Ahsoka came home after being missing for over a week. My relief is immeasurable.

Lucy got a new toy today.

Well, they've been pretty damn normal. Which is abnormal, and has me concerned!

Not really, but all the little feather dusters have been chill and a little dull this week. I mean, obviously I'm talking by our standards of dull. There's still plenty screaming and boking and buking and bawkawking, as well as power slides and scolding when we do not obey our gallan overlords.

As of this moment, as an example, the rooster is sitting in the window planter outside my dad's window, crowing non stop. There's nothing wrong, he's just in a mood. I've checked three times.

I suspect he's annoyed that nobody has brought him treats in an hour or so.

Spoiled chickens are still wonderful.

As an example of the normalcy of oddness that is pet chickens, baby girl, our little marans hen, comes inside a little before sundown.

First stop is the kitchen for ice. I drink ice water all day, and most days I would refill the ice in my tumbler after we brought her in.

Well, cracking the ice trays one day, some small fragments came loose and fell to the floor. She was startled, but quickly decided to try this manna from above. Thus began her love affair with ice.

At first, she was just following me around the house and if some dropped, she would jump on it. After a few weeks, she would follow me around and jump up and down when I would pull a tray out of the freezer.

A few weeks of that and she began sweetly requesting ice shards. And by sweetly requesting, I mean "brrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawk" repeatedly until I find some little pieces and drop them for her. Some days, the screaming is interspersed with walking on my feet, or pecking them gently, or pulling at my pants. Other days, the pecking is not gentle.

But it is certain that if I crack a tray of ice, she will come running for her due tithe.

Then, once the ice goddess has been appeased, we will hie to the couch where she will walk back and forth across my lap until satisfied. What she's satisfied about, I have no idea. But at some point, she will decide she is, and find a spot to settle down.

Well, as long as she has been sweetly praised. See, I sweet talk the birds, even volunteer hen that isn't exactly friendly. I have a different pitch and cadence for each of them. No baby talk, but a higher pitch and sweet words. All of them like it to some degree, but baby bird revels in it. And she will not settle down or be happy until I have sung her praises in her voice.

Often, she'll stop walking and preen before settling down all the way. It is my job to continually praise her beauty and elegance as she does so. And she will absolutely check to make sure I'm actually paying attention and not just talking while doing other things. If she pauses her preening to check, and sees that I am not worshipping her properly, she will scold me until I resume veneration.

See? Perfectly normal, for a given value of normal.