen and were shocked to see that it had returned! Yay!

Stayin’ Alive, Stayin’ Alive

I was thrilled, but the look on Jim’s face was very familiar. He wanted to figure this out. So after a bit of geeking out on the computer, he came to the conclusion that this exhibit had something to do with the Winter Solstice and that we would probably see it once more in about five weeks and then it would disappear until next winter. By his calculations, it should show up again on March 30thth. He tried to explain about the trajectory of the sun’s ray thru the stair landing window and how the effect was not unlike the Stonehenge phenomenon, blah blah blah. I nodded my head and made “agreement” noises. (This happens a lot in our house). Living with Jim can sometimes be exhausting. Good thing he’s cute.

So, come on over to the disco party at the end of March. We’ll be out of town that day and I want photos!

Next subject…Bobbi, the foster kitten.

She’s embarrassed about her shaved tummy.

I’m not embarrassed of MY tummy!

Yes, Rowdy. We know you have a cute tummy.

Bobbi recently had her “surgery” and she’s recovering nicely. We’ve had a little success taming her this week. If we walk up to her verrrrry slowwwwwly we are able to pet her without her jumping up and running under the bed. She’s especially “pet-able” When she’s next to her best friend.

I love dis guy.

She’s still way too shy to be adopted, so we’ll continue to work with her until I can find her forever home. Helloooooo! Any takers???

Here are some more photos of the completed house. This is the sitting room. It’s just off the master bedroom. We watch TV at night and make coffee in the morning here. Plus the futon turns into a double bed for extra house guests.

Actually quite comfy.

Jim bagged this moose on a hunting trip in Canada. Bwwwaaaaaaa!

Coffee anyone?

So that’s all the exciting stuff going on at Chez Burlingame. I leave you with one last plug.

Hi. My name is Bobbi. I have a janky tail, a shaved tummy, and very pretty eyes. I’m soft and I smell like cookies. I am potty trained too and I will let you pet me if you’re very calm and gentle. I’ve had all my shots and surgeries. Please help me find a forever home? Please?

Good job Bobbi.

Put on your sunglasses. Our bedroom is BRIGHT! One of my dearest friends called this room “gaudy”. I know you meant it with love, right Susna? The burgundy velvet headboard would look right at home in Miss Kitty’s bedroom at the Longbranch Saloon.

I feel certain that she would approve of these prissy valences with the dangly doodles as well.

Set a spell Marshall Dillon!

I know I’m still stuck in the 90s with these burgundy/gold/green colors, but hey what’s so bad about the 90s?

Room to stretch out.

Jim “teleports” every Friday from this nook. Believe me, you are getting your tax dollar’s worth out of this guy.

So that’s our crazy bedroom. It may be a little “loud” for some, but I find it fun and peaceful.

A couple of other critters like it too.

Bobbi spends most of her waking hours (and sleeping ones) under the bed. She’s sharing a rare brave moment with her best friend Mulder here. She really loves him and seeks him out whenever she can. The only time we ever hear her meow is when she’s talking to him. She’s getting big and we’re still unable to tame her. Some miracle has to happen soon because the longer she stays wild, the less likely that she’ll ever warm to humans.

We do have evidence that she ventures into other rooms when no one is looking.

Here’s a final picture of one of the finishing touches to the Burlingame casa.

Thaaaaaat’s what I’m talking about!