The Mirror Situation
Two of the inmates. No where to go. |
Since the lockup, things have been quiet.
Suspiciously quiet.
I put a large mirror inside the greenhouse. This is not a new idea — back when Morpheus and Neo were in the brooder, mirrors created a “virtual flock” and calmed them down almost instantly. Two chicks who couldn’t stand touching each other sat side by side and stared at themselves for hours. Peace, restored through narcissism.
The same logic applies now. Enrichment. Stimulation. Something to look at that isn’t each other.
What I did not expect was the scheduling.
Two birds stand in front of the mirror. Two birds wait out in the pen. It is always a matched pair — Han and Leia, or Morpheus and Neo. Never a mix of older and younger. They do not share mirror time across age groups.
Then, without warning or discussion, they switch.
I turn around and the two birds who were in front of the mirror are gone, and the other two are inside, in position, like they’ve been there all along.
No argument. No drama. No one had to be asked.
The birds who spent weeks fighting over perch inches have apparently worked out an orderly timeshare arrangement for a mirror. On their own. Without me.
I cannot tell if this is impressive or deeply unsettling. Possibly both.
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Ranch Projects in Progress
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Build Update The Not-a-Chicken-Run The framing for the not-a-chicken-run starts today. Three tons of sand are already on site. James has been buried with work, so this may be a solo project for a while. That’s fine. I know how to handle solo projects. First stop: the hardware store. I will not be taking questions about how many times I’ve been there this week. Details. |
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James’s Project The Automatic Coop Door Not sourcing one. Not installing a kit. Building one from the ground up — PCB designed, components assembled, firmware written, door being cut. This is the same man who solved a week of peacock bedtime battles by standing quietly in a yard and doing nothing. He apparently contains multitudes. |
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Ongoing The Pool Structure A welding crew has been replacing the steel superstructure that holds the shade canopy over my therapy pool. Almost halfway done after two weeks — a proper rebuild, not a patch. |
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Catch Up
What’s New — Dispatches from the Ranch
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The Night My Birds Ran Away From Home Fifteen minutes before sunset. No birds. No sound. I walked two properties, drove the gravel road, and called until I was hoarse. |
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The Neighbor’s Flower Bed Is Not an Option, Morpheus After a 24-hour escape, the birds came home. Most of them behaved. Morpheus had opinions about the flower bed. |
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Jail Birds Nobody is happy. Four birds are in jail. James is building the thing I promised would never exist. Three tons of sand are saying everything he hasn’t had to. |
Short Videos
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The Nightly Peacock Roundup It’s like herding cats, but worse. |
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The Neo Fan Dance Full display. Full shimmy. Zero applause from Morpheus. |
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Peacocks Calling to Each Other From the Trees The sound that brought them home. |
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Questionable Choice Award Presented with reluctant pride
This round, the award goes to all four birds. Collectively. Unanimously. With footage. What we have on camera is all four of them clearing the fence in a line — calmly, deliberately, like a small delegation that had somewhere to be and simply hadn’t mentioned it. They walked two properties down to visit the neighbor, hung out for a while, and wandered back when they felt like it. Not lost. Not fleeing anything. Just out. The escape is why they’re in jail now. But the award is for the escape itself. Congratulations to Han Solo, Princess Leia, Morpheus, and Neo — this round’s Questionable Choice Award winners. You caused a 45-minute search, a minor breakdown, and a commute I did not apply for. Welcome to the club. You were already founding members. |
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If you need me, I’ll be at the hardware store for the 8th time this week and googling “can peafowl recognize themselves in a mirror or are they just impressed by the company.”
