It is the beginning of my third and last evening at the resort and I have only just stopped ‘hearing’ Gutsy9’s little chirp in my imagination!
Home tomorrow.
I care about you
When I first began blogging, I had no idea that I would begin to care about people who I may never meet face to face.
As a newbie to the world of birds, I was drawn to blogs about birds, then drawn to blogs about photography.
As a carer for a husband with Parkinson’s Disease, I was drawn to blogs about PD, nursing homes, other people’s experiences of other illnesses.
As the mother of a teenage son, I was drawn to blogs about parenting, children and Erma Bombecky humour.
As a writer, I was drawn to blogs written by an array of different people – all ages, all styles, all genres, all fantastic.
As a woman battling grief, I was drawn to blogs about grief and blogs about inspiration – a good mix.
Tonight, I am drawn into the blog of a woman who has become my friend. Her daughter died today after a gruelling battle with disease.
I care about you.
He ain’t heavy?
Gutsy 9 (baby peacock who is now 6 weeks old) has become disenchanted with my shoulder because he is too big to get comfortable. He prefers to sit on the floor next to my feet now, almost like a dog! I have to admit that I, too, prefer this arrangement because I am a little tired of him throwing his wings in my face and biting my ear when he loses his grip on my shoulder. And when he can’t get his little mohawk head tucked into my neck (his favourite way to nap), he squawks! Luckily he is now getting used to the outside so, as soon as he is big enough to fly into the trees at night, I will stop babying him.
Anthony continues to ask if he can come home for the night and I continue to break my heart explaining that he is too heavy for me to lift. Ming and I went into the nursing lodge so Ming could take Ants for a ride in the new ute but Ants wasn’t well enough. We will try again tomorrow.
Ming has had his hair cut! He has had mixed reactions to this weight off his shoulders – ha!
Learning about loss
This morning Ming had to put our beautiful Malay rooster out of its misery because it had been injured by one of our dogs who somehow got to him despite pen arrangements.
Malay was one of the chicks that hatched here under a shed and grew up to be majestic, proud and confident. He was able to fly up into a tree if he sensed danger. He must have been taken by surprise and I feel a sense of devastation and guilt.
Blaze (miniature dachschund) and Jack (Irish terrier) have never attempted to kill any of the peafowl or guinnea fowl, or even the geese. They go for the chooks, so I have decided that it is too risky to have chooks anymore. The wild foxes get them too despite all my protective methods (fox lights, sturdy yards etc.)
I am learning a lot about loss lately.
http://www.mamamia.com.au/social/i-am-a-murderer-but-i-do-it-for-love/
Peachick poop
Now that Gutsy9 is a bit over a month old, he is producing poops that are larger than the size of a pinhead. He still spends a good part of each day on my shoulder, but so far he has only had a couple of little accidents there.
But this morning the thing I’ve been dreading happened. I was on my computer and Gutsy9 was fast asleep on my shoulder with his little face curled into my neck when he suddenly woke up and emitted a strange SPHLATT noise and my entire arm was suffused with heat. Arghhhhhhhhhhh!
I flicked him off and he flew to the ground, then I raced into the shower and washed his humongous droppings off my arm. So now I have my thinking cap on (and a towel on my shoulder because of course Gutsy9 has flown straight back up there), and I am wondering….
He is now accepted by the adult peafowl due to our daily outside integration sessions, however he is still too small to leave with them (a) because he is imprinted on me, and (b) a fox or crow will kill him.
Mmmmmm!
Shortlived
During yesterday I kept an eye on the mother peahen and her chick and all was well, but in the late afternoon the chick had disappeared. I looked everywhere I had seen them together during the day and the mother followed me silently. At dusk, I gave up and sat at my picnic table with Gutsy9, feeding the throng of peafowl bits of bread, still hoping the chick would reappear, but it didn’t. It would have been killed by a crow, and it would have been quick, so I am trying to be okay with having let Nature take over. That mother and child had a beautiful day together.
Today Anthony was brighter. Ming and I went in to the nursing lodge and the visit was full of hilarity for a change. Ming was in good form but he has a very loud voice so at one point a male nurse came into Anthony’s room and asked Ming to quieten down or he would give somebody a heart attack. Then we all got the giggles!
I didn’t tell Ants about the missing peachick.
Another peachick!
Yesterday my youngest brother’s family stayed the night with us and the twins found another peachick! They were terribly excited, but it presented me with a dilemma because, even though the mother appeared to be looking after him, it was getting dark, so we kept him inside for the night with a very nonplussed Gutsy9.
This morning, after my brother’s family left, Ming and I were sitting outside on the front veranda with both chicks when the mother peahen approached us making little clucking noises, so we put her chick on the grass and off they went. I followed them for awhile and it was obvious the mother and chick were inseparable so I have decided to hope for the best and reassess the situation this afternoon. (Months ago around 20 guinnea fowl chicks hatched under a shrub and, thinking it best to leave it to their mothers to look after them, I didn’t intervene. The next day they were gone.)
So we might bring the new chick in for the night again – not sure!
A peacock’s crown
Apparently, in Hindu culture, the peacock’s crown symbolizes the music of the heart via the head. It’s interesting to watch Gutsy9’s little crown grow.
Bouncing back
It’s a bit difficult to bounce in yet another horrible heat wave, but Ming and I saw the doc this morning, agreed to undertake some treatment, including further counselling, then went to a restaurant for breakfast.
While we were away, a father/son lawnmowing team gobbled up 5 acres of overgrowth at a very reasonable rate, so the place is once again back in shape.
Yesterday, Ming and I went to see Anthony because I hadn’t seen him for a week due to not being allowed to bring my flu into the nursing lodge. We sat outside but the scene was not BradyBunchish; Ming plonked himself at a distance, scowling, while I sat on the grass next to Anthony’s chair with Gutsy9 (the baby peacock) scurrying between us and flying on and off Anthony’s lap.
I asked Ants to give Ming a pep talk but this didn’t work because Anthony’s concentration is now so poor. Oh well, he did try! It reminded me of when he was home because he was always the buffer if Ming and I had an argument about homework or eating vegetables etc.
Anthony’s big-hearted solidity often turned arguments into hilarity and taught us a lot about bouncing back, even though he can’t bounce at all anymore.
I missed him so badly last night that I almost couldn’t bear it, but today I am bouncing back.
jmgoyder 