Lucy (she looks like the blue and red one in the middle photo) had a vet appointment today, and she is disappointed with her human minders. She responds to the vet much as Mr. Possum responds to his yearly physical, though Lucy shrieks and bites. From what I have read, it is pure Christian charity that keeps Blog-daddy from doing the same. (For shame, Terry, your wife bore four children.)

It was a grooming session. Lucy had her flight feathers, toenails and beak clipped to proper proportions.

In a way, it was a sad day. Since we had last gone to the vet many flight feathers had come in, and Lucy was taking flight in the house. Most of her flights were in the 30 foot range, but she was learning to turn the corner and made about a 60 foot flight from the office to our bedroom. She was learning to land on my arm rather than inside the kitchen sink. It was lovely to see and exciting to hear.

There are proponents of free flight for home birds. Lucy loves it. The possibility of flying anywhere in the house kept her little wings nervous in the morning. She would usually wait until I had got enough coffee to realize what she was doing. She has bonked off the porch windows more than once.

The great fear was that she'd make her way outdoors in a neighborhood full of cats and dogs. Bird dogs. But I hadn't thought at all of what the vet said: "She could be shot." Yes, she could. If idiot kids can beat calves to death in Washington, they could certainly shoot a beautiful little bird in Louisiana.

So the flight feathers were trimmed.