3 Brown Ducks

I got to help clip the duck wings! First I got to help capture them by marking my favorite shrub while Stacy picked up the ducks, one by one. I had to stay outside the barn while she grabbed the last one, though. It really didn't want to be picked up. I watched the ducks, eye to eye, while they were being clipped and made sure they didn't wriggle away! Now they don't fly to the roof any more but they can still get up onto my straw steps to poop. I like the brown ducks because they are friendly, but respectful.

This morning I was very proud. I had been in the aviary for a long time and Stacy came to let me out. She opened the gate and said "Don't let the chickens out!" like she always does. That's because 8 chickens ran over to the gate to come out with me. So this time I carefully and gently pushed all 8 chickens away from the gate with my nose. Then I rushed out the gate and got even my big tuchis outside the gate before I sat down to rub my butt. It feels good to help and I like my job.

Ducks

Well, I think old Leonardo (Muscovy drake) heard Stacy saying he probably wouldn't make it through the winter because he wasn't looking too good yesterday. He was walking around so slow it seemed it would take all day to cross the yard. And he was even slower at going through the gate than I am. Some obnoxious brown girlie ducks (chocolate Muscovies) showed up at the end of the summer for old Leonardo and his son, Brad, but they never even paid any attention to them. I think that's why Hershey flew away yesterday. Cocoa has been sitting on the railing with Ding Dong, and they even all three flew onto the roof, but no one thought they'd be foolish enough to fly away! Hershey made it through the night, though, and showed up at the corn dish with the wild mallards in the morning. Stacy said she was going to clip their wings and I sure hope I get to help! I'll chase them fall over the aviary to calm them down! That will get them nice and muddy. Then I'll stand too close and try to get her attention by nipping her coat-tails. Yep, it will be a fine day for me to be a Big Help.

Winter Prep

My owners- Stacy & Dick- both went away in the car today and when they came back it was full of hay! I already have my own bale of timothy hay and the steps to my swimming pool are done so I wasn't sure what it was for. The bale of straw ended up in the aviary by the chicken food. It was so beautiful and clean and new. My pool steps are completely soggy and growing grass, and I think the brown ducks even pooped on them, but this new bale was a wondrous thing. It just wasn't in MY house. The next thing I knew I had my harness on and I was in the front yard eating grass. Now that I have tasted that front-yard grass I don't mind the harness so much, but I still pretend I'm a horse and puff up and hold my breath so my chest is REALLY BIG so Stacy has to grunt and yank on that harness to get it to go around me. Then I scamper off and it gets loose and I get my foot caught up in it, like the big doofus that I am. It's one of my favorite games, the puff-up-like-a-horse game. But I couldn't wait to get back to the aviary to see if that straw was still there. Dick had moved the iguana cage to a new spot (no we don't have one, but the cage was a hand-me-down that used to have one in there, and now Stacy puts baby birds in there in the spring). Then Stacy moved a big packing crate around, and put up a heat lamp, and invited the stupid birds in. It's much nicer in there without them, but they think they own the place and in they marched: the 2 crazy geese, the 8 silly hens, the 3 boring Rouens and Jose who follows them now, the 3 hoodlums, 3 chocolate Muscovies, and the 2 old Muscovy drakes. I kind of felt like it was my barn now, but they came roaring in to check out the new changes. Then Stacy snipped the baling twine and started throwing straw all around! It was heaven! I ate some, I kicked some up by spinning around, I rolled in it, and ate some more! But you know, those stupid birds were jumping on the bale, picking and scratching at the straw, and moving right in on my personal straw-rolling station! Norman, the big goose has always been a pain in the butt, and when HE came near my personal straw-rolling station, I jumped on him! I ran him out of there so fast the other birds just stood there, jaws dropping right and left! Stacy hollered at him, too, and came to help me run him out of the barn! At least that is what I thought until Dick ran over to Norman and was talking to him real nice and asking if he was okay. When I looked back at Stacy, she had this really disgusted look on her face. Well, I go out there with her every morning, feeding those chickens. It's just not fair that I can't have the bird barn and the rabbit palace and their bedroom, too, while we're at it, when I'm Dobby the Big Helper!

Capybara in the Bathtub

I was so embarrassed to see this photo of me NAKED in the bathtub. All of a sudden one day it was all over the internet! I don't take many indoor baths any more because I have a great big swimming pool now. It has an edible grand staircase outside and some goldfish inside. Plus I have lots toys in there that I like (I only had some ducks and a cottage cheese carton in the bathtub). In the swimming pool I have a hula hoop to scratch my nose on. Some plastic boats to chew on. A couple frisbees and a kickboard. A great big orange ball to push with my nose (died of a fatal bite hole) And a really big innertube stuffed with Noodles (because I bit a hole in it before it even went in to the pool).

The noodles were Caplin's idea. It's great to have a big brother- he has lots of good ideas. I don't like his food, though. Yogurt is yucky. I tried pears, but I only bit the stem off and took some teeny tiny nibbles but it wasn't a potato. So I left it in the bowl.

I think I am finally ready to write about my day

I have had a VERY exhausting day. I chased the silly hens and had to keep pushing the geese and ducks out of my pen. They know it is my special place and can't seem to stay out. They like my food- there is always my special granola and usually potatoes. I think they like the broccoli best. At least they stay off of my bed! I have had 4 big bowls of milk today, that is my special goat's milk with rice cereal made for babies. I know I'm not a baby any more, but I heard my owner Stacy saying how expensive the organic baby cereal is getting because I go through a box a day. That makes me feel special. Right now I am relaxing before I have my last bowl of the day and go out to my bed. Stacy calls this Potato Time because I like to eat my potatoes at night.