Three orpington chicks have hatched over the past two days; two are now dry (one's still resting in the incubator) and I have included some pictures. :)
I think they're both going to turn out blue in color.
They're big, fat, and quite fluffy. In essence, the little rascals are adorable.
The little one that's still drying off in the bator seems to be the same color as these two---so will probably look exactly the same. I've candled the remaining eggs, because I'm nervous that they're not all going to hatch. I only had eight eggs to start with, and one nearly exploded, and got thrown out.
One looks clear.
Three have hatched.
So that's three more; yesterday was their hatch-date, so it possible that they're just taking their time?
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The CAP Cadet Basic Training went very well today; here are some pictures that one of our Squadron's cadet officer's took from when we were playing Ultimate Frisbee.
Me and Quinn actually did alright for our first time ever playing. :) Quinn's team won.
In this picture I'm actually catching the Frisbee. Yes, I know, it's stunning.
I still manage to look goofy though.
It was the heat! Maybe. Or natural talent.
And my hair; it was exploding, I swear.
I think you can zoom in on the pictures a bit if you'd like to see better.
(Left to right: Andrew, Robert, AJ, Bethany, Me, Joshua, Timmy, John, Riley, and Blane {spelling?})
Everybody sort of looks surprised that I actually caught it.
They were, the faces do not lie.
(Left to right: Blane, Riley, John, Jed, Andrew, Joshua, David, Timmy, Quinn, AJ.)
Little John (AKA: Micro-Murphy. He's Joshua's and Timmy's little brother,) got a great catch there.
(Left to right: John, Me, Jed, Blane, Riley, David.)
Andrew's moment of fame:
(Left to right: Timmy, John, AJ, Andrew {tossing the Frisbee}, Riley, Robert, and Blane.)
(Left to right: Joshua, Andrew, Blane, Timmy, Bethany {hidden behind Timmy}, AJ, Jed, and Kayleigh.)
I managed to get out of most pictures, lol. I'm always just about to walk in screen.
(Left to right: Joshua, AJ, Blane, John, Bethany, Riley, Timmy, and my hand sticking out barely in view on the far, far right.)
All seems fairly calm in this picture.
Then in the next:
Bang. Boom goes the dynamic.
(Sorry, quoting a TV show I recently watched.)
~
It was all quite fun; and I'd like to try it all again sometime.
In cut-off shorts, too. That would be much nicer.
It was hot, after-all.
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These next few days are going to be some busy ones, today, well first off we need to get our school done, and also move all the dirty laundry into the laundry room so that can be done.
Then some family friends (remember Indy's pal Tim? Him and his family,) are coming over to visit for a while, and play, and then we're going to start the long-haul of cleaning up the house, and making sure everything's spick-and-span before the inspector (adoption stuff) comes over to have a look at our house and critters Monday.
Some critters may have to be relocated temporarily.
Saturday Quinn and I will be attending a Cadet Basic Training (CBT) for Civil Air Patrol (CAP) at the church where we always meet. I should know everything they're going to bring up, but it'll be good for Quinn; since she's sent in her application, we've been working on drill---which is good for me too, because while I am rather good (so I've been told
) at
being drilled, I'm uncomfortable drilling other people, which is one of my position requirements in the squadron.
At the CBT I'm supposed to teach a lean-up class about the duties we're
supposed to (AKA,
already) perform at the end of every meeting to keep the church tidy.
It should be...pointless. But! It'll be in my 'zone' and I can totally handle it.
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All the little babies. :)
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They'll have more company soon, two orpington eggs have already piped today, and are wiggling around, so hopefully they'll be out by tonight!
The late lavender ameraucana bantam eggs have gone into lock-down today, and I must say I'm relieved. I was getting quite tired of hand-turning those eggs, while trying to keep them from rolling around and knocking into the orpington eggs. Now I just get to sit, in nervousness, and wait.
And wait.
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Just summing up this great Spongebob episode. :)
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(a sign that says "Fine Antiques For Sale" is put in Mr Krabs' front yard)
Narrator: Ah, a yard sale. You know the old saying: "One man's trash is another man's treasure."
Mr Krabs: (digs in the trash and pulls out a broken razor) Disposable? Phooey. (grabs the trash can and puts all the items in it on his rug for his yard sale)
Narrator: For Mr Krabs, all trash is treasure. (Mr Krabs gets another trash can and dumps it on the rug. He sniffs the odor then uses fresh scent odor spray and sprays it on the pile of trash)
Mr Krabs: Open for business. (fish walks up) See anything you like?
