Less than Twelve Parsecs

When we got the Silkies we had some adventures with a visiting hawk. I bet he still stops by, landing on a tall lamp post every now and then, to check if he can swoop into our yard again. He can't. We installed a Hawk Stopper net overhanging on our Silkie yard, just to see if it would deter the hawks as advertised. It turned out to be quite a pretty latticed-ceiling landscape. It reminds me of those tall circus tents, back when traveling circuses were a thing. And of the wire mesh shapes when you're designing virtual worlds in a computer. I love resting my eyes on the perspective-shifting squares. The mesh itself is flimsy, but the theory is that hawks will have a natural fear of them, because of their keen eye sight. Little song birds have no problem coming through to the feeders. Hummingbirds zoom past it with a royal indifference. Pigeons come under the net from one open side to grab any seeds off the ground (yes, Fae still feeds the birds and the chickens, and though she&#

Shortly after Fae started to walk we gave her shoes. She has been a very enthusiastic shoe wearer since. Here is Fae's first experience wearing shoes. Elephant shoes. Matching pair. Correct feet. And here is a collection of her her subsequent work. Tie dye shoes. Matching pair. Correct feet Tie dye shoes. Matching pair. Opposite feet. Getting ready to sweep. Sparkly rainbow shoes. Matched pair. Opposite feet. It's never too late in the day to wear shoes. Fae walks in tie dye shoes. Opposite feet. Giant crocs. Matching pair. Correct feet. Elephant shoes on the inside. Sparkly rainbow shoe and yellowish-green shoe. Not matching pair. Somehow correct feet. Examining a squash. Yellowish-green shoes. Matching pair. Correct feet. Probably wearing other shoes underneath. Ready to go for a walk and wearing Mara's old "I eat glitter for breakfast" shirt. Close-up of inset shoe in yellowish-green shoes. Matching pair. Correct feet.