Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of having dinner with my daughter and her new husband. This is nothing new. What was new, was the evening’s entertainment. Before and after dinner we sat out in the backyard and watched her chickens. Now before you take a big yawn, and leave this post, hear me out. I don’t know if I have crossed over into what is officially a “redneck” or just joined what two thirds of rest of the world already is doing, but I found it interesting, amusing, scary at times, peaceful, insightful and refreshing.
My daughter in her quest to eat more healthily has acquired some chickens for eggs. They have quickly become pets and could never in a million years be considered for anything else but egg producing friends. She recently lost two of her hens to a predator and she describes that day as “one of the worst five days of her life”. We love what she loves and recently took care of them while she was out of town. Now one of them has a hurt leg and we were speculating what was wrong and how to treat it while dinner cooked.
To watch these fowl scratch for bugs, run at full speed because they got spooked and then have the whole flock join in, jump in my lap and hear me scream like a ninny was a hoot. Chickens are funny. They bully each other, don’t seem to have a lick of sense and try to keep all the goods to themselves. Kind of like humans. Hmmmmm….
There were times when we would just watch the chickens peck and scratch, working as natural pesticides, eating bugs, fertilizing the soil and there were quiet comfortable silences. Just the wind in the trees and the sound of the birds. No need for music or to fill it up with ” so what do you think about…?”
It was a good evening of good food, good wine, good company and a good show.
1 Comment(s)
Oh, those girls are just ever-so-cute, pointing their little feathered fannies at the camera!