Shellybabe, the last (6th) chick hatched with a funny crook in it's neck. It's not eating much and seems sick. It's under a heat lamp in my bathroom with water and room to run around. I'm thinking it's going to either die peacefully or be a runt that I keep as my favorite pet. Poor little thing. There is no way to give it to mommy hen and the others. My hen is a great mother. And she knows how to count. When she was distracted I scooped up one baby and a few moments later she started counting, noticed one was missing and went nuts until I put the little one back down. I find that freaking amazing. Meanwhile, they are putting up with a zillion teenaged boys on a skate ramp only feet away from the henhouse. Hopefully chickens don't need peace and quiet.

Goga--I, too, can relate...I moved 2 years after my dh passed away (2005). We had lived in the same house for 45 years, started with a large square surrounded by beams, which I quickly told him we needed to make it more aesthetic, so took beams away, made the large plot kidney shape and put bricks around it, then on to side yard where I planted lots of roses and lavender, dianthus' and many other perennials, grew a few climbing plants on fence and azalea bushes, hosta, etc. in back where it was shady, had a long narrow plot against deck in back with herbs and clematis which grew up a few of the posts for deck roof...my retirement gift from Pitt was a fairly large gift certificate for Wayside Gardens which I ended up with a white arbor to be used in our white picket fence also with a gate (grew blue morning glories and a climbing rose called Altissimo) plus more plants. Had several areas in front with flowers, a small child's wheelbarrow which I usually placed the wave petunias in (they spread out so nicely). When I sold that house the new owner said that was one of the "selling points" and she asked if I would come back and help her take care of it...well, it certainly has changed...I moved too far away to go back very often and she really wasn't interested in maintaining what was there, let alone do anything new. A friend told me it's kind of "gone to seed"...Now I've finally come up with some new ideas to add to old favorites here...as others have mentioned. ENJOY memories of your old garden and start ENJOYING the "new"...

Blue Jays can be very aggressive, especially around feeders. If they, or mockingbirds, or robins, discover the mealworms, the bluebirds don't have a chance. I do not have seed feeders, so that was not a problem for me. You will have to "train" the bluebirds that there are mealworms, without somehow "training" the other birds. Here is a great web site for hosting cavity nesters, including a page about feeding mealworms. You can also learn there about monitoring nestboxes, so you will know what to expect, including nesting timetables, etc. BlueBars Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org

Davidandkasie~ I am SO sorry for your loss... Trust me, I feel your & your kid's pain! I can't believe ppl! I know it would kill me to knock on someone's door & tell them I just hit their pet, but I would do it b/c that's the right thing to do! I can't believe how some ppl are so careless about other ppl's feelings. That was something I was/am thankful for (if it's possible to be thankful in a time like this)... that I didn't have to go search for my dog and that I found him... I can't imagine not being able to find a pet & not knowing what happened to it, having that tiny bit of hope that it would one day return. I was also glad I could be there w/ him when he took his last breath. That had to be difficult telling your kids about it... I'm glad I didn't have to worry about that (no kids yet). I'm so sorry for them, b/c I'm sure the little one doesn't completely understand about death and it's probably really confusing that one minute he's there, then the next he's gone... and the older one, I know how he feels, Coffey had became my constant companion and slept in the bed w/ me every night when my fiance was gone & was there every morning when I woke up and was constantly at my feet following me around, so, I understand, it's hard to lose something that had always been there. I guess that saying is true: "You never really realize what you've got until it's gone." Good luck dealing w/ this! *RIP Hooch* ----------------------------------------------------------- Ninapearl~ Thank you for your condolences, and yes, my Dad is something else! I know that I can't ever replace Coffey, he was definitly one of a kind. Bailey & I do still miss Coffey very much, but I can see improvement in each of us. It will just take time. And, although eventually I will probably want to get another "little brother or sister" for Bailey, I just feel like it's too soon overall. I'm afraid Bailey might not adapt well since it's only been 1 1/2 weeks since Coffey's death and I'm afraid that I might expect too much out of a new dog, so I just feel like now isn't the time. I will know when the time is right. Also, my fiance & I & Bailey will be moving soon and I honestly don't know if I would have the time to train a puppy right now. I have, however, thought about going to a shelter for a puppy. This has made me angry though, looking @ PetFinder.com... We had a special puppy that was WANTED and in a good and loving home and he had to be taken from us, same goes for Davidandkasie, and then, there are all of these dogs out there that are neglected or abused and just plain UNWANTED and just sitting there. It is so unfair how the world works! (Not that I am wishing death on any animal, but it just doesn't seem right how that works out.) Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now. Thank you again for all of your sweet condolences! :)