There are pets, and then there are PETS

OK, how funny is this?

Just got the mail and, nestled among the delightful holiday cards and not-so-delightful junk mail, was a reminder card from the vet -- "time for Sara's annual avian checkup!" Why is this funny? Because Sara is one of our backyard chickens! We had this episode last winter during which one of our hens died of illness, and another (Sara) was discovered to also be ill, so we had to medicate her for a few weeks. I say "we" in the broadest sense of the word, because it was really Tim out there with the syringe twice a day (thus making our eggs NOT antibiotic-free for a period of time). But the funniest thing about the whole things was that as a result of the rushing of the first sick hen to the Animal ER, where she died on the examining table, we received, a week later, a -- wait for it -- SYMPATHY CARD from the vet! Offering us condolences on the loss of Chirp, our beloved companion, who will be missed. They did stop short of sending us flowers.

Let's just say that after that whole $300 episode, we learned our lesson, and poor Sara is just going to have to tough it out without her annual avian checkup this year.

OK, time to get these antsy kids out into the fresh air!