Sadly,

Henrietta died sometime this evening.  Rest well Little One.

A SPECIAL DELIVERY

My first chicks came today.  I had a voicemail from the post office saying that they were in and that I could pick them up at any time.  I was half prepared.  I had been expecting them sometime soon, but I thought that I'd get a "heads up" email from the vendor.  Luckily, my brooder kit arrived a few weeks ago, and I had everything but the pine shavings.  I ran downstairs, told Marcus and our out-of-town guests the good news, and dashed out to get the pine shavings and then the chicks.

When I got to the post office, there was a super long line.  Sometimes they have a separate window open for people just picking up packages, but that wasn't the case today.  Of the four clerks, two were occupied processing passport requests.  Seriously!?  Fifteen minutes of barely moving passed.  Finally, one of the clerks asked who was there to pick up packages.  I waved my hand and skipped to the front of the queue.  I passed her my driver's license and said that I was there to pick up some live animals.  She disappeared into the back.  A friendly looking man came out of the back holding my driver's license.  He told me that the carrier had taken the chicks.  They had called him and he said that he would drive straight to our house for delivery.  I thanked the man and drove home as quickly as possible.  I wanted to be the first person these baby girls saw.

Three minutes later, I turned the corner to our street.  The mail truck was parked outside and the man was standing in our yard with a box.  Just as I pulled into our driveway, my husband came out.  He had been upstairs cleaning our room to make it presentable for walking through.  (We are keeping the chicks in our attic until they're old enough to go outside, and you have to walk through our bedroom and bathroom to get there.)  I listened to the box.  It sounded like it was full of little squeak toys.  I took the box upstairs, through our bedroom and bathroom and into the attic.  By now, I was giddy with anticipation, but I kept the box safely shut until I could get the pine bedding spread around.

Finally, it was time to open the box.  Inside, there was another box.  Inside that box, five little chicks chirped up at me.

When I ordered the chicks, I couldn't decide on a breed.  The vendor offered several.  It also offered a "mix" - five chicks would be chosen by the farmer and I wouldn't know what kind they were until I got them.  Well, really, I won't know what kind they are for a little while.  All the breeds are good layers and hardy.  They might be any of the following: Ameracaunas, Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, Silver Laced Wyandottes, White Plymouth Rocks, Black Australorps, and/or Barred Plymouth Rocks.  All I know is that I have three black and two yellow chicks.  And they are all adorable.

So, without any further ado, I'd like to introduce you to (from top to bottom): Phillipa, Gertrude, Vera, Henrietta, and Alberta.