Fly by update

Buck is a Cochin. That looks like it might be French, but the feed store guy wants you to say Koe-Chin and not Coh-Shen. So just say "coh-shen" under your breath when he turns his back to get your cedar shavings.

You be what you want to be, Bucky.

Buck is also smart enough to know that you are trying to trick her back into her coop with grapes, and she turns into some kind of ninja the moment you hold one up. In half a second you are on your butt and she is in the bushes murdering a grape. I don't know if chickens are supposed to eat grapes, but as far as I can tell they are just raccoons without hands, and they'll eat whatever garbage you give them. (Along with crumble and scratch. Garbage is just a nutritional supplement.)

The boy found a baby mejiro that fell out of its nest and banged up its wing.

Larger than actual size. Commonly known as "weenie birds" around these parts. 

Around my house, specifically.

We managed to keep it alive overnight with baby bird formula on a plastic darning needle and a hot potato wrapped in a sock. Returned it to its parents the next day when it felt better. It fluttered right up into the tree and climbed up the branches like a dragon while its parents chirped excitedly. Congratulated each other on being good witches. Witches seem to follow the 80/20 rule, like librarians (and police officers and social workers and teachers and tech support). A bit of the job is magic, and the rest is getting dirty up to the elbows in other people's problems, because someone has to. "You do the good that is in front of you," Granny Weatherwax always says.

The lychees came in, and having a teenager with a fruit picker keeps the little guys happily shelling fruit for a couple of hours while you loosely supervise from behind a book on a lounge chair. And the hose has a mist setting, so the plant watering takes care of itself while the kids run through the clouds of water and shoot cold jets down their shorts. I've got this situation sorted.

Had to go to work for toddler time with all the kids in tow, because I'm the only one who knows the scarf and shaky-egg rhymes. Also have to go to work today and wrangle a magician. WHO DESIGNED THIS VACATION? It turns out that going to work halfway through your lounging-with-a-chicken-and-a-book time is complete balls.

I read a book! A paper one! In 2 days! Like a person who actually sits and reads books! Am now in post-book withdrawal and really annoyed.

Taking series suggestions at this time, folks.