Benny and Joon

When our children were young I taught them James Whitcomb Riley's poem, When The Frost Is On The Punkin. The third line in the poem reads "and the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens." Well, I never thought we would have guineas (not "guineys", Mr. Riley) and I certainly never thought we'd have them in Africa.

Ever since we went to Shiwangandu last August I fell in love with the guineas and their "clackin'". How did we come to be owners of this pair, Benny and Joon?


This week the Hiltys went to visit Chieftainess Mwenda in Chikankata and is the custom they took her a gift. In return she gave the Hilty children, Ireen and Ian, these two guinea fowl (we're not sure if they're male and female). And, out of respect, the gift must be accepted. When Tracy and I were returning home I got a phone call from Tim asking if we wanted the birds since Andrea knew I liked them. He said he would set them on our side doorstep in a box. Well, I thought it would be a big box and that they would be upright. Not so. The chieftainess had the birds' feet tied together and they were lain in a shallow box. When we got home all we saw was an empty box. Somewhere in the dark in the yard or near the swamp were birds trying to get around with their feet lashed together. As I thought of this, I thought it pretty comical.
 
The next morning Tracy found them and promptly acquired a cage for them from our yard worker. After blocking some of the holes with more wire we unbound their feet and placed them in the cage. You could almost hear a sigh of relief as they entered their new digs.

Today Tracy began a labor of love by building a temporary roost for them. After finding some information on the internet we learned they like to be about 6 feet off the ground, that they LOVE bugs, and that a mirror will acclimate them to their new surroundings. Hopefully, they will do their daily business in this area once we release them from the cage. If the birds stay around (especially while we're on home assignment), then we'll build something more lasting. I think it's a mighty fine home for my tuxedoed friends. Welcome, Benny and Joon. May you not become someone's dinner!