January 5, 2009. Mexico. The Christmas Quails.

Two small quails were in a cage in the garage, when we arrived for Christmas in Texas. The menagerie at school asked for volunteers to adopt two button quails and of course, Abigail and Sarah put up their hands. Both the fifth and fourth grades share all the animals in the menagerie, so after a phone call request for approval to the Mother, the two very cute quails arrived home. The agreement was for the girls to care for the birds totally, which included feeding, watering and cleaning. Suzanne's role was to purchase a much larger cage. Another rule was to keep the quails in the garage. Now Suzanne does not like the birds and David thinks the quails should be let loose in the back yard, but all four girls are addement. " We will look after the quails".

Now the cold weather arrived to find the poor little birds shivering, so the quails came into the craft room, which meant the cage had to be cleaned every day. Next, the dining room was the home of the quails. By now the feathers are coming in very nicely and are actually very pretty little birds. David and I went into the craft room to see them and hold them and of course, one got away from David and he had a devil of a job to get the bird back in the cage. By now they kind of fly around. Another interesting thing about these birds is that Crush, their yellow labrador retriever dog never even notices the birds. Now we have a bird dog living with these birds and Crush does not as much as sniff at them. Unless the two older girls do their duty for these quails, the birds will be left to go into the yard, I am sure.

Over Christmas, two eggs appeared in the cage. Not knowing anything about birds and eggs, we did not know whether to eat the eggs or to let the birds incubate the eggs so we can have more birds. At school, the children put the eggs in an incubater until hatching, when the childrem took turns feeling the babies with an eye dropper. The family decision was to do nothing yet and see what happens. Ken and I call them the Christmas birds. I fully expect to arrive the next time to find four little button quails , but now in an even bigger cage. Or, when the weather gets warmer, the birds and their cage will be kept in the back yard, where the birds can go and come at will. Never a dull moment.