Oops! Didn't realize I haven't updated this thread for a while. LOTS going on at Camp Nappy. Any way .... The triplets were in the free-flight and the parrot, Pepper, asked, "Hey! What's going on there, Shorty?" I don't know if she was referring to my 5ft. 2in. stature or the chicks. LOL! A week or so later one of the chicks became septic. He had horrid diarrhea and an overwhelming bacterial infection. :*( He's got IV warmed fluids, IV antibiotics, probiotics, warmed food and many tears and kisses. :*( He' was trying to live. He was trying to die. Within 8 hours he died. :*( Then there were two .... And they were doing well. They were getting better at catching flying insects. And so are we. Had a little scare a few days later when a Cooper's Hawk was spotted in the Willow Tree watching our lessons. The Swallows were the ones who saw the Hawk and they immediately flew to my shoulder! Lesson was cut short and we went inside. Good to know the Swallows have a sharp eye and recognize potential danger. I can't imagine what the Hawk was thinking of while he watched me with *my* youngsters. We were catching little gnats, moths and other small insects and releasing them with the Swallows inside. Only here would that be an acceptable practice! LOL! We've been looking for aphids, which is supposed to be a big part of their diet, but .... where's a SINGLE aphid when you need one?!?!? We arranged to release them at the horse barn where they were found when the time comes. Oh my. I have gone on a bit! Anyone still awake? And then on August 2nd .... We always worried this would happen, more so with the Swallows than any other chick we have raised. The two Barn Swallows were practicing their flying and hunting skills yesterday afternoon. We were sooooo proud how well they were doing. They would fly around then land in the trees, on the roof or on me and then take off again. Mike and the children were outside and on watch duty but it came out of no where. One of the fledglings was on the roof and fluttering his wings and chirping for food as they do .... In an instant a Cooper's Hawk snatched him up and was gone. The little Swallow's end was instant, I'm sure. I know the Hawk needs to eat too but our little Swallow? Eating him would be like eating one potato chip. Not really a meal, was he? Lesson was over at that moment. We've known the Hawk is around but they are everywhere too. I need to get brave and let the lone survivor out again to perfect his skills and return to the wild. There's no real way to protect him from Hawks outside. ~SIGH~ We got permission to visit the horse barn where our little Swallow was found. He was been flying around and becoming familiar with the area and interacting with other Swallows. I would not doubt that he may have met his parents too. Barn Swallows are not exactly the friendliest bird species to one another. Initially they were in attack mode at the new intruder and the little one would quickly return to me for protection. As time has passed ... they seem to accept that he's a part of the territory and no longer swoop down on him or chase him, but rather allow him to join in their little groups as they hunt the various insects. I wasn't sure at what point we leave him on his own. I suppose it will be when he doesn't return to me for protection or if I call to him. Even then ... we'd return for a few days to see if all is well. He isn't tagged or banded in any way so we really have no way to identify him once he rejoins his family group. He'll just be one of the flock with a unique chick-hood. Well ..... I left little Chip at the horse barn for the night. His first night outside like the big birdy we hope he will become! We returned repeatedly to see if he's OK. If he needs breakfast. If he needs a cuddle. ... I know I didl! He's been at the barn for about a week-ish. Yesterday is the first day he didn't come back to me for a cuddle and a meal. There's tons of swallows there and one of them is our little Chip. We'll go back for a few more days but ... I think he's become a big birdy and has returned to his rightful home. Without a doubt ... it has been the most difficult challenge yet for me ... to try to raise the Barn Swallows! Sadly we lost two of them but hopefully Chip will go on to raise many more chicks. Little Chip-a-roo hasn't come back to me today. I'll go back tonight but am sure he's well on his own now. God speed, little Chip! You've given me more grey hairs but you were well worth it!

Very funny turkey photos...lol. I think my DH might have a heart attack if a turkey started walking around on the top of the car. He's already wondering why it is that the birds choose the branches right above the car to sit and make their deposits. [g] I've had my hummingbird feeder out for a couple of weeks with no visitors. I saw the Oriole in the yard a couple of times, so I decided to add a half an orange to the top of it. That's not working either. Yesterday I saw an Oriole fly right over the orange without so much as a glance. [g] Not that we don't have a pile of birds out there. Grackles and Starlings seem to have made us home base. I've seen a couple of them being followed by adolescents squawking for some food. All the usual cast of characters and a few pigeons have decided to drop in since last year. We're not putting out any cracked corn, just safflower and black sunflower. I was wondering the other day if you can have too many birds. They're fighting over the two birdbaths, so I added a third and still the robins and the starlings are competing for top bird position. Somedays I need to clean and refill the birdbaths twice a day. I've been seeing lots of bird droppings on the fences and along the rock edging of the perennial beds. Lately, DH fills the feeders and in a few hours, they empty one and are halfway through another. Anyone else think they might have too many birdy visitors? [g]

Thank you for your kind comments! We visited the fish hatchery last weekend but didn't see one migrant. Yesterday morning we hit the bird lottery, though. A rare migrant and two lifers, as well as a warbler. I took so many photos (over 1700) that my computer has been barely functional, so have had trouble working on the photos. Time to install a second hard drive, just for photos (sigh)

My mother lived with us for over 6 years before she got to the point where she needed more care than we could give her. Here's the simple truth: it will be the best thing you've ever done and it will be the worst thing you've ever done. It is both a win-win and and lose-lose. You'll feel good that you've done this thing for him but it will seriously effect your life on all levels, every day. He will know that you love him and have given him a safe place, but at the same time he'll resent giving up his freedom and he will resent you for it. Everyone will have days when they are angry and frustrated. Those will be balanced by moments of pure joy and grace. It will never be easy, but it will be a good thing. Your FIL has gone through some changes that you and his son can't anticipate. Things he hasn't let you see in short visits. Those will be hard for his son to face ("Dad was never like this before...") and even harder for the father to face. Forgetfulness, slow verbal responses, diminished physical capabilities, fear and the repetition of stories are all very common past the age of 80. One of the hardest things with my mother was the fear. She had always been strong, but at some point became fearful of everything; even loud noises and some tv shows affected her. It doesn't sound like a big deal but for many elders it can be debilitating. Dependence on drugs and alcohol are also more common than we want to think among elders. Even if those things weren't part of his life before, they may be now. You won't necessarily know that until he's with you. Just be prepared for it. He'll miss his friends, his routine and all the things that made him feel happy and comfortable in his old place. You'll miss your freedom, your privacy and your spontaneity - everything has to be planned just like having a two year old in the house. It doesn't matter how independent he is right now, within a couple years that will change drastically. It's hard but as the DIL it will be mostly your responsibility to keep peace between the father and son. You are the one who will have to be understanding of both sides and both feelings. Be sure you plan in time for you and your husband to vent to each other honestly about his father. My DH and I started taking a walk every night after dinner just to get out of the house together and it gave us a great opportunity to talk about my mother and smile about things that had made us crazy earlier in the day. By the time we returned home we were OK and ready for a nice evening with Mom. The best thing you'll ever do and the worst. If you have specific questions or want to chat about this, don't hesitate to email me. Kate (solstice98@att.net)