Look at our two newcomers! This is Alanis and Avril and they arrived on the 12th. Alanis is the louder of the two. They're a lot easier to tell apart on land than on water because Alanis is more vertical than Avril (she is also a lot LOUDER than Avril!).

Since losing Jezebel and Vida and since Deirdre has cataracts and is showing her age, we decided we need a couple new sanctuary hens to show newcomers the ropes and make them feel at home. Plus, Matthew and Jeffrey could use some female companionship, if you catch my drift.

I have a funny story about Benny... A bad storm came through last week, so I ran out to the barn and started calling everyone in around 5 p.m. It started pouring at the last minute, when only Benny needed to come in. He was sitting on his little pond swimming around.

I called to him from the doorway: "Come on, Benny! Come on!"

But he just kept on swimming and said: "I don't wanna!"

I said, "Don't you make me go out in that pouring rain. Come on, let's go!"

And he said, "I don't wanna!"

I was about to step out into the rain when he hopped out of his pond, so I said: "Good boy! Come on now! Come up to the barn!"

And then he looked up at the rain and said, "I don't wanna!"

By now a downpour had begun, so I bolted out into the rain and coaxed him up to the barn while he laughed. "Got you wet, Momma!"

Well... the very next night it was really warm and we decided that Benny and Demi would be better off staying out in their pen for the night, enjoying the thick grass and shade trees. It also means they can swim all night and be under the stars...

Well, at bedtime, Benny stood at his gate and said, "Let me through! Let me through!"

"You and Demi are going to stay outside tonight. You'll be much happier in your outside pen. And you can always sleep in your little house. I put fresh hay in it."

"I don't wanna!"

"Sorry Benny, but you'll thank me later."

And he said: "If this is about that thing in the rain, I was only joking."

"No, Benny, it's not about me getting soaked in the rain."

The next morning when I came out to let out the barn gang, Benny was already happily floating in his little pond.

"You like that, Benny? Not so bad staying outside after all!"

"Humph! It was all MY idea. I didn't wanna go in the barn!"

"Okay, Benny."