We accomplished much today, donning rubber boots and wading in the marshy pond grasses to trim them back, then pruning lavateras/tree mallows and hydrangeas. I’ve never had lavateras and am eager to see what colors blossom.  Reading I’ve done suggests they are similar to hollyhocks in blooming habit. Could ours end up being this lovely?

Meanwhile in the garage:

I wish the chicks wouldn’t get so frantic every single time I climb into their pen to bring food and water. Catching one is nearly impossible, and they continue scurrying, squawking, and flapping until I depart. Once I do have one in hand, she will settle down and usually stop cheeping.

As little Ashley’s feathers have come in, she has lost the cross on her back:

The four buff orpingtons are having the most challenging time as they lose their fluff and gain real feathers. Now I understand why we need to keep heat lamps going for a couple more weeks– too much exposed skin:

Poor Hubby hammered his thumb today. (No photo for that.) He has made terrific progress on The Chicken Mansion, though.

A couple of days ago, a large eagle-shaped bird flew from one tree to the tippy top of another nearby while Son and I were out gardening. At least it looked like an eagle to me with my less than 20/20. I grabbed the camera and snapped a photo all the way zoomed in, since I don’t have binoculars yet. Today I had a chance to load those photos onto my computer and here’s what I found:

and cropped and enlarged:

I believe we have spied our first bald eagle!!! They are known to live around here, and I am thrilled one has perched in our tree.

Another thought — it’s a good thing The Chicken Mansion will be predator-proof.