Fish: Yeah, I'll give you a buck-50 for this umbrella. (umbrella has holes in it)
Mr Krabs: A buck-50 for that? But it's an antique! It belonged to a queen. Ten bucks.
Fish: Ten bucks? (opens up the umbrella) It's full of holes!
Mr Krabs: It was the queen of Switzertland.
Fish: A queen you say? That's... Wait a second... they don't have a queen.
Mr Krabs: Ok, Mr Bargain Hunter, five bucks.
Fish: (hands money to Mr Krabs) Deal! (walks off)
Mr Krabs: (smells the money) Ah, the sweet smell of an all-day sucker. (slurping in background)
Spongebob: They taste even better. (Spongebob and Patrick are licking lollipops) Hi, Mr Krabs.
Patrick: What are you doing?
Mr Krabs: I'm having an antique sale. Have a look around.
Spongebob: (grabs a plunger) Hey, Patrick, look at this thing. Pretty cool, huh?
Patrick: That looks like the toilet plunger I threw out yesterday.
Mr Krabs: (grabs the plunger from Spongebob) That ain't no toilet plunger. This here's an antique! It's, um... uh... (turns the rubber part of the plunger upside-down) ...a 17th-century soup ladle, see?
Patrick: Man, was I using mine wrong. How much?
Mr Krabs: Five bucks.
Patrick: (gets out his money) I only have seven.
Mr Krabs: (grabs the money) Deal.
Patrick: Patrick Star, you are one smart shopper. (grabs his lollipop, now stuck on a pair of underwear, and licks it)
Spongebob: Wow! Look at this neat-o soda-drinking hat. Oh! It must've belonged to someone who was number one. There's only been a handful of number ones in the history of forever.
Mr Krabs: That's right, Spongebob, and you're one of 'em.
Spongebob: Really?
Mr Krabs: This hat says, "Hey, I'm number one, and I let gravity do my drinking." This hat was made for you, boy. (puts it on Spongebob) You were born to wear this hat.
Spongebob: Eeh.... ooh...!
Mr Krabs: A perfect fit, eh son?
Spongebob: Oh, thank you, Mr Krabs. Thank you for bringing us together! (sighs) How can I ever repay you?
Mr Krabs: With ten dollars.
Spongebob: (reaches into his pocket and takes out some money) All I have is five.
Mr Krabs: Well, I guess it's no deal.
Spongebob: I'll be right back. (zips home to get change out of the couch, in his shoe, and in his piggy bank then runs back to Mr Krabs) Mr Krabs, I found 68 cents. But maybe you can take the other $4.32 out of my paycheck! What do you say?
Mr Krabs: Well... I don't know... but, okay! But only because you look so dashing in that hat.
Spongebob: Thanks, Mr Krabs. (him and Patrick walk off)
Mr Krabs: Don't mention it, boys. (chuckles) What a couple of rubes.
Fish #2: Excuse me, sir, but are you the purveyor of this curio stand?
Mr Krabs: Yes, I am.
Fish #2: I understand you're selling this rare novelty drink hat. (holds up a picture of the hat that Spongebob just bought)
Mr Krabs: Fresh out.
Fish #2: Let me explain. (takes out some money) I'm prepared to give you $500 for that drink hat.
Mr Krabs: (drools) Fi-fi-fi-fi-fi-...
Fish #3: Not so fast. (elbows the other fish out of the way) I'll give you $1000 for such a hat. (Mr Krabs is stammering and drooling)
Fish #4: I'll give you $100,000, in cash, for said hat. (Mr Krabs is drooling up a river)
Fish #5: (in a row boat) Sir? I'll give you one million dollars for tha that! (row boat drifts off)
Mr Krabs: (runs off to find the hat) Spongebob! (cut to Spongebob blowing bubbles with his new hat, in front of his house. Mr Krabs is hiding behind a rock) There he is with me million dollar hat. I gotta get it back before he finds out how much it's worth.
Spongebob: Ah! My bubble production has increased two-fold, thanks to you, Hatty.
Mr Krabs: Spongebob!
Spongebob: Hey, Mr K. How's the antique biz treating you?
Mr Krabs: Oh, nevermind that. Listen, I didn't want to say this in front of Patrick, but that hat makes you look like a girl.
Spongebob: Am I a pretty girl?
Mr Krabs: Oh, well, um... you're... you're beautiful. (mail fish looks at Mr Krabs weird) Uh... heh-heh. (Spongebob laughs) All right, now give me the hat back.
Spongebob: But Mr Krabs, you said it yourself... I was born to wear this hat. I don't want to give it back. I can't get rid of this hat now. Not after all that we've been through. (thought bubble of earlier. Spongebob gets the hat and sits down a few feet away from the curio stand) And that's when you showed up.
Mr Krabs: Aw, forget it! And you're not beautiful, either.
Spongebob: I'm not? (cut to later where Spongebob is still blowing bubbles when Mr Krabs shows up with a bag of hats)
Mr Krabs: Spongebob! Just the man I wanted to see. Still playing with that dumb old hat, eh?
Spongebob: Yep.
Mr Krabs: Not sick of that boring old hat, yet?
Spongebob: Nope.
Mr Krabs: Not even a little tired of that piece of junk?
Spongebob: Uh-uh.
Mr Krabs: Not even a teensy-tiny bit?
Spongebob: Nope.
Mr Krabs: Well, then I guess you don't want to see what's in my bag.
Spongebob: What is it?
Mr Krabs: Novelty hats. (takes out a hat with a fan on top of it) How about this air-condition one? (turns it on and blows air really hard in Spongebob's face)
Spongebob: Seems a little dangerous. (Mr Krabs takes out a hat with a mixer on it)
Mr Krabs: The juicer. (puts in a carrot and the juicer spits out carrot juice)
Spongebob: Ooh... (Mr Krabs takes out a hat with the words 'FOXY GRANDPA' on it)
Mr Krabs: Foxy Grandpa? (Spongebob laughs) So, what do you say? Your silly hat for all these hats?
Spongebob: No deal, Mr Krabs. I'm sticking with Hatty. Thanks for the offer, though.
Mr Krabs: I thought the Foxy Grandpa would get him for sure. I didn't want to have to do this but he leaves me no other option. I'm gonna have to scare it off of him. (cut to nighttime. Spongebob is snoring and Mr Krabs is outside his window, drawing a ghost then hanging it off a fishing pole) This'll scare him. (puts it inside Spongebob's window and adds scary moaning for sound effects)
Spongebob: Oh, my gosh! A floating shopping list! (piece of paper is on the wrong side. Spongebob screams)
Mr Krabs: I'm not a shopping list... (turns paper around to show ghost) I'm a ghost. (Spongebob screams while Mr Krabs adds scary laughter to the ghost) Now, listen, Spongebob.
Spongebob: How do you know my name? Who are you?!
Mr Krabs: I am the ghost of soda drink hats. (hangs down another piece of paper with the soda-drinking hat that Spongebob has) I'm here to tell you that that soda-drinking hat you possess is cursed.
Spongebob: Cursed?
Mr Krabs: Yes. It belonged to some guy who's dead now.
Spongebob: What guy?
Mr Krabs: Uh... Smitty something.
Spongebob: Smitty what?
Mr Krabs: Uh... Smitty Werben... Jaegerman... Jensen.
Spongebob: He must've been number one.
Mr Krabs: Number one in Bogeyland! Now, listen, a curse will descend on you unless you return that hat to its owner immediately.
Spongebob: Immediately?
Mr Krabs: Immediately...
Spongebob: To it's owner?
Mr Krabs: Yes...
Spongebob: Right now?
Mr Krabs: Yes, yes! It must be returned to its owner, right now.
Spongebob: (walks up behind Mr Krabs covered in dirt and holding a shovel) Howdy, Mr Krabs.
Mr Krabs: Ahh! Spongebob! What are you doing here?
Spongebob: I was just returning the cursed soda-drink hat to its original owner: Smitty Werben Jaegerman Jensen.
Mr Krabs: (grabs Spongebob) What? There is no Smitty Werben Jaegerman Jensen.
Spongebob: Sure there is. He's buried out in Floater's Cemetery.
Mr Krabs: How did? I just... You did... I did... Gimme that shovel. (walks off to the cemetery)
Spongebob: It was hit hat, Mr Krabs. He was number one! (cut to Floater's Cemetery where eerie moaning and hooting are happening) Huh? (gasps as a bunch of clams are flying over him. Then a black snail growls at him) Ahh! Hold yourself together, Krabs. It's just a boneyard... filled with bones. (gate squeaks open) Ah! (hides behind a tombstone on a hill) What's that? It's Squidward. What's he doing here? (sees Squidward crying as he walks up to a tombstone, puts flowers on it, then leaves. Mr Krabs walks up to the tombstone Squidward was looking at and reads it) "Here lies Squidward's hopes and dreams." What a baby. Where was I? Oh yeah. Gotta find Smitty Whatsajipster. (looks at the names on the different tombstones) Nope. Nope. No. No. No. Uh-uh... No. Not there. (cut to later) I've checked every headstone in this cemetery and there's no Smitty Wabbablabba in here. Think, Krabs. Maybe something Spongebob said will give you some type of clue. (thought bubble of Spongebob)
Spongebob: Remember, licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets.
Mr Krabs: No, not that!
Spongebob: You'll never guess what I found in my sock last night! Go ahead, guess!
Mr Krabs: No, no, no!
Spongebob: It was hit hat, Mr Krabs. He was number one!
Mr Krabs: (punches thought bubble away) Ah!! Barnacles! I'll never find... (sees the tombstone) The grave! Am I really going to defile this grave for money? Of course I am! (digs and hits something) Jackpot! (opens up the coffin) Ooh. It's beautiful. Come to papa. (takes head off with the hat on) Hey, come on, Smitty, let go! (takes his head off) Rest in pieces, Smitty. (jumps out of the hole) I got the million dollar hat. (lightning and thunder booms. Smitty stands up from his grave with his head in one hand)
Smitty: Hey, man, that's my hat. Give it back.
Mr Krabs: What? No way. Just crawl back into your hole, bone boy. Go ahead, play dead.
Smitty: I guess I'm gonna have to take it from you.
Mr Krabs: Yeah, right. You and what army?
Smitty: (eerie moaning) Only the army of the living dead. (all the other dead bodies are walking towards Mr Krabs)
Mr Krabs: Oh, no. I've seen this on the late show. you ghoulish fiends hold me down and take turns nibbling on my innards. Then you eat my brain and leave my body for the buzzards.
Smitty: That's disgusting. We just want the hat back.
Mr Krabs: No flipping way! (takes the head of a swordfish and uses it as a sword) Get back! Get back, I say.
Smitty: Attack.
Mr Krabs: Tallyho! (sword fights a few zombies) Look at me, I'm Errol Fin! (chops up more bodies) You're falling apart, marrow brain. < of stack a to up>You must be kidding. (sword fights them) Back to oblivion. (jumps over a group of zombies) Oh, ho. How's your sister? All right, boneheads, playtime's over. (twirls around and destroys all the zombies and runs out of the cemetery) Wa-ha! A million dollars. I've got a million dollars! (runs back to his curio stand where the fish are talking altogether at once) Oh, there you are. Well, I got it. The rare novelty soda-drinking hat. Let's start the bidding at one million dollars. (fish laugh)
Fish #5: Yeah, you want that all at once?
Fish #3: One million dollars. You gotta be kidding!
Fish #4: Hey! The poor sap's not kidding. Didn't you hear? They found a whole warehouse full of them. They're worthless. (bunch of soda-drinking hats are in the dumpster. Spongebob walks by with a hat with clapping hands on the top of it) Let's give Mr Krabs a big hand. (laughs)
Fish #4: Now that's worth a million dollars. Hey, kid, wait up!
Fish #2: I saw him first!
Fish #3: I'll give you one billion dollars!
Mr Krabs: Well, that's a spirit breaker. (throws the soda-drinking hat away and cries)
Squidward: (walks by with flowers in hand) What a baby.
The end
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Just another clip from my roleplayer character (horse) Tatiana. :)
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What was it?
Tatiana stood, stiff with curiosity, as she took in her opponent at eye-level.
A huge flat sign, human doings, no doubt, was perched against a crooked, naked tree along the side of her chosen trail for the day. Painted white, with loopy black and red symbols, she gawked at it, straining to make since of it. Obviously, the primitive sketches meant something, but what?
Little did she know, the track of wiry pasture-land she'd been traveling on since last dawn, had been put up for sale by a group of rough-whiskered male humans, wearing their tattered John Deer caps; it had sold, rather quickly---because people where looking for land now, knowing that winter was over, and it was time to sow seeds of new life again.
The land was going to be tilled, and the words of the sign went as follows:
SOLD
Big, capital letters splashed on in barn-red paint, covering the smaller type in black, stating things like how many acres went with the land, the owner's name, and how to contact him.
Tatiana was pretty bemused by it, her dark eyes drinking in the strange writing, the big neon-red letters reflecting backwards off the black, glossy globes of her eyes. Well above her, the sky rather suddenly turned a slate-gray color as the rainclouds moved in, stumbling and assembling dumbly in the sky.
Great, obese clouds.
Dark, and plump, bumping into each-other, and rolling away, apologizing: finding room across the dull-painted canvas.
By the time the rain had begun to fall, in a cold, sleek spring-shower, Tatiana had decided to move on, leaving the strange sign behind in a clout of mud, and blurry mist.
But as she left the rubbled hill behind, and the tree-post, she vowed that one day she would understand those symbols. She would hold the words in her eyes like the clouds, and wring them out like the rain.
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Tatiana was good at finding something to look at, even under the most dreary circumstances.
By nightfall, most of the clouds had parted, and the steady stream of rain slowed to a fluid leak, that sprung at times, then stopped suddenly, as if blocked by a invisible hand.
The moon came out soon after, a beaming, milk-silver orb, glistening through the faint fog. The color was hypnotic, when she stared at it, straight into it, she felt like she could see further then was even possible---into deep space, drowning in that priceless shade of brilliant, polished silver.
Tatiana loved colors. She had a couple favorites, but she always tried to enjoy—and did—other colors; a whole spectrum. Billions of flavors, shades, and hues; colors so full of juice and taste, she could suck on them for hours; hazy, smoky taints that gave the world a otherworldly sense of nature that she could get lost in. Darkness...light.
Part of the reason she loved the nighttime so much was because it seemed to be a very pure, raw time. The contrasts between silver, and black were so obvious, and addicting.
Midnight, and just before it, late after---until dawn, though dusk, she could find the colors---hunt them out, seek them, drink them in to parch her thirst for variety---her curiosity, and wonder.
As she wandered through the shadows, she fed off the colors, the smells, and the sounds of the darkness; sleeping life, and life that had never been more fulfilled---the wind whispered quiet rumors, and the crooning nighthawk told her a story.
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They both hatched! Both Survivor-Ameraucana (bantam) eggs, that is.
One, the first, is still rather weak, and very runty, with skinny little legs. S/he hatched yesterday, and it's sibling hatched last night.
The eldest one is on the right.
They're still working on getting poofy, but already are getting some nice muffs and beards.
Last night they spent their time in a tiny box inside the brooder, because Rico and Muffin-Face (the LF ameraucana, lol) were picking on them. Today though, they've accepted the new company, and everybody's getting along fine.
The first little bantam needed some help getting out of his egg---because he was so weak, and even today they're all still sleeping. His follower, though, made it out completely on his own within a few hours (maybe five-ish?) The little thing piped, and zipped (perfectly!) while I was sleeping. I'm quite pleased both made it. And when I'd candled them before they hatched I did notice their air-sacs weren't all splattered all over the place, like Rico's and Muffin-Face's. The air-sacs were rather large though, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't because of the humidity (though I tried to raise it a bit for the eggs in lock-down, however I didn't want to hurt the eggs I was still turning). All things considering, these two bantams are small---even for their eggs. so that might explain the empty space.
They're sure cute though, and I can't wait until the next clutch of lavender ameraucana bantams start to hatch. They're due three days after the (seven, now, formerly eight) orpington eggs---which are due to hatch late tomorrow, and into the next two days. The last ameraucana bantams and the orpington eggs are all safe! They came after the Great Havoc that Zeb and Duke stirred up, so I should get a good hatch out of all of them. :)
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Here's Rico, and Muffin-Face again.
I have made my guess on their genders---and here it is:
Rico = Male
Muffin-Face = Female.
I hope I'm right! Especially about Muffin-Face, I would love to have a pretty little white ameraucana hen running around, laying those nice blue eggs. I won't be surprised at all, though, if Rico's a rooster. It's just like me to get feisty little midget roosters. Especially funny-looking ones. :)
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