Free Bird

This is Gemini. He has quite the life story. And has had quite the unfortunate year; a year that literally landed us in court this fall. And me, his owner, found guilty of a disorderly conduct (Washington Post article ). Not to mention a lot of time, money, and legal hassle, over peacock poop. I have said it countless times: I am not arguing that my bird's presence at the school was inappropriate. I agree on all counts. And his poop annoys me just as much as it is an annoyance to anyone. In fact, I'm not sure that many people like poop. But, it's a thing (Everybody Poops ). I do argue, as does pretty much any legal council that I have spoken to, that the charge does not fit the crime. My goals in writing this, and campaigning are a few-fold:

1. Clear my record
2. Seek reparations for my time, my legal fees, and my fines
3. Find a way to enclose my property so that Gemini can be free again (FreeBird ) 
4. And if the stars align, initiate a long-running dream to run a center for wellness, here an my property once my boys transition into adulthood, which is just around the corner

So. Let me see if I can weave a rundown of how Gemini and I came to be such good friends. And how his presence in my life, and that of countless friends and community members, has been one of life's great joys. 

I live in Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. This area is rural, and in some townships, there are/were, more farm animals per capita than people. We love the animal kingdom here. It's one of the many draws to why people come to make this place their home, and the central focus to life here.

Although I grew up here, I ventured away for close to a decade but returned home when my children were young, wanting this to be the place that I raised them. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made as a mother. I found my home just as I was transitioning into single parenthood, and at  start of my eldest's Kindergarten year. We have been here in this home ever since. And we love this place. From day one we have had a little hobby farm. My boys and I have raised hens, roosters, peafowl (clearly), pigs, dogs, cats, and more. Our neighbors collectively have raised the same along with horses and other large and small farm animals. 

When we bought the home, we bought a home that was adjacent to a  large field. In 2011 that quiet, country road and open space was transitioned into a school, bringing a parking lot, many, many lights, triple the width of the road, traffic, buses, a PA system that to this day blasts the morning announcements across our neighborhood, and more. We've all adjusted, but it's been a process. And it's still sad to look outside and see a monstrous building, and not the open space that once was. But okay, life happens. 

We have mostly adapted, as have our animals. One collection in our menagerie of animals that we adopted was a small family of peafowl; a mother and her two fledgling sons, Fiona, Argos, and Gemini. Within a few weeks of being here, a fox (they are abundant in this area) killed Fiona, leaving Gemini and Argos orphaned. The boys, per the nature of their kind, went in search of their mother, and her assailant. Gemini returned a week later without his brother. But never again left the property. 

With the school in the neighborhood, his curiosity piqued and from time to time he would wander over to check things out. It seemed to caused a mostly happy stir in the community. Gemini became a bit of a local peacock celebrity. I mean, how many people say, hey this morning I saw a peacock on my way to school?... I worried for his wanderings though. Going from a quiet road with seven homes to a very busy throughway, concerned me for the safety of my kids, and my animals. We added an electric fence for our dogs. And Gemini is quite domesticated, so with some training (classical conditioning ), we were able to keep him *mostly* here. 

Fast forward, Gemini takes a mate last year: Diana Prince, a peahen who we were asked to rescue by local police when her owner died. We took her in and viola, Gemini had a family (see videos). Sadly however, in the midst of repairing our barn, she nested on the outskirts of our property, and like Fiona, was also killed. It broke my heart. And Gemini's.

So he started doing what looked to be perimeter searches, and in the midst of his search for yet another predator, he made his way across the street to the school and this is the start of what has led us to this legal raucous. 

Since the first time I was warned by the police, he has been in his coop. And he is quite sad. Although he spends every winter in his barn, come spring, he emerges, as does his fan of feathers. He spends every spring, summer, and fall in his elm tree (see video), and when the last leaves of autumn fall, he agrees to coop up for the winter. His escape in September was the result of a storm that blew our barn door open, letting him free to seek shelter (you can see the rainstorm in the video). It was the perfect storm, I guess you could say. 

This legal issue however, means one of two things. He is in a barn for life, or my sweetest bird friend has to leave our home for good. 

This is all so ill-timed. I need to find a way for the school to not be bothered by my animals, and to keep them and everyone safe.

With the right plantings, and the right enclosure, I am sure that I can make that happen. I really, truly, do not want the school to be bothered by the birds. And I don't want to be bothered by the school. I think this could have all been resolved with some communication, but here we are. 

Who knows, maybe Gemini will have to go in the end. I am aware that is a potential consequence to this. And it breaks my heart to think that could be; but I am at peace with it.

In the meantime, I sure as heck am going to try to keep him home. He really is such a stellar critter. And has been such a joy. 

In this world, joy is what we need. That's for sure. 

Hey, who knows. Maybe one day between my therapeutic skills, the school, and some animals, this place could become a center for kids in need. I would love to see that happen. Or maybe a petting zoo ; ) either way, I sure hope Gemini gets to stay home.