Day Two of the Recovery

I am pleasantly surprised at how well Rue is recovering from her procedure. The night of the surgery she was running around without a care in the world. We are still giving her pain meds, but she is doing extremely well.

The head wrap came off today.

She will shake off the pads covering her ears in her own time, and then I will be able to see the ears! I am extremely curious of the length and size. As soon as she shakes off the pads, I will also be applying a cream to the cuts. Fun stuff.

I had forgotten just how raw these entire procedure is. I definitely feel guilty for doing this to her.

Curious why I haven't posted any garden pics this spring? She is one of the main reasons I have yet to start the garden. No broccoli or sugar snap peas this year.

The Deed Is Done.

Rue's ears are cropped and there is no going back. She did really well. I felt a little evil when I picked her up and saw the bloody bandages, but she is going to look awesome soon.

The cup stays on for two weeks and then we will tape them until they stand (another few weeks at least). Hopefully everything continues to go well.

Car Ride Love

The pups come with me every day to drop off and pick up the girls from school. Bender thinks it is a riot and is on high alert at all times. He watches everyone and everything that gets within sight of the car.

Rue, on the other hand, has a hard time staying awake.

Once in awhile she will pretend to chew on the car just to test my vigilance.

And then she gives me her puppy eyes when she realizes that I am always watching.

I am just grateful that neither of them bark in the car. Yikes! That would be bad.

Our Rue-sy Girl

Rue is the newest member of our little clan. She is a sweet little doberman with lots of spunk.

She is such a little riot! She goes by many names - Rue, Rue-sy, Ruby-Rue ... and Mila.Poor little girl. She will never learn her name.

I am so glad that Ava is not allergic to her! It turns out that she is mostly allergic to long haired dogs and sight-hounds. Who knew? She has had no reactions to Rue or Bender. Thank heavens.

Apple Blossoms

Every year I anxiously await the first bloom of our apple trees. I actually prefer the first bloom over the harvest. These tiny blossoms make my soul smile.

Each of these little blossoms are a miracle of nature.

I cannot wait until my little trees are huge trees and their branches are filled with these blossoms!

Mostly Feathered

By the 4-5 week mark, the chicks are mostly feathered. It is also the time that we first start noticing any rooster tendencies.

Blueberry went from total awesomeness to a little freaky. Freaky is good though.

Blackberry still looks like a chick. It is almost like she did not feather. Awesomeness.

Kiwi is turning into a beautiful hen. She looks just like our other hen Pepper. We love Pepper!

This is what Pepper looks like. We are thinking of keeping Pepper since Mango passed away.

Now comes the part where I am a little disgruntled. We were told the next two chicks were silkies. I think they are only half silkie. Their feathers are nothing like Blackberry's. I am annoyed.

Raspberry, the half silkie.

Cherry, the other half silkie, is also showing some signs of roosterhood. We will have to wait and see.

See how that crest is growing in leaps and bounds? Especially compared to Raspberry's?

Total Awesomeness

While most of the chicks were looking a little ratty at the 3-4 week mark, the Polish hen was looking awesome! We are totally in love.

Blueberry, the Polish hen.

Blackberry, the black silkie, is also looking pretty amazing.

Feathering is a very awkward time for most chicks though. They look a little ratty.