Last Saturday Charisse (Rebecca) happened to be driving through nearby East Side neighborhood. Assuming this unlikely pair was lost, she decided to stop and pick them up. The chicken was easy, and since the duck seems to need to be next to the chicken at all times, he (she?) also let himself (herself?) be grabbed. Charisse separated them the first night from our chickens, then kept them in the coop the next day and night, and ever since, they’ve been fully acclimated, with the new chicken even laying one brown egg each day.

So . . . but of course we do need to find out if their former owner wants them back. So I  went onto www.nextdoor.com, and made the announcement. All the neighborhoods in Bloomington will now know about the strangely matched pair, and how we would like to, but haven’t yet, confiscated them.

(If you live in a neighborhood, check out nextdoor.com. It’s a terrific resource.)

Update: Not ten minutes after I posted the message on nextdoor.com I got a call from  the owner and replies on nextdoor.com from two of their friends. This list is really active! And fast! The odd couple will leave this evening. The owner has four kids and you can imagine how they felt when their beloved pets didn’t return last Saturday evening.. (Apparently they walk the sidewalk over there often, are not fenced, and always come home at night.)