Settling into Squirrels and Such

It feels like autumn at last, just a bit. I feel as if October is flying by, after a rather appalling September. Autumn, please slow down!

Here are my latest squirrels. Mastering a particular animal takes a lot of practice in various positions. I think I mastered chickens and mice, but I want a squirrel story next.

In our warm climate, after herbs die back from the heat of summer they reseed for a second, light crop in the fall. I have cilantro, dill, and parsley coming up, plus lots of pretty basil still.

 

Punkin has been unwell. For quite a while she's had messy bum feathers, and then she stopped laying. I was worried she was egg-bound (an egg stuck inside her that needs to come out).

Grumpy Punkin

So I gave her the Spa Treatment two mornings in a row. I soaked her bum end in a tub of warm Epsom salts, gently removing all the messy poop from her fluffy feathers. She was nervous. Punkin is always nervous. But she's all cleaned up now. She's not waddling, and although I could feel her bones down there (hips? pelvis?), I could feel no lodged eggs needing to come out. 

I meant to do the Spa Treatment five mornings in a row, but this morning she hid in the very back of the coop, very still. "If I don't move, that farm lady can't see me," she was thinking. She's all cleaned up, and since she doesn't seem egg-bound, I'm leaving her alone now. I'll give her some ground calcium later, which should help her too.

Getting back to painting, herbs, and chickens is making my world feel normal again. Now I must get back to writing too, but that's the hardest one, the most emotionally taxing. I hope your October is dreamy and beautiful, and everything you've been waiting for as we've anticipated fall! It's my favorite month, but I do wish it were a bit cooler this year. See you 'round the bend!