This should come as no surprise. The much-discussed and long-awaited buddycam is ready to go. We can support only two connections, so it's not a public cam, but his doting parents can watch Blake from afar now.
The subject is going through a minor moult right now. I thought it was the equivalent of shedding because it's hot again since most of the dropped feathers were contour feathers with a lot of insulating fluff on them, but this morning he dropped what is nearly a flight feather, a quite stiff body feather from the small of his back, nearly part of the tail.
Yesterday in the zoo a peacock displayed for me--I doubt it was for me, of course, but when he turned and saw me he rattled his quills and flared--and strutted about for several minutes with his tail so erect he actually formed his own Mary-in-a-bathtub look. He turned in circles and I looked to see how the series of tail feathers go. It must be exhausting to do, especially when you have to run after other cocks with your tail still spread to chase them away from your peahen, your two peachicks, and your humans with their KFC lunch that they are sharing with you, and your other bemused human crouching with a stupid grin on her face as she longs to cuddle a peababy. They looked like goslings except with peafowl feet.
I am paying too much attention to my buddy, who has now removed a racing stripe feather, to follow the petty warmongering outside, but two squirrels just had a screaming racing match and now the victor is sitting on a nectarine branch, looking through the dining room window, swearing at me and flicking his tail. What did I do?
Maybe Blake's shedding is the result of last night's shower. He is getting himself all pretty for his webcam fame.
Swim 2K.
I am so proud of myself. I tried to talk myself out of it but I went anyway, and I tried to talk myself into only 1000 meters and then 1500 but I did 2000.
One of the things Shrink and I talk about is my motivation and my shoot-self-in-foot-ism (N.B.: this is my term, not hers). Here is an instance where I did not! Go me